HTC Touch review

Much as we'd like to avoid making the obvious comparison, you can't help but notice the similarities between the new HTC Touch and the iPhone.

Apple's first ever mobile may still be some way off arriving in the UK, but blaze of publicity and blog speculation continues to outburn other gadgets. Will its unusual interface spark a revolution in mobile phone design, in the same way as the iPod revolutionised MP3 players?

Look at the HTC Touch, and there is no doubt that the revolution has already begun. Like the iPhone, this mobile has been designed to be perated using a touch-sensitive screen and the tips of your fingers.

Despite the interface, however, this is not really another me-too product. Despite not having the built-in hardware of the iPhone, this is in some ways a more serious phone. In fact, even though it does not have a built-in typewriter keyboard, the HTC Touch features a fully-fledged Windows Mobile palmtop computing system.

It has all the features that you would therefore expect from a Microsoft-powered business smartphone but offers a design, handling and a user experience that have changed almost beyond recognition.

Handling

Stripping away the Qwerty keyboard and numberpad leave you with a device that is so neat and small you can't help but be impressed. But of course this is not just a PDA, it is also a fully-fledged multimedia device with internet browsing, 2-megapixel camera - and mobile phone connectivity.

What makes the Touch different from other touch-controlled phones and PDAs past and present is that you it has been designed so that you are far less dependent on the supplied stylus.

You still use the pen control for inputting text using the virtual keyboard, and to access the deeper functions of the Windows Mobile operating system, and the software that you have loaded onto it. But the 2.8-inch TouchFlo screen has been engineered so that your finger can access and control many of the functions without having to draw the stylus from its sheath.

The phone uses the latest Windows Mobile 6 Professional version of the operating system, which supports features such as push email and HTML email, amongst numerous other upgrades from version 5.0. But the home screen is rather more attractive and user-friendly than on a normal Windows Mobile device.

The Today screen is customised with a giant digital clock, which can be quickly substituted for a widget that will tell you the weather for today and for the next five days.

You can access the standard Microsoft start button from these displays, as well as see what messages and appointments you have waiting for you. But all these require the stylus if you want more detail...

However, run your finger upwards from just below the bottom of the screen and the display changes completely. The LCD is simplified into six squares, each offering a touch button to access, the web, email, SMS, tasks, calendar or the communications manager utility.

Run your finger across sideways and you then toggle through other screens that can be operated with a single digit. One is the dialer, which provides large buttons to access favourite phone numbers - each of which can be customised with a suitable photo or avatar.

If you want to delve deeper into your phone book, you can use your finger to "pull down" the display, allowing you to scroll with your finger; separate dial button can then be used to actually call the number. A final finger-friendly screen gives you quick access to music, photos and videos.

Features

The interface does take a bit of getting used to - but it is well worth it. The onscreen typewriter, for instance, is much faster to type with than with a numberpad, and is probably almost as quick to use as a miniature physical Qwerty keypad.

What's more a predictive dictionary means that the device continually guesses the word you are trying to type. So by poking the stylus on the correct guess you can often save yourself time and effort.

There is no handwriting recognition system supplied, but this is a feature that may well be offered by third-party software developers; the excellent Notes application that is supplied allow you to mix written notes and doodles with type and sound recordings.

The screen, as with any non-flip mobile, is going to be prone to scratching but HTC provide a pouch case so that you can avoid unnecessary wear and tear.

Onboard memory is restricted to 64MB of RAM, and 128MB of RAM. But although there isn't the gigabytes of storage that will be available with the iPhone, you can upgrade capacity easily enough using MicroSD cards.