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It's still uncertain when — or even if — Canadians will get their hands on Apple's iPhone, but the cellphone industry is gearing up for a Christmas in which touch-screen phones are expected to be hot gift items.
Last week, Telus beat Apple to the Canadian market by an unknown length of time when it announced the North American availability of a competing phone, the HTC Touch, a small phone that runs on Windows Mobile 6 software. Much like the iPhone, Windows Mobile-based devices access phone, e-mail, calendar, contacts and multimedia services all in one device.
The HTC Touch runs Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 software, which exists in two versions: One can be controlled by a stylus, and another by a keypad on a non-touch screen phone. The HTC Touch has modified the stylus-oriented version of the software to make it more usable with fingers alone.
The Taiwan-based HTC, founded in 1997, has been making smart phones and personal digital assistants for American companies under their brands for many years. It started putting its own name on its products only this year.
HTC developed its own gesture technology, called TouchFLO, which enables smooth finger-touch scrolling and navigation of menus, lists, Web pages, documents and messages. Users sweep their fingers up the display to launch an animated, three-dimensional interface made up of three screens: Contacts, Media and Applications.
The interface can then be spun by swiping a finger right or left across the display. The system can also vary screen sensitivity depending on finger or stylus input. It also has simplified text input using a large on-screen keyboard with predictive text capabilities.
Other features include MP3 and video playback, a 2.0 megapixel high-resolution digital camera with video capture and playback, a hands-free speaker, runs on the EVDO high-speed network, and Bluetooth support for wireless stereo headsets, hands-free car kits or for use as a wireless modem.
In the United States, Sprint Nextel Corp. announced today that it will also release the HTC Touch. Telus will charge customers $149.99 for a three-year contract, or $399.99 for two years. Sprint will offer the HTC Touch Nov. 4 for $250 with a two-year contract.
Sprint is the third of the three largest U.S. wireless carriers to introduce a cellphone with a large touch screen, after Apple's iPhone, which launched this summer as an exclusive offering from AT&T Inc. Two weeks ago, Verizon Wireless said it would introduce the LG Voyager on Nov. 22.
The Voyager has a large touch screen, but differs from the iPhone in that it folds out to reveal a hardware keyboard. The HTC Touch lacks a keyboard, but it still has a stylus. A version has been on sale in Europe since this summer.
Beyond the touch-screen interface, the Touch's similarities with the iPhone are not overwhelming. It doesn't have a large amount of built-in flash memory for music and movies, relying instead on expansion cards. It's smaller and lighter, with a screen measuring 2.8 inches diagonally compared with the iPhone's 3.5 inches.
The Touch uses Sprint's relatively fast data network, rather than the iPhone's combination of a relatively slow AT&T network supplemented by Wi-Fi. The European Touch's Wi-Fi capability did not make it into Sprint's version.
The name could cause some confusion among shoppers. Apple just introduced the iPod Touch, which is basically an iPhone without cellphone capabilities.
With files from Associated Press.
