My new favorite Cell Phone: Touch HTC. Read my review and why I think it's currently one of the best around for the money!


Awhile back I got asked what my favorite cell phone on the market today was. I got to thinking about it because mine was a little outdated and I knew that there were more features now available in a modern cell phone. Newer digital technology has led to the convergence of devices into one handheld gadget that can be your Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), your digital portable music or MP3 player, your cell phone, and even your personal video player. I went back and thought about my original criteria for buying a cell phone a few years back, which has been of course updated over time now that new technology is available today:

New Technology Cell Phone Check List


  • Never Overpay (buy bleeding edge or brand new). This usually means sticking to $250 or less.
  • Never Underpay (buy free or sub $100 phones). IMHO - quality is much cheaper.
  • Make sure it has the features you want for the next 2 years. This would usually include:
    1. Quality Camera
    2. Bluetooth (stereo if using as mp3 player)
    3. Removable microSD card slot
    4. Web and Wifi Access
    5. Phone as Modem
    6. Adequately sized screen for your type of usage
  • Look for positive reviews across multiple sites
So - it was off to do some research. I looked for many hours at PDA's, flip phones, walkie-talkie phones, sliders, and more...and the "Touch" cell phone by "HTC" was the one that caught my eye. Here are the finer points of this phone:

TouchFLO technology: In layman's terms "it works like an iPhone" (at half the price). You can use a stylus, but your fingers are just as good.

Windows Mobile 6: You can sync your Outlook, calendar, and contacts with your PC using "ActiveSync" software.

2 Megapixel Camera: Take better quality pictures up to 1200x800 pixels in size - good enough to print or use for desktop backgrounds.

MicroSD memory card slot: will take up to 4GB microSD cards meaning you can store up to 450+ songs in your cell phone.

Stereo Bluetooth: Use your phone as a high quality mp3 player with stereo bluetooth built-in.

Phone as Modem: Browse the web on your laptop through the phone.

4 hours talk time: Pretty darn good for a touch phone.

Rubberized case: Easy to palm and hold, comfortable for long periods of time.

This phone is a definite step up in technology at an affordable price. You can buy one with a contract under $250, and the phone is called the "touch" because of it's touch screen (much like the iPhone and iTouch). With Windows Mobile 6 this phone easily syncs with your Windows based Outlook email and contacts. The stereo bluetooth capabilities give you not only the ability to use this phone as a quality mp3 player, but it also has the abiltiy to "stream" music from the phone and Internet radio stations to your stereo headset. The screen is comparable to a video iPod, coupled withe the SD memory card slot and ability to use removable media up to 4GB - you can easily watch portable videos on the go without the need for an additional device. Check your email on the go, use the web while away, this devide even has the ability to connect via wifi hot-spots!

Here's a video demo of how the "TouchFlo" technology works with your fingers:



Here's a video review if the HTC Touch that tries to answer the question "Is this an iPhone Rival?"



You can use this phone on Sprint, Alltel, Verizon, AT&T (Cingular) - so nearly all the major carriers have it now. You can even find it on eBay - you might even get a deal. The advantage of buying on eBay is if you pay the price there you won't have to buy into a contract. But if you get it from one of the carriers (Sprint, etc.) you'll get it cheaper (usually) - but have to sign up for probably a 2 year contract. You might get lucky and get some kind of mail-in rebate as well. Sometimes Amazon has some great deals on phones, so I'll give you some links below for good deals on the HTC Touch.


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