HTC’s Touch range seems to get better with every new release, with its TouchFLO software getting more and more intuitive. The Touch HD (£545 inc. VAT) is the range flagship, offering the largest screen, and looking to entice regular consumers.
The screen is one of the best we’ve seen to date on a mobile handset, measuring in at 3.8-inches. With a crisp resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, it’s perfect for browsing the web or watching movies.
It features haptic feedback, vibrating gently to let you know your actions have registered when you press the onscreen buttons, and there’s an accelerometer to flip the screen between landscape and portrait.
The onscreen keyboard isn’t quite impressive as we’d hoped. Although it offers good usability, extra peripheral keys have been crammed around the sides, so it’s not much larger than those found on HTC’s HTC Touch Pro or Touch Diamond. With a minimal amount of hardware buttons, navigating the OS isn’t as easy as it is on other Touch handsets.
The TouchFLO 3D software still makes this better than most Windows Mobile handsets when it comes to navigation, however, with large, finger-friendly buttons that largely negate the need to use a stylus.
Despite being tall and wide, this is also a very slim handset, and therefore slips easily into pockets. You’ll find buttons around the side for actions such as adjusting the volume, although there’s no dedicated shutter button for the 5-megapixel camera. Build quality is good, with a tactile rubber finish that’s hardwearing and makes the handset easy to grip.
As the company’s flagship product, you’ll find all the features you’ll ever need. 3G/HSDPA and Wi-Fi offer rapid web browsing on the move and in the office. Other features include Bluetooth and GPS, so you can use it as a satellite navigation device.
HTC hasn’t bundled any video codecs with the Touch HD, which is slightly disappointing for a device evidently designed around media use. As such, you’ll have to spend time converting any videos you want to watch into the right format.
It’s not perfect, then, but the HTC Touch HD is still worth a look. The screen is particularly good, but it’s a shame most hardware buttons have been omitted to accommodate it.
For more information, and to buy the HTC Touch HD, visit Expansys.
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