Photos: Hands-on with the HTC Touch

Is this an iPhone killer? HTC seems to think so -- it claims it's as revolutionary as the mouse was to the PC. The HTC Touch runs on Windows Mobile 6 Professional and comes with a large colour touchscreen, a 2-megapixel camera and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Unlike any handset HTC has made before, the Touch features a new application called TouchFlo, which gives you access to a variety of different options via a three-dimensional interface. You swipe your finger up on the screen to activate TouchFlo and then swipe left and right to navigate through the different menu sections.

TouchFlo works well and looks great but there's a huge problem -- try clicking on any of the applications or options in it and you end up going straight back to Windows. For all its fanciness, TouchFlo is just a well-designed Windows Mobile 6 skin.

What we have isn't a revolutionary device but an attractive Windows Mobile handset. No, it's not an iPhone killer, it's not even the best Windows Mobile handset out there. There's no 3G or HSDPA connectivity and HTC only put in 64MB of RAM, so don't expect it to run smoothly all the time.

Overall, we really like the Touch's design, but we're perplexed by the specs. HTC has made some of the most cutting-edge phones out there, so why didn't it add all the things the iPhone lacks? We don't know, but HTC hinted at a new and improved version of the Touch at some point in the future.

Here's a full list of the Touch's innards for all the spec fan boys:

Dimensions: 58mm wide by 100mm tall by 14mm deep
Weight: 112g
Memory: 1GB microSD storage card included / 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM
Display: 71mm (2.8-inch) LCD touchscreen with backlight, 240x320-pixel resolution with 65,536 colours
Standby time: Up to 200 hours
Talk time: Up to 5 hours
Camera: 2-megapixel
Software: Windows Mobile 6 Professional with Direct Push Email and HTML email support
Wireless connectivity: GSM/GPRS/EDGE; Tri-band: 900, 1800,1900; Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.0

Update: a full HTC Touch review is now on the site

At 14mm deep, the HTC Touch is relatively thin for a Windows Mobile handset and felt comfortable in our trouser pocket.

On the back there's a 2-megapixel camera that takes reasonable photos, but don't expect high quality shots.

This is the new and improved homepage that displays the time in a large, easy-to-view format. It also gives you easy access to the weather and your daily appointments, among other things.

This is one side of the TouchFlo interface menu system, which gives you easy access to a variety of apps. Unfortunately, once you've selected one then the cool interface disappears and you're back to Windows Mobile.

This is the TouchFlo media menu that as you can see gives you access to music, pictures and video. -Andrew Lim