Looks like that HTC Touch HD website we just posted about wasn't a completely mix-up, it went just just went temporarily down due to a little release-day jitters. Yes, folks, the HTC Touch HD has been officially announced. Yes, it's definitely going to be seen as at attempt at being an iPhone-killer (as mentioned in the gdgt podcast, it has the exact same dimensions as the iPhone), and yes, we think it has a shot at being just that for power users.
800x480 (we never get tired of typing that), 5 megapixel camera, regular old 3.5 mm headset jack, all the specs you saw earlier hold true. We'll add that we're happy to see the next-gen Qualcomm MSM7201a 528MHz chip and we're sad to see that it won't launch with US-compatible 3G bands. But that version will indeed come someday:
The HTC Touch HD will be available across major European carriers in Q4 2008 and be introduced in other global markets shortly following.
A couple of glamour shots of the HTC Touch HD and the full press release are after the break!
NEW HTC TOUCH HD RAISES BAR FOR MOBILE INTERNET AND ENTERTAINMENT
Large, 3.8 inch wide-screen VGA display, HTC TouchFLO 3D, desktop-class broadband browsing and a 3.5mm audio jack and more provide the ultimate entertainment combination
Taoyuan, Taiwan — September 16th, 2008 — HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today unveiled its latest handset, the HTC Touch HD, an entertainment focused mobile handset that will transform how people experience multimedia on the move. Integrating a large 3.8 inch wide-screen VGA display (WVGA), a standard 3.5mm audio jack and a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, the HTC Touch HD is the perfect device for multimedia fans.
Shifting the boundaries of design and innovation
The HTC Touch HD combines high performance capabilities with a stylish, sleek design that has made HTC a global leader in mobile phone design and innovation. Its large 3.8 inch WVGA touchscreen offers users stunning clarity and vibrant colours, providing an unrivalled experience when watching movies, browsing the Internet or even scanning through photos taken with the 5 megapixel auto focus camera. The stylish new device also features HTC’s beautiful TouchFLO™ 3D user interface to provide quick and intuitive access to the people, messages and content that are most important. A standard 3.5mm headphone jack has also been designed-in, allowing consumers to use high-performance headphones with the device for the best possible sound quality.
“Today, Widescreen TV, Internet and video have become the standard so there is no reason to compromise when you leave the house, the Touch HD delivers that uncompromising multimedia and Internet experience,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO HTC Corporation. “We are living in a time where the concept of entertainment has radically changed. The internet is so much more than just email and our customers expect to be able to access the Internet and high quality multimedia content no matter where they are in the world.”
Getting the most out of the Internet
The large high resolution, widescreen display combined with download speeds up to 18 times faster than standard 3G, enables the HTC Touch HD to render websites quickly and in full-page width. This provides a comparable Internet experience to that of home broadband in terms of both speed and page layout. This true mobile broadband experience allows users to navigate more easily, leveraging the mobile internet in a variety of ways. For example, browsing to favourite websites, using Google Maps to find a restaurant for lunch, searching for and streaming video from YouTube or even catching up to the minute news, blog posts and video podcasts with the integrated RSS reader, will be more intuitive for consumers familiar with desktop browsing.
No compromise
The HTC Touch HD has been conceived for both business and consumer users alike, who demand style and performance and do not think the two are mutually exclusive. The HTC Touch HD is the ideal handset for people who are embracing the mobile multimedia shift but who do not wish to forgo quality, simply by being on the move.
Availability
The HTC Touch HD will be available across major European carriers in Q4 2008 and be introduced in other global markets shortly following.
Key Touch HD product specifications:
- Size: 115 x 62.8 x 12 mm
- Weight: 146.4 grams/5.164 oz with battery
- Connectivity: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHzWCDMA / HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
- Software/Operating system: HTC TouchFLO 3D with Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
- Display: 3.8 inch Wide Screen VGA screen (480 x 800 WVGA)
- Camera: 5.0 megapixel with auto focus – Second Camera: VGA
- Internal memory: 512 MB flash; 288 MB RAM
- Memory card: microSD™ memory card (SDHC™ capable)
- WLAN: 802.11b/g
- Bluetooth®: 2.0 with EDR
- GPS: GPS/AGPS
- Interface: HTC ExtUSB™ (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
- Battery: 1350 mAh
- Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 390 minutes*** / GSM: Up to 310 minutes***
- Standby time: WCDMA: Up to 450 hours*** / GSM: Up to 390 hours***
- Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM7201a™ 528 MHz
