So I got myself a new gadget, it cannot be helped it is that time of the year where I see new things being released and I want everything. Of course wanting to make an informed decision as to where my money goes, you have to shop around. My mobile phone contract was up for renewal and peering through the shop windows, there is a plethora of shiny new phones up for grabs. After much deliberation, I decided on this little beauty… the HTC Touch HD. This is a condensed version of the initial review I posted on my blog, no doubt I will write a definitive review as I put it through its paces over the next couple of weeks.
I will get right down to it, the screen is bigger and better than the iPhone. The clarity is quite astonishing, considering it is still only TFT and not OLED. However don’t let the HD moniker fool you, the screen is not 1080p resolution as seen on TVs. It would be one hell of a feat to accomplish, but the HD part just means it has a better screen than other devices. The OS is Windows Mobile 6.1, disappointingly, it is not 6.5 and even more disappointingly, it is not running Google’s Android (although I have heard about stability issues with this). Now before you gasp about random crashes and inherent flaws in the operating system which has plagued this platform, it works pretty well in this case. I can understand why this perception is often thought of when WinMo is mentioned, but maybe HTC has the knowhow to integrate things a little better than other manufacturers.
The Touch Flo 3D interface sits comfortably on top, with no lag whatsoever. It has the obligatory finger gestures and it works quite nicely. Comparing to other devices such as the Samsung Omnia, trying to switch between different applications gets the odd stutter and you feel the unit is sluggish and underpowered. Luckily, I have not experienced this with the Touch HD and the phone feels solid and comfortable to hold.
Camera and video snapping can be a little sluggish at times, and there is not an instant button to take a picture with. Even going through the applications list would take you a few seconds to find and by then the photo moment is gone. However I don’t use the camera that often so this is not much of an issue to me. There is no lens cover for the camera either, which is a minor gripe. Battery life so far is 3 days and still going, I am about halfway down on the battery meter. Pretty good.
For iPhone zealots I doubt they will move away from Apple and get this. Simply because there is such a fan base and it has established itself as the de facto for touch screen phones within the consumer world. But having said that, I love the Touch HD as it does exactly what I want, more so than the iPhone and this would be an excellent business alternative. In terms of competing against Apple’s slick slab of sexiness, it comes pretty damn close. With the countless Windows Mobile applications available, it also has the advantage of working in an enterprise environment much easier than with an iPhone. It just feels so so nice, it’s like how I felt when I first sat in a BMW M3. It brings a smile to one’s face and you are instantly in a comfort zone (having sat in that seat I am now extremely poor). For me personally, I have no regrets picking this over the iPhone or any other touch screen device and gripes aside, I can only sing its praises.
You can read my full first impressions and check out the pictures at my blog I started last week on Pork and Beans.
About Motoko
First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K
