Windows Phone Thoughts: HTC Touch 3G and HTC Touch Viva Made Official

Today is a big day for HTC: they've officially announced three new products. These two don't quite measure up to the raw coolness of the HTC Touch HD, but it's great to see HTC continuing to broaden their product line and drive for new price points in the market. According to HTC, both of these devices will be available in early October.

Above we have the HTC Touch 3G. Dimension-wise, it's 102 x 53.6 x 14.5 mm and weighs in at 96 grams. Quad-band GSM/EDGE, and Euro/Asia 3G frequencies with full HSDPA 7.2 Mbps. It's got a 2.8 inch QVGA screen, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 256 MB ROM and 192 MB RAM. A microSD card provides expansion, and the package is rounded out with 802.11 b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, a Qualcomm CPU at 528 Mhz, GPS/AGPS, and an 1100 mAh battery. Nothing terribly exciting there, but I expect this to be offered for quite a bit less than the HTC Touch Diamond, so it will get broader market penetration. Oh, and it will come in four colours, as described by HTC: sophisticated black, noble gold, sparkle blue and modern brown.

Pictured above is the HTC Touch Viva. It looks a lot like the original HTC Touch, doesn't it? Size-wise, it's going to be 104.5 x 59 x 15.75 mm and weigh in at 96 grams. Unlike the HTC Touch 3G above, this is a quad-band GSM/EDGE phone only, there's no 3G. It has a 2.8 inch QVGA screen, a 2 megapixel camera, 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM, a microSD card slot for memory expansion, 802.11 b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, GPS/AGPS, a 201 mhz TI OMAP processor, and an 1100 mAh battery. The HTC Touch Viva will come in one colour: "storm grey". Is the Viva under-powered? Pretty much - but I'd also expect it to sell unlocked for $299 USD or less, and with carrier rebate this might end up free. This is HTC's "value play" in the touch-phone market, and while most people here might not be interested in it, getting the price point down is an important part of breaking into new markets.

The full press release for both new products is after the break.

NEW HTC TOUCH 3G AND TOUCH VIVA GIVE GREATER VARIETY AND CHOICE

Taoyuan, Taiwan - September 16th, 2008 - HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today introduced the HTC Touch 3G and HTC Touch Viva.
Continuing HTC's touch-phone tradition, the Touch 3G and Touch Viva utilize TouchFLO, HTC's finger-touch optimized navigation experience enabling quick, one-touch access to the people, messages and information people want.

"The HTC Touch 3G and Touch Viva embody our commitment to build a family of touch phones that are powerful and stylish but also offer something to everyone," said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corporation. "Whether you're a professional or a student you can now get an HTC touch phone with a beautiful touch user experience."

HTC Touch 3G
The Touch 3G offers an uncompromising touch phone experience with powerful Internet capabilities including wireless download speeds up to 18 times faster than standard 3G. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand. This true mobile broadband experience allows users to navigate more easily, leveraging the mobile Internet in a variety of ways. With the Touch 3G, customers can search for and watch streaming video from YouTube, get directions and mapping using Google Maps for mobile and stay updated on the latest news with the integrated RSS reader.

HTC Touch Viva
The Touch Viva blends an affordable touch phone with the benefits of HTC's TouchFLO, an easy to use phone and an optimized mobile Internet experience. In addition, with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, users can easily synchronize their calendar, contacts, emails and more with their personal computer.

Availability
Both devices will be available in early October 2008 in a variety of markets. The Touch 3G will be available in four colors: sophisticated black, noble gold, sparkle blue and modern brown while the HTC Touch Viva will be available in Storm Gray.

Product Specifications

HTC Touch 3G
• Size: 102 x 53.6 x 14.5 mm
• Weight: 96g
• Connectivity: GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz & WCDMA / HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• Software/Operating system: HTC TouchFLO with Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Display: 2.8 inch QVGA screen
• Camera: 3.2 megapixel
• Internal memory: 256 MB flash; 192 MB RAM
• Memory card: microSD^TM
• Bluetooth®: 2.0 with EDR
• GPS: GPS/AGPS
• Interface: HTC ExtUSB^TM (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
• Battery: 1100 mAh
• Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 360 minutes*** / GSM: Up to 400 minutes***
• Standby time: WCDMA: Up to 450 hours*** / GSM: Up to 365 hours***
• Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM7225^TM 528 MHz

HTC Touch Viva
• Size: 104.5 x 59 x 15.75 mm
• Weight: 110g
• Connectivity: GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Software/Operating system: HTC TouchFLO with Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Display: 2.8 inch QVGA screen
• Camera: 2 megapixel
• Internal memory: 256 MB flash; 128 MB RAM
• Memory card: microSD^TM
• WLAN: 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth®: 2.0 with EDR
• GPS: GPS/AGPS
• Interface: HTC ExtUSB^TM (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
• Battery: 1100 mAh
• Talk time: GSM: Up to 480 minutes***
• Standby time: GSM: Up to 270 hours***
• Chipset: TI OMAP 850, 201 MHz

About HTC Corporation
Founded in 1997, HTC Corporporation (HTC) designs, manufactures and markets innovative, feature rich smartphone and PDA Phone devices.

Since its establishment, HTC has developed strong R&D capabilities, pioneered many new designs and product innovations and launched state-of-the-art PDA Phones and smartphones for mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the US, and Asia. These machines are available as HTC devices and as products individually customized for operator and device partners.

HTC is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile device market. The company is listed on the TaiwanStock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

# # #

The names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.