Overview:
My review of the HTC Touch Diamond left me disappointed and wanting more. Nothing major, just a few simple things that would make using the phone more enjoyable. Well it seems as though HTC have taken onboard customer feedback (you would hope so, right?!) and the HTC Touch HD features improvements. So how will this new smartphone from HTC fare? Let’s check it out.
Review:
Style
The handset looks sleek all in black. Although the phone's back cover is rubber-plastic and whilst not that attractive, I guess it helps out with grip when holding the handset.
It weighs 147 grams, a tad heavier than its sibling, the Touch Diamond and measures 115 x 62.8 x 12mm.
The Touch HD's focal point is its large 3.8-inch wide touch screen with WVGA (480 X 800 pixel) display.
The four buttons below the screen (start and end call, home and back) are touch sensitive and flush with the handset making the face super-smooth.
On the rear of the handset is the main camera.
On the top edge of the phone you will find the 3.5mm audio jack.
On the left edge of the phone are the volume controls.
At the base of the phone you will find the usb synch and charging port.
Under the back cover is the microSD slot and (thankfully) is not underneath the battery.
Under the bonnet
The Touch HD is a Quad-band handset, using a Qualcomm MSM7201A 528MHz processor and a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Operating System.
It has 512MB ROM and 288MB RAM. It has 512mb internal flash memory, which can be extended via a microSD card expansion slot.
Using a li-ion battery with a capacity of 1350mAH, maximum talk time is 440 minutes, video call time of 140 minutes and maximum standby time is 480 hours.
Features
Touch Flo 3D:
The TouchFlo interface is easy enough to use and has some great features. Tabs include email, messaging, weather, contacts, photos and videos and media player. An update over the Diamond's TouchFlo UI is the Stocks tab. Interesting if you want to keep your eye out on the downfall of the economy - not for me thanks! If you're not a fan, TouchFlo can easily be turned off.
Windows Mobile:
Windows Mobile is ok… it can be a little fiddly at times. I guess it’s a bit like the marmite situation – you either love it, or hate it. Items on the menu can be customised to be made small or large and the menu can be semi-transparent if you wish. You can choose 7 programmes to place on the start menu. It features Office Mobile, which includes mini versions of the Windows applications you would find on your PC; Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote.
Media:
I'm pleased to say that unlike the Touch Diamond, the Touch HD has a built-in 3.5mm audio jack, making it compatible with the majority of audio equipment.
It features FM radio with 20 station presets and a media player. Supported audio files include MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB and QCP.
Watching videos, viewing photos and media streaming are a joy on the large screen with its crisp and bright display. Don't be fooled by the 'HD' title though. It's not high definition, simply sharper and brighter than your average smartphone's screen.
Also included on the Touch HD is the YouTube client. Here you can browse YouTube and easily nwath and save your favourite videos.
Cameras:
The main camera is 5 megapixels with auto focus, but no flash, so pictures don't turn out too well in low light. You can alter contrast, saturation, sharpness, brightness and white balance, as well as the option of negative or sepia style photos. The handset's accelerometer means moving the phone between landscape and portrait is fairly quick and easy. The camera can also be used for video recording in either MPEG 4 or H.263 formats and there is the option to upload footage to YouTube. There is a secondary VGA CMOS colour camera for video calling or self portraits.
Internet:
With ultra fast 3.5g technology you can browse the web at broadband speeds and on HSDPA networks, enjoy download speeds of up to 7.2mbps.
The handset is also WiFi enabled. It recognises and alerts you whenever a new wireless network is detected.
Browse the internet via the Opera 9.5 browser or Internet Explorer. Both are easy to use and include zoom and bookmarking facilities, amongst other things. Thanks to the accelerometer, simply turn the handset horizontally to view your web pages in landscape. The Opera browser also has a 'mobile view' option, which fits everything neatly into a portrait window.
Communication:
Keep in touch with everyone in your contacts list via voice calls, video calls, text messaging, multi-media messaging, email and instant messaging. The handset features a built-in loudspeaker (simple, but perfect for those hour-long conversations when you can feel your ear burning!)
Connectivity:
The Touch HD has GPS and Assisted GPS that work brilliantly alongside Google Maps.
It also features Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets.
And a USB 2.0 connection makes for easy transfer of files from between your PC and the handset.
Other:
Other features include games, adobe pdf viewer, voice recorder, java 2.0 and the usual notes, tasks, calendar and calculator extras.
If you need to use it, the stylus is tucked away inside the handset, which activates the phone on removal.
We Say
It's not the smallest phone to discreetly slide into your pocket, but the screen is perfect for those of you who love to watch movies and surf the web. And in my opinion, it's a good looking phone! I'm all for the sleek, black look and large screens!
The touch screen more is responsive than the Diamond's and the handset includes 3.5mm jack and expandable memory - hoorah!
Now I can't comprehend this… there's still no flash on the camera! They improved the camera, upping it to 5mp and still forgot about a flash…!?
Pretty cool handset for a smartphone though! The price tag seems to range around the £500 mark. Now I would never fork out this amount for a mobile, even if it was shrouded in some angelic cloud of diamonds and fairydust! But most consumers will pick up this handset on a contract and so the cost of the handset will vary.
Gaj-It Verdict
Features 8/10
Style 8/10
Usability 7/10