The HTC Aria (A6366; or Liberty, or Intruder) is a

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

manufactured by

HTC Corporation HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, s=宏达国际电子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t) or High Tech Computer Corporation, (literally ''Hongda International Electron ...

that runs the Android operating system with

HTC Sense HTC Sense is a software suite developed by HTC, used primarily on the company's Android-based devices. Serving as a successor to HTC's TouchFLO 3D software for Windows Mobile, Sense modifies many aspects of the Android user experience, incor ...

Release

The Aria was released on June 20, 2010, and is available through

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

. In Japan, eMobile offered the phone from the end of 2010. It is a combination of similar design and hardware from HTC, incorporating the same physical design as the HTC HD Mini, the same capacitive buttons and optical joystick as the

Droid Incredible The HTC Droid Incredible (ADR6300) (also known as the HTC Incredible) is a smartphone manufactured by HTC Corporation using the Android operating system. It was released on April 29, 2010, and is available through Verizon Wireless only. The dev ...

, and the same software introduced on the

HTC Desire The HTC Desire (codenamed Bravo) is the first smartphone of the Desire series developed by HTC. It was announced on 16 February 2010 and released in Europe and Australia in the second quarter of the same year. The HTC Desire was HTC's third fl ...

and HTC Legend. After the

Motorola Backflip The Motorola Backflip (also called the Motorola Motus in some regions) is a touchscreen smartphone released to the U.S. for AT&T on March 7, 2010, and for other countries on Telus and Optus. It runs the open source Google Android software. Gen ...

, it is the second Android device for AT&T Wireless, and it was better received by critics than its predecessor. The HTC Aria was also introduced in Asia Pacific and it retails at RM1799 (about US$562) in Malaysia. On September 28, 2010, HTC Australia announced that the HTC Aria would go on sale in Australia in mid-October. In September 2010, an update was released, adding Firmware Over The Air, an update to Bluetooth, and a Calendar fix. On February 26, 2011, the Android 2.2 update for the HTC Aria was made available to AT&T customers.

Sideloading

AT&T Wireless faced criticism for its inability to download .apk files—Android applications outside of the Android Market. AT&T cited security issues as a reason. On July 9, 2010, HTC released an update for their HTC Sync program that is used to sync their phones to a PC. The update (version 3.0.5372) gave the ability to side-load non-market applications to the device.

Sideloading Sideloading describes the process of transferring files between two local devices, in particular between a personal computer and a mobile device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet, portable media player or e-reader. Sideloading typ ...

was only possible by syncing the phone, and installing the app to the Aria through the computer. However, the update which included this side-loading feature was taken down a few days later. HTC Sync version 3.0.5372 can still be downloaded through third-party websites not affiliated with AT&T or HTC. It is still possible to side-load .apk files through the

Android Debug Bridge The Android Debug Bridge (commonly abbreviated as adb) is a programming tool used for the debugging of Android-based devices. The daemon on the Android device connects with the server on the host PC over USB or TCP, which connects to the cli ...

. This requires the use of the Android SDK and must be done through the command line. This restriction can also be removed by way of third-party ROMs. The official Android 2.2 update prevents rooting the device, disallowing loading of custom ROMs. Root access can be restored through a multi-step process that requires the device to be connected to a computer.

Reception

Reception for the HTC Aria is generally mixed. It was praised for its speed and its interior yellow design. Others criticized the lack of a camera flash. It was also criticized for its low resolution screen. The Aria was heavily criticized for not being able to sideload apps.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Htc Aria

Aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

Android (operating system) devices

Release

Sideloading

Reception

See also

References