HTC reveals the P3450 'Touch' - and it's coming to Orange and T-Mobile!

[Guest Ovie]

AGAIN! the lack of PhonePad "T9" predictive text input is the killer here. this looks like a really good device, perfect for almost anything but you NEED to get out the stylus to write a text message! HTC need to figure this out straight away. modern phones need to have text input and an onscreen keyboard just isn't practical, this is why WM devices with keyboards are so popular.

i bet any 7 year old kid can enter text on their normal keypad phone faster than anyone can with a stylus...

to summarise in a simple message to HTC: PHONEPAD IS ESSENTIAL*

* well actually it's not, what is essential though is that you can use the device with one hand.

Nah, I've actually become extremely skilled with the stylus and on screen keyboard, too much MSN :rolleyes: Only problem is it's so much slower than my old iPaq, also, stops the one-handed usage which is a big factor.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Random Touch trivia after spending some time today 'digging around'...

- The screen has it’s own new driver version (touch.dll). This means the TouchFLO interface won’t port to other devices. In fact, I tried it - just to be sure - by installing the driver on my Trinity, and the touchscreen stopped working :D

- The fancy today screen plugin is just that, and would be easy for HTC to drop onto any device.

- Out of the box I feel the sensitivity of the screen is a little lacking (it occasionally misses clicks or taps from my finger or stylus), however this seems to be configurable in the registry – watch this space

- The Touch has a new version of HTC’s ‘Task Manager’ (close button) application, a new Camera application, and a very nifty network wizard for setting up GPRS settings. These settings are held on the device in a passworded ZIP file!

- NO PHONE PAD T9 ON THE TOUCH! What the hell were they thinking? I had a good moan to our HTC about it, and demo’d what Phone Pad would be like on the Touch... :P

- When you boot the device, it does the email config (you know, the one that connects to the server to get settings?) and then the config of the data connection. Duh! Wrong order!

- All the IR drivers etc. are in ROM despite their being no IR port!

- The fancy UI takes up a lot of memory

- Audio Manager, Comm Manager and the Phone Dialler are all grey-skinned to match the homescreen UI. It looks real nice :D

:rolleyes:

P

[Guest mjt2810]

Cool, simfrree from expansys or with a contract?

(I really need to remove this temptation - I don't need a new phone ;p )

No. not from Expansys. They don't have them until the end of the month. I ordered mine, sim free, from powerupmobile.com. £324. And, just had an email to say it has been shipped.

M.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

The Elf / Touch dedicated area is now online at http://Touch.MoDaCo.com :rolleyes:

P

[Guest lrbh]

I've read somewhere else that you can use a 3rd party software to get a full screen keyboard.

THIS for example.

Could anyone try this and see if it works?

[Guest rope]

- The fancy UI takes up a lot of memory

How much RAM is free for programs and how much ROM-Flash is left for installing programs on the phone?

I think I'm near to get over to the PPCs now as they finally have reduced the size to regular mobile phone size

[Guest dog]

I have the Touch and am impressed by the size and the new interface. The processor is a tiny bit slow, but markedly better than on my StarTrek. Frankly it's not a huge upgrade from StarTrek, but is a much better looking device, with a larger screen, better camera and a much more friendly interface.......this will make a fantastic first smartphone for someone not so familiar with the OS.

The lack of 3G is obviously a pain, but there's WiFi and presumably a trade-off for smaller size and better battery life (so far so good), plus the Kaiser is in the pipeline!

A question: Does anyone know if there's an after-market PhonePad T9 available?

[Guest rope]

@dog, Paul or another happy guy who already has this awesome device in hands:

please can you make a screenshot directly from the homescreen and post it?

please do not compress with jpg but with lossless png format or as raw bmp

I just want to make a homescreen for smartphones with this LCD screen.

Thanx very much in advance

[Guest Dr Who]

A question: Does anyone know if there's an after-market PhonePad T9 available?

Tengo Thumb does a similar job.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

@dog, Paul or another happy guy who already has this awesome device in hands:

please can you make a screenshot directly from the homescreen and post it?

please do not compress with jpg but with lossless png format or as raw bmp

I just want to make a homescreen for smartphones with this LCD screen.

Thanx very much in advance

Didn't I already do that in the first post?

P

[Guest James]

This is the first time i have read up on the device and its looks fantastic!

the promo video on their website it very cheesy though! :rolleyes:

[Guest jim.mason]

Paul,

Just a quick question about the homescreen, under the various counters, there are 3 icons, home; weather but what is the last one (4 squares with 1 coloured in)

Thanks

Jim

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Customisable application launcher.

P

[Guest rope]

Didn't I already do that in the first post?

P

Oh - yes you're right, my fault - they are already in png - sorry....

[Guest Ingvarr]

I like very much how the touchscreen made in Touch.

Its some new material and it covers both the screen and part of the case. Therefore there is no raised border in which dust and dirt can usually go - you can just wipe it off your shirt :rolleyes: Its certainly a lot more suited for fingertips.

Hovewer, otherwise this device have very mediocre hardware. Slow CPU, no 3G, no GPS, battery is small, camera is soso, no wheel, the lack of headphone jack, etc.

I think I will be waiting for alike devices with more powerful insides :P

Edited June 7, 2007 by Ingvarr

[Guest funkychicken9000]

I like very much how the touchscreen made in Touch.

Its some new material and it covers both the screen and part of the case. Therefore there is no raised border in which dust and dirt can usually go - you can just wipe it off your shirt :P Its certainly a lot more suited for fingertips.

Hovewer, otherwise this device have very mediocre hardware. Slow CPU, no 3G, no GPS, battery is small, camera is soso, no wheel, the lack of headphone jack, etc.

I think I will be waiting for alike devices with more powerful insides :D

OTOH, put it face down and the screen probably gets scratched to f*** :rolleyes:

[Guest Ingvarr]

No unless you put it down & push it around on abrasive surface.

Why to put it lying face down anyway? :rolleyes:

[Guest dog]

Tengo Thumb does a similar job.

Many thanks Dr. Who! I'll give the demo a try.....not sure it supports 6.0 or whether that will be an issue

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Tengo = Free to Plus! users too :rolleyes:

P

[Guest Ovie]

Plus! looks like quite a good deal, I think I'll wait 'til I get paid next month!

[Guest mjt2810]

OK, so, I am having some problems with my new Touch. Have installed tonnes of apps and all work well, but now, I try and install Voice Command 1.6 (for PPC) and it comes up with an unrecoverable error. I have tried to restart, reload etc, never works. Any ideas anyone? Left the details on the Touch forum, but it looks like I'm the only user there so far .... no views!!!!

M.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

/me heads over to the Touch forum to continue discussion...

P

[Guest jim.mason]

I've just been into my local T Mobile shop and asked when the MDA TOuch is likely to emerge, they indicated that it would be around August time :rolleyes:

Also called into to Orange but it was busy and didn't have time to wait for someone to be free :P

Think I might get an unbranded one and take out a W&W tariff with T Mobile and flog the phone as I want one now :D

Edited June 11, 2007 by jim.mason

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Not a bad idea...

P

[Guest Ovie]

Does anyone know of a decent review for the Touch yet?