HTC Expands Its 'Touch' Smartphone LineupHTC Expands Its 'Touch' Smartphone Lineup

HTC expanded its popular Touch series of smartphones by introducing three handsets Monday.

The Touch HD's screen makes it stand out from the crowd. At 3.8 inches, it's larger than the iPhone's display, and it has a wide-screen VGA display with a 480-by-800 resolution.

This large screen has an accelerometer and can be used to watch videos with the multimedia player, as well as browse the Internet with the full HTML browser. There's also a standard headphone jack and stereo Bluetooth capabilities.

While the Touch HD has robust multimedia features, it also has many features for the mobile professional.

The Touch HD is powered by Windows Mobile 6.1, and it has HTC's TouchFLO user interface to make navigation easier. There's also integrated Wi-Fi, assisted GPS, EDGE, and 3G connectivity capable of 7.2 Mbps.

The handset can receive e-mail and use instant messaging, and the Pocket Office enables users to view and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. A 5-megapixel camera with autofocus is also on board.

The Touch HD measures 4.5 by 2.4 by 0.4 inches and weighs about 5.1 ounces. It's expected to be released across major European carriers in the fourth quarter and will be introduced to other markets shortly after. HTC did not mention a price.

The Touch 3G is a bit of a step down, but it still packs plenty of features. The handset also is powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 and has a 2.8-inch screen with the TouchFLO interface.

As for connectivity, the Touch 3G has Wi-Fi, EDGE and 3G capabilities. A built-in GPS receiver is capable of assisted GPS for location-based services. The handset also has a multimedia player, Bluetooth version 2.0, built-in hands-free capability, and a microSD slot for expandable memory.

The Touch 3G has a 3.2-megapixel camera, measures 4 by 2.1 by 0.5 inches, and weighs about 3.3 ounces. The company expects the handset to be available in multiple markets in early October.

The Touch Viva is more of an entry-level smartphone as it lacks 3G connection and GPS. It does have integrated Wi-Fi and EDGE connections, and it can view and edit some Office files.

The smartphone has a full HTML browser, Bluetooth version 2.0, expandable memory via a microSD slot, a 2-megapixel camera, and a multimedia player. The Viva measures 3.9 by 2.2 by 0.5 inches and weighs about 3.9 ounces. The company said it should be available in the same timeframe as the other two handsets.