06/05/2007, 8:20am, EDT

Tuesday, June 5th

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.

, 21

21 comments

Reader Reactions (Please use <i></i> for italic text)

subscribe to comments
for this article

Expand All

Global Settings

jarod

Get real

06/05, 8:46am, EDT

First off, its ugly as sin. Second, ANYTHING that runs MicroSHIT software is NO COMPETITION to Apple. Not even in their farthest or wettest fantasies. The clueless will buy this and only use it to talk.

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined Apr 2005

User is offline

testudo

This is unfair!

06/05, 8:48am, EDT

How come, when a new MP3 player comes out, its called an ipod-killer. But a new phone comes out, and its just a 'challenger'. I think people need to start using the term 'iphone-killer'!

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined Aug 2001

User is offline

OtisWild

patents?

06/05, 9:05am, EDT

Does Apple have patents on gesture-based UI for phones? Styli are SOOO 20th century...

Junior Member

Joined Feb 2005

User is offline

eldarkus

re: unfair

06/05, 9:14am, EDT

This is basically the abortion debate... can u kill something that doesnt technically exist yet?

I say, once the iPhone sells and becomes the top selling phone, then.. and only then, can there be an iPhone killer.. :)

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined Feb 2004

User is offline

Guest

Just one of many to come

06/05, 10:26am, EDT

By locking themselves into a multi-year contract with Cingular, Apple has given reason (and lots of time) for all other carriers to create and sell iPhone competitors. The end result will be good news for all types of users.

The power users on Windows Mobile will get cuter interfaces, and Apple will have to update the iPhone capabilities as well.

Win-win for everyone.

wings_rfs

Hit the gas to stop

06/05, 10:50am, EDT

Let me guess.... to shut this baby off I have to press "Start".

I don't think I'll ever get over that.

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined Dec 2002

User is offline

Casper Crane

shut you off.

06/05, 11:30am, EDT

wings, you have never used a Windows Mobile device if you suggest the Start menu has the same functionality as on desktop Windows.

I am not a huge fan of Windows Mobile, but I get the feeling that most of the commenters have never even tried it, and that makes you blind followers of his Steve-ness.

The truth is that the space that the iPhone is about to make a huge splash in would not even exist if not for Palm and Microsoft.

Dedicated MacNNer

Joined May 2002

User is offline

::maroma::

Re: shut you off.

06/05, 11:43am, EDT

"The truth is that the space that the iPhone is about to make a huge splash in would not even exist if not for Palm and Microsoft."

And the space that the iPod made a huge splash in wouldn't have existed if it weren't for Sony. What's the difference?

Apple never makes anything the creates its own market. They always capitalize on poorly done markets, and make something that is 100x better than anyone else. And based on Apple's track record alone, I'm betting the iPhone will be a big success.

And it wont be because of features. It will be because of user experience. The iPod doesn't have a single feature that is unique. Hell, there are players that do a lot more than the iPod. But the iPod is still #1. Anyone care to guess why?

Addicted to MacNN

Joined Jan 2002

User is offline

csimon2

Competitor???

06/05, 11:45am, EDT

How is this device any more of a competitor to the iPhone than every other Windows Mobile Pro or Pocket PC phone released? Yes, this and the iPhone will compete for buyers, but a true competitor should only be classified as one which can determine "gestures" like the iPhone can. Otherwise, this phone is just an extension of a continuing submarket. Whereas Apple is on the forefront of a new submarket category IMHO.

Junior Member

Joined Aug 2000

User is offline

Gepard

Re: Shut you off

06/05, 12:51pm, EDT

"wings, you have never used a Windows Mobile device if you suggest the Start menu has the same functionality as on desktop Windows. "

Oh yeah, I am using it right now. It is called SDA with Windows Mobile 5.0. It is so technical advanced... It has so many buttons and different ways to achieve a simple task, so it doesn't even know that I have 2 Gb card in it. It always tells me "running out of memory and you have to go to the task manager to quit the applications.

It is so unintuitive and very hard to use. I am a geek, I can figure out any device, but that's the point - Apple products are created for normal people, not for geeks, programmers or engineers.

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined Sep 2000

User is offline

additional comments:..1..2..Next

Your Comments