Mobile Phone Reviews

HTC Touch (Sprint) Review

The Sprint Touch looks like the GSM HTC Touch we reviewed a few months ago, but it’s different inside. It’s a small (4 by 2.4 by .6 inches; 4 ounces), easily pocketable slab with a soft-touch plastic case and a 2.8-inch 320-by-240 display. The only physical buttons are a cursor pad, phone pick-up and hang-up buttons, a camera button, and a volume rocker. There’s a stylus tucked into one corner, but ideally you’ll never have to use it.

Sprint is the first US carrier, and the first CDMA carrier at that, to offer the Touch. But it’s an improved version that addresses most of our complaints about the original GSM version. The Sprint model has a 400MHz CPU, EVDO for fast data and a more sensitive touch screen (we sometimes felt like we were mercilessly poking the original Touch to get it going). Alas, one major feature was removed: WiFi 802.11b/g, but given Sprint’s fast EVDO data network and relatively reasonable data plan prices, that may not be a biggie

Mytec reviews GSM Touch made quite a stir earlier this year with its new TouchFLO UI and special, gesture-friendly screen. Not only that, the PDA phone wasn’t much bigger than a RAZR, had great looks and weighed only 4 ounces. It wasn’t the brightest kid on the block though, thanks to a slow CPU and low memory. Sprint’s version answers those shortcomings: their version has a 400MHz CPU, lots of memory (more than the powerhouse Mogul) and EVDO for fast data. Nice! This Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PC phone has a fun side thanks to Sprint TV, Sprint Music Store and the usual good Windows Mobile multimedia support. A 2MP camera and Bluetooth 2.0 are on-board but no WiFi.

Crunchgear reviews The Touch features a microSD slot with support up to 4GB and includes a 512MB card. The 2-megapixel camera has 5x zoom with video capabilities. Stereo Bluetooth, which should be a norm with all phones! The Touch also has voice-activated dialing, which comes in handy while driving and something the other thing doesn’t have. It’s also one of the tiniest, 4.0x 2.4x 0.6-inch and weighs 4oz, and most powerful devices out on the market. Not to mention a 3-inch screen that’s nice and bright.

smartdevicecentral reviews In Sprint’s lineup, the Touch sits between the Palm Centro and the HTC Mogul. It’s smoother and more stylish than either, and its form factor and tactile interface make it the best media player of the bunch. Still, the competition is stiff. If you don’t need the big screen, the Centro gives you full phone and PDA capabilities for less than half the price, and the Mogul’s integrated Wi-Fi and keyboard will help you work more efficiently than on the Touch.

Summary-:

The good:  The compact HTC Touch features an advanced touch screen that lets you operate the smartphone with your fingertips. The Windows Mobile 6 smartphone has integrated Bluetooth and a 2-megapixel camera. It’s EV-DO capable and works with the Sprint Music Store and Sprint TV.

The bad: The Touch’s onscreen keyboard is improved, but it’s still not the best for text entry, and the TouchFLO feature doesn’t work in landscape mode. The microSD slots are hard to access, and there’s no integrated Wi-Fi. Also, the phone’s speaker system is on the weaker side.

The bottom line: The HTC Touch cell phone for Sprint boasts an innovative touch screen, a sleek interface, and a nice set of features, but the lack of a sizable keyboard really limits the usability of this device.

Specs: OS provided: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional; Installed RAM: 128 MB; Processor: Texas Instruments 201 MHzOMAP850

Cnet Rating- 7.0/10