The standout of the Touch is the TouchFlo system and the Touch Cube. When coupled with the 5-way navigator and the HTC Today plug-in, they truly make the Touch a stylus-free device. The built-in ability to easily finger-navigate to any of your most-used applications and contacts make the Touch a revolution in the PDA/mobile phone market; and all before the iPhone.

If you've been hesitant to dive into the PDA market because you're not familiar with Windows Mobile, the Touch may be a good introduction for you. The Touch interface allows you to utilize all of the essential functions while learning Windows Mobile.

I've saved one of the best aspects of HTC's Touch for last; the microSD card. HTC has actually been kind enough to include a 1GB microSD card with the Touch. This was a first for me; I've never before encountered a manufacturer that included the expansion media with the device.

The benchmarks
In this section, I will detail the benchmark tests I performed on the Touch, as compared to similar devices currently on the market. All benchmark testing was done using Spb Benchmark.

In the battery test, the Touch ran at maximum backlight brightness and continuous normal usage for five hours and thirty-eight minutes; right in the timeframe projected by HTC.

My single biggest disappointment, well, my only disappointment really, was how slow it performed. It was like I was back using a Palm device again. You can see what I mean in Figure F, which details the overall benchmark speed, CPU speed, File system speed, and IE page-load speed.

FIGURE F

The Touch didn't perform well in these tests. Click picture for a larger image.

Figure G shows the Graphics and Storage Card benchmarks, the two tests the Touch performed well in.

FIGURE G

The Touch did well in these tests. Click picture for a larger image.

Although the Touch performed well in the graphics test, probably due to its strong focus on a graphical interface, I found the overall performance a bit slow for my tastes.

My initial thought on the Touch, and its Apple cousin the iPhone, was that it would appeal primarily to the techie set, and not the general public. Having actually used the Touch though, my feelings are now quite the opposite.

I don't think the techies would be happy with how slow it runs, but I do think it would be a good introduction for those looking to move up to a PDA phone/smartphone from their regular mobile phone. The Touch retails for $600.00 US, and can be purchased from Amazon.com, among other retailers. Check the HTC site for retailers in your particular country and location. Overall, I rate the HTC Touch at 3 out of 5.

OUR RATING: 3 of 5

For more than 20 years, David Gewirtz, the author of Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise, has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com.