iPhone Buzz » HTC Touch

Could Apple be in trouble for using the “Touch” name even though HTC beat them to it?

James Allan Brady — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:24:36 +0000

So first Apple had some legal trouble with Cisco of the iPhone name, and now they appear to be back at it again. This time they are hitting on the HTC Touch name with their new iPod Touch.

A trademark lawyer has already stated that for the most part, the names are different enough to avoid a lawsuit based solely on that fact, but combined with the highly similar functionality, well that’s another story. Mr. Chou over at HTC is quoted to have stated his opinions on the matter, including the fact that he thinks Apple naming their product the iPod Touch is a compliment to the product his company has produced.

However, its what he hasn’t said that could be cause for concern as he hasn’t said one way or the other whether or not HTC will pursue legal action over the matter. So, for now, Apple is good, nothing is going on with the name, but that could change even as soon as launch date for the iPod Touch.

Apple in hot water with HTC over “touch” name? [via electronista]

HTC roadmap reveals P6550 ‘Sedna’ enterprise handset

Chris Davies — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 21:52:18 +0000

Much as I hate to use the phrase, this new HTC smartphone is bound to be heralded by some as an “iPhone killer”. Hardware-wise it’s quite the beast; the P6550 ‘Sedna’ packs a 3.5-inch QVGA touchscreen, Windows Mobile 6.0, quad-band GSM as well as HSDPA and WiFi into a vaguely Touch-like chassis.

The full specs make for interesting reading – an optional credit card reader, anyone? Rumour has it that this is set to be HTC’s further foray into the potentially-lucrative enterprise market, who will likely get a kick out of the dual MMC/SDIO expansion slots and A-GPS.

Qualcomm MSM7200, 400MHz chipset
Memory: 256 MP ROM, 64 or 128 RAM, Optional 1GB NAND Flash
Windows Mobile 6.0
Quad-band: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, EDGE, GPRS
WCDMA tri-band 2100 or 850/1900 MHz, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth, miniUSB
3.5″ QVGA TFT touchscreen
3 mpx camera with aoutofocus
A-GPS
Fingerprint reader
2 MMC/SDIO expansion slots
Dimensions: 137×72×21 mm
Optional credit card reader/extended battery

Personally I think that hardware is pretty much irrelavent, and that the iPhone will only be toppled by a company who grasps the simplicity and ease of use that the handset’s OS so exemplifies. The mediocre HTC Touch has already demonstrated that it takes more than a flimsy WM6 overlay to turn an interesting phone into an exciting one, and I’m yet to see any indication that Microsoft’s mobile platform has that potential.

New HTC phones leaked

Vincent Nguyen — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 22:04:28 +0000

Phone manufacturers need to be on guard for HTC’s attack on the US phone market! CTI Miami, an online retailer obtained information on a variety of upcoming HTC phones targeting the CDMA networks.First is the Vogue, which is a CDMA version of the Touch. Then there’s the Excalibur, which will become an upgraded model called the Iris (S640), featuring a 2-megapixel camera, 256MB of ROM and assisted GPS.There is also more info on the Kaiser, featuring WiFi, a 2.8-inch screen, quad-band GSM/EDGE, and HSDPA broadband up to 3.6Mbps. It will also have a VGA camera for video calls while the digital camera will either be two or three megapixels.The Nike (not mistaken for the shoe company) has similar specs, featuring a 2-megapixel camera and is actually a vertical number pad slider rather than a horizontal QWERTY in design. The Volans will have a fixed numberpad and a QWERTY slide-out. The Polaris sports a larger than life 3.5-inch display with full GPS functionality, and a 3-megapixel digital camera (no video). The Sedna will have similar specs in addition to HSDPA boosting speeds up to 7.2Mbps. Finally, the X9500 might be another name for the Shift.Demo video of the HTC Shift[flv]http://www.myitablet.com/media/htc_shift_umpc.flv[/flv]HTC phone details see daylight [Via Electronista]

Nokia to follow iPhone sensor touch screen bandwagon

Vincent Nguyen — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:55:33 +0000

There is no doubt in my mind that Apple is leading the biggest change in sensor touch screen technology with the introduction of the iPhone!

You may have read my previous report of the Synaptics Onyx Concept phone, which features many of the forthcoming touch screen technology. The LG Prada phone is the direct result of the Onyx concept phone.

“Optical sensors and touch will be the next big things,” Nokia Chief Technology Officer Tero Ojanpera said in Singapore on Monday ahead of the CommunicAsia telecom fair.

“I believe there will be a lot of innovation around these,” Ojanpera said.

The video below is a great example of the throughput rate for the new generation of touch screens with sensors.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJIC07YgcDk[/youtube]

High Tech Computer (HTC) also jumped on the iPhone bandwagon recently with its Touch phone, offering similar on-screen gesture as the Prada and iPhone.

Nokia sees future for touch screens, move sensors [thanks Dan- via Engadget & Investor's Village]

HTC Touch Unboxing Video and a couple of yummy pics

Vincent Nguyen — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:25:52 +0000

Before everyone starts pounding me with questions, I’m still charging the HTC Touch. That being said, I’ve spent zero time on this device. So please for now, enjoy the unboxing video as well as a couple of pics. I’ll post the hands-on review later today as well as more images; and maybe even a couple of videos of TouchFLO.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv5xtNUrcH0[/youtube]

HTC Touch Videos – Human Touch in Action!

Staff Editor — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 22:18:08 +0000

You might have seen the sexy images of HTC Touch we posted earlier. Now, for your viewing pleasure we have found two videos of HTC Touch in action.

The first video is showing HTC’s own application that works as a recognition tools for contact between the screen and the user’s pointing device (either finger or stylus). The second video shows Contacts and Internet Explorer navigations.

[flv]http://www.theunwired.net/media/video/htc_touchflo1.flv[/flv]

2nd video after the jump

[flv]http://www.theunwired.net/media/video/htc_touchflo2.flv[/flv]

[via unwired]

Sexy HTC Touch takes on the Apple iPhone

Vincent Nguyen — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:22:57 +0000

News Flash 6/6/2007: HTC Touch Unboxing Video and a couple of yummy pics

I won’t know the level of yummyness or sex appeal of the HTC Touch until it arrives tomorrow. For now, I hope the images below will satisfy your hunger, until I can get you the unboxing video, hands-on review and more pictures than you’d care to see.

The HTC Touch was previously known as the Elf, which is the next generation of Windows Mobile aimed at taking on the Apple iPhone. It’s an iPhone-like device that uses a gestural touchscreen. Think of the Touch as a combination of the iPhone and the Prada in one device running Windows Mobile, except instead of just using a stylus you can now also use your finger.

Click for more details and images of the HTC Touch!

HTC layered TouchFLO, their very own touchscreen application, on top of Windows Mobile 6. It detects whether you’re using your stylus or your finger, and if you’re using your finger, you can activate a “three-dimensional interface” with “three screens” made up of your contacts, your media, and your applications. I can’t wait to get my “finger” on the Touch and figure out what this 3D-like menu system is all about.

Similar to the iPhone, the Touch is nearly all screen, except the Touch does have three buttons below its large touchscreen. Executing commands by poking at the 2.8-inch, 320-by-240, 65K-color screen with a finger or sweeping your finger in different directions. This means you can use your finger to scroll through web pages, messages, documents, and contact lists. HTC provides a newly customized home screen that replaces the Today screen, which lets you access your text messages, email, calendar, contacts, and weather.

The HTC Touch sports a 201-Mhz processor, 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, comes with a 1GB microSD card, 2-megapixel camera, Windows Mobile 6, tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, and dimensions of 99.9mm x 58mm x 13.9mm (3.9in x 2.2in x 0.5mm) weighing 3.95-oz. HTC rates the battery as supporting up to 5 hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby time. It’s available in two colors, green and soft black.

Major differences between the Touch and iPhone: Touch runs Windows Mobile and works best on T-Mobile, since it’s a tri-band European phone missing the 850-Mhz band that AT&T uses in some metro areas; while the iPhone will run OS X on AT&T’s network.

The Touch is expected to be available in the US in the second half of 2007, but the folks in UK can rush out and buy it today. Since the UK version is an unlocked GSM phone, I expect my buddy at Dynamism.com start importing it stateside in a few weeks. The phone will cost €449 or $605 unlocked in the UK.

Make sure to check back tomorrow for an unboxing ceremony as well as a first look of the HTC Touch.

HTC Touch Home page

New HTC Touch device is really the Elf P3450?

Vincent Nguyen — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:02:55 +0000

News Flash 6/6/2007: HTC Touch Unboxing Video and a couple of yummy pics

News Flash 6/5/2007: Sexy HTC Touch takes on the Apple iPhone / new images and specs!

Pocket-Lint snagged the image below and a couple of specs from CoolSmartphone, who supposedly got their mitts on the new HTC “Elf”. The “Elf” is also known as the HTC Touch P3450.

I don’t know all the special “touches” to the HTC Elf, but from what I’m hearing, they’re nifty. It sports a transflective 2.8-inch TFT touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and runs Windows Mobile 6 pro.

The snazzy new phone is reported as very slim-line, very sleek and pleasingly curvy in the hand. Similar to the Apple iPhone, there are only two buttons on the front – a call and release button.

The price and available of the HTC Touch / Elf is still unknown. As soon I know, you’ll know.