HTC Touch HD Windows Mobile smartphone
Beautiful big screen
Review Has the discussion about what might be the ‘iPhone killer’ become irrelevant yet? Yes, the iPhone is a great multimedia device, but it's easily beaten in other, now traditional, phone feature categories.
It’s horses for courses. So where is the device that can beat it at its own game - in other words, it's great screen and multimedia capabilities? HTC has consistently come close, but with the Touch HD, has it finally nailed its rival?
HTC's Touch HD: slim and smooth
For many iPhans, of course, the only thing that can possibly ‘beat’ the iPhone 3G is a new iPhone, and for them the Touch HD won’t even be a contender. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have a darn good try. It has almost the same dimensions as the iPhone - it's 115 x 63 x 12mm - though it feels a bit chunkier, mainly because it’s 14g heavier and has less-rounded edges.
Even so, the impression is of a slim and smooth device with a minimum of side-mounted features - just an outsized volume rocker on one side and the stylus slot on the other. The screen starts up automatically when you take the stylus out, and like HTC’s Touch Diamond and Touch Pro it’s magnetic and clicks satisfyingly into place when you’re done.
At the bottom of the phone is a single USB 2.0 port, and on top is the large start/stop button and a 3.5mm socket for headphones. The rubber-plastic back would be more effective in preventing it slipping around when placed on a table except that the phone actually rests on the protruding glossy plastic boss at one end and the metallic surround of the camera lens at the other.
COMMENTS
Ouch!
My, my, the Apple haters are really quite a touchy little bunch aren't they? "does this sound like a serious device for serious professionals who seriously depend on their comms device for work as well as play??...mmm...don't think so!!!" Mmmm...you'd be in the minority then:
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2008240
"iPhone manufacturer Apple ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction among business wireless smartphone users, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Business Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study released today."
@Martin Lyne: funny you should mention it, I went from a K800i to my iPhone 3G, and I'm loving it, but by all means buy a Windoze Mobile device and enjoy the crash fest if you prefer.
Himalayas?!!
Himalayas?! I didn't see any Itoy power leads protruding from the earth and contaminating the woodland anywhere in the Highlands, the Lochs of the Great Glen, Caledonian Forest, Southern Upland Way, Cumbrian Fells, Pentland Hills, Yorkshire Moors, Peak District Hills, Snowdonia Mountains, Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor, or even your gad damned New Forest last time I checked....thank god!
Round the World Balloonists?! The list of professionals, as well as recreationists, who's work and activities involve traveling and or living in areas without a power source for more than a day and a night (YES, all together at one time!!) is indeed a 'significant' one...I've got better things to do with my time than spend it making a list for you...compose your own list or consult someone who has actually ventured out of their own comfortable electrically powered world long enough to be able to.
'Just get over it'?! I'll never get over the mind numbing and blatant corporate greed of companies like Apple who remove their customers ability to do totally commonplace everyday things like replace their products power sources without spending (how much?!!!!) yet more bucks on a 3rd Party gadget (that's how big?!!!) just to be able to continue using the device when they find themselves without access to a power source for a day or more. And that's without even getting into the mind boggling fact that the user must also simply do without their phone entirely (for how long?!!!) while it is returned to the manufacturer for battery replacement every year or two....does this sound like a serious device for serious professionals who seriously depend on their comms device for work as well as play??...mmm...don't think so!!!
"it works for me....and the other 10 million plus and counting happy iPhone owners." Here's the thing, as mentioned before, pure numbers of unit sales never did prove anything except people's herd-like mentality and large corporate moguls' ability to milk that fact...and of the 2 iphone owners I know neither one is 'Happy' as you put it...one is so mad with fury at his 3rd unit constantly freezing on him he is anything BUT happy, the other who's job involves a lot of foreign travel is none too happy with her bills for data use while abroad (which as she puts it is exactly when she most wants to use it for this purpose!) and is more than a little frustrated that she is so tightly straight-jacketed by the OS that she cannot install 3rd party office and productivity apps on her device, or even do other elementary activities that are standard on practically every other device on the market....but then being an Itoy fanboy, you'd know all about that eh?! LOL :D
Er
It's not the fact that you're not far away from a power point that makes it annoying, its the fact that you then have to carry a charger with you, just in case you get called more often than usual and it dies at midday.
I don't care hwo shitting nice your phone's UI is if I have to carry a lumpy charger in my pocket and the shitting thing won't turn on anyway.
Now.. can IPhonists please stop infecting smart phone reviews, some people are actually trying to make informed decisions here, you went for an over priced toy, fine, I want something I can fiddle with without duffing the warranty.
You don't need to advertise the iPhone. EVER AGAIN. You won't change peoples' minds. If they're reading a review about another phone, chances are they will not suddenly go "Oh, the iPhone - I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THAT ONE!"
Don't suppose anyone went from a k800i to this did they? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. Cybershot insta-pictures are great, is it worth the trade-off?
@Mark: no power??
Who exactly is more than 2 days away from a power point?? Round the world balloonists? Trekkers in the Himalayas? Significant user group I'm sure, but possibly not the target market for smartphones (iPhone or any other). But even for them there are 3rd party external batteries (eg http://www.3gjuice.com/) for the iPhone. It really IS a non-issue, just get over it.
"if it works for me then it MUST be alright for everybody else...". Well here's the thing: it works for me....and the other 10 million plus and counting happy iPhone owners.
mmm....Doh!!!
@ Michael: ahem, I think EVERYONE is aware that the battery is replaceable, just not user-replaceable!!! And no, this 'problem' is NOT a non-issue blown out of proportion by people looking for an excuse to bash Apple.....just because YOU haven't needed a user-replaceable battery in a mobile since the mid 90's doesn't therefore mean that NOBODY else does!!! Smacks of "if it works for me then it MUST be alright for everybody else attitude"...and while on that very point, sheer unit sales never did mean that a product was therefore without flaw and serious flaw at that...it merely means that human beings are very sheep-like in mentality and have always loved to follow the herd!!
FYI, there is a significant (albeit perhaps in the minority) user group, that DOES have a need for their mobile com device (for want of a better term) to have user replaceable batteries since they are not either permanently tethered to a desk with an apple power lead protruding from the wall or computer, or always within 1-2 days away from a computer or power point to recharge their non user-replaceable battery.....and since by all reports your iphone, as well as very many other power hungry mobile devices run out of charge within only 2 days of moderate use these days, YES, non user-replaceable batteries is a MAJOR issue sir.....end of!!!!
