HTC Touch in Box / Test beginnt - erste Praxis-Eindrücke

Via : Xonio

Hands-on with the HTC Touch Photos

Is this an iPhone killer? HTC seems to think so -- it claims it's as revolutionary as the mouse was to the PC. The HTC Touch runs on Windows Mobile 6 Professional and comes with a large colour touchscreen, a 2-megapixel camera and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Unlike any handset HTC has made before, the Touch features a new application called TouchFlo, which gives you access to a variety of different options via a three-dimensional interface. You swipe your finger up on the screen to activate TouchFlo and then swipe left and right to navigate through the different menu sections.

TouchFlo works well and looks great but there's a huge problem -- try clicking on any of the applications or options in it and you end up going straight back to Windows. For all its fanciness, TouchFlo is just a well-designed Windows Mobile 6 skin.

What we have isn't a revolutionary device but an attractive Windows Mobile handset. No, it's not an iPhone killer, it's not even the best Windows Mobile handset out there. There's no 3G or HSDPA connectivity and HTC only put in 64MB of RAM, so don't expect it to run smoothly all the time.

Overall, we really like the Touch's design, but we're perplexed by the specs. HTC has made some of the most cutting-edge phones out there, so why didn't it add all the things the iPhone lacks? We don't know, but HTC hinted at a new and improved version of the Touch at some point in the future.

Here's a full list of the Touch's innards for all the spec fan boys:

Dimensions: 58mm wide by 100mm tall by 14mm deep
Weight: 112g
Memory: 1GB microSD storage card included / 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM
Display: 71mm (2.8-inch) LCD touchscreen with backlight, 240x320-pixel resolution with 65,536 colours
Standby time: Up to 200 hours
Talk time: Up to 5 hours
Camera: 2-megapixel
Software: Windows Mobile 6 Professional with Direct Push Email and HTML email support
Wireless connectivity: GSM/GPRS/EDGE; Tri-band: 900, 1800,1900; Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.0

At 14mm deep, the HTC Touch is relatively thin for a Windows Mobile handset and felt comfortable in our trouser pocket

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On the back there's a 2-megapixel camera that takes reasonable photos, but don't expect high quality shots.

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This is the new and improved homepage that displays the time in a large, easy-to-view format. It also gives you easy access to the weather and your daily appointments, among other things.

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This is one side of the TouchFlo interface menu system, which gives you easy access to a variety of apps. Unfortunately, once you've selected one then the cool interface disappears and you're back to Windows Mobile.

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This is the TouchFlo media menu that as you can see gives you access to music, pictures and video. -Andrew Lim

Via : Crave.cnet

PREVIEW: O2 Xda nova / HTC Touch Windows Mobile 6 Professional Smartphone

Thanks to O2 Germany and HTC Europe, I've recently received their versions of the HTC Elf. From O2 Germany I got a German Xda nova and from HTC Europe I got an English Touch. Since both devices are the latest and final hardware but neither includes all accessories nor came in the final sales-boxes, I'm not going to call it a review but preview only.
HTC caught some attraction when the Taiwanese device maker announced the HTC Touch earlier this month for some good reasons - with the HTC Touch; HTC introduced the TouchFLO technology to their Windows mobile device platform and I'm sure most of you have read everything about TouchFLO and the HTC Touch already. Nevertheless, since O2 brings up the Xda nova on sale from tomorrow, it makes sense to have a closer look on both devices again, identifying the similarities as well as the differences.

Both, the HTC Touch and the O2 Xda nova are based on HTC's Elf reference design platform and with the Elf, HTC tried to create a simple to use but stylish device to attract the consumer market better. Therefore the Touch/nova misses some of the latest but greatest technologies while on the other hand it sports new features. The HTC Elf platform is powered by Microsoft's latest Windows Mobile version - 6.0 Professional which means it's a smartphone. Both devices supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 90/1800/1900 MHz while 850 MHZ is left. This is pretty unusual for HTC devices, were all the latest devices quadband GSM. Nevertheless, leaving 850 MHz makes the device cheaper in production and therefore it's cheaper on sale. Also left is UMTS, not to talk about HSDPA but this isn't a big problem today - not for the segment HTC and the carriers try to target with the Touch. On the other hand, the Touch/nova features Bluetooth 2.0 and WiFi b/g which makes it a mobile broadband connected device anyway - as long as a HotSpot is in range. Powered by a TI OMAP850 CPU at 201 MHz, the Touch/nova includes 128 MB ROM and 64 MB DDR RAm and both - HTC and O2 Germany are giving a free 1 GB microSD card with their versions of the HTC Elf.
On the back, the device features a 2 megapixel CMOS fixed focus camera for photo and video recording. And at a compact size of 99.9 mm x 58 mm x 13.9 mm the HTC Touch/O2 Xda nova weights 112 g only.

While the O2 and HTC designs are pretty similar, they have their differences. For instance O2 Germany decided to give the Xda nova housing a high gloss black finishing while HTC has given the HTC Touch a soft-touch like finishing:

Another difference, as you can see from the pictures above, is the button-layout. First of all both devices are reduced to the max. They neither have soft-keys nor application shortcuts or anything else most other Windows Mobile Professional/Pocket PCs have today but all you have are the two call buttons and the D-PAD. The soft-keys are not necessary because the screen is designed to be used with the thumbs and the application keys are left in favor to give the device a simplistic design. However, O2 decided to use bigger call keys for their device while the HTC keys are pretty minimalistic as well. I like both designs and it's always a decision everybody has to make himself.

On the back there is no difference and here you have the camera as well as the loudspeaker which is used for Media Player playback, etc.:

On the left, both devices only have the volume slider (no voice notes button):

On the right you have the camera button and in the middle the flap under which the device hosts the SIM and micoSD cards:

On the bottom, both devices features the HTC typical propriety mini USB port which is used for sync and charging the device as well as connects to the stereo headset, with right to it the soft reset whole and left to it the microphone:

On the top you have the power button only:

Most impressive anyway is the used TouchFLO technology, HTC is developing for 2 years now. It might be a coincidence that the first TouchFLO devices are launched just in the moment, Apple is going to launch their iPhone as well, but HTC hadn't find a better timing anyway since so many publications wrote about it since it was announced. How is HTC's TouchFLO working? Unlike the standard touch screens as used so far for Pocket PCs, TouchFLO features a steady acrylic glass which makes the screen rocking solid. On top of this acrylic glass, HTC added a thin clear film which takes the touches and unlike standard touch screens, this film reacts on wider pressure as well. However, it supports both kind of pressures - fine stylus and thick thumb pressure which makes this technology so unique. But this allows using TouchFLO displays with both - finger thumbs and stylus.
Also different from previous touch screen is the fact, that a TouchFLO display isn't counter-sunk in the frame but flat and the touchable area isn't the screen only but the whole glass area (like on the photo bellow where the area where the O2 logo is, is also used for navigation):

With this concept, HTC had in mind to make the use of the HTC Touch as easy as possible and making the HTC Touch/Xda nova a real smartphone. Therefore HTC also developed a new Today screen plug-in and a TouchFLO optimized user interface which includes access to the most important functionalities.

The Today screen plug-in is optimized to be used with the thumb and includes a big clock, weather information (including forecast of a given city) and a launcher:

Unfortunately O2 Germany left this Today screen application out of their Xda nova but reduced the overall Today screen look and feel and uses a slightly different launcher only:

The TouchFLO optimized user interface (which is used by both - HTC and O2 Germany) is a kind of virtual cube with three pages. As soon as the thumb slide from the logo bellow the screen up to the top, the main page of the UI opens which includes shortcuts to predefined (unfortunately to customizable or changeable) applications. Unfortunately, O2 (bellow right) changed this screen a little bit and replaced the Comm Manager shortcut with a Comcenter shortcut (O2's Comcenter allows to synchronize the device over the air with the Comcenter service by using SyncML), as well as replaced Calendar and Tasks with Wecker (alarm) and Notizen (notes):

While not part of O2's TouchFLO page, both - HTC and O2 are also using a thumb-improved Comm Manager with bigger icons for their versions of the HTC Elf which makes the thumb-use of the Comm Manager easier as well:

Sliding the finger from the right to the left changes opens the media page:

While Videos and Photos opens the Microsoft Pictures and Videos application, Music opens HTC's self-developed music player interface called Audio Manager. Sitting on top of Windows Media Player Mobile, this interface provides an easier to use interface to use the device as a MP3 player:

Sliding left again opens the call and contacts page:

Here you can add 9 contacts to the quick-dial buttons as well as you can switch to the phone interface or the call history and open the contacts application. The phone interface is also reduced since it doesn't include the call start/end button anymore but here you have to use the hardware keys instead. This leaves more room for the other buttons, like the number pad:

So far so good and the new TouchFLO interface is a pleasure to use and well optimized for thumbs. However, the biggest problem is, that most other applications makes no use of this anymore not to say that all other applications are the standard Windows Mobile 6 applications which means a user has to use the stylus sooner or later again.
While it might be possible to scroll through the Inbox to pen and read a received SMS or E-Mail, latest if you want to reply you cannot use the thumbs anymore because the HTC Touch/O2 Xda nova only provides the standard user interface including the standard SIP keyboard:

I wouldn't go that far to call this implementation ineffectual since we have to keep in mind it's still a Pocket PC/Windows Mobile Professional smartphone but new users which are not used to use the Windows Mobile platform (or PDAs in general) might get lost and irritated if PDA-like applications opens which have nothing to do anymore with the nice previously seen thumb-optimized GUI but which requires the use of the stylus. At least for the basic phone applications like SMS and E-Mail I would like to see a thumb-optimized GUI as well, for instance using the Phone application to read and create SMS and MMS applications since this would be the similar user experiences as on traditional mobile phones.

While we are talking about all the other applications - these are the standard Microsoft Windows Mobile Professional applications including Outlook Mobile, Office Mobile (but not the latest version with support for Office 2007 XML-based files which is expected to be supported with a later ROM update) and Windows Live and Windows Live Messenger.
For some reasons one application is left again - Remote Desktop. While it's part of Windows Mobile 6 Professional, the manufactures seems to leave it now (for instance also E-Ten left it in the Glofiish X500+). And while most users will never miss it, hardcore users will miss it for sure, especially because it's not available as a separate download from Microsoft to be installed after.

Final Conclusion

Both, the HTC Touch and the O2 Xda nova convinced me as a mass-market consumer device. The overall ID and look and feel of both devices is simply great and you cannot believe how small and the device is until you hold it in your hand. It fits perfectly into a pocket or hand-bag and I'm sure HTC, O2Germany and any other carrier which will sell this device will attract many customers.
Is it an Apple iPhone killer? By far no, it's not but this was never the intention to be. It might be coincidence (or not) that the release date of the Touch/Xda nova was so close to the iPhone launch. Also we have to keep in mind that the device isn't (officially) launched in the US yet, where the iPhone is launched next week while the iPhone will take until end of this year before it hits Europe (and even later Asia).
So what does the Europeans and Asians get today? A great Pocket PC Phone Edition, maybe the best consumer-oriented so far.
It's definitely not made for hardcore techies and geeks since it misses too much functionality, even if the TouchFLO technology will also attracts these customer type. While I can easily live without UMTS supports at such a device, it's a pity that it hasn't GPS included. Not that I'm a hardcore GPS user on Windows Mobile devices (I have a inbuilt navigation in my car anyway), the HTC Elf with its TouchFLO could be the best GPS Windows Mobile device yet thanks to the new screen technology. TouchFLO is indeed pretty inventive and it's a pleasure to use - as long as you are using the TouchFLO optimized applications. As soon as you are back to the standard applications, you don't have any benefit of it anymore but again you have to use the stylus. Might not be too dramatic if you don't wrote SMS, MMS or E-Mails but since I'm writing 10 - 15 SMS per day, for me it is dramatic because I don't want to use a stylus for such an easy task - not if I have a device which was design with thumb-use in mind.

Nevertheless, it works great as a (smart)phone as long as you are used to use PDAs. It might not be ready for the mass-market today but it's a start into the right direction and I'm sure, the next generation of TouchFLO devices will become even better. Hopefully TouchFLO is a technology HTC is going to make as a standard feature of its future range of devices; it's definitely worth.

The HTC Touch is already on sale across Europe for roughly 400 Euro without a contract. The O2 Xda nova will be available from today from O2 Germany from 49,95 Euro only - with a 24 month contract.

Via : the unwired

New HTC Touch Ad

This ad shows the newly announced HTC Touch!

HTC Touch: Bald bei o2 als „Xda Nova“

Vor knapp zwei Wochen stellten Microsoft und HTC mit dem „HTC Touch“ getauften Smartphone erstmals die eigene Antwort auf Apples iPhone vor. Ob sich das Gerät, das auf einer ähnlichen Steuerung wie das iPhone basiert, als wirkliche Alternative zum iPhone etablieren können wird, muss sich allerdings noch zeigen.

Neugierige werden aber schon ab dem 25. Juni einen ersten Blick auf das Gerät in jedem Geschäft des deutschen Netzbetreibers o2 werfen können. Denn ab diesem Zeitpunkt soll der HTC Touch dort erhältlich sein. Vertrieben werden soll er unter dem Namen „Xda Nova“ und zusammen mit einem Genion-L-Vertrag rund 49,- Euro kosten. Ohne Vertrag schlägt das Smartphone mit Gestensteuerung hingegen mit 449,- Euro zu Buche. Die ersten 14 Tage wird o2 exklusiv den Vertrieb des HTC Touch übernehmen. Danach werden auch T-Mobile („MDA Touch“) und Vodafone (Name bislang noch nicht bekannt) das Gerät anbieten. Bereits im Juli wird das Smartphone also bei jedem der drei großen deutschen Netzbetreiber käuflich erwerbbar sein.

Galerie „HTC Touch“ (9 Bilder)

Im Gegensatz zu bislang erhältlichen Smartphones kann das HTC Touch zwischen Berührungen mit dem Finger und dem Stylus-Eingabestift unterscheiden. Dies ermöglicht es dem Besitzer des Geräts, dieses auch mit simplen Gesten steuern zu können. So kann eine bestimmte Geste des Fingers mit einer bestimmten Funktion – zum Beispiel dem Aufruf des Kalenders oder dem Schließen einer Applikation – verbunden werden. Darüber hinaus lassen sich die eigens für den Touch kreierten Menüs mit solchen Gesten durchsteuern. Erste Tests des Geräts zeigen, dass das neue Steuerungskonzept auch ganz gut funktioniert, jedoch aber noch einige Kinderkrankheiten hat.

Als Betriebssystem kommt eine spezielle Version von Microsofts Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional zum Einsatz. Das Touchscreen selbst ist 2,8 Zoll groß und liefert bei einer Auflösung von 240 x 320 Pixel bis zu 65.536 Farben. Alle weiteren Details zu den technischen Leistungsdaten des HTC Touch gibt es in der dazugehörigen Vorstellungs-News.

Via : ComputerBase

HTC Touch™ Delivers New Touch Screen Experience

HTC Device Signals New Direction In Finger Touch Navigation

LONDON - June 5, 2007 - HTC Corp. (TAIEX:2498; "HTC"), the world's leading provider of Microsoft® Windows Mobile®-based smart devices, today announced the global launch of the HTC Touch™, a deceptively small and stylish mobile phone that ushers in an innovative new concept in intuitive touch screen navigation. The HTC Touch™ brings a new level of simplicity to the powerful and function-rich device experience that today's mobile consumers demand.

Building on its rich ten year history of mobile phone innovations, the HTC Touch™ represents extensive research and development and the conviction that fingertip control will enable more efficient, natural and intuitive touch screen navigation. The groundbreaking HTC Touch™ offers a new and unique way of controlling touch screen-based devices by recognising and responding to the sweep of a finger across the screen. It is even intelligent enough to distinguish between finger and stylus input and then respond accordingly.

"With the HTC Touch™, access to your most commonly used content, contacts and features is only a simple finger flick away," said Peter Chou, chief executive officer of HTC. "Mobile phone makers have done a great job of cramming ever-more exciting features into ever-smaller phones. But the way in which one accesses these increasingly sophisticated features has not kept pace. That ends today with the HTC Touch."

Smart, stylish and versatile, the HTC Touch™ brings together a wide variety of communication, entertainment and professional capabilities that enable mobile consumers to balance work and play. The new HTC-designed homescreen provides one-touch access to emails, text messages, calendar appointments and contacts, as well as current weather conditions and forecasts for hundreds of cities around the world.

The HTC Touch is the first device to feature TouchFLO™, the new underlying touch screen technology developed by HTC. Consumers simply sweep their finger up the display to launch an animated, three-dimensional interface comprising three screens: Contacts, Media and Applications. The interface can be spun by swiping a finger right or left across the display, providing efficient access to the features consumers use most. TouchFLO™ also enhances finger touch scrolling and browsing of Web pages, documents, messages and contact lists.

Leveraging the broad functionality of Windows Mobile® 6 Professional, the HTC Touch™ includes Outlook Mobile, Office Mobile, Windows Live™ and the capabilities to run thousands of third-party applications. Users can surf the web with Internet Explorer®, send and receive emails, chat on Messenger and send files to their own web space through Windows Live™. Other HTC Touch™ details include:

• Dimensions: 99.9mm (L) x 58mm (W) x 13.9mm (T)
• Weight: 112g with battery
• 1GB microSD storage card included / 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM
• 2.8" LCD touch screen with backlight, 240 x 320 dots resolution with 65,536 colours
• Battery Life: Rechargeable Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 1100 mAh
• Standby time: Up to 200 / Talk time: Up to 5 hours
• Camera: 2.0 mega-pixel CMOS colour camera
• Windows Mobile 6® Professional with Direct Push Email and HTML email support
• Wireless Connectivity: GSM/GPRS/EDGE Tri-band: 900, 1800,1900, Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth® 2.0
• Choice of two colors at launch - elegant soft black or alluring wasabi green
  

Availability

The HTC Touch™ is now available in the United Kingdom and will be released later this month in Asia and throughout Europe. The North and Latin American version of the HTC Touch™ will be available in the second half of 2007.

Via : HTC

HTC Touch Preview Video

New HTC Touch Preview Video

HTC TOUCH TAKES ON THE IPHONE

iPhone is getting all the hype – but people should soon be talking about the Touch.

HTC’s Touch is a brand new smartphone design with a very cool touch-screen navigation system – similar to what Apple has reportedly developed for their soon-to-be-unleashed iPhone.

But one of the big differences here is that HTC’s device is built on – and has improved upon – a sixth-generation operation system. The iPhone will be Apple’s first-generation in-house designed smartphone.

HTC, the manufacturer behind some of the best smartphones on the market today (like the terrific T Mobile Dash), has been working on their revolutionary touch screen device for two years – and the pedigree is reflected in the Touch.

HTC based their phone on Microsoft’s just-released Windows Mobile 6 OS. They developed a number of improvements to the standard (boring-but-functional) WM smartphone home screen by, among other things, adding a big digital clock or local weather display as the main focal point. The new screen is not only beautiful it’s also user-friendly.

(MSNBC.com is a Microsoft-NBC Universal joint venture.)

Touch and slide
Touch’s hottest feature is their next-generation touch screen and the software which controls it. HTC calls their underlying technology TouchFLO. It’s a new way of controlling your phone by recognizing and responding to the sweep of your finger across the screen. The system is even smart enough to know the difference between your finger and stylus input. I find that the phone’s touch screen is actually a little less rigid/more compliant than other smartphones I’ve tried.

All you need to do is slide your finger up the display to launch the animated interface. You are then greeted by Touch’s new 3D screens: ‘Contacts’, ‘Media’ and ‘Applications’. The interface is spun by swiping your finger right or left across the screen. You can also use your finger to open and close menus, move from one screen to another, easily scroll up and down through contact lists and actually move documents and Web pages.

Does it work? You bet! It takes a minute or two to get used to the system and perfect your screen sliding skills. Once you do, it begins to be second nature.

The rest of the device ain’t bad either. It’s very small: 3.9 by 2.3 by 0.55 inches and weighs a hair less than 4 ounces with the battery. The 2.8-inch backlit touch screen is capable of reproducing 64K colors. The 1100mAh Lithium-ion battery is said to provide up to 5 hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby.

My Touch sample came with 64MB of RAM and a 1GB microSD memory card to store – among other things - your music and photo files. There’s also a 2.0 megapixel camera on the back which uses the entire color screen as its viewfinder. Very cool. My sample is black but I’m told there is also a “wasabi green” model.

Touch has Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) and Bluetooth (2.0) built inside. My test sample was a GSM/GPRS/EDGE world phone – but the HTC people said they can also make CDMA models to work on North American (Verizon, Sprint) networks.

The on-screen, software keyboard is not as usable as the hardware keyboard on other smartphones. Using the included stylus is an absolute necessity. The iPhone has a software keyboard too. Personally, I do more e-mail reading than sending. But, I’m hoping someone comes up with a much better method in the near future.

HTC has begun rolling out the GSM version in the United Kingdom and will release the Touch, later this month, in Asia and other European countries. North and Latin American versions are expected later this year. I’ve been told “early fourth quarter” is most likely for the United States. U.S. pricing has not been announced.

My first impression: this is one small, lightweight, feature-laden, action-packed, next-generation smartphone. How does it compare to the iPhone? We’ll know more soon.

GARY KRAKOW

Via : MSNBC

HTC Touch Specification

Processor : TI's OMAP™ 850, 201 MHz

Operating System :Windows Mobile® 6 Professional

Memory : ROM: 128 MB / SDRAM: 64 MB DDR


Dimension : 99.9mm (L) X 58mm (W) X 13.9mm (T)

Weight : 112g with battery

Display : 2.8" LCD touch screen with backlight 240 X 320 dots resolution with 65,536 colors

Network : GSM/GPRS/EDGE Tri-band: 900, 1800, 1900 (The device will operate on frequencies available from the cellular network.)

Device Control : HTC TouchFLO™ / 5-Way navigation control

Connectivity : Bluetooth® 2.0 + Wi-Fi® IEEE 802.11 b/g + HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB and audio jack in one)

Camera: 2.0 megapixel CMOS color camera

Audio : Built-in microphone and 3-in-1 speaker

Windows Media Player supported formats: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WMA, WAV, QCELP,
MPEG4, AMR-NB, AMR-WB

Battery :Rechargeable Li-lon battery

Capacity: 1100 mAh

Standby time: Up to 200 hours

Talk time: Up to 5 hours

Expansion Slot : microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

AC Adapter : Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60Hz / DC output: 5V and 1A

HTC Touch Un téléphone Windows Mobile 6 qui devient enfin grand public

Un zeste de Windows Mobile 6, un brin d'écran tactile, du Wi-Fi, un design de folie et un capteur photo 2 mégapixels.

La promesse

A lire entre les lignes, le Touch du constructeur HTC serait un « iPhone killer » à la sauce Microsoft. Sans abonder dans ce sens, nous avons voulu savoir si ce téléphone était aussi séduisant et simple d'utilisation qu'annoncé. Chronique d'un très probable succès. Un zest de Windows Mobile 6, un brin d'écran tactile, un design de folie, le tout arrosé de Wi-Fi, d'un capteur photo 2 mégapixels... et vous obtenez un téléphone séduisant.

La réalité

Windows Mobile 6, c'est comme les épinards : on aime ou on n'aime pas. Car il est vrai que l'interface de Microsoft n'est pas toujours la plus pratique pour qui cherche avant tout un téléphone même prétendument malin. On à beau être un habitué du menu Windows dans toutes ses versions, téléphone en main, la navigation proposée n'a rien de très pratique.

Windows Mobile simplifié
Le Touch innove ici en proposant en plus d'un système de navigation tactile, une navigation faussement 3D composée de grosses icônes élégantes et surtout évidentes pour qui cherche à effectuer toutes les opérations que ce téléphone propose. D'un coup de doigt – du bas vers le haut – vous basculez de l'interface classique de Windows Mobile vers cette interface inédite et ludique. D'un coup de doigt – vers la droite ou vers la gauche – vous faites défiler les écrans à l'instar de l'effet « cube » de Mac OS X. D'un clic de doigt vous sélectionnez l'une des multiples options proposées pour atterrir au cœur de Windows Mobile 6.

Un téléphone Web
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) embarqué oblige, une grande partie de ce téléphone use et abuse d'une connexion à l'Internet pour récupérer des informations sur la météo du jour (et des quatre jours à venir) ou vous connecter aux services de Windows Live à commencer par l'incontournable Windows Live Messenger (ex MSN Messenger). Attention à ne pas user et abuser de ces derniers hors Internet, car si c'est votre téléphone qui est sollicité via GPRS ou EDGE, il faut impérativement disposer d'un forfait data adapté. L'Internet mobile est comme d'habitude : incompatibilité avec les portails Wap des opérateurs oblige, vous n'avez ici accès qu'à un nombre restreints de sites Internet et pas toujours adaptés à la taille de l'écran de ce téléphone. En revanche, la gestion des e-mails – par exemple un compte Hotmail – ou l'accès à Outlook Web Access (pour peu que votre responsable informatique sache le configurer) est assuré sur ce téléphone. Vous avez ainsi accès à l'ensemble de vos e-mails en « Push », c'est-à-dire en mode consultation à distance. Le Blackberry n'a qu'à bien se tenir.

Le multimédia stocké en standard
Côté multimédia, le Touch ne démérite pas. Si son capteur photo de 2 mégapixels permet de réaliser des photos plus que satisfaisantes, on regrettera qu'il ne dispose pas d'un petit flash pour compenser sa faible sensibilité. N'escomptez pas non plus shooter en rafale avec cet appareil. Même si l'option « salve » est de la partie, le mode photo n'est pas d'une vélocité redoutable. En revanche, on trouve différentes options pour appliquer des effets spéciaux, voire adapter le format de la photo à son usage comme l'envoi d'un MMS ou la création d'une photo pour la gestion des contacts. Livré avec une carte mémoire d'un giga au forma micro SD, on a aucun soucis pour synchroniser – depuis un PC sous Vista avec Windows Media Player 11 – une partie de sa bibliothèque musicale. Restent quelques petits soucis que nous avons rencontrés lors de nos tests tels l'incapacité de gérer les DRM 10 avec cet appareil.

Des petites options repensées
Là où Windows Mobile 6 séduit c'est sur la multiplicité de petits détails qui ont été repensés. Ainsi il est possible d'un seul clic de décharger la totalité des applications présentes en mémoire. Il est également proposé de sélectionner depuis le lecteur multimédia du HTC un fichier WMA ou MP3 pour le désigner en tant que sonnerie du téléphone. C'est là où parfois on se demande si Microsoft à bien réalisé que Windows Mobile, c'est aussi un système d'exploitation pour des téléphones. La gestion de la bibliothèque musicale a été légèrement modifiée – afin de gérer indifféremment sans se poser de questions – les fichiers présents sur la mémoire du téléphone ou sur la carte de stockage. Côté Outlook Web Access, on devrait bénéficier de petites retouches comme la gestion à distance de l'indicateur d'absence de son bureau. Mais pour bénéficier de cette ultime option, il faut pour cela que le serveur Exchange bénéficie de la toute dernière mise à jour. Là on n'est clairement pas dans une option grand public. Cela dit, reste à chacun d'apprécier ou non le caractère professionnel ou personnel de la synchronisation des données (agenda, contacts et taches à réaliser) issue de Microsoft Outlook. Fonction qui reste à bien des égards « l'application killer » de ce Windows Mobile 6 vu sa simplicité. Enfin, n'oublions pas de signaler les applications embarquées comme la suite mobile d'Office, le lecteur Adobe Reader ou encore l'outil de décompression des fichiers au format Zip.

Bons et mauvais côtés
Côté autonomie : bonne nouvelle, le Touch tient la route une journée durant. Mais vu le nombre incroyable d'activités que l'on est à même de réaliser avec ce smartphone, il est préférable d'être prudent et d'avoir son chargeur à portée de main. Restent quelques petites critiques qui n'en sont pas réellement comme la lenteur toute relative de l'appareil lorsque l'on charge trop la mule, l'absence de GPS embarqué (vu la taille de l'appareil on se demande où ils peuvent encore faire tenir une telle option) et l'absence de gestion des modes 3G et 3,5G.

Le verdict

Si l'interface « Cube » n'est pas tout, elle contribue à rendre sacrément accessibles les fonctions essentielles de ce « téléphone assistant personnel Windows Mobile 6 ». Si vous n'avez que faire de l'Internet prétendument à haut débit et des portails Wap des opérateurs, ce téléphone est en la matière ce qui se fait de mieux en ce moment. On espère juste que les opérateurs ne sacrifieront pas comme sur le Samsung i600 les applications fournies telles que Windows Live Messenger.

Présentation et sortie du HTC Touch à Bruxelles

Ce matin, HTC nous a convié à une petite conférence portée principalement sur la présentation du HTC Touch par le Country Manager Benelux de chez HTC, Mark Moons.

C’était en comité restreint que HTC nous a invité au K-nal à Bruxelles pour nous présenter le HTC Touch, une véritable innovation sous Windows Mobile : on avait plus vu ça depuis quelques années.

Mais avant cela, Mark Moons, nous a présenté l’entreprise, HTC, qui, bien que n’ayant pas un impact significatif sur la mémoire du grand public, n’en est pas moins un grand constructeur qui rappelons-le fabrique des appareils majoritairement basés sous Windows Mobile depuis 1998. Et ce pour plusieurs grands groupes comme Orange avec les SPV, Dopod en Chine et certains constructeurs comme HP et feu Qtek. Après ce petit historique de la société, l’audience était impatiente de tâter le « saint graal ». L’ayant enfin en main, nous avons pu commencer à apprivoiser ce petit pdaphone.

Premier choc visuel, et ce dans le bon sens, c’est la finesse de l’engin, nous avons vraiment été étonné de sa finition surtout avec cet habillage noir orné d’un pourtour métallique. D’apparence, cet HTC Touch est une réussite, passons maintenant à l’interface en elle-même.

Par défaut, c’est l’interface Touchflo qui est proposée. Une « petite » pression du logo HTC vers le haut de l’écran active l’interface et nous amène vers un menu proposant trois thèmes « Music », « Photos » et « Videos ».

Un pouce de haut en bas nous mène vers l’interface originale proposant un plugin avec une horloge numérique, un autre proposant la météo et un accès rapide vers un launcher. Un autre geste du doigt de gauche à droite nous amène, lui, vers une interface proposant des raccourcis vers certains programmes comme les « SMS/MMS », « Le comm Manager », etc.

Il est cependant un peu dommage que ce menu révoltionnaire ne soit que des raccourcis vers cesdits programmes. En effet, c’est un magnifique menu menant vers l’interface classique de Windows Mobile qui, entre nous soit dit, commence à se faire quelque peu vieillissante... Mais rassurons-nous, HTC et Microsoft ne vont pas se gêner, et proposer bientôt d’autres améliorations comme ils en ont pris la bonne habitude. Ceux qui se rappellent des premiers SPV ne peuvent qu’acquiescer... N’empêche, ce nouveau type de menu est bien joli et bien pratique, on y prend vite goût.

On serait vite tenté de le comparer à l’iPhone d’Apple, mais ce serait une erreur que de comparer un appareil qui sort aujourd’hui à un téléphone qui ne se trouve encore être qu’au stade du virtuel... HTC se paie le luxe de sortir le Touch bien avant l’iPhone !

Il est à noter cet HTC Touch fera l’objet d’un test bien plus approfondit dans les jours qui viennent de notre part. Restez à l’écoute.

S’il vous plait déjà, ce qui ne nous étonnerait pas du tout, le HTC Touch est dès à présent disponible en 24h via notre boutique en ligne. Une carte mémoire microSD de 1 GB est fournie avec l’engin !

Via : Astel.be

HTC Touch Officially Unveiled

Today, HTC unveiled its competitor with the iPhone: the Touch. Known formerly as the Elf, the Touch features Windows Mobile 6 with a finger-touch display that uses HTC’s TouchFlo technology. Like the iPhone, you can use your fingers to navigate the phone’s menus and such or you can use a stylus if that’s to your liking. You can interact with a 3D-interface via your fingers and explore whole new worlds. Or at least your contact list.

The specs are pretty nice too. You’ll find a big, bright 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, 128MB of ROM, 64MB of RAM, a 2-megapixel camera, 1GB microSD card included, tri-band GSM, EDGE, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, and Windows Mobile 6. Not bad at all. Top it off with the TouchFlo technology and you have one of the best looking Windows Mobile devices out there. The Touch is currently available in the UK with plans for a US launch by the end of the year. We’re getting one later tonight to play with, so keep a lookout for a gallery of pics and a video review.

Via : Crunchgear

HTC Touch challenges iPhone

HTC today unveiled the Touch, a new smartphone directly aimed at the iPhone's audience. Previously known as the Elf, the Touch earns its name through its natural input: owners control calls, media playback, and programs solely through the 2.8-inch touchscreen. Also similar to the Apple device is an intuitive navigation method that lets users swipe through media libraries and provides scrolling for web pages or documents. HTC's phone, however, relies on Windows Mobile 6 Professional and includes Office Mobile for bulit-in Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word editing.

The touch relies primarily on its microSD card slot for storage and ships with a bundled 1GB card for storing media, including photos snapped from the phone's 2-megapixel camera. Wireless networking is provided through 802.11b/g Wi-Fi on local networks and through EDGE for cellular-only access.

Availability will vary by region. Currently only a 900/1800/1900MHz device, the Touch is shipping today in black and green to UK providers and will be available to Asia and Europe by the end of June. A version for the Americas with the requisite 850MHz support is planned for the second half of the year and should receive its pricing through individual carriers.

Via : Macnn

HTC Touch New

Let your fingers guide you with the HTC Touch™, the world’s first phone to feature intuitive touch screen technology.

Featuring an easy-to-use touch screen and simple user interface, the HTC Touch with TouchFLO™

makes quick dialing, navigation and selection a breeze. Stylish, smart and versatile, it opens up a world of media, communication and social interaction.

Surf the web with Internet Explorer®, send and receive email from accounts like Hotmail® and Yahoo!®. Chat on Messenger and send photos to your own web space through Windows Live™.

Optimised for entertainment, the HTC Touch lets you enjoy your favourite music and movie clips through the integrated media suite. You also have the versatility to upload, store and share your media files with microSD™ removable memory.

With Windows Mobile® 6, the HTC Touch also provides instant access to your Outlook® email and the most popular Microsoft® Office applications.

Experience a whole new sensation. The HTC Touch.

Highlights

• Feel the difference with intuitive TouchFLO™ screen technology for finger and stylus input.
• Simple user interface for quick dialing, navigation and launching applications.
• Surf the web with ease on the large 2.8” touch screen with Internet Explorer®.
• Enjoy music and movie clips with HTC's Audio Manager and Windows Media® Player.
• Chat on Messenger, send and receive Hotmail® and send photos to Windows Live™ Spaces.

Full specification

Download the product sheet for further insight into key features and specifications.

• Download Product sheet
• Download Product flyer

via : HTC Smart Mobility

New HTC Touch commercial ad

New HTC Touch commercial ad

HTC Touch - Price : 594$

Hoping to steal some thunder from the soon-to-be-released Apple iPhone, HTC has launched the innovative Touch, a half-inch-thick touchscreen phone that responds to the swipe of a finger. The device, powered by Windows Mobile 6, isn't scheduled to be released stateside until the fourth quarter of this year, but since you can order it now from sites like MobilePlanet (for a sky-high $594), we decided to test a European model to find out if HTC's TouchFLO technology lives up to the hype.

With a look that better resembles a super-skinny PDA than a traditional mobile phone, the 3.9 x 2.2 x 0.5-inch HTC Touch, which is slightly smaller than the 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.5-inch iPhone, weighs just four ounces and can be tucked into a shirt or jacket pocket without adding unneeded bulk. The soft, black rubberized body (also available in Wasabi Green), partnered with the device's contoured edges, made for a solid, comfortable grip. The phone doesn't have many buttons--just a five-way navigator and a Send and End button for calls--so the large, bright, 2.8-inch LCD takes up most of the surface area. The left side houses a sliding volume control and the right side has a small camera button and a narrow piece of silver plastic you can peel back to insert a SIM card and microSD card.

While the forthcoming iPhone relies strictly on finger input, HTC presents users with the option of using a digit or one of the two included styli. While both input methods offer excellent navigation, it's not until you ditch the stylus for a finger that you'll get the full Touch experience. Swiping a thumb upward from the HTC logo to the top of the display reveals a screen that grants you access to music, photo, and video content. Here you can listen to songs, view slideshows, or watch video clips saved to the handset or to the included 1GB microSD Card. You can't zoom in on maps and pictures, as you can with Apple's Multi-touch technology, but otherwise we like HTC's implementation.

A swipe from the left or right (which rotates the screen using a cool 3D effect) lets you quickly jump into your contacts and applications. The screen flip is silky smooth, but the swiping motion may require a small mental adjustment: the Touch requires its users to apply a firm amount of pressure when executing the motion, which may feel odd to those accustomed to treating their screens delicately. Navigating with your finger feels much more natural than using a stylus, and depending on how fast you swipe, you can whiz through contacts and messages or methodically scroll through them.

The new HTC-designed homescreen sits on top of Windows Mobile 6 and provides one-touch access to weather forecasts, appointments, and other essential data. When you need to respond to an e-mail or enter a Web address, you can pull up a virtual keyboard by tapping an icon. This is most definitely not a messaging device, as you'll need the stylus to peck out e-mails, but the Touch gets the job done.

A triband (900/1800/1900-MHz) unlocked phone, the Touch uses a GPRS/EDGE connection for surfing the Web when you're out of hotspot range, which made visiting image-heavy sites like CNN.com a patience test. It took just over three minutes to load the page completely, although we could start reading text within the first 30 seconds. Fortunately, an 802.11b/g Wi-Fi radio is built into the handset, which cut CNN.com's load time to 58 seconds.

The Touch also supports stereo Bluetooth for jamming to your favorite MP3, AAC, and WMA files, but it took several pairing attempts with a variety of headsets before we were able to listen to Aerosmith and RUN-DMC's "Walk This Way" through the iLuv i202. The two-megapixel camera delivered adequate still-image and video quality, and we easily navigated the camera's various settings, which include white balance, resolution, and up to 10X zoom, depending on the photo size. Our only gripe is the lack of flash.

Since the Touch is powered by the Professional Edition of Windows Mobile 6, it supports not only Direct Push e-mail but also the full version of Office Mobile. That means you can view and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. The 201-MHz OMAP 850 proved to be a bit sluggish; opening a program or navigating drop-down menus sometimes caused the Touch to hang. On the plus side, we experienced good call quality with our Cingular SIM card, despite a few dropped calls (yes, using Cingular). Voices were clear and loud, and people on the other end of our calls didn't have any complaints. The Touch is rated to deliver up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 8.3 days of standby.

While we would've liked to see a snappier processor under the hood, the HTC Touch delivers on its promise of an innovative interface. The TouchFLO navigation is far from a gimmick; it's an extremely useful technology that's smooth and effortless to use. Although it's difficult to say how well the Touch will stack up against the iPhone--given that we haven't tested the latter and that we don't yet know what the subsidized price of the Touch will be--it has the makings of being a formidable low-cost iPhone competitor. Power users and messaging addicts should look elsewhere, but the Touch is the perfect little phone for people who want on-the-go Outlook and multimedia access with a little flash.

Via : Laptopmag

HTC Touch™ to Make Asian Retail Debut in Taiwan

Taoyuan, Taiwan -- June 12, 2007 -- HTC Corp. (TAIEX: 2498; "HTC"), the world's leading provider of Microsoft® Windows Mobile®-based smart devices, today announced that the HTC Touch, a small and stylish smart device with intuitive touch screen navigation, will make its Asian retail debut in Taiwan.

"With the launch of the HTC Touch, HTC has officially emerged as an instantly-recognizable global brand," said Peter Chou, chief executive officer at HTC. "Since Taiwan is HTC's home base, it is only fitting that it be the first country in Asia to sell the HTC Touch."

Furthermore, given the long-standing relationship between both companies, HTC has selected Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's largest telecommunications operator, as its exclusive partner in retailing the HTC Touch, and the device will be made available to consumers island-wide beginning in mid-June.

"Chunghwa Telecom is very pleased to be HTC's exclusive partner in distributing and retailing the HTC Touch," said Hochen Tan, chairman of Chunghwa Telecom. "As Taiwan's leading communications operator, we look forward to strengthening our relationship with HTC and providing our customers in Taiwan with the latest and most innovative smart devices on the market. "

Smart, stylish and versatile, the HTC Touch brings together a broad variety of communication, entertainment, and professional capabilities that enable mobile consumers to balance work and play. The new HTC-designed homescreen provides one-touch access to emails, text messages, calendar appointments, and contacts, as well as current weather conditions and forecasts for hundreds of cities around the world.

The HTC Touch is the first device to feature TouchFLO™, a 3-D user interface that allows users to move through on-screen options by sweeping their fingers across the screen, or scrolling up and down using a fingertip. Consumers simply slide their finger on the display to launch an animated interface comprising three screens: Contacts, Media, and Applications. The interface can be spun by swiping a finger right or left across the display, providing efficient access to the features consumers use most. TouchFLO also enhances finger touch scrolling and browsing of Web pages, documents, messages and contact lists. The interface has even been programmed to intelligently distinguish between finger and stylus input and then responds accordingly.

Leveraging the broad functionality of Windows Mobile 6 Professional, the HTC Touch includes Outlook Mobile, Office Mobile, Windows Live and the capabilities to run thousands of third-party applications. Users can surf the web with Internet Explorer®, send and receive emails, chat on Messenger and send files to their own web space through Windows Live®. The HTC Touch brings a new level of simplicity to the powerful and function-rich device experience that today's mobile consumers demand.

HTC Touch Specifications:

　 *

Suggested Pricing：NTD. 15,900 dollars
*

Dimensions: 99.9mm (L) x 58mm (W) x 13.9mm (T)
*

Weight: 112g with battery
*

1GB microSD storage card included / 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM
*

2.8'' LCD touch screen with backlight, 240 x 320 dots resolution with 65,536 colors
*

Battery Life: Rechargeable Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 1100 mAh
*

Standby time: Up to 200 / Talk time: Up to 5 hours
*

Camera: 2.0-megapixel CMOS color camera
*

Windows Mobile 6 Professional with Direct Push Email and HTML email support
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Wireless Connectivity: GSM/GPRS/EDGE Tri-band: 900, 1800,1900, Wi-Fi® : IEEE 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth® 2.0
*
Choice of two colors at launch -- elegant soft black or alluring wasabi green

Via : HTC

Presentado en su fecha, HTC Touch

Es 5 de Junio y como HTC dijo, ha presentado su nuevo terminal, y como se pensaba, es la competencia del iPhone, el nuevo HTC Touch.

Por lo que se puede ver es un terminal basado en Windows Mobile 6 con una aplicación propia que interactua con la pantalla táctil. Usa una nueva tecnología llamada TouchFLO desarrollada por HTC que te permite usar la pantalla del HTC Touch com si fuese un iPhone, es decir, mueves el dedo hacia arriba y hace scroll hacia arriba.

Vendrá en dos colores, en un verde oscuro y en negro. con 1GB de memoria en tarjeta microSD, 64MB de RAM y 128MB de ROM, pantalla de 2.8 pulgadas LCD con una resolución de 240×320 píxeles, bateríad e 1100 mAh li-Ion, puede estar en espera unas 200 horas, en uso unas 5 horas seguidas.

Incluye cámara de 2 megapixeles, conectividad GMS/GPRS/EDGE tribanda (900, 1800 y 1900), WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0. Un peso de 112 gramos y unas medidas de 99,9×58x13,9 milímetros.

Esta disponible en Reino Unido, este mes en Asia y el resto de Europa. En América (todo el contienente) una versioón del HTC Touch estará disponible a mediados de la segunda mitad del año.

Fotos promocionales

Via : Gizmologia

HTC Touch Video

HTC Touch Video

HTC Touch - Photos

HTC added its own homebrew application called TouchFLO to differentiate the uses of finger and stylus. The Touch has “three-dimensional interface” that behave like three screens consist of your contact, media and applications.

Just like the Apple iPhone, you can use your finger to scroll through the screen. HTC has customized the WM6 home screen for easy access to your email, text messages, calendar, contacts, and weather.

As for the handset hardware itself, HTC Touch sports a 2.8-inch touch screen (QVGA), 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, 2MP camera, tri-ban, 802.11 /b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0. HTC is being generous by including 1GB MicroSD. The Touch is now available in UK and will be coming to US in the second half of this year.

Come back soon for our unboxing and hands-on reviews.

HTC Touch Kohokohdat, Tärkeimmät ominaisuudet:

Huippu-uutuus HTC Touch mullistaa älypuhelinten käytön! Touch on ensimmäinen älypuhelin, jossa on intuitiivinen sormiohjaus kosketusnäytön avulla.

HTC Touchin TouchFLO™ tekee puheluiden pikavalinnoista, valikkojen käytöstä ja valintojen tekemisestä erinomaisen mukavaa helppokäyttöisen kosketusnäytön ja yksinkertaisen käyttöliittymän avulla. Tämä tyylikäs, älykäs ja monipuolinen puhelin avaa sinulle median, kommunikaation ja sosiaalisen kanssakäymisen maailman.

Webissä surffaaminen onnistuu Pocket Internet Explorerin® avulla, sähköpostia voit lukea ja kirjoittaa suoraan muun muassa Hotmail® ja Yahoo!® -sähköposteista (tukee myös muita palveluntarjoajia). Chattaile Messengerillä ja lähetä valokuvasi omalle Windows Live™ -sivustollesi.

Viihteeseen optimoitu HTC Touch antaa sinun nauttia lempimusiikistasi ja videoleikkeistä integroidun Media Suiten avulla. Sinulla on myös monipuoliset mahdollisuudet ladata, tallentaa ja jakaa tiedostojasi microSD™-muistikortin avulla.

Uuden Windows Mobile 6® Professional -käyttöjärjestelmän avulla voit myös käsitellä Outlook®-sähköpostiasi ja suosituimpia Microsoft® Office -tiedostoja.

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Kohokohdat:

• Uusi edistyksellinen käyttöliittymä, jota voi käyttää sormin tai ohjainkynällä
• Puhelimen pikavalinta, valikkojen käyttö ja valintojen tekeminen on erittäin helppoa
• Suuri 2.8" LCD-kosketusnäyttö helppoon webin surffaamiseen
• Nauti musiikista ja videoleikkeistä HTC:n Audio Managerin ja Media Playerin avulla
• Chattaa Messengerillä, lähetä ja vastaanota sähköpostia ja siirrä kuvasi Windows Live -sivustoille

Tärkeimmät ominaisuudet:

Prosessori	TI's OMAP™ 850, 201 MHz
Käyttöjärjestelmä	Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 6 Professional