HTC Touch2

By John Chan, CNET Asia
Oct 29, 2009

The HTC Touch2 was launched in conjunction with the release of Windows Mobile 6.5 (WM6.5). This makes it the first smartphone from the Taiwan company to sport the latest version of Microsoft's mobile operating system. Let's take a look at this entry-level device and see if it's worth the S$618 price tag.

Design

The Touch2 measures 104 x 55 x 12.9mm, making it quite compact, comparable with phones such as the original Touch and Touch 3G. Like those models, the plastic parts of the Touch2 have a soft-touch finish. This gives a high-quality feel to the device and makes it comfortable in the hands. Its sides have a chrome finish and metallic materials are used in the parts above and below the screen. Overall, we found the fit and finish more than acceptable for a smartphone positioned for the entry-level market.

Five buttons are located below the screen, fashioned out of what looks like a matte-brushed metal material. Aside from the requisite Call and Hang up keys, the other three are Home, Windows Start and Back buttons. Interestingly, this WM phone does not have a dedicated power button--the Hang up key plays that role now. So, if you are used to pressing the red button to get back to the Home screen, it's time to kick that habit as this will turn off the screen. It's a change from how things are normally done, and one that will impact long-time WM users the most. But once you get used to it, it's not something that really affects the usability of the Touch2.

Aside from those buttons, the sides are mostly clean except for volume controls on the left together with a microSD card slot. Strangely, the slot cover cannot be opened without first removing the back battery lid, which makes the visibility of its cover nothing more than a decorative feature, which can be a little confusing for first-time users.

The screen on the Touch2 is a 2.8-inch QVGA LCD--those who are used to VGA or higher resolutions may not be able to accept this. For the most part, it worked well in displaying items clearly. But in situations like text input, the onscreen soft keyboard takes up more than half the display, so you don't get to see what you are typing in its entirety. Furthermore, it means having to scroll quite a lot when viewing Web pages on the browser. Directly under the panel is a touch-sensitive zoom bar. This has been implemented in a few HTC devices and lets you increase or decrease text size in various screens.

Charging and syncing are done using a mini-USB port found on the base of the Touch2. For your audio needs though, there's a dedicated 3.5mm audio connector on the top. This is HTC making good on its commitment to putting this standard port on all its devices and letting users use their own headphones without having to buy an optional adapter. The back of the Touch2 is mostly bare aside from a camera.

Features

Connectivity features are pretty much complete on the Touch2. It comes with HSDPA for high-speed data access over the cellular network, Wi-Fi for use at hotspots and Bluetooth. One notable exclusion is HSUPA, so uplink speed maxes out at 384kbps (a regular 3G, not 3.5G speed). The lack of HSUPA may seem inconsequential, but most will feel its absence eventually when trying to send emails with large photo or document attachments.

As you would expect with an HTC model, customizations are plentiful with its TouchFlo software. With every new model, the company makes slight changes to the way it works, but the general idea is the same--to make operating the phone more intuitive. The Home screen shows a large digital clock by default, under which sits a dock that lets you scroll between various functions such as messages, music and weather.

Also included is a Map Search tab, which allows you to type in a location and launches the Google Maps application, bringing you straight to your search results. This isn't exactly new, but it wasn't included in some earlier HTC devices sold in Asia because of the company's licensing terms with Google here.

As mentioned earlier, the soft keyboard that appears for text entry takes up half the screen. This is inevitable because of the limited size and resolution of the LCD. This makes each key on the QWERTY layout very thin, which can be a chore for those with large fingers. Thankfully, the predictive text feature is quite effective, providing the correct word most times there's a mistype.

One thing that really annoyed us was when trying to move the cursor during text input. This is usually done by tapping precisely where you want the cursor to be using the stylus or moving it with a physical directional pad. But ideally, you don't want to pull out the stylus for such a tiny task and the Touch2 doesn't have a directional pad. So HTC has provided onscreen arrow buttons which can be called up from the text input box, which cover even more of the screen above the QWERTY keypad, making precise cursor movements a cumbersome and inconvenient affair.

Because the device comes with WM6.5, you get all the new features including the My Phone backup service and Marketplace for downloading and buying third-party applications. The lock screen is also easier to use and shows more information including your notifications like missed calls and messages. Adding to user convenience are preinstalled items like YouTube and Facebook apps, an RSS reader and a remote desktop program.

The 3.2-megapixel camera is a little short on features, given its lack of an LED flash and autofocus. Nonetheless, it was able to take decent shot and should suffice for Web-quality pictures. Also included in the Touch2 is a built-in FM tuner.

Performance

The 528MHz Qualcomm processor we are so used to seeing in smartphones is found in the Touch2. In our tests, the device felt very responsive and memory management was good because applications, by default, close completely when you press the X button on the top right corner.

Also commendable was the battery performance. On a single charge, we actually got about three days of use, including phone calls, messaging, surfing using HSDPA and a short GPS navigation session. This was rather impressive given that many smartphones require daily charging these days. We had no issues with call quality and didn't experience dropped calls during our test period.

Conclusion

While the Touch2 isn't expensive, for a little more, you can get the HTC Magic. If you push the budget a bit higher, even the Diamond2 is within grasp. While the Touch2's features don't pale in comparison with those two phones, for the most part, its lower-resolution QVGA screen is a downside, especially since the phone isn't significantly less expensive.

For its target market of first-time or budget-conscious smartphone users, the Touch2 fits the bill nicely. It has been available at retail shops and operators since mid-October, and is thus quite new. A sub-S$200 price point with a basic mobile contract would be the sweet spot for this smartphone. We recommend looking out for promotions from your operator if you are keen as the Touch2 currently goes for over S$200 after subsidies.

Tags: Smart Phone, Screen, Lock Screen, Features Connectivity Feature, Keyboard

User Discussion

 

• Most Popular

• Upcoming

What's Hot