Windows Mobile 6.5 may not be provoking all that much interest compared to rival platforms, but one device which is certainly perking up attention is the HTC Leo, aka the HTC HD2. Tipped to arrive in October, the 4.3-inch flagship smartphone’s prize is its 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor; now one beta tester has released some benchmarking for the handset, and it’s looking to be a real stormer. The HD2 ousted HTC’s Touch HD in 3D graphics performance by around 300-percent.
The Touch HD released last year, and while it held its own within its fifteen minutes of fame, like many other HTC/Windows Mobile devices out there, it quickly faded into the throes of the past. Well, it’s time for HTC to release a sequel, and yes, you can guess what it’s called: the Touch HD 2. But we’re not getting a simple rehash this time around, or even an upgraded Windows Mobile 6.5. No, we get to see more Android.
While it may be getting on for a year old now, we’ve still got a soft-spot for HTC’s Touch HD, so it’s nice to see the homebrew ROM community endevoring to bring the latest software to the smartphone. XDA Developers forum member Miri has put together a combination ROM of Windows Mobile 6.5 and the new TouchFLO 3D 2.6 build fresh from pre-production HTC Leo handsets, and you can see it demonstrated after the cut.
Video demo after the cut
A new render of what’s tipped to be the HTC Leo (aka the Firestone) has emerged, said to be the company’s Windows Mobile 6.5 successor to the HTC Touch HD. According to the unnamed source of the image, the smartphone will have an externally-accessible microSD card slot and large speakers on both the front and back for audio use.
It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time for the HTC Touch Pro2 to arrive, though really it was only announced back in February at Mobile World Congress. The flagship smartphone – which packs a 3.6-inch WVGA resistive touchscreen, 3G HSPA, WiFi b/g and a full QWERTY keyboard – is the second half of HTC’s two-part Touch refresh, along with the Diamond2, and you can see our video unboxing after the cut.
Video unboxing after the cut
Yesterday Toshiba took the wraps off their latest smartphone, the TG01, and with it catapulted themselves into the must-see category at Mobile World Congress next week. We’ve got details, photos and high-definition video of the TG01 if you need to get fully up to speed, but basically it’s a 9.9mm thick WM6.1 smartphone with a 4.1-inch touchscreen, all the usual 3G and GPS connections, and a custom GUI as is so common now among users of Microsoft’s mobile platform. There’s no denying it’s a slick, attractive handset – so how come I can’t get excited?
Images purported to be of HTC’s 2009 OEM range of smartphones have leaked. Twenty-five different devices are pictured, several of which are suggested as CDMA and GSM versions of the same handset, and the collection includes what looks to be a QWERTY-slider version of the HTC Touch HD, together with a new Android-based device codenamed the Hero.
Full gallery of leaked HTC 2009 devices after the cut
HTC have announced a partnership with Russian carrier Scartel to produce the world’s first integrated GSM/WiMAX handset, the HTC MAX 4G. Seemingly using much of the hardware of the HTC Touch HD, it will use Scartel’s Yota WiMAX network as well as offer access to any Russian GSM carrier courtesy of an unlocked SIM slot; however, calls between two Yota customers will automatically be routed as VoIP calls over the WiMAX network. Like the Touch HD, the MAX 4G has a 3.8-inch WVGA touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera and runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro with the TouchFLO 3D GUI.
More photos & launch video after the cut
It’s been all about the smartphones this week, with the long-awaited HTC Touch HD finally reaching our hands for one of the first full English-language reviews online. If our initial video demos last week whetted your appetite, head over to part one and part two of our full review to really gorge yourself. Meanwhile, to cheer up those in the US who are still smarting over HTC’s decision not to offer the Touch HD there, we reviewed AT&T’s newly released BlackBerry Bold.
In the first part of our HTC Touch HD review, we looked at the physical design, the display, the touchscreen, TouchFLO 3D, messaging and internet browsing. Now, in the second part of our exclusive SlashGear review, we’ll look at GPS and media performance, camera ability and battery life, together with how the Touch HD performs as a cellphone. We’ll also tackle the biggest question of them all: is the Touch HD an iPhone killer?
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