Conclusions

Not to be mistaken as a Smartphone, the HTC Touch is a full-blown Pocket PC phone that is so small, it fits in the palm of your hand.  Although this review is rather late based on its official introduction, it is one unlike all you'll find online only to emphasize once again on just how powerful these phones really are and also to strongly challenge a number of highly inaccurate and uninformative reviews that will simply deter most from purchasing this otherwise excellent and highly unique new WM6 phone from HTC.  Although its hardware specs may not be "cutting edge", it's the design and features that truly do change the way we look at use a Windows powered phone. 

TouchFLO Rocks...sort of

Despite the negative comments found on this new feature, a high level of respect should be given to HTC for this unique and highly impressive feature that was designed to simply make use of a Windows Mobile phone much more convenient and enjoyable.  Sure, there are limitations, but what many fail to realize is that working around the OS itself is a challenge and therefore, providing this kind of touch-driven functionality by "masking" the OS itself is quite impressive.  In fact, this is what has made this particular phone one of the highest selling models from HTC to date.  Only when you have properly calibrated the screen and spend a few minutes with it, you'll appreciate this kind of functionality, one that happens to work extremely well.  However, despite how I feel about their efforts, that does not mean I don't have something negative to say.  I think it is very fair to say that HTC should have seriously taken the initiative to provide at least some acceptable means of text input out of the box.  The fact that they completely overlooked this is honestly too hard to believe.  It is very obvious that the release of a device that relies solely on its touchscreen should feature some sort of decent option for the lack of not only a keyboard, but a simple hardware keypad. 

Too irresistible not to "Touch"

Forget every pic you'll find on this phone.  While I have done my best to demonstrate just how small this phone really is, it is not until you hold one in your hands that you'll quickly fall in love with its design.  It is the smallest Pocket PC phone on the market and its size is just about perfect.  Its rubberized outer shell feels great in your hands and its two-tone black/silver finish gives it that modern look that matches the new software interface HTC has introduced with this particular phone.  The status LED's are cleverly located within the front earpiece grill and are not excessively bright where they can bother most, especially when you have the phone near you while you are sleeping.

However, like all products, its design is not perfect.  Its SIM and MicroSD card slots are not easy to get to and you'll have an incredibly hard time getting both cards in the first time.  Also, there is only one external app button and I strongly feel there should have been at least one additional button on the left side of the phone.  I'm still puzzled as to why they failed to feature one.  Also, the d-pad looks great but I did not feel the same about its responsiveness.  In fact, other than a very select few tasks, I relied completely on the touch screen for navigation and didn't even bother with the directional pad at all.  On a final note, the volume switch is very poorly designed.  Don't know what they were thinking here.  It not only feels cheap, but is very unreliable and I would have preferred a two-button style design.  

No keyboard?  No problem!

While it is very obvious that the lack of decent text entry on the Touch is a major flaw in design, that does not mean it is not a suitable device for text messaging.  Yes, it is disappointing that HTC failed to even provide a decent option out of the box.  However, as covered extensively in this article, there are many excellent alternatives that work extremely well.  In fact, with practice using a select few I featured here, text entry can actually be just as fast as using a hardware-based keyboard.  This also happens to be the main area that has resulted in a number of negative reviews of the product and is the primary reason I spent this much time to provide you all with this review in the first place.  It was written not only to challenge a number of highly disappointing articles that clearly demonstrate the lack of knowledge or effort, but also to keep a majority of potential buyers from being discouraged by most of what they read on this otherwise impressive phone.

Impressive Performance

Despite what many have stated, I personally found its overall performance more than acceptable in many areas of testing.  Without a doubt, its reception and call quality was among the best I have experienced with any Windows Mobile phone I have owned.  Plan on using it on a AT&T network?  No problem!  In fact, all tests were done on this network and disregard anything you find online stating that this is not a Quad Band phone.  It was very obvious that the 850 band was there. 

Overclock the Touch, and you'll have absolutely no reason to complain and all applications, including a select few resource intensive applications did run very well.  Other than a select few menus that have always hesitated to load on just about every WM device I have owned, its overall performance was impressive.  If you still disagree, then it is a user issue and not a hardware issue.  The only major issue is that measly 32MB of built-in storage.  I was actually appalled by this and still have a hard time understanding why.  However, if you manage and maintain the device properly, you will never encounter the low memory errors many face when multitasking, internet browsing or attempting to install a high number of third-party apps.  That's why they include a MicroSD card with the product to begin with.  Also, despite its incredibly small size, its battery life was impressive and much better than even some of their own Smartphones that have a significantly smaller screen.  Considering its large 2.8" screen, I have absolutely no complaints here and neither should any who own this phone.

Customization Galore!

This is one of the major advantages of owning a Windows Mobile phone.  What I quickly discovered with the HTC Touch though, is that no matter what customization or tweaks you attempted, they were all possible.  Yes, this even includes the impressive new TouchFLO interface from HTC.  My own custom screenshot above is just one of the many examples.  It is astonishing as to just how quickly some are able to familiarize with something so new and able to work around it in order to expand its functionality to meet the specific needs of most users.  Yes, it is obvious that the phone is not perfect.  However, my point here is that YOU can make it perfect.  As long as your daring or one that simply likes to tinker with gadgets extensively, the options are practically limitless.  From full control of all TouchFLO menus, to even custom ROMs that are designed to enhance its overall performance, most of the major features this phone fails to offer can be remedied with some image editing knowledge, some research and some background on Window Mobile itself. 

Final Thoughts

After over 140 screenshots and just as many full hours testing this phone, this comprehensive review of the HTC Touch was written to emphasize that this phone, despite its lack of next-gen hardware features, is still a highly innovative product that brings a number of improvements to Window Mobile OS.  It was also written to prove that text entry on this phone can indeed be quite pleasant when you take the time to research and find some of the excellent alternatives out there. That's the beauty of owning a Windows powered phone. The possibilities are practically endless and whatever functionality you are after, chances are it is available.  The extremely high support from third-party companies and/or developers is unmatched and the main reason to even consider the purchase of such a product to begin with.  The bottom line here is that the introduction of the HTC Touch is major step in the right direction in order to offer features that most users crave, while still providing the high functionality a Windows Mobile phone has to offer. 

Is it perfect?  No, of course it isn't.  No product is actually.  However, what many apparently fail to realize is that the HTC Touch sports a number of innovative features that simply change the way we look at such a product.  However, I can't help but be extremely frustrated by the lack of hardware features.  Come on, this phone had the potential of being one of, if not, the best WM phone on the market.  The lack of 3G and built-in GPS really impacted its overall interest and despite it is still one of the highest selling Windows Mobile phones on the market, its overall sales could have been much higher if they would have at least included US 3G support.  In the end, it is all about money and if you want 3G, you have to resort to the "Touch II" (Dual) that was just officially introduced.  However, you'll have to make some compromises and have to be willing to accept its slightly smaller screen, larger footprint, lack of Wi-Fi (depending on model), and less appealing design.  Heck, the Touch Dual was introduced just four months after the Touch was introduced.  Yes, more reason to get frustrated but that's the way they eventually take hold of your hard-earned money!  Give me a phone of the same dimensions but with 3G and built-in GPS and then I'll finally be satisfied.

After spending this much time with this phone, I do recommend it and think many will be extremely satisfied, as long as they are willing to put enough time into it and have enough knowledge to make it even better.  The only reason it fails to earn our very highest recommendation was due to the lack of 3G.  However, it is the unique features it offers that make it an excellent product for both novice and advanced users.  EMHz Recommended.

More information on the HTC Touch or the new HTC Touch Dual can be found on the official HTC Website.

Remember to visit the review thread for one other keyboard alternative as well as an additional video demo featuring one of many TouchFLO "hacks" you can load on this phone.  Also, feel free to comment or ask questions regarding the review, the device or any software and/or mods featured here.