HTC Touch 3G and Touch Viva unveiled

By Nate Lanxon on 15 September 2008, 5:43pm

As if giving birth to the Touch HD wasn't an epic enough afternoon for the Taiwanese manufacturer, it has pelvic-thrusted another set of twins out into the open -- the HTC Touch 3G and Touch Viva handsets.

The quad-band Touch 3G is another touch-screen handset geared up more for Internet access than multimedia, with 7.2Mbps HSDPA data connectivity but a 71mm (2.8-inch), 320x240-pixel display, unlike its 3.8-inch, 480x800-pixel screen-loving older brother, the Touch HD.

It runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 with HTC's TouchFLO interface, has a 3.2-megapixel camera, 256MB of internal memory expandable with microSD, stereo Bluetooth and GPS navigation, though the spec sheet we have doesn't mention Wi-Fi. We're waiting on an HTC spokesperson's response on this, because it seems like a surprising omission.

Native support for Google Maps makes the offering more attractive still -- Google's mapping software, when combined with a decent GPS receiver, is a robust and extremely useful navigational tool. You'll never be lost on foot or in the car again.

On the entry-level podium is the HTC Touch Viva -- a more budget-oriented handset for those with less cash to throw at a mobile Internet device. It's got a 2-megapixel camera, a touch-sensitive 2.8-inch 320x240-pixel display, 256MB of internal memory expandable with microSD, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, GPS navigation and a sluggish 201MHz CPU (compare it to the Touch HD and Touch 3G's 528MHz chip).

Both handsets should be available in the UK from October on a range of networks. We'll add pics as soon as we receive them. -Nate Lanxon