HTC Touch 3G Windows Mobile smartphone

The 3G's music playback takes a great leap on from the Viva with the inclusion of a set of earphones. They're not great, in truth, offering a rather narrow dynamic range which results in a closed-in feel, and not much in the way of bass. HTC doesn't bundle an USB adaptor which would allow you to add your own cans.

A decent music player and GPS-connected Google Maps complete the feature set

The handset's Audio Manager is preferable to Windows Media Player - which is there if you just can't do without it - and includes a ten-band graphic equaliser which you can adjust manually or take advantage of the 21 presets. There's only 256MB of memory on board so you'll probably need to add a Micro SD card, which you'll have to purchase yourself.

HTC has loaded Google Maps to take advantage of the 3G's A-GPS system, and it found our north London hideaway without any hitches. This being a Windows Mobile device you have a full range of additional satnav options with voice guidance to choose from, though the screen's relatively small size means it's not really ideal as an in-car navigation device.

The 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor is noticeably faster than the Viva's 201MHz TI OMAP 850 and allows you to keep several apps running at once without slowing down. As with other Touch handsets, Office Mobile is present and correct, allowing you to create and read Word and Excel documents as well as view PowerPoint docs and PDFs. There's also the option to make quick notes with OneNote Mobile.

A very well connected handset family

The battery proved to be surprisingly good, giving us a clear two days of average use - a dozen or so calls, plus a couple of hours of web browsing and audio playback. Call quality was good.

Verdict

While it doesn't have all the bells or whistles of the higher end Touches, the Touch 3G comes very close. Connectivity is outstanding; the web browser, camera and A-GPS facilities are all good; and it's compact enough to fit neatly into the pocket. A few relatively minor quibbles aside, what's not to like? ®

Thanks to Expansys for the review sample

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