Is it safe yet to declare that carriers are looking at finger-friendly touchscreens as The Next Big Thing in wireless? Sprint today has officially announced its HTC Touch, a device codenamed
"Vogue" that brings all of the
original's unique personality to the world of CDMA (and, thankfully, EV-DO). Besides the touted support for 3G data, features include a 2 megapixel cam, microSD slot with support for up to 4GB of expansion, Windows Mobile 6 Professional with HTC's
TouchFLO interface, and comprehensive support for Sprint's media features including Sprint TV and the Sprint Music Store, all packed into a shell measuring 4 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches and weighing in at 4 ounces (trust us, it looks and feels pretty flippin' small). Interested parties don't have terribly long to wait, either -- look for it to start showing up in retail channels November 4 for a penny under $250 on contract with rebates.
posted Oct 17th 2007 9:00AM
if this can be bought with the SERO plan, then this is my new phone :)
I am really excited...I wonder how hard the keyboard will be to type on?
i got a chance to play with it earlier and i wasnt impress. it has a lot of features as you read, but it feels really bulky and the interface wasnt that slick as with the ....iphone.
But this is a modern phone unlike the iPhone so it's comparing apples and oranges.
I was wrong. You know what actually I just got to play with a friends iPhone and it may actually be the best phone out there. I'm trying to see if I can get one for christmas from my mom. The lack of 3G is actually really cause I can just pick up wifi and the battery last's 8 hours talking or browsing the web. Seriously I know of no other phone that does that. I'm Sold.
Get an iPhone you won't regret it.
WoW I had no idea it got 8 hours of talk time. Your right. Hmmm.... Maybe the iPhone is the best phone out there. I think I was wrong too.
I'm getting an iPhone
I've had some hands on time with the HTC Touch as well.
I did not like it. At all.
The Windows Mobile OS just does not work well with a touchscreen.
"Get an iPhone you won't regret it."
I don't have an iphone and I already don't regret it. I think I'll stick with the status quo and say fuck the iPhone and its proprietary everything.
i love how people have to be on one side or the other of the iphone love/hate spectrum. People can just think its a pretty good phone or has some good features. Its either god, or a brick piece of crap. haha
I want of these "Iphones" too ... they sound super duper cool.
the problem is all you iphone users think your the shit!!! the fact it the touch was out BEFORE the iphone. the thing is the iphone mabe cool but the service SUCKS!!! i have the touch and it is AWESOME!! i dont sit around thinking, man i wish i had an iphone... i have something BETTER in my eyes.. the touch does basically the same thing WITH BETTER SERVICE...
remember the first blackberry? it wasnt comfortable up your ears because its so wide? yeah... thats my other complaint, comfort. u'll prolly use your bt headset most of the time.
by the way, i dont have an iphone. i have a blackberry pearl.
I played with this thing at Digital Life, it is very small.
This 'phone' is dire, I have had a play with it. Its basically Windows Mobile 6 with a 'touch' overlay - which means you cant use your fingers to do all things, you have to use your stylus for some actions. All the touch part often does is direct you to the relevant windows mobile page. Its a poor excuse and an attempt to catch up with the 'touch phone that came out a few months back but shall not be named'!
Dont get this 'phone'.
"The-Phone-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named" -- I like that! I hope it sticks!...
That's a slick looking design. Looks very rugged. If it works as advertised it should sell rather well.
Sprint MobileTV? They don't even have this on the Mogul... Fingers crossed someone rips it off the Touch for us...
i own one and you don't really need to use the stylus. what's great is that the touch flo allows for ease of use for the standard users but the underlying windows mobile is available for the advanced features.
for the iphone fanboy. the iphone was made to be easy to use with no advanced features. essentially it was made for dumb people. everyone i know has never had a problem learning how to use a phone.
Kind of cool, but the iphone still has a better interface. Not to be an apple fanboy or anything, but ever since the iphone came out, alot of ripoffs of it are emerging. You have the htc touch, the meizu, and others.
Have you played with the htc touch firsthand? how would you know anything about how good/bad the interface is?
Let's get it straight. Since the LG Prada came out a lot of rippoffs have been popping up, like the iPhone, Samsung and others.
And this is a 3G phone, not an old 2G relic like the iPhone.
@Argot:
We're talking about interfaces, why do you keep saying that its 3G? Who cares what 'G' it is if it's unusable?
Well a phone without 3G IS pretty much useless.
@Argot, But AT&T's 3G network (where the iPhone lives) is not the holy grail. Surfing on the iPhone is not much different than surfing on the 8252 (TyTn). In fact, around here Verizon has the best 3G network... (Full disclosure: AT&T customer, iPhone and 8525 WM6 owner)
Oh wow actually with 3G talk time is like 2 hours that's why apple uses EDGE (2.5G) I never knew that. It allows them to get 8 hours of talk time on a single charge. Much better than carrying around spare batteries.
This is not an iPhone knock-off, it came out months before the iPhone did!
Can this be unlocked ?
What is there to unlock?
It's a CDMA phone (no ATT/TMo), and Verizon limits the ESNs on their own network to their devices. Even when identical phones come out for sprint and verizon, you can't put the sprint one on Verizon's network. These don't use SIM cards, they register with the central server.
You can already install any software you want on it. No digital signatures, no crappy BREW (does have full Java Midlet support though)
The SD card support up to 8GB not 4GB. As per Sprint fact sheet for the Touch.
The SDHC standard (all form factors including MicroSDHC) is written to 32gb, not just 8gb. Currently there are no MicroSDHC over 8gb, but if the phone is compliant with the standard ....... I would guess that Sprint will want you to buy a new phone to use anything larger.
The industry was getting away from large, flat, wide phones as they moved towards smaller, thinner keyboards (i.e. Katana, RAZR, etc) and now we are moving back towards large flat, wide phones with touchscreens?
No matter what touchscreen phone is released, it better be no larger, wider or deep than the Iphone.
so the Touch is the right size:
http://www.easydevices.co.uk/pp/PDA/HTC/images/style9_htc_touch.JPG
http://www.wmexperts.com/articleimages/P1010375-1.jpg
http://www.wmexperts.com/articleimages/P1010378.jpg
not everyone has girly hands.
I think is about time to ditch my beloved Treo 700wx.
I've used the sprint version of this phone too. Its really not all that great. The touch stuff takes a little bit of training to get used to. The whole touch interface is basically 4 screens. Once you need to leave those screens (you know to actually use an app) you're stuck in a standard windows app that requires a stylus. Entering text is pretty difficult since the screen is so small. Also, I feel like the whole thing just looks kinda cheap. I'd pass.
With any luck that will be sorted soon. HTC have said that the extensions seen in the HTC Touch Dual (SIP keyboard, photo viewer, etc.) will be made available for the HTC Touch. Download and install.
WoW I had no idea it got 8 hours of talk time. Your right. Hmmm.... Maybe the iPhone is the best phone out there. I think I was wrong too.
I'm getting an iPhone
Wow a bitter crapple fanboi has spoofed my nick. :)
Well, you know what they say, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. :)
Woops wrong thread. Sorry
VIVA LA IPHONE!
wifi? gps? No mention on the Sprint PR. Also, I've yet to see what the touch keypad for text entry looks like.
for those bitching about the iphone. You can use this app and use the same keyboard as the iphone (if not better). works really fast too!.
http://www.pocketcm.com/keyboard.php
That is really a sweet UI. Great now I can have the iPhone...just with some actual features.
A decent processor would make this a really really attractive phone.
I'm using this phone on sprint's backbone right now.. and I don't have too many complaints with it. People talking about the interface not being favorable, but it's Windows.. you all know how to use windows right? It's not a normal phone GUI. Get over it iPhone users. That's the point of it being Windows Mobile. The keyboard is touch QWERTY (in a couple different styles actually) and just like other phones you can change it to use T9, abc, etc..
Does anyone know if it it has a full browser?? Also is this a "world phone"?
Again. you can install any browser you like, that's the beauty of it. You have the default Pocket Internet explorer, or you can choose from:
-Opera browser, (they are announcing a new version, it should come out soon)
-Netfront Browser (browse java pages and such, good browser)
-Mozila Minino (beta, and not feature ladden, but Firefox announced a mobile version soon)
-Picsel Browser (as close as the iphone version browser, with full browsing, zoom in, etc, very good one)
-Deepfish (Microsoft future browser, just like Picsel, very cool)
-and there are lots more, there is a new version that runs the Safari core, so there are plenty of variety.
don't they know that when apple takes a word, people can know longer use it? Apple sues people who use the word "Pod" in their product name.
so apple of course would own the word "touch" along with "tunes" "book" "life" and any other word you could throw the letter "i" in front of.
Actually dumdum...HTC owns the word touch..so HTC could sue apple for using the Ipod Touch name...No this isnt a world phone. no it doesn't have wifi..bit with it being upgradeable to EVDO REV A in a couple of months who the hell needs wifi..??? Processor has been doubled to 400mhz not bad. this is Def a iPhone killer. only thing i would say is at a disadvantage would be the resolution... 320x240 that suks even my 700p has the 320x320
miss the point much?
They don't own iDEN, WiDEN, i930
oh i get the sarcasm...its just not that funny when its nsync with the obvious
oh i get the sarcasm...its just not that funny when its nsync with the obvious
Let's hope Sprint or HTC actually tested the BT on this unit! The BT issue was reported to both Sprint and HTC less than a week after release even though somehow they didn't test that function in over 6 months of testing! The issue has over 40,000 hits between forums and yet still no patch. The only firmware "update" was something to let Sprint sell you their music - way to be on the ball Sprint!
From beta testers, or what?
Adam - the issue is reported by those of us who bought the phone - most realizing there would be bugs but the BT seems like BMW selling a car without bothering to test the windshield wipers. Kind of a major item not to have bothered testing. http://www.htcwiki.com/page/HTC+P4000+and+Mogul+by+HTC you can look - some of the most active threads of any of those major forums.
I owned an HTC (STRTRK) before my iPhone and it was horrid.
1. The WM5 UI was like something from the mid-90s.
2. The phone kept eating up microSD cards, literally render them useless.
3. The phone would reboot randomly on its own.
4. Pocket IE was a joke.
5. BT wouldn’t always work properly.
6. I tried installing many 3rd party apps only to have them be incompatible or mess up the phone to a point were I’d have to restore everything from scratch.
7. Activesync on XP is a joke, so far behind other syncing tools.
8. I did have the MissingSync for OS X and that was actually a great product.
9. Mobile Windows Media player is horrid and wasn’t compatible with DRMed music from the most popular online music store (iTunes).
My iPhone has been flawless so far.
How flawless is your iPhone connecting to your company's Exchange 2003 Server?
good thing this is built on wm6 now. I agree wm5 does suck and was too early to bring this out in Europe. I do with sprint would just jump to the new version, but whatever. this will definintely be better than the european version.
And for those who have the latest and greatest (phones, os's, etc), the new synching software for vista is 10 times better than activesync. If you're an apple user than the iphone may be better for you, but for the other 95% of the world with employeers that use exchange, the iphone just won't cut it.
Sorry...Windows Mobile kills this for me...I don't care what it looks like or what interface it has. And no, I don't have an iPhone, I have a Blackberry.
come on, wm one of the best things m$ released so far.
why do you prefer symbian instead of wm?
In my social circle, I'm the only one with a Blackberry. I'm also the only one who a) never has a problem with their phone, and b) never has to do sketchy things like reboot, reset to factory defaults, etc. Everyone I know with a Windows Mobile or PalmOS phone has daily problems. I don't...I don't need to own a Windows Mobile phone to know it sucks, I see the evidence every day.
@johnzilla: Everyone? Really? You have some dumb friends, or some that are just straight-up incompetent.
1) I've had my Mogul (WM6) for almost a month. Only had to reset it once when I removed a core system app and the uninstall asked me to.
2) Prior to the Mogul, I had a PPC 6700 (wm5) and 6600 (wm2003). None of these required a reset more than once a month, and again, typically from the addition or subtraction highly-integrated apps.
3) How much third party software do you have on your blackberry? I'm running a 3D GPS with Voice Directions (iGuidance), MS Voice Command 1.6, TCPMP, Touch Home, Live Search, Google Maps, and Opera to name a few - and my phone doesn't crash at all. I also have an exchange server connection that supports precious "Push" functionality, though really getting my email once ever 5 minutes is plenty often.
So I submit: Either your "friends" are unbelievably terrible at handling a WM device and should switch to and idiot-proof device like the iPhone, you're exaggerating, or both.
Right, Brad, because your experience encompasses all the known human mobile phone experience past, present, and future. You've owned and used every phone, with every OS (and every feature offered by that OS), with every provider, every day.
How many 3rd party apps I have on my Blackberry is 100% irrelevant, but I think I have 4. I only have 4 because a) I don't need more, and b) I'm not a phone/gadget addict.
It isn't how much you have or what you have, it is how you use it and how productive you are with it. Getting into a pissing contest over something as silly as "how many apps do you have on your mobile phone" is less than juvenile.
My point stands: I don't have any problems, the people I know with Windows Mobile and PalmOS phones have problems (as did I when my phone was PalmOS). I switched to Blackberry and the problems went away. What works for me is what I will use, you are welcome to use whatever you like to use...judging people based on their mobile phone selection is absurd.
"Right, Brad, because your experience encompasses all the known human mobile phone experience past, present, and future. You've owned and used every phone, with every OS (and every feature offered by that OS), with every provider, every day."
The same could be said about you and your "social circle". Douche.
I actually have a bb8800 now and I must say it is pretty much flawless except the fact that it does not support 3rd party apps that I dont pay a brick of cash for, the GPS doesnt work at all, and I have problems when outside my network. Dont get me wrong when it does stuff its awesome I live by it, but compared to a windows device in the right hands I'm not sure I can compare. Its really the difference between have a device with limitless possiblities and hence problems vs. have a pretty much closed device that will never malfunction. If you are risk adverse want plainjane go bb if you are risk loving want excitment and are james bond go WM.
Windows Mobile is currently definite the best OS!
Well, the touchscreen of the HTC Touch is a bit disappointing if you tried the iPhone before. But the HTC Touch has definitely more features! There are so many wm-apps out there!!
Nevertheless, you guys have to find out for yourselves what kind of phone you prefer.
At the moment I'm using two phones. The iPhone and the SGH-i600 which indeed has no touchscreen but is running on Windows Mobile!
Canadians - Telus Mobility already launched this phone this week, and Bell Mobility will have it in a few weeks.
The rubberized front plate is an interesting choice; I suppose we don't have to worry about dropping it on the floor.
So rather than bashing the phone...or bashing the iPhone I'd rather post something useful. Here's my thoughts on the phone.
Pros:
Aesthetically pleasing
TouchFlo interface
EVDO Rev. A
Supports SDHC (can't wait for those sweet ass 8gb cards to hit the market)
Cons:
No Wifi (deal breaker for me)
No slide out keyboard (I guess it's not so bad with programs like TouchPal or some of the other programs out there now)
Not so great processor
No GPS (has A-GPS but I think it's locked down so you can't use it.)
Locked to Sprint PCS (unless someone sends this phone to a certain individual over in Indonesia and gets it cracked)
I think I'll just stick to my HTC Apache for a while longer.
Anyone else want to add to the pros and cons list?
Touch pros
Syncs completely with Exchange 2003/2007 with html and searching benefits of 2007
Supports voice command
Supports flash web pages
iPhones Pros
Better display
better processor
better battery life
better browsing for all non flash web pages
probably better BT functionality for calls.
Basically if they could take WM6 and make it run on an iPhone you'd have a hell of device or if you could just get an iPhone to fully sync with Exchange 2007, include flash you could pretty much kiss 95% of the WM phones goodby. Think about that for a minute Ballmer you fat greasy bastard.
Stop saying you've had your hand on an HTC Touch, the HTC Touch is different is different from the HTC Vogue.
HTC Touch is GSM with data speeds that suck, HTC Vogue is CDMA for which has no need for WiFi with EVDO.
The Vogue has double the processor and memory so far all of you that said this phone was slow, well dont expect it to be.
The Vogue will come with a onscreen keyboard along with a new picture viewer.
heres a short video of it and pictures.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/smartphones/sprint-launches-htc-touch-%5Bupdated-with-video%5D-311782.php
sorry but the iPhone didnt come until after the LG PRADA and HTC TOUCH was released so stop saying its biting off Apple. Anyways the iPhone is for 14 year olds who have parents with money, look at Ryan Sheckler.
EVDO's great, but only if you live in an area where it's actually present. Thus the reason why many of us need WiFi in addition to EVDO (in fact I'm lucky if I can find an actual EVDO signal...most everything out here is 1x). It uses the Qualcomm MSM7500 @ 400mhz right? That's the same processor that's in the Mogul...which was mediocre to be honest. On the plus side I'm digging the 256mb's of ram and 64mb rom. Almost don't need to cook oems into a rom with that amount of space. Just stick WiFi, GPS, and a better processor in it and I'll bite.
If you want to argue about wifi though, how often do you find free wifi in most major cities? If you do find it, its very restricted to where that business wants you to go online. Also, wifi isn't everywhere but most cell phone companies data network covers most of the nation.
the memory for the Vogue is 256 RAM/128 RAM
oh well if its not for you, then its not, no use trying to convince you.
Wow I think you guys have persuaded me I'm going to repurchase an iPhone. I'm going to buy one, me too, I want to be me too, with the me too, I'm buying an iPhone too crowd:)
Cool, my stock will not tank. Love the fact everyone wants to buy the one cell phone you can't receive calls on, an iPhone.
Having used both products, its slower than the iphone and the only keyboard is on screen and its itty bitty - you have to use the stylus and cannot use your finger.
uhh sorry but you haven't used the Vogue yet, maybe the GSM touch but not the Sprint one, especially since the Keyboard is new and like the iPhone, but Sure-typesque, so don't say you've used both products when the Sprint Touch (HTC VOGUE) is different than the GSM Touch which by the way has a slower processor; half the speed. get your info right. the specs on this phone are different than the one you used. so stop complaining about LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGS when the phone isnt even out yet.
So the interface is just a shell that links to winapps? or did they skin the apps to look different atleast? I mean after a few taps will you be looking at a typical windows app you will see on any WM phone... or did every screen get a makeover to atleast look unique.
Also does anyone know if sprint will get the HTC Touch Slide? I like having a tactile QWERTY.
People kill me with this "iPhone Killa" crap. The iPhone ISN'T a smart phone ... yet. It does what it does very well, and it's interface is awesome, but this is NOT what people define as a smart phone. Rather, people who actually USE smart phones. Treo's, BlackBerry's, Windows Mobile devices, maybe a Symbian or two .. THOSE are smart phones. The iPhone is what it is, and this isn't an iPhone. Anyone who wants this to be an "iPhone Killa" is going to be disappointed. The Touch is a Windows Mobile device that uses an interface that should make it easier for the WM novice to do what they need to do. This device seems a bit more casual, something for people like me looking to move away from Palm, but aren't that found of the standard WM interface. Stop comparing it to Apples phone; they're two completely different monsters ...
played with the HTC Touch at an O2Germany store in...June. When did the iPhone come out?
For all of the i-phone riders: i have actually gotten a chance to see and use this phone or a version of it, because i have been studying in Singapore where it has been available for months. I have also gotten an opportunty to use areal Ipone and a Asian fake one and with all of that said, this phone has a better shape and feel. It hamore options and in the hands of the right guy here in asia can expand be like a freaking James Bond gadget. It is way better than an i-phone stop drinking the cool-aid and open your eyes. The Iphone is nice but it is not the end all be all, not even close. Even worse news for you, HTC makes better models here in Asia than the touch; that the low end model. it just sucks the US refuses to deregulate and catch up. i plan to bring on of these 3g, wifi, gps, hdvideo, tiny computer phones these guys carry around back because i will never have to buy a us phone for 5 years while they catch up.
What a lot of people do not is that this phone was out before the iphone so basically, HTC didnt copy Apple, Aple Copied HTC. i had some time to play with this phone and it is really cool. the touchflo works great and teh key board (when in the right mode) is very easy to use. I like apple products, infact im typing this on a macbook, but i would much rather get this thatn the iphone. This has way more options and is super small. if you need a good phone that is better then the iphone, i suggest this.