HTC's Touch HD now available for 514.99
By Darren Murph 
posted November 5th 2008 1:00PM
posted November 5th 2008 1:00PM
It's not apt to ever go on sale in America (okay, so maybe there's a sliver of a sliver of a chance), but HTC's Touch HD is now on sale for fortunate Britons with a fair amount of poundage to spare. The drop-dead gorgeous WinMo 6.1 handset can be procured right now for £514.99 ($821) sans contract, but if you're a North American mulling an import, you should obviously tack on a few more bills to that. You're still mulling, aren't you?[Via MoDaCo]
Only if you're rich enough to afford one.
Anyone that spends $800 on a phone needs to be shot on sight.
So all iPhone owners should be shot? Because that's about what the iPhone costs when you tag on the mandatory contract.
Exactly my point. Shot on sight.
http://www.expansys.ae/p.aspx?i=173502 i pre ordered it last week for $692 last week its a about $700 now from expansys
a coworker preordered his. we're in canada... as the dollar has dipped, the price has gone up.. i think he's going to end up paying just over a grand for this. i still use an old SE with 20/month pay as you go. ha!
Congratulations. You spent $500+ on a phone that does basically the same thing as the G1.
This is Engadget, a gadget site, where people live for technology. No matter the amount, money is spent right when going to good technology.
But yeah the HD looks amazing but i will stick to its little brother with a real keypad when it hits att as the fuze here in the states.
"Juxterium @ Nov 5th 2008 1:08PM
So all iPhone owners should be shot? Because that's about what the iPhone costs when you tag on the mandatory contract."
I am so over this argument. Because no matter what phone you buy you have to pay for service. You can't simply add the cost of the contract to the iPhone and compare it to the cost of other phones without adding the cost of service to all those other phones first. And it has to be a comparable level of service.
And it's still going to cost you something for service from someone. What are you going to do, buy it for $800 and not get service? That's the only way you can convince me.
My point is this: When you add the subsidized price of the iPhone (or any phone) to the service cost of the contract and compare it to the non subsidized price of any phone you aren't comparing Apples to apples, you're comparing Apples to oranges. You have to take the non-subsidized price and add it to whatever service you want to use it with over the same period of time and then compare. You aren't going to buy a phone and not get service, are you? If your complaint is being locked in then I say fine, go ahead and complain. But you can't tell me that an iPhone is say, rough example, $300 + $70 * 24= $1,980 and a non subsidized phone is only $800, and not add in what you're going to pay for service.
You can add in the cost of the contract to the cost of the phone as long as you compare it by adding in the cost of comparable service for the same amount of time to whatever phone you want. Apples = apples.
lol
ouch, that price hurts...
Holy shit. 515 pounds? that could end up costing you a 1000usd if the exchange rate gets any more unfavorable. I love phones, but not that much.
I started using steroids in order to handle all 515 pounds of it. Upgraded my jean pockets too.
http://www.expansys.ae/p.aspx?i=175640 its only abutt $740 with blutooth headset + stuff. it was even cheaper last week
You won't pay the VAT if you're outside the UK, although you will pay shipping.
das kostet viel zu viel.
Ja, VIEL zu viel. Yeah, WAY too much.
It's already available in Germany, too, for around 550-650 Euros.
Scandinavia prices:
4699 kr (Denmark) - £510
6299 kr (Sweden) - £510
5630 kr (Norway) - £526
€629,99 (Finland) - £511
This is history, we are cheaper than UK! :)
It's 550 euro here in the NL including shipping and VAT.
Simlock free, without contract.
I compared one today with my iPhone. Pretty cool device.
If you dislike an iPhone, this is the device to get. The Pro if you're a QWERTY kinda guy/gal
Crazy resolution and Excellent video playback
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo7I6K8U7L4
Hopefully my G2 concept will become a reality and achieve this with a tilted screen as well...
http://www.talkandroid.com/android-forums/android-hardware/341-t-mobile-g2-phone.html
Wow, a slightly larger screen on an otherwise identical body. Dream big.
Not not really. You're either blind or illiterate.
If you going to design a concept at least make it better looking.
It has to be realistic.
The iPhone 3G looks almost identical to the original iPhone. The Tytn looks "similar" to the Tytn II.
This concept is about how much better the G1 could have been with a smaller, flat, chin, a bigger screen that fills all the dead space on the front of the G1.
Here's what I had in mind hardware-wise:
Hardware additions:
1) Tilting screen (a must for watching movies, live TV ...etc and a big upperhand over the iPhone as well)
2) Subtle front camera on the edge of the speaker. (like the X1's cam, for waving hand gesture control apps [to compete with WM7], and video chats)
3) 3.5 headphone jack
4) TV out (and/or HDMI port)
Hardware Improvements:
1) Screen resolution 800×480 or 800x600 (no quality drop with DVDrips)
2) A bigger, flush widescreen that fills the sliding part front (dead space makes the G1 appear to be ugly)
3) Ultra low-power Tegra-like processor (GPU+CPU) capable of seemlessly handling Open GL ES 2.0 gfx effects, transitions, and lengthy HD playback e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0U_Zzcwc10
4) More inward travel with keyboard key strokes
5) More responsive/sensitive compass
6) Smaller, less protruding "chin" piece with no angle transition (flat phone, please)... Keep the basic "Google geek look" of the G1 (with the aforementioned adjustments as in the concept images), or do an overhaul design with overall BETTER AESTHETICS.
7) 5MP camera with flash
8) OLED screen (OLED displays appear brighter and sharper than LCDs, even when viewed at an angle. They are viewable in sunlight. And as a side benefit of ditching the LCD backlight, OLEDs are battery thrifty. OLED screens refresh faster, so they're better at displaying video.)
As you can see, compared to what the iPhone went through over the duration of a year, this is huge.
THEY MUST BE JOKING!!!!
£54.37 for delivery to Ireland
I was going to get one but this is a f.....ing ripoff.
(I ordered 1.5 kg lens and paid 8Ł)
Ohh, if only it was bonus time. Instead, I'm waiting till T-Mobile get it (I understand Orange have it first?) so that I can 'spread the payment'.
There are retailers like eXpansys that will sell you one subsidised with a contract.
http://www.expansys.com
Does anyone really need this? At one fifth of the price the LG KP500 is the way to go for full touchscreen :0)
You're a ding-dong
Don't forget that very soon carriers will start to offer it with rebates to their customers.
When the Samsung Omnia came out here it costed over 500 euros (unlocked) but 2 weeks later you could get one on contract for 220, and remember that our contracts are binding only for a maximum of 6 months, after that the carriers are obliged to unlock your phone.
The HTC diamond too unlocked costed (and still costs) over 500 euros, but you can get one for about 150 euros if you accept to use at least 30 euros a month for 6 months for voice/sms/data etc, which most people would use in any case , even if they were to buy their telephone unlocked.
Until next april I'm obliged to keep my Omnia (lovely phone anyway) but before the spring's bloom I would surely get one of these boys in my pocket.
Wife now available for £514.99
I'm not gonna plug in my headphones in your phone's 3.5mm jack!
It's £498.19 from http://www.superetrader.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=3659
So beautiful...
darn is i just got a diamond from ebay! meh its was 250 so half the price of this baby!
God damnit! This is really bad. :( Just a few months ago £515 would have been $1030! Now everything that I buy from the USA is far more expensive. No more £5 protected domains...
I didn't think the radio in this phone supports GSM in the US, so what good would it do to quasi-import one from the UK? Can anyone clarify?
You will get GSM/EDGE data and voice. You wont get 3G voice and data.
And it appears you will never get 3G voice and data with this model. Its not hidden in the hardware. Its non-existent.
There is talks that a CDMA version has been made and functioned better than HTC expected (an insider mentioned it on a forum, one that is reliable since he spotted the reasons the Pro was delayed for Sprint, and they were true), with companies like Sprint hoping to get their hands on it for the US market.
To reiterate. This is a gadget enthusiast site, hence the name. I've spent over $5k on phones in one year (and I'm not rich by a long shot). On the same token I have only 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of shoes because I'm not really moved by fashion trends that much.
and you're stil a ding-dong
Same goes for you Alex
Why don't you get yours diamond encrusted as well?
Just because you pay too much for something, it doesn't mean it's better, it just means your gullible.
...and what's up with the random insults? Did you vote for McCain or something?
Between me and you, I didn't vote (don't tell my dad though he'd be disappointed). For what it's worth, I like Obama, I think he appeals to most young people though, so no suprise there.
You know how I know you're a ding-dong:
90% of the devices that I purchased were never sold in the US, hence were never advertised in the US. So, I made educated purchases by reading blogs, watching user reviews, going over the specs, reading every single post on XDA-Devs, etc.
Yes, I have made bad purchses, in the persuit of the ultimate device.
Yes, I'm still crying over the fact that the I-Mate Ultimate 7150 became vaporware :,(
No, I wouldn't diamond encurst anything, I don't own a single peice of jewlery
Yes, you're a ding-dong
No, I'm not gullible
That didn't explain how you know I'm a ding dong, as you so eloquently put it.
I tried a cheeper HTC at work the other day and was extremely underwhelmed.
On the other hand, the LG Cookie i played with tonight was very slim, easy to use and £99 as apposed to £512
It provides all the features I need, plus £413 to spend on other gadgets.
I also spend hours looking through specs/reviews, just like everyone else that comes to this site.
Your not special... or perhaps you are :0)
@James Barby
I guess DIFFERNT STROKES FOR DIFFERNT HOES
Here is why your "LG cookie" (LOL) won't work for me
RDP
Packet Sniffing
Robust Task Management
Registry editor (for interface tweaks)
Telnet
Opera
The List goes on and on
I was considering getting a much higher specked phone, but when I really thought about it, the only time I'm likely to use the internet features is when I'm at work sat in front of my PC, or at home with my macbook next to me.
So what's the point?
Opera is a lot easier on the eye when it's running on dual 22 inch monitors, than a 3.8 inch touchscreen.
Like I said before, does anyone really need this?
@James Barsby
I need it. That's who!
Here's a scenario:
I'm walking through the mall or something, I get a telephone call on the after-hours IT support phone. "Hey, our servers are down at the resort, and we can't check anyone in. " Good thing I got my "HTC Universal handy with it's gorgeous 3.5" dislay, let me open RDP and fix that shit" "Wait,.. what's the IP address, let me open the encryped Excel document and look through the list. Ok cool" Got it problem solved, all while walking down the mall.
How often does this happen you ask. Once a week I say. (or something similar).
It beats running out my car and whipping out my laptop. Or even worse, running home.
That's just one scenario. There are also Multimedia Advantages, cool facor, geek factor, enthusiast factor, financial factor (expense tracking) bragging factor, wow factor, etc.
Finally I can watch Jack Bauer scan a dead terrorist's finger-print into his Palm Pilot to upload to CTU without screaming "FAKE!!!"