To say HTC's original '
Touch' was a smash hit would be understating
things greatly, so it makes perfect sense to see the smartphone maker
coming out with a second edition to tempt the masses. Slated to launch
on October 6th as one of the world's first "Windows phones," the Touch2
will be among only a handful of cellphones to be introduced on or
before early October with Windows Mobile 6.5 onboard.
The operating system is obviously the bragging point here, with
Microsoft hoping to save some face from the many issues that have
troubled users of WinMo 6.1. HTC isn't dishing out too many details on
the device just yet, but we do know that it will be a touchscreen-based
phone with "a familiar touch experience that millions of people have
come to expect and rely on from
HTC." As with its prior Windows Mobile
phones, the Touch2 will also see a healthy dose of HTC tweaks. For
starters, the TouchFLO interface will make navigation easier and will
likely make the homescreen look nothing like a typical Windows phone
homescreen. Moreover, users can expect built-in widgets and apps that
provide instant weather updates and quick access to a variety of your
favorite apps. On top of all that, the Touch2 will include Google Maps
for Mobile as well as a direct link to YouTube.

Naturally, the phone will fully support Microsoft Exchange, and it will
also ship with a re-tooled version of Internet Explorer Mobile. The HTC
Touch2 includes a zoom bar for reflowing text to an optimum size, and
given that IE Mobile supports Adobe Flash, you should theoretically be
able to view a whole host of websites that can't be seen on other
smartphones. Finally, the new My Phone feature enables you to
automatically back up and synch photos, music, contacts and text
messages for free from the Touch2 to the web.
HTC is making the Touch2 available in the US (or at least that's what
we're led to believe) on October 6th, with broad availability in a
variety of European and Asian markets in early Q4 2009.