The Touch 2, as its name suggests, is the successor to the hugely popular Touch, and shares its beautifully-crafted ergonomics and form factor. The Touch 2 is also one of the first devices to feature the new Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, including such new features as the Windows Marketplace and Microsoft's MyPhone service. To quote the HTC web site:

"HTC Touch2 is ready to help you with all the things you want to do on your phone. Stay in touch with your friends, find out what they're up to on Facebook, check your mail, or browse the web. It's all at your fingertips in a compact phone that fits nicely in your hand. Ready to do even more with HTC Touch2? You can add games and applications from the Windows Marketplace to personalize your experience. And you can keep your stuff safe when you back up to Microsoft's My Phone servers without a PC."

Specifications

• Model - T3333
• Platform - Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
• Dimensions - 104 x 55 x 12.9 mm
• Weight - 110 grams
• Network
  • HSDPA / WCDMA (900/2100 MHz)
  • GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Display - 2.8-inch touch screen
• GPS - internal GPS antenna
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and A2DP
  • WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • HTC ExtUSB
• Camera - 3.2 megapixel camera
• Expansion Slot - microSD card

You can read full specifications on the HTC web site - http://www.htc.com/uk/product/touch2/specification.html

Getting Started

When powering on the device for the first time, or following a hard reset, the device will automatically configure itself with the correct connection settings for your network provider. Should the unit not be able to determine the specific network operator your SIM card was issued by, you will be prompted to select your provider from a list:

You will then be guided through how to use the on-screen keyboard and be prompted to configure WiFi access should any wireless networks be detected:

Next you will be asked whether or not you want to enable the Google Location service which will use the device's built-in GPS capability to display information on your location online, as well as configure an email account:

I will look at the email configuration process in more detail later.

Finally you will be prompted to visit the Windows Mobile web site to download a copy of either ActiveSync (for versions of Windows prior to Vista) or the Mobile Device Center software (for Vista onwards) as well as a 60-day free trial of Microsoft Outlook:

You're done. When tapping on the Finish button you will be taken to the default Home screen:

The HTC TouchFLO banner running across the bottom of the screen provides quick and easy access to common applications.

The Start Menu has changed in this version of Windows Mobile: rather than being displayed with a drop-down menu, the menu now occupies the whole screen and application icons are arranged in a grid:

Email

As you'd expect from a device running Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, the Touch 2 can synchronise email, contacts, calendar and task information with a Microsoft Exchange Server. HTC's own Mail Setup wizard also has the settings for common email service providers pre-configured, removing the need to enter complicated service settings: all you need is your email address and password:

When setting up a Microsoft Exchange account (or Outlook as it is perhaps confusingly referred to in this iteration of the operating system), you will be prompted to enter your full email address and password. The device will then attempt to determine the rest of the setting to use automatically based on the domain entered in the email address using Microsoft's AutoDiscover technology.

Should the unit now be able to determine the settings, you will be prompted to enter your Active Directory username, password and domain, as well as the address of the Exchange server:

You can then specify which mailbox folders you wish to synchronise:

As this unit is running Windows Mobile 6.5, when Exchange 2010 is released next year, you will then also have the ability to synchronise text message folders between your device, the Exchange server and Outlook on your desktop:

Also available in this version of Windows Mobile is the ability to display email messages in "Conversation View", grouping similar message threads together for ease of tracking:

Which email folders you synchronise can be selected, and you can set and edit your out of office status:

Microsoft MyPhone

The MyPhone service from Microsoft allows you to synchronise your personal data with the cloud, effectively enabling you to securely backup your data to your personal 200MB area of Microsoft's online storage. Data can be backed up automatically on a schedule, or manually as you prefer. Once backed up, your data can be restored to any device of your choosing or accessed directly online via your web browser. Data sources that can be backed up include:

• Contacts
• Calendar
• Tasks
• Text Messages
• Photos
• Videos
• Music
• Documents

The Photos, Videos, Music and Documents options can be applied both to the device's internal storage as well as any inserted memory card.

You will need a Windows Live / Hotmail account in order to use the service. Registration is free.

When running the application for the first time you will be prompted to accept the terms and conditions of the service:

And enter your Windows Live details and check for updates:

Then you can specify your synchronisation schedule preferences and specify which folders you want to sync. Should you already have an Exchange account configured, you will be warned that this information cannot be synced using the MyPhone service:

Once synced, you will be taken to the main screen, which is reminiscent of the ActiveSync application:

Once synced, your preferences can be adjusted at any time by selecting the Options menu:

Once backed up, your data is then also accessible online from any web browser:

Windows MarketPlace

This new feature from Microsoft emulates the other online application repositories deployed by Goole, Apple and RIM, and allows you to search for, browse, download and install additional applications, games and utilities for your device:

Web Browsing

The version of Inter et Explorer Mobile that ships with Windows Mobile 6.5 is based on version 6 of the desktop browser, meaning that you can view web pages 'as they were intended', with full-screen browsing, zoom and side-to-side scrolling. The desktop experience can be turned off if you prefer viewing the mobile version of web pages if they exist.

Opera Mobile is also included if you prefer.

Windows Live

The Windows Live setup wizard allows you to quickly and easily configure your Live/Hotmail email account and MSN Messenger settings:

Once configured, you will be able to access MSN Messenger and your Live email:

Miscellaneous

HTC have also included a new application: MSN Money, which can display real-time stock information:

The device can be used as a USB or Bluetooth modem with your laptop using the Internet Sharing feature:

The built-in FM Radio provides access to available stations, provided that you connect the supplied 3.5mm headphones to act as an aerial:

The Task Manager can be accessed directly from the Today Screen to quickly show a list of all running applications:

Remote Desktop Mobile allows you to connect to a suitable desktop PC running Windows XP or later or server running Server 2003 or later:

NOTE - in order to be able to remotely access hosts then you may first need to have established a VPN connection, but otherwise this feature is ideal for IT admin staff who need to be able to remotely control servers via WiFi while in the office.

A Facebook client is also included:

The RSS Hub provides access to news and entertainment feeds:

A 14-day trial version of ALK Co-Pilot 7 satellite navigation software is also included:

as is a local and online Search widget, Voice Recorder, YouTune client, Google Maps, Media Streaming application and graphic equalizer, not to mention the camera and camcorder features as well as Office Mobile and Adobe Reader applications!

The Touch 2 is available to order today, contact Brightpoint for more information on 0870 849 0225