Apollo 11 and HTC Desire Which one is best

Home

Solutions

Articles

Follow @brianmoreau

Apollo 11 guidance computer compared with a modern day mobile phone.
(Which has most processing power?)

I thought it would be fun to compare a modern day electronic device with a past once pioneering electronic device. I have chosen to compare the latest mobile phone with the Apollo guidance computer that landed man on the moon.

I once came across a blog that suggested that most modern washing machines had more processing power than the Apollo space craft. Mobile phones are now becoming so advanced some almost make our home computers look inferior but are they really any more intelligent?

Despite the advances in computers and electronics and despite the vast difference in processing power the Apollo guidance computer could still land you on the moon however the HTC Desire could only get you home, and consider the Apollo guidance computer did that too, although it didn’t Tweet, “Hi honey, I’m home” or need to be backed up by an array of virtual friends although I believe the whole world did watch it.

Having just compared all of the specifications of both devices I am now finding it hard to choose between the two. Should I opt for the HTC Desire that plugs me directly into every social networking application there is or go for the Apollo guidance computer? I am intrigued by which one would be most talked about if it was extracted from my pocket down my local although I am very sure which one would get the most bids on ebay.

That aside Apple has proved it’s not always about power or features sometimes it’s just cool to own something new.
I can’t tell you where to get an Apollo 11 Guidance computer but you can get a HTC Desire from Three for free.

Well for those who want to see the results the comparison table is below.

	HTC Desire	Apollo 11 guidance computer
Manufactured	2009	1966
Processor	ARM based Qualcomm QSD 8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz	MIT Discrete IC RTL based running at 2.048 MHz
ROM	512 MB flash	36864 Words (16 bit length)
RAM	576 MB	2048 Words (16 bit length)
Operating system	Android 2.1	Apollo Guidance Computer AGC
Display	3.7 inch 480x800 AMOLED touch screen	21, 7 Segment Electroluminescence and 13 indicators
Input	Multi-touch with HTC Sense interface.	19 Push buttons
Weight	135 g (4.8 oz)	70 lb (32 Kg)
Dimensions	119 x 60 x 11.9 mm	610 x 320 x 170 mm
Power consumption	Up to 360 Hours from a 1400mAh Lithium-ion battery	55W
Connectivity	HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 Mhz GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR	DSKY, IMU, Hand Controller, Rendezvous Radar (CM), Landing Radar (LM), Telemetry Receiver, Engine Command, Reaction Control System
Camera	5 Megapixel Colour Autofocus LED Auto flash Face detection Geotagging	(optional extra) Various Hasselbald film cameras
Other	Proximity sensor, G-Sensor, Digital compass, FM Radio, GPS, A-GPS and Ambient light sensor. It can get you home.	First ever IC based computer It can land you on the moon
Cost	Free on Three	$24 Billion

Idea (Android moon Lander)

Looks like it has already been done.

HTC Desire Help

The help pages have now moved to HTC Desire help

Readers comments >

Sorry there are no comments, be the first to leave a comment.

Leave a comment or ask me a question >

You don’t need to register to leave a comment because I feel people should not be forced to register to have their say.
All comments are checked prior to publishing to prevent spam.
Don’t worry this wont take long.
If you supply your email address below you will automatically be notified when I approve your comment.


Full name >	*
eMail address > (not published)
Website > (leave blank if you dont have one)
Location >
Comment or question >		*
		*
	* feilds required

Apollo 11 and HTC Desire Which one is best? June 2010