Photos: HTC Touch HD, the phone Android should've launched on
We love the HTC Touch HD, but we'd like it so much more if it ran Android. Google, if you're reading this, please, please, please make an Android phone like this
The T-Mobile G1 has sparked some controversy at Crave, around whether or not the hardware does Android justice -- most of us think it doesn't. Yes, the G1 is practical and good if you like a mechanical Qwerty keypad, but where's the sexiness? Where are the iPhone-killing looks? Well, they're on HTC's next device, the HTC Touch HD.
Boasting a massive colour touchscreen that measures 50mm wide by 82mm tall, a slim design and all the features you'd expect from a modern smartphone -- GPS, Wi-FI and HSDPA -- the Touch HD is a real beauty. Alas, Google and HTC aren't running Android on it -- instead the Touch HD stumbles along on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional.
If you're a business person, the thought of a Windows Mobile iPhone-a-like might get your blood pumping, but we want Android on it and we want it now. If you're reading this, Google, we ask -- no, beg -- you to get HTC to make something for you like this. Click 'Continue' for more pictures and information.
The Touch HD comes in at around the same size as the iPhone 3G, but it boasts a larger screen and is slightly heavier, weighing 148g. The screen isn't as responsive as the G1's or iPhone 3G's, but it's much more responsive than any other Windows Mobile touchscreen phone out there at the moment.
At 12mm thick, the HTC Touch HD is as thin as the iPhone 3G and slips easily into a pocket. It feels really sturdy and could probably take its fair share of drops. It's interesting to note that when we spoke to HTC during the launch of the Touch Diamond, there was a sense that making something this thin with these kinds of features would take longer -- but it's done it.
Perched on the back of the HTC Touch HD is a whopping 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus. Aside from taking higher-resolution pictures than the iPhone, the Touch HD also offers you the chance to send those pictures via MMS. There's no flash or LED photo light, so shots in low light don't come out very well.
There it is, the one thing we cried about when we realised that the T-Mobile G1 didn't have one -- a 3.5mm headphone jack. It's a small feature that makes a huge difference and another reason we think that a Touch HD-type device should run Android. So for the final time Google, this is what we want, mmmkay? Expect a full review of the HTC Touch HD soon.