The Taiwanese mobile phone manufacturer HTC has exploded onto the market over the last 12 months by producing high-end handsets to compete with the larger mobile phone manufacturers. Previous phones that have flown off the shelves include the Touch, Touch Diamond and more recently the T-Mobile G1. Now HTC have produced an absolute gem with the HTC Touch HD.

The Touch HD features a WVGA 480 x 800 screen which may not be real high definition resolution, but it’s a massive step forward for mobile phones. The 800 pixel is fantastic for viewing websites in landscape style. The screen on the HTC Touch HD towers above competitors, and that includes the iPhone, at a whopping 3.8 inches.

As soon as you pick the handset up you are presented with the TouchFLO 3D software. The TouchFLO system works by dragging a scroll bar with your finger to access all your important functions. Underneath the TouchFLO system is a powerful Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system and a bundled Opera Mini browser avoiding the need for Internet Explorer.

The Touch HD has all the major applications and features you would expect of a high-end smartphone. It comes with built-in GPS, Google Maps, 3G with HSDPA support and Wi-Fi connectivity, YouTube and video player, a 5MP camera, RDS radio and an MP3 player.

I don’t think HTC wih have it all their own way with the HTC Touch HD though as the market is starting to grow in terms of touch-screen smartphone’s. Competitors to the Touch HD are the iPhone 3G, Samsung Omnia, and the
LG Renoir. Nokia have yet to embrace the touch-screen smartphone market but it shouldn’t be long. However, in terms of a Nokia smartphone it would be well worth considering either the Nokia N85 or Nokia N96.