HTC's Touch HD makes its video debut
By Paul Miller 
posted Sep 18th 2008 10:02AM
posted Sep 18th 2008 10:02AM
[Thanks, Ghengis]
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I am holding off from buying HTC Diamond because of this bad boy.
I just received the HTC Touch Diamond yesterday after using the HTC Touch for the past year. The Touch did not really need to be upgraded since it rocked at all that I asked of it. In fact I had just loaded Vito Technology's Winterface/Contacts/Chat overlay software to it and was feeling like I had a brand new phone. I already walked around town letting all of my iPhone using friends know that I had the iPhone killer. But Sprint was offering me a FREE Touch Diamond and what was I going to say, no?
The Diamond runs the new TouchFlo 3D overlay on top of Windows Mobile which in many ways is more like those Vito apps than the old TouchFlo. Anyways, my point is that the integration of this new TouchFlo 3D into the phone coupled with the faster processor really make for a brand new WOW experience for me. HTC has really outdone themselves! So with the TouchFlo 3D overlay, an even faster processor, and the even bigger screen the HTC Touch HD will go far beyond just killing the iPhone.
One more thought on the Diamond...
With 640x480 pixels packed into the 2.8" screen I'm loving the web surfing. I don't even need to zoom in as much as those little pincher buddies of mine do on the iPhone to read small text.
Its interesting when they load their website, the iPhone 3G renders the website wrong, while Opera Mobile on the Touch HD renders it perfectly. So much for Safari being the best mobile browser!
Yeah, I noticed that as well. Safari seemed to render the image headers over the content, whereas Opera displayed it perfectly fine.
I'm not entirely surprised either, Opera has created a great web browsing experience on mobile phones.
As an iPhone user, I must admit that the hardware on that thing is really nice. What it's missing tho, is a better OS. The custom WinMo that is on the phone makes it look nice in screen shots, but once you are really using the phone you will be meet with the same old WinMo. I'm not saying that WinMo is not good, but it's designed to use with stylus. Therefore, it's really hard to use with your finger, tho it is usable.
My point here is, what make a good phone is not just hardware, but also software. It's the whole user experience that WinMo is missing. The Apps store, for example, does not exist in WinMo. If you really think about it, iPhone is the only phone that a company have been updating and adding new features for. Most other phone when does not improve after you buy them, and some do update firmware for stability, not new features.
I think the real iPhone killer, is the HTC Touch HD + Android. I will be looking forward to that phone!
how did you convince sprint to give u the phone for free. i am coming up to the end of my contract and would love to get this phone free. let me know. thanks.
"...the iPhone 3G renders the website wrong..."
Not only that but the colours on the iPhone were really washed out in comparison to the Touch HD. The iPhone displays grey where the Touch HD displays blue.
@ginger.al
I had an iTouch and I felt it (and iPhone) can use a stylus. There were times I was surfing and wanted to press a link, but it was way too small. I had to zoom in just to click the link. A stylus would had allowed me to directly click link with zooming...time saver!
@ginger.al
"If you really think about it, iPhone is the only phone that a company have been updating and adding new features for. Most other phone when does not improve after you buy them, and some do update firmware for stability, not new features."
I don't know why you are highly ranked despite talking such crap. Did the Sprint Mogul users imagine things when they got GPS added to their phones? Thats not a "real" new feature? How about Sprint Touch users who got Opera Mobile with their Windows Mobile 6.1 update?
The only reason the iPhone has so many updates is because it lacks such a lot. I mean, why should getting 3rd party apps be not only an update, but news by itself? A modern smartphone that launches without 3rd party apps is a joke.
I agree with Surur. My HTC Trinity has had at least two official updates, and is still being updated unofficially by the good folks at xda-devs. It is now running WM6.1 with TouchFlo 2D, after having started out with the stock WM5 two years ago, and with every update it is like I have a new phone!
Le iphone se sentent le disque qualités de toucher la HD, sur son âne
I have an Omnia and have never used the stylus. I have, however, used the optical mouse when messing about with the innards or surfing because it's a hell of a lot more convenient than having to do some fat fingered pinching to get a link opened.
WinMo has been skinned so heavily that the regular user isn't going to see WinMo and, hey, that's just the first generation of well skinned phones. What do you think the next ones will be like?
ZSX - you really ought to go checkout the Winterface/Fun Contact/Chat applications by Vito Technology. Load these apps and you'll feel like you got a whole new phone one more time. Their website is VitoTechnology.com. They have a 14 day full trial just so you can see how good it really is before you toss down your 40 bones.
sgumer - good luck getting Sprint to give you the Touch Diamond for free...It's not easy. You might have better luck asking for one of the original HTC Touchs they're probably trying to unload. Last year they hooked me up with that one for free too when it launched. If you go that route give those Vito Technology apps I referenced above a shot as you'll most likely be impressed.
Good luck
After using my Touch Diamond for 1 day, and WM for over 3 years between 3 devices, HTC has really done a good job in making the standard WM menus WAY more usable by adding larger pop up menus that are finger friendly, finger swiping through the programs, contacts, emails and texts, and file explorer. As of now, i have maybe pulled out the stylus once or twice, but the TouchFlo 3D interface absent from the equation, WM on the Diamond or Touch HD for that matter as well is 10x easier to use with your fingers now. The interface outside of TF3D just isnt as visually appealing, but definitely NOT unusable without a stylus.
@ginger.al, I disagree about other phones not improving after you buy them. iPhone may be the only particular _phone_ one company is developing new features for, but Windows Mobile is an _OS_ that many companies are continuosly developing new features for. You can bet that a day after getting a new WinMo Phone, I'll have dramatically improved it with software not from one centralized app store, but all over the web. A couple years later, I'll have improved the phone by loading an upgraded OS on it.
TouchFlo is OK, but if I get a Touch I won't be using that because I don't like that interface. The good news is there a jazillion other apps I can install in its place.
Looks really nice for HTC... Usually their interface is slow and laggy, not to mention the whole "didn't include video drivers" fiasco. What they really need to do is get Android on that bad boy. I don't care what kind of shiny slap-on "TouchFlo" nonsense you put over it, Windows Mobile is still a POS. Email, SMS, Web browsing, Google maps, etc on WinMo just can't compare to the iPhone, no matter what you do with it. That new version of Opera does look like a giant improvement over mobile IE which is just pathetic.
Looks so nice!
Makes me want one!
O wait the rip off data plan that costs $80+ a month no matter what smart phone you buy is not worth it lol.
NOT TRUE.. im on SPRINT and i pay $7 a month for unlimited data and text message COMBINED.. And a tether all the time. for the past year. you just gotta kno NEVER talk to LEVEL one customer support they have no POWER.
@neeko
buy you get billed 5 times a month for it...so your really paying $35.00
Ive honestly never delt with a company billing me three times in one month like sprint did
I've used Sprint for the past 6 years and never had any of those billing issues you mentioned. I don't have a SERO plan and just pay the regular-person rate of $15/mo for unlimited 3G and it's easily the fastest 3G in my area. Either way it beats the $30-45 you would pay with VZW or ATT and I can roam free on VZW in the odd event I'm out of town in an area with better VZW coverage.
Thats only for the Instinkt
Adam is just a troll. For the record, Sprint offers unlimited data plans as low as $15 (even lower if you're on SERO or an older plan). The SEP plans offer unlimited data, SMS, video and navigation plus minutes ends up being cheaper than both Sprint's regular plans and AT&T's plans.
SEP 450 - 450 minutes, unlimited weekends, unlimited nights (starts at 7pm), unlimited data, unlimited SMS, unlimited navigation and unlimited Sprint TV. Show me an AT&T plan that can do all of that for anywhere near the price.
I think you must be confused Adam. I have a smartphone and I pay $10 a month for unlimited data. All I did was use the e-chat and ask the agent for a cheaper than advertised data plan. If you can't get it for $10 than it's still $15 for everyone.
Fitting the bigger screen in about the same overall phone form factor makes for a really slick looking HD. The chrome trim on the iPhone is also beging to look dated.
Bring the HD to the US Please.
I concur. I want one for each day of the week.
Watching the video the one thing which impressed me was the sheer size of the screen. We are finally getting to the stage where the LCD panel is almost "frameless". It looks especially great when taking photos. The high resolution of the display means that it seems like you are looking through the phone!
Very impressive HTC!
Yeah I hate that chrome. So 80/90's.
That looks so sexy...
its so sexy i just have a orgasm watching the youtube video. =D
Hope you cleaned your keyboard, if you get a stuck key, you know you missed a bit!
That was a quick three minutes right there.
Iv been waiting MONTHS..MONTHS for the touch Pro and now in 3 weeks you have totally killed my DESIRE to get that phone. NOW I WANT...MUST have the touch HD. im even willing to jump SPRINT and get it. finally i can get ride of my Mogul and ipod Touch combo and get an all in one device without having to sacrifice usability or PLAY by JOBS rules.
Damn you HTC. Now can someone please find out what carrier is getting this?
NO carrier has BEEN named YET that we KNOW of. I'm sure WE'LL hear something as SOON as someone KNOWS anything.
It's a high end 3G GSM phone so chances are it will be on ATT in the US as a WM alternative to Apple's iPhone. Odds are low that it will be TMo but it's possible.
yeah i got a little CAPS happy. i can laugh at myself. (-1) for me...
Orange is getting it.
AT&T is thinking whether or not to take it (leaning towards no at the moment), they (att) are thinking of a packaged plan (like iphone plan) for it if they do, but they want to charge a lot more fo rthe phone even subsidized. they plan to court apple so they get the exclusive again on the next gen iphone.
I want this. They BETTER throw some US 3g up in there pronto.
Awesome Screen
Awesome Speed
And this is not even the final version!
Xperia who?
Magnus had the slowest build for Xperia X1 on the webcast. Here's video on unwired showing the latest AND FASTEST Xperia ROM:
http://www.theunwired.net/?item=videoview-hands-on-with-sony-ericsson-s-latest-xperia-x1-built
It's surprisingly fast. Look how fast the orientation changes, compared to the 6-second lag on the webcast video.
WOW, As an iPhone 3G user I was very impressed. The screen resolution is amazing!
My iPhone might be going on sell soon... lol
That's because your iphone 3G is 2+ months old and this is not even out yet, the screen does have a little bit higher resolution but is not that much
"That's because your iphone 3G is 2+ months old and this is not even out yet, the screen does have a little bit higher resolution but is not that much "
Thats hilarious. Not only does this phone have a screen with 2.5 times the resolution of the iPhone, it also fits a removable battery and 5 megapixel autofocus camera in a device the same size as the iPhone.
It seems Apple is falling 5 years behind, doesn't it...
Please don't forget the FM radio. Some of us actually find it useful for our audio players to actually have a feature that has been included in mobile devices for decades. Apple still hasn't gotten the message.
i may also look at selling my iphone, but how would you work out the sim card stuff?
@Skant, you can't - you're tied in with the iPhone until the contract ends. There is no removable sim card with the iPhone, so you can't just sell it, remove the sim and use it in a new phone. Don't blame your provider, blame Apple.
THIS IS TRULY THE FIRST LEGITIMATE IPHONE KILLER!!! THIS MIGHT BE THE PHONE THAT CAN SAVE SPRINT FROM A MERGER OR ACQUISITION!
I hope so. I jumped from Sprint to AT&T for iPhone 3g. Within a week i was back to sprint asking for my old contract. If spring can get their act together no one has better service in chicago. I hope this Touch HD comes to sprint. If only it had a user replaceable battery. But then again if the battery can least a real work day, then who needs the extra battery.
LOUD NOISES!
It's not gonna touch the iPhone but it's some high quality competition.
@itsmiguel
Wrong! They clearly touched a few times. I thought I saw them rubbing the TouchHD and the iPhone together in that video when comparing two pda-penis. The TouchHD can piss its name on the wall.
blah... blah... blah...
Dam, i have a att tilt and I want, judging by how tmobiles g1 is 200$ w/ two year contract I can see someone like sprint or verizon picking this baby up and selling it for the same price.
What the FUCK man. I keep holding off to buying a new phone because HTC keeps showing off newer and better phones way too fast. Oh god when is this going to stop.
Hopefully never
LOL your so right my friend that you don't even know it lol, let's say you get this phone today and sign your life away for 2 years, HTC will just keep re leasing a new one every month and leave you out on the cold and on the XD developers mercy, and by 6 month your pretty phone won't cost a dime. Main reason i got a iphone was, Dude i can resell it today if i want, get $900 for it pay all the ETFs and still have about $400 extra for my troubles
I would get this phone if the iPhone didn't exist, but then neither would this phone...
The tears of Apple fanboys like yourself sustain me.
That's one sick screen
look how smooth it re-orientates itself!!
(at about 3.45-3.50)
none of that usual move the task bar first, then each individual item on the page that takes ages like on previous devices.
so getting this with my student loan ;D
any body know what carrier is going to get this? android compatible or just winmo 6.1?
It really makes the iPhone look like a toy.
However, where's the microSD slot! Too bad :(
Read the specs...
http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=64796
Thanks for the link.
The specs in previous engadget posts clearly state there is a microSD slot. Its even SDHC capable so we can use really high capacity microSD cards in it.
My one complaint is that it probably wont do video well. Id bet it doesn't have an H.264 chip in it like the iPhone. But really that's no big deal for me. I wouldn't usually spend my time watching videos on that thing. It would just be useful for long trips and the such.
@ Martin,
This is based on the same component as Touch diamond and touch pro -> ie. a dedicated 64 MB graphics card (or video controller as they are called in embedded devices). so i'm pretty damn sure it can do it.
please put android on this bad boy
And a Compass, that Streetview demo really got me.
Yawn one big ugly phone. why call it HD it's not 1080p lol, iphone just look better
Yeah, the iPhone only looks better. Kind of like a polished turd...
Best touchscreen-only phone in existence.
Not to mention they listened to our pleas and put a big ass screen on it. I cant wait to stuff android into this thing via hacking.
I was sooooo close to buying the new iPhone 3G in Australia, but the price for the unlocked version, the waiting line in the new Applestore in Sydney and the promise of all the 2009 new releases from HTC, Palm, Android OS and Co. have convinced me to change my mind. 2009 will be so a nice year! And this new baby from HTC looks so cool... put Android on it and I will say Adiós to Jobs (y a su podrida manzana)!!!
For the love of god, why can't microsoft release of a beta version of winmobile 7 on this bad boy?
that would make everyone on the fence to buy an Iphone holdoff
I agree, the hardware is nice, it just needs a new soul from M$
With HTC's high-end hardware and TouchFLO 3D, WM7 can wait for Tegra.
Seriously take your time MS, your crappy 6.1 is in good hands. I can't imagine what kind of futuristic Minority-Report-esque phone HTC will cook out with WM7 and Tegra.
Awesome execept there is no flash ....Perfection really exists in phone ? NO
I was planning on getting the Touch Pro... but I don't know if I can pass this up now. Please give me a slide-out keyboard though...
And you better come to Sprint -- I'm not leaving SERO.
Nice screen, yes. I was really hoping the new iPod Touch would have a higher res screen. But windows OS? Is that EVER a good idea?
Also, I would like to see how much data storage is available.
I'd be willing to jump to a different phone carrier to get one of these, but not if it means getting monthly rapings just to use it.. that is why I never bought the iPhone..
Windows Mobile does have its issues. However 6.1 has made huge improvements and I am sure (hoping) 7 will be everything promised.
The reason I chose Windows Mobile (HTC Tytn) is because of the open platform. There is no other platform outhere (Android is not out just yet...) that will let me install any piece of software in the world without their permission. I like being able to change my phone when I feel like it, run experimental software, themes, skins, or completely change the ui all together.
Ok iPhone Fanboys, you have just been silenced!
THE iPhone have just been PWND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Also PWND: Touch Diamond, TD Pro, Omnia, The new Asus Galaxy Thingy, and that bulky Nokia sWhatever)
Still on the horizon: Nividia Tegra
I am totally buying this phone, but man, if it had the Tegra in it. I'd cry from pure happiness.
@itsmiguel
Este iPhone Fanboy? lol
I feel an urge to protect the iPhone... is that fanboyism? should I seek professional assistance?
Seriously though, I love my iPhone but give me Android or WM7 on this phone and I would strongly consider it.
The camera also looks awesome on this phone compared to iPhones 2MP POS...
Why? It's just a fucking phone.
Jesus.
I just hope they get the pricing right on this. HTC's never been agressive on the pricing front
Touch HD pricing:
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/09/18/amazon-germany-asking-619-for-touch-hd/
This phone is so gorgeous that it hurts. WOW! WOW! WOW!. So much for X1. At least the Omnia is still holding up
X1 is actually a lot faster than I thought... here's the latest FAST build:
http://www.theunwired.net/?item=videoview-hands-on-with-sony-ericsson-s-latest-xperia-x1-built
With the keyboard and fast ROM, it's starting to shape up as a serious contender to the Touch HD. I can't believe Magnus demoed the slow version on the webcast.
I really love my iPhone (had original and now have 3G), but this looks amazing. HTC makes such great hardware but I can't help but think that they are being slowed down somewhat by software, even though they have made great additions to Windows Mobile. How long before HTC makes their own mobile OS? They are such a quality company that I am sure they would do a great job getting it "right".
Yes, they did a nice job with TouchFLO, I think they should just build their own OS too... Or at least make a nice custom version of Android for it.
Just a random question, Why HTC always has a 65K color screen instead of 16M color screen?
Its a limitation of the WM OS. I dont know if MS will ever fix that or not. The touch HD had better, more vibrant colours than the iPhone however, so it does not seem to be a major problem.
Umm... this phone is the new extension of my manhood. Ooh! G-Sensor!? Good to have for those that get lost in the hood.
I have been torn between HTC Touch Pro and SE Xperia X1. Need I be torn any longer?
Any chance this comes out for Verizon?
WOW!!
I want one!!!! As soon as this thing comes out I am kicking my stupid IPHONE TO CURVE!!!
I've been having major issues with mine for months.
-Stupid Laggy keyboard.
-Bad 3G reception
-Dropped calls
-No MMS
-No video
-Laggy contacts
-No Expandability ports for memory
-YOU CANT TURN OFF PREDICTIVE TEXTING!!
I mean why can't apple release a full featured phone!!!??? So for being greedy and also keeping your customers hungry for basic features ....I am switching my phone to this one. THere are free phone phones out there with these features...............
THERE IS NO EXCUSE AT ALL TO NOT HAVE THESE BASIC FEATURES !!!
You should really learn from HTC apple. You have lost a customer. On the phone side that is. I like everything else. I still love my ipod and my Mac Book Pro.
I think it would suffice it to say that you are NOT an iPhone fanboy. Too bad most other iPhone owners are too brainwashed to admit these short comings.
"Who needs MMS when you can use email)"
1. Fixed in 2.1
2. Fixed in 2.1
3. Fixed in 2.1
4. Wont ever be fixed it seems...
5. Jailbreak and get Cycorder, works great, I use it to film my daughter all the time. Made by Jay Freeman, maker of Cydia and great guy.
6. Fixed in 2.1
7. I prefer to have a solid smooth device, but I understand why some people want this.
8. I turned mine off for a few days (you must jailbreak for this) and I turned it right back on, trust me, you don't want that option...
Hopefully Apple will feel the pressure from HTC and other manufacturers and get back in track, gotta love competition and Apple didn't really have any until recently...
if you jailbreak ur iphone you can turn off predictive text easily.
I don't want a phone I have to "jail break". Ditto for their computers. DRM is not for me.
geezzz. Honestly HTC took the fire out of Dream/G1 announcement for next week. I was so hyped to see the Android. Now I only want to see the HD running Android on T mobile... sigh....