HTC Touch HD

[Brandon Miniman]

Brandon writes, "From the day we first caught a glimpse of the Touch HD, we've been in love. The device features a screen that has a larger size and much higher resolution than the iPhone, and its gorgeous, minimalist design, has caught the attention of many. Every time I show this to someone for the first time, the response is always the same: "Wow!" In this review, we'll take a deep and thorough look at the sexy Touch HD, and will help you decide if it should be your next mobile phone." <a href='http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=reviews&id=1111'>Read on</a> for more!

<b>Overall Rating</b>:
<img>http://pocketnow.com/images/rating/4.jpg</img>

<b>The Good</b>
<li>Super sexy design</li>
<li>Has a large, high resolution screen</li>
<li>Everything is finger-friendly</li>

<b>The Bad</b>
<li>Feels big in hand</li>
<li>Poor one-handed usability</li>
<li>Lacks US 3G bands</li>

[Unregistered]

Are you sure it can record VGA. AFAIK it can only record QVGA.

Surur

[Unregistered]

i have seen a video made by french peaple and they say that u can't use the virtual keyboard in landscape mode for typing sms is that true can someone confirm that with a video or so... thanks

[BoyBawang]

Hi brandon, it seems you aren't too concerned that there's no haptic feedback while typing. So i presume that its virtual qwerty is very comfortable even its portrait

[Alex (Germany)]

I love your reviews!! And I love you^^

[Brandon Miniman]

Are you sure it can record VGA. AFAIK it can only record QVGA.

Surur

I think you're right, the max setting is "L"...which doesn't give us a good indication.

Hi brandon, it seems you aren't too concerned that there's no haptic feedback while typing. So i presume that its virtual qwerty is very comfortable even its portrait

Yeah - the on screen keyboards are solid and after some practice, can become quite easy to use.

i have seen a video made by french peaple and they say that u can't use the virtual keyboard in landscape mode for typing sms is that true can someone confirm that with a video or so... thanks

You're right, you can't use the keyboard in landscape while typing SMS, or email.

[Unregistered]

http://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/htc_touch_hd_review_37-480x276.jpg

Check this pic, is this a 3rd party application allowing writing in landscape, or might it be a hidden undiscovered tweak? :)
Thx for the review btw, I love the objectivity.
Fred

[Unregistered]

Gimme a beast this size with a keyboard and a huge battery and I'd be in heaven! I like a big phone. I want a MID (UMPC?) with a cell radio basically. Ideally the same form factor as a Nokia 810. Huge.

I went to a sprint store recently to play with an HTC Touch Pro and I found it to be way too small.

I guess I will be one of those SE X1 adopters and finally lay to rest my wretched Palm Treo 700p.

Nice review!

[Tim]

Will there be a HTC Touch HD PRO , with Keyboard? We all heard some rumours only and after only silence....

[bluetoof]

Will there be a HTC Touch HD PRO , with Keyboard? We all heard some rumours only and after only silence....

At that point you might as well throw XP on there...

[Jaime Rivera]

Will there be a HTC Touch HD PRO , with Keyboard? We all heard some rumours only and after only silence....

Still a rumor, but we're all waiting for it :D

[GenghisKhent]

I agree with Unregistered that I want a large screen phone that doubles as a MID. The Touch HD seems ideal. Except for the [:mad::mad::mad:censored by moderator] lack of US 3G. Russia has a Touch HD variant with 4G. But the US still would be stuck with EDGE. Hopefully HTC has plans for the US in this regard.

I'm on the fence regarding a keyboard. It obviously is convenient. But it also adds bulk. If the screen tilted up when the keyboard was used, that would be a plus.

HTC, do you hear me?

[Din]

Was a very good review of HTC Touch HD, definetely going to be getting this as my next phone

[Brandon Miniman]

http://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/htc_touch_hd_review_37-480x276.jpg

Check this pic, is this a 3rd party application allowing writing in landscape, or might it be a hidden undiscovered tweak? :)
Thx for the review btw, I love the objectivity.
Fred

Yeah - that's definitely a tweak. It wouldn't surprise me that you can do this ... you'd just need to force rotation and have the device use the landscape keyboard that comes up in Opera. Out of the box, it doesn't work.

[Unregistered]

That is one sexy device. Maybe I'll sell an unlocked Fuze one Ebay and use that money towards the purchase of the HD. Sucks that there's no plans to release the HD in the U.S. I'd be stuck with Edge if I get the HD then. Until then, the Tilt still kicks major ass.

[Unregistered]

Actually, in the previous versions of TouchFLO3D there wasn't a second tab for the 4 day forecast.

At least I've always seen it in Touch Diamond photos, and it's there in Manilla 2D on my kaiser...

[Unregistered]

Can you change the language on it? (e.g., if I bought it in Germany, can I change it to English?)

[kanzlr]

Can you change the language on it? (e.g., if I bought it in Germany, can I change it to English?)

you can never do that in windows mobile.
you have to use something like realVGA language pack or flash a new rom.

[Unregistered]

WHY-O-WHY can't HTC figure out that we need these things to utilize the full power of the "newest and greatest"

1. Landscape mode for emails, Word, Excel, SMS, etc.
2. What were they thinking on not releasing it in the US? Are we not worthy? Are our $$$ not good enough?
3. What's with the HUGE clock anyway? Is the Touch-HD a clock or a Phone/PDA? Why not shrink the clock and allow for more real-estate?
4. And why were on it, why is it so hard to put the DAY next to the date? I mean come on?
5. So if I want to search what do I do? It's a shame that HTC is not allowing us to be able to add today plug-ins like Google Search, and other programs?

It just seems that sometimes these "inventors" are on a smoking binge and can't read what the "customer wants", what's wrong with adding these features that are "required" in order to use the devices for what they are intended for. Are the developers and phone companies too important to sell us products that we'll gladly purchase if they'll just take the time and read!

Thanks for the soap box. :)

[Unregistered]

I was wondering...will there be a comparsion between HTC Touch HD vs. Sony X1? Thanks. Sam

[Unregistered]

I would like to see a Touch HD vs Xperia X1 comparison as well.
From what I've seen, Xperia X1 wins easily

[Unregistered]

How is the movie recording quality?
Is it as bad as like Touch dual?

[Brandon Miniman]

I was wondering...will there be a comparsion between HTC Touch HD vs. Sony X1? Thanks. Sam

It's not likely. They're very different devices, for different types of users. I better comparison would be between the HD and the Diamond, or even the HD and the Omnia.

[anencephal]

I've read the review of the Touch HD, which is very thorough and informative. However, I've a question about a couple of the 'cons' at the end of the review. Firstly, isn't the lack of flash support in Opera mobile a fault of Opera, and not a fault of the HD specifically? Secondly, why do you say it is not practical for business users? What are the things it does / doesn't do that cause you to say that?

[Brandon Miniman]

I've read the review of the Touch HD, which is very thorough and informative. However, I've a question about a couple of the 'cons' at the end of the review. Firstly, isn't the lack of flash support in Opera mobile a fault of Opera, and not a fault of the HD specifically? Secondly, why do you say it is not practical for business users? What are the things it does / doesn't do that cause you to say that?

About Flash - you can install Flash Lite on the device and get some Flash content, but we try to review the device from the device "as is" - and out of the box, the Touch HD can't deliver Flash content.

It's not practical for business users because it has low one-handed usability and lacks programmable hardware buttons. Both of these features allow the mobile-professional to be as productive as possible. Also, the device seems more fragile than touch, say, a Touch Pro, and the business user wants something that can take some abuse.

[Jeff O]

I'm looking for a new phone, but right now I'm torn between the Sony Ericsson Xperia x1 and the HTC Touch HD. I have never had a windows mobile device before, I've always was interested in Nokia phones, but I want to explore my options.

First of all I have a couple of questions, and maybe even more questions in the future. It takes me a long time of thinking to make a decision on anything I buy that's electronic.

So here some of my questions:
1. How does the e-mail work in both phones? Like can you set up a yahoo email, or gmail, or does it have to be a specific one?
2. Do both phones work for T-mobile?
3. Can a program like TouchPal, or anything to get a keyboard on the screen, work in the Xperia?
4. Is the screen of the HTC Touch HD really that fragile? (ex. you drop it, it's gone)
5. How is the sensitivity of the keyboard of the Xperia? (On a 1 to 10 scale, 1 easy to press, 10 hard to press).

Like I said I might have more questions later on as I explore both phones. But I don't know which one would I choose of the two. Before I was also considering the Omnia but the resolution of the screen compared to these two phones doesn't compare. I'm very interested in technology and learning new things. I'm not really a business person but I like to make the most of my device. I'm just a regular person that takes notes on the run, would like an all-i- one phone (camera, phone, music player), talk on a headset white the device in charging, ect. I don't know which would suit me, HELP!

[Unregistered]

what version of coreplayer you used for htc touch hd?

CorePlayer Mobile For PocketPC / Windows Mobile ?
or
CorePlayer Mobile for SmartPhone ?

i am confused about this ...

[Brandon Miniman]

I'm looking for a new phone, but right now I'm torn between the Sony Ericsson Xperia x1 and the HTC Touch HD. I have never had a windows mobile device before, I've always was interested in Nokia phones, but I want to explore my options.

First of all I have a couple of questions, and maybe even more questions in the future. It takes me a long time of thinking to make a decision on anything I buy that's electronic.

So here some of my questions:
1. How does the e-mail work in both phones? Like can you set up a yahoo email, or gmail, or does it have to be a specific one?
2. Do both phones work for T-mobile?
3. Can a program like TouchPal, or anything to get a keyboard on the screen, work in the Xperia?
4. Is the screen of the HTC Touch HD really that fragile? (ex. you drop it, it's gone)
5. How is the sensitivity of the keyboard of the Xperia? (On a 1 to 10 scale, 1 easy to press, 10 hard to press).


1. As with any Windows Mobile phone, you can set up email for IMAP/POP3/Exchange service.
2. Yes.
3. Sure. Take a look at this post (http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=6241).
4. As long as you use the screen protector and don't drop it on a sharp object, you should be ok.
5. Probably a 6.

what version of coreplayer you used for htc touch hd?

CorePlayer Mobile For PocketPC / Windows Mobile ?
or
CorePlayer Mobile for SmartPhone ?

i am confused about this ...

For Pocket PC.

[mitchyul]

Hi Brandon,
First thanks for your devotion and great articles on the latest cell phones especially the smart phones; it’s a jungle out there.:eek:
I am in the market for a new phone: I have decided on a touch screen smart phone. Quad band and unlocked for travelling reasons...it’s cheaper! Home, office and most places from where I work I have WIFI access. This brings me to my two questions. The HTC HD HSDPA is not compatible with North America but do you think it’s that important? There is always EDGE and WIFI. Second Question: I am totally confused on what to buy: HTC Touch Diamond, Pro or HD. Xperia X1, Blackberry Storm, Samsung F700, LG KE850...Every time I decide on one a new one pops up! My use of the phone would be nostly for email, reading office documents, basic internet use and as my MP3 player 3.5mm headphone plug is a big plus.

[Brandon Miniman]

Hi Brandon,
First thanks for your devotion and great articles on the latest cell phones especially the smart phones; it’s a jungle out there.:eek:
I am in the market for a new phone: I have decided on a touch screen smart phone. Quad band and unlocked for travelling reasons...it’s cheaper! Home, office and most places from where I work I have WIFI access. This brings me to my two questions. The HTC HD HSDPA is not compatible with North America but do you think it’s that important? There is always EDGE and WIFI. Second Question: I am totally confused on what to buy: HTC Touch Diamond, Pro or HD. Xperia X1, Blackberry Storm, Samsung F700, LG KE850...Every time I decide on one a new one pops up! My use of the phone would be nostly for email, reading office documents, basic internet use and as my MP3 player 3.5mm headphone plug is a big plus.

Yes, EDGE and WiFi is good enough unless you do heavy web browsing and video streaming.

Based on your usage, you'd be happiest with a Touch Pro or XPERIA X1.

[Unregistered]

i would also like a comparison betwne the Touch HD and the XPERIA....as the ultimate winmo phone of 2008.......im sure alot of people struggle to chouse betwen these 2...there are a few comparison attemps but they remain just that...a nice profesional comparison would be nice

[Jeff O]

Sorry, I really hate to be a pain, but I have more questions.

1. In the review it said that some videos dont stretch to the full screen without the use of coreplayer, is that the same with the Xperia?
2. Is there a panorama shot available in the Xperia?
3. For the Xperia, does a picture show, if set-up, when a person calls? Because in the review for the Xperia it doesn't show a picture, or is that because there was no picture attached to that contact.

I really like the videos on youtube, pocketnow.com, and pocketnow on twitter. The reviews are great and very informative. You guys are just great. Thanks.

[Brandon Miniman]

Sorry, I really hate to be a pain, but I have more questions.

1. In the review it said that some videos dont stretch to the full screen without the use of coreplayer, is that the same with the Xperia?
2. Is there a panorama shot available in the Xperia?
3. For the Xperia, does a picture show, if set-up, when a person calls? Because in the review for the Xperia it doesn't show a picture, or is that because there was no picture attached to that contact.

I really like the videos on youtube, pocketnow.com, and pocketnow on twitter. The reviews are great and very informative. You guys are just great. Thanks.

1. Yes, same with XPERIA.
2. No panorama
3. Yes, you'll get a small picture if someone calls.

Thanks for the compliments.

[Ziggy]

Hey Brandon,

I'm new here. First of all, I want to complement you and thank you for your thorough reviews. They're awesome! Very well done.

I am thinking about getting the HTC Touch HD. In your videos and reviews you have mentioned that the landscape view can only be used with Opera, Videos, Pictures or YouTube. That is unfortunate, but I did want to make people here aware of the fact that you can install the freeware "GSen" from K-Tools and that will allow you to view any screen in landscape mode via the accelerometer. Here is a link to their page. http://s-k-tools.com/index.html?m_util.html#gsen

I just found out about this and thought I'd share it with everyone. It also works on other phones - like the Diamond etc... Let me know what you all think about it and if you would recommend that.

Oh, I do have one request. Could you show us how pdf files are viewed in the Touch HD? I heard that depending on if the pdf files are "tagged" ???, the text will reflow upon zooming so you don't have to slide the page back and forth. How does all that work? I have several medical ebooks as pdf files that I would want to use on the Touch HD as reference materials to quickly look things up on. They are a mixture of text and pictures and are each about 40 MB. Would it be possible for you to show us how a pdf like that would look on the Touch HD?

And one last question - if I get a Touch HD here in Germany, can I change the entire interface back and forth between German and English? If not, it's on big deal - but I thought I'd ask.

Thanks again for all your informative quality reviews.


EDIT: I also came across two third-party keyboards, that might interest people here. Some of you might find they have some advantages over the HTC keyboard in the Touch HD. I can't say, because I haven't tried them and I don't own a Touch HD - yet :). Anyway here are links.
Touch Pal Keyboard: They have a free standard version and a pro version currently on sale for 13 USD. http://www.cootek.com/intro.aspx
Spb Keyboard 4.0: costs 15 USD http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/keyboard/?en
The Spb keyboard has (among other things) a "full screen" option that seems to make typing with big fingers a lot easier. Of course you only see one line of whatever text you are typing. Anyway - just wanted to pass on the info to those who didn't know these third-party options.

[Brandon Miniman]

Hey Brandon,

I'm new here. First of all, I want to complement you and thank you for your thorough reviews. They're awesome! Very well done.

I am thinking about getting the HTC Touch HD. In your videos and reviews you have mentioned that the landscape view can only be used with Opera, Videos, Pictures or YouTube. That is unfortunate, but I did want to make people here aware of the fact that you can install the freeware "GSen" from K-Tools and that will allow you to view any screen in landscape mode via the accelerometer. Here is a link to their page. http://s-k-tools.com/index.html?m_util.html#gsen

I just found out about this and thought I'd share it with everyone. It also works on other phones - like the Diamond etc... Let me know what you all think about it and if you would recommend that.

Oh, I do have one request. Could you show us how pdf files are viewed in the Touch HD? I heard that depending on if the pdf files are "tagged" ???, the text will reflow upon zooming so you don't have to slide the page back and forth. How does all that work? I have several medical ebooks as pdf files that I would want to use on the Touch HD as reference materials to quickly look things up on. They are a mixture of text and pictures and are each about 40 MB. Would it be possible for you to show us how a pdf like that would look on the Touch HD?

And one last question - if I get a Touch HD here in Germany, can I change the entire interface back and forth between German and English? If not, it's on big deal - but I thought I'd ask.

Thanks again for all your informative quality reviews.

Ah, yes, there are many ways to get screen rotation - but we like to review hardware the way it comes from the factory. We talked about another one here:

http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=6068

Regarding PDFs, I've attached one zoomed all the way out, then zoomed in three times. It doesn't look like the PDF will reflow to get the text in one frame, though it could be a matter of changing a setting.

Regarding the language, you'll need to find a German ROM and load that on.

[Ziggy]

Hi Brandon,
Thanks for the attached pictures. It helps to see it. As far as text reflowing - my understanding is that when transferring the pdf onto the phone, you have to use ActiveSync, which will then "tag" the pdf in the process so text will reflow on the mobile device. I'm new to that, so I have no idea how well it works and how long it takes for a large pdf to be tagged. I'll have to look into it and play with it once I get my Touch HD. Thanks again for your input.

[T-rell]

Hi Brandon

I'm new here and I was looking for a new phone, coming across HTC Touch HD. I have been research some information on it and I have two questions.

If I buy Htc HD is the windows mobile 6.1 language in german or can Ichange it to english?

Can the internet browser work with the phone company the htc HD is compatible with or do I have to use wifi?

I currently have a htc 6800 and I like htc phones, I use the windows mobile, calendar, internet, and take pics, videos. Is the htc touch hd my upgrade phone?

[Brandon Miniman]

Hi Brandon

I'm new here and I was looking for a new phone, coming across HTC Touch HD. I have been research some information on it and I have two questions.

If I buy Htc HD is the windows mobile 6.1 language in german or can Ichange it to english?

Can the internet browser work with the phone company the htc HD is compatible with or do I have to use wifi?

I currently have a htc 6800 and I like htc phones, I use the windows mobile, calendar, internet, and take pics, videos. Is the htc touch hd my upgrade phone?

If you get find an English ROM, sure you could change the language.

If your GSM carrier has the same bands that the carrier supports, you can use cellular data.

[Jaime Rivera]

Hi Brandon

I'm new here and I was looking for a new phone, coming across HTC Touch HD. I have been research some information on it and I have two questions.

If I buy Htc HD is the windows mobile 6.1 language in german or can Ichange it to english?

Can the internet browser work with the phone company the htc HD is compatible with or do I have to use wifi?

I currently have a htc 6800 and I like htc phones, I use the windows mobile, calendar, internet, and take pics, videos. Is the htc touch hd my upgrade phone?

You can't but can change the language :). Just for the record, Windows Mobile Professional wasn't designed to enable you to change the language. An English ROM will only work if you know how to hack the upgrade, which can prove to be a bit complicated and will void your warranty. So just make sure you know what you're doing before you try it because you could end up with a brick for a Touch HD. ;).

After that, given the Touch HD is an unlocked phone, it should work in any network and browse internet without the need of Wi-Fi if you have a data plan.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for a great review. How is the picture quality on the HD compared to an iPhone in richness of colors? in low light? general clarity? focus?

[Brandon Miniman]

The clarity is great - it has autofocus and selective autofocus. Colors are a bit blah, and low light is tough because there is no flash. See the bottom of page 3 on the review for more on the camera:

http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=reviews&id=1111&p=3

[Ziggy]

I was wondering....
How can you lock the screen so that you don't accidentally do something by touching it - for example in your pocket? And how do you unlock it when you want to use the phone?

I know of a third party software that basically puts a slider to unlock the phone (like in the iphone). I like that, and I was wondering if the Touch HD maybe already has something like that.

[Brandon Miniman]

You can lock the screen by doing a long press of the Call End key. Then, to unlock, you do this (see attached).

[Ziggy]

You can lock the screen by doing a long press of the Call End key. Then, to unlock, you do this (see attached).

Thanks.
And can it automatically lock after a certain period of no use?

[Brandon Miniman]

Thanks.
And can it automatically lock after a certain period of no use?

Doesn't look that way.

[Unregistered]

i am thinking of buying touch Hd and am looking for a software to make the keyboard rotate (in landscape ) to send sms or stuff plz i want a trustworthy prog and an easy installaion tips so i don't screw up the system

[Unregistered]

Hi Brandon, thanks for the great review. I just got the Touch HD yesterday and I think it's great. I see you're on AT&T as well. What data plan do you have? I called them before getting the phone to get an unlimited data plan set up, but whenever I try to turn on the data connection in the Comm Manager, I get the following error:

Cannot Connect

dialed: wap.cingular [tried isp.cingular too; i understand there is a difference depending on plan]

Cannot connect for an unknown reason. To check your connection settings and change them if needed, tap Settings. If the problem continues, reset your mobile device according to your manufacturere's documentation and try again.

I know this is a technical question, but I'm hoping it's a quickfix answer. I'm currently working with AT&T CS to get the issue resolved.

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: Everything's working fine. I had to update my old ATT account to the new and get a new SIM, so it was service and not device related.

[Unregistered]

from everything I've read about this device, my feeling is people are gonna fall outta love with it pretty quick. Seems to have too many irritations for it to rely solely on that great screen. E.g. poor video recording at only QVGA, a poor camera (no hardware button, no flash, poor quality images), no Flash in the browser.

[Unregistered]

Hi Brandon
I have an SPV M500 (yes I know it’s old) but now want to move to the HTC Touch HD. My only real issue is that I currently use TomTom Navigator 6 with their external bluetooth GPS receiver; will the same software work on the HTC Touch HD using the integrated GPS?
Charles

[Dan]

# microSD slot and soft reset hole is under battery cover
Lol. This takes only some seconds. Do you open your battery cover once in the hour?

# Not practical for business users
Due to it's "Poor one-handed usability" ? What the.. Why would a business user prefer one hand more then a regular user?

Otherwise, good review!

[Unregistered]

Do you know if the Touch HD is going to be available for purchase in the U.S.? If not, is there a seller you could recommend?

Thanks,
MDJ

[Brandon Miniman]

Do you know if the Touch HD is going to be available for purchase in the U.S.? If not, is there a seller you could recommend?

Thanks,
MDJ

It's not likely to come to the US. To buy, hit up clove.co.uk.

[M.John]

Hi!

Does HTC touch HD have tv-out functionality? On some forums peope talk that it have, on some that it does't have. Some users say, that you can use cable from HTC touch PRO and worked.

On some internet specifications is tv-out specified on some not. What is the truth?

Thank you,

Robert

[Brandon Miniman]

Hi!

Does HTC touch HD have tv-out functionality? On some forums peope talk that it have, on some that it does't have. Some users say, that you can use cable from HTC touch PRO and worked.

On some internet specifications is tv-out specified on some not. What is the truth?

Thank you,

Robert

There is no Settings or it, which tells me that out of the box there is no TV-Out support. It's possible that there is a hack for it, though.

[azurepalm]

Hi there, does HTC Touch HD comes bundled with GPS navigation software?

[Brandon Miniman]

Hi there, does HTC Touch HD comes bundled with GPS navigation software?

Nope. You can always use Google Maps Mobile or Windows Live Search, but you'll have to go and buy a full-on GPS solution.

[azurepalm]

Hi Brandon,

Thanks for replying to our questions. I have some more if you don't mind.

1. I've read in XDA-Developers forum that some people are having build quality issue with the Touch HD in as little as a few days. The black paint around the screen chips (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=445278). Are you seeing any of that?

2. I'm not really familiar with HTC, but do they often offer free upgrade to next WinMo version for their product lineup? If not free, do they somehow offer support to upgrade to the next OS? From the rumors, it appears that WinMo 6.5 will be released in less than a year.

3. My last windows mobile handset was a Pocket PC 2002 (Compaq iPAQ). Back then, if the handset loses power (ie, forgot to charge it every night), all my contacts, programs, settings are gone because they're stored in Flash. So every time I forgot to keep it in charge, I would have to re-sync and re-install everything again which was pretty annoying. Is this still the case with the Touch HD (or WinMo in general)?

4. The phone feature is probably one of the important aspect in my decision to get this. I like having a large caller ID picture and from the screenshots you gave in the review, it looks like it's a decent size (though not full screen like the iPhone, but that's okay). How does the HTC's custom incoming/outgoing call screen get the caller ID picture, is it saved within the contact information somewhere? Maybe you could provide a screenshot on how one would go about doing this? (Pardon my unfamiliarity with WinMo).

Thanks again for your time, much appreciated.

[Brandon Miniman]

Hi Brandon,

Thanks for replying to our questions. I have some more if you don't mind.

1. I've read in XDA-Developers forum that some people are having build quality issue with the Touch HD in as little as a few days. The black paint around the screen chips (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=445278). Are you seeing any of that?

2. I'm not really familiar with HTC, but do they often offer free upgrade to next WinMo version for their product lineup? If not free, do they somehow offer support to upgrade to the next OS? From the rumors, it appears that WinMo 6.5 will be released in less than a year.

3. My last windows mobile handset was a Pocket PC 2002 (Compaq iPAQ). Back then, if the handset loses power (ie, forgot to charge it every night), all my contacts, programs, settings are gone because they're stored in Flash. So every time I forgot to keep it in charge, I would have to re-sync and re-install everything again which was pretty annoying. Is this still the case with the Touch HD (or WinMo in general)?

4. The phone feature is probably one of the important aspect in my decision to get this. I like having a large caller ID picture and from the screenshots you gave in the review, it looks like it's a decent size (though not full screen like the iPhone, but that's okay). How does the HTC's custom incoming/outgoing call screen get the caller ID picture, is it saved within the contact information somewhere? Maybe you could provide a screenshot on how one would go about doing this? (Pardon my unfamiliarity with WinMo).

Thanks again for your time, much appreciated.

1. No problems with build quality.

2. They are likely to at least do an update for 6.5. It's not likely for 7.

3. If you lose power, you don't lose data. They fixed that back in WinMo 5.0.

4. Yeah, picture caller ID is small, but there are some third party programs out there like photo contacts pro, though I'm unsure if it works with WVGA resolution:

http://software.pocketnow.com/product.asp?id=5607&n=Photo-Contacts-PRO-5-(Automatic-Profiles.-Call-Blocking.-Distinctive-Ringtones-%26amp%3B-SMS.-Today-Plugin)

The pictures are assigned to the contact card - so if you sync with Outlook on the desktop at add a picture, it'll go over to your phone. Basically, if you're familiar with Outlook on the desktop and vCards, WinMo does the same sort of thing.

[jargon]

There are stores in ebay that are supposedly selling these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-HTC-Touch-HD-T8282-QuadBand-3-8-LCD-GPS-5MP-Camera_W0QQitemZ230310863535QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCel l_Phones?hash=item230310863535&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 08

In regards to some previous comments made concerning the applicability of 3g networks in the US, is it true that if the phone is "unlocked" by the user/buyer, that the phone will work on any 3g network in the US?

Also, is the the responsibility of the user/buyer to unlock the phone?

[Brandon Miniman]

There are stores in ebay that are supposedly selling these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-HTC-Touch-HD-T8282-QuadBand-3-8-LCD-GPS-5MP-Camera_W0QQitemZ230310863535QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCel l_Phones?hash=item230310863535&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 08

In regards to some previous comments made concerning the applicability of 3g networks in the US, is it true that if the phone is "unlocked" by the user/buyer, that the phone will work on any 3g network in the US?

Also, is the the responsibility of the user/buyer to unlock the phone?

It has to be unlocked, yes, but also have the correct bands to do US 3G. The Touch HD doesn't have US 3G bands.

[funstuffalex]

Hi just got the touch hd and i have the unplesent surprise to se that the only keyboard i can use is ABC....all the others dont work also i dont have Google maps instaled(is there any way to download it manualy on pc and transfering it to phone)

my phone ROM version is 1.14.401.3(22273)wwe

could u pls telll me wat version the unit u reviewed is?

Thank you

[Brandon Miniman]

Hi just got the touch hd and i have the unplesent surprise to se that the only keyboard i can use is ABC....all the others dont work also i dont have Google maps instaled(is there any way to download it manualy on pc and transfering it to phone)

my phone ROM version is 1.14.401.3(22273)wwe

could u pls telll me wat version the unit u reviewed is?

Thank you

What do you mean they don't work? They don't show up, or you can't click on them..?

[Charlie0983]

My uncle has gotten the HTC Touch HD from HK w. the Chinese language installed. He has T-Mobile in USA. When he was using the HTC phone, he notices that almost 50% more of his phone calls he gets, he doesn't hear the other end of the party and vice versa. When he mailed it back to HK and had his brother tried it, he didn't notice the same problem. Does anyone know what this issue might be? I don't believes the calls are being disconnected, it's just silence on both ends. I read somewhere that it could be a SIM card issue (however, he had another T-Mobile person put in their SIM card) and it was the same issue (didn't think to try a different carrier SIM card). Somewhere else, I read that it would be a T-Mobile issue. Please help! Any idea on how to fix this issue? Thanks for all advices and Happy Holidays!

P.S. I had also post this into the FORUM section and didn't know which was more appropriate.

[Brandon Miniman]

Hum, that is strange. Has he tried doing a hard reset?

[Charlie0983]

Yes. A hard reset had been done. :D Still the same problems though.

[Brandon Miniman]

Yikes. The only other thing you could do is to get another ROM on there, or try to return it.