Evolutionary rather than revolutionary, the Touch2 is positioned as a successor to HTC's original
Touch, released in 2007. Like the Touch, and unlike enhanced successors such as HTC's
Touch Pro2, the Touch2 features a relatively small 2.8-inch touchscreen display with QVGA (320 x 240) resolution. Of course, HTC's proprietary TouchFLO enhancements to the Windows Mobile user interface again put in an appearance here.
HTC's Touch2
(Click to enlarge) The Touch2 will apparently be HTC's first phone to feature
Windows Mobile 6.5, which has been on the radar ever since it was
first revealed by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in November 2008. Anticipated ever since and "launched" several times (see
here and
here for example), Windows Mobile 6.5 will go on sale Oct. 6, Microsoft announced earlier this week.
Windows Mobile 6.5 will include the
Windows Marketplace for Mobile online store,
voice recognition, mini-programs known as
widgets, My Phone cloud-based backup, a
new "honeycomb" user interface, plus a new home screen "dashboard" showing new e-mails, missed calls, and calendar appointments, says Microsoft. The mobile operating system upgrade also includes an updated
Internet Explorer 6 web browser (right), which HTC highlights by noting that the Touch2 will support Adobe Flash, "allowing Flash video content like YouTube to be viewed easily."
In addition to its touchscreen display, the Touch2 sports calling and menu keys below its screen, and also includes a 3.2 megapixel, fixed-focus camera, according to HTC. The phone uses a Qualcomm MSM7225 processor clocked at 528MHz, and comes with 256MB of RAM, 512MB of flash storage, and a microSD expansion slot, the company says.
Connectivity for the HTC Touch2 includes quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM, dual-band (900/2100MHz) HSPA/WCDMA, 802.11b/g wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.1, and a GPS receiver, according to HTC. The device's 1100mAh battery provides up to 440 minutes of talk time, and 500 hours of standby, the company adds.
Features and specifications listed by HTC for the Touch2 include the following:
- Processor -- Qualcomm MSM7225 clocked at 528MHz
- Memory -- 256MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage
- Display -- 2.8-inch touchscreen with QVGA (320 x 240) resolution
- Camera -- 3.2 megapixel fixed-focus camera
- Wireless:
- WAN -- Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM and dual-band (900/2100MHz) HSPA/WCDMA
- LAN -- 802.11b/g
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.1
- GPS
- Other I/O:
- mini-USB port
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Expansion -- microSD slot
- Battery type/life:
- 1100mAh lithium-ion battery
- Talk time -- Up to 370 minutes for WCDMA, 440 minutes for GSM
- Standby time -- Up to 500 hours for WCDMA, 370 hours for GSM
- Dimensions -- 4.1 x 2.16 x 0.51 inches (104 x 55 x 12.9mm)
- Weight -- 4 ounces (110g)
Further information HTC says the Touch2 will be available on Oct. 6 to some customers, with broader availability in a variety of European and Asian markets early in the fourth quarter. Pricing was not specified.
More information on the Touch2 may be found on the company's website,
here.
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