HTC Touch HD review | Digital Camera & GPS
HTC Touch HD with GPS antenna
Built-in GPS antenna
The built-in GPS antenna lets you determine your position with the HTC Touch HD. Google maps can be used to plan a route, and the application looks fine. Displaying the route is enabled with average cards or satellite pictures, and when using the latest version of Google Maps; even with Streetview. You then walk through a city, as it were. The GPS antenna works fine and fast, and unlike many other mobile phones, the HTC Touch HD is able to connect to a satellite very easily. To be able to fully navigate with this mobile phone, additional software should be installed. There are several navigation packages available for Windows Mobile, among which is TomTom. In combination with this additional software (optional) the HTC Touch HD is perfect to be used as a navigation system, also thanks to its large and clean touchscreen.
HTC Touch HD digital camera
HTC Touch HD camera-application
There are no other buttons found on the side of the HTC Touch HD except for the volume buttons. This means that the camera application always has to be activated through the menu. You have to go to 'start', 'programs' and next to 'camera'. If it is one of the most recently used applications, the shortcut will appear in the start menu, but this is not standard. You can, however, also apply it to the start menu, but only seven programs will fit here, so the choice is entirely up to you. Opening the camera application is a rather elaborate process, due the fact a record button is not available. When the camera application eventually starts, it takes approximately two seconds. This, combined with the difficult way of activating the application, means it takes quite a while before the camera is actually ready to take a picture.
HTC Touch HD camera settings
HTC Touch HD record button
Naturally, the absence of a record button also influences taking a picture; a pictogram on the screen takes over the record button. You can customize this icon so that you just have to touch the button or to keep touching it a bit longer. The record button on the screen makes shooting slightly more difficult while the risk of motion of the hand is so much bigger. Next to the record button, another icon is found, offering more options. When touching this button, more icons will appear, among which are the setting possibilities. The latter always require more than one action. If you want to add an effect to a picture, it requires going to 'options', then to 'settings' and finally, you have to find the third tab of the option 'advanced'. These actions are again required when turning the effect off. This is not very efficient, in fact it is rather time-consuming and it doesn't call for easy adjusting during shooting.
Autofocus on the digital camera
Photographing with the HTC Touch HD
Unfortunately, there is no flash on the HTC Touch HD, nor is it possible to adjust the record mode. The phone always focuses automatically. And focusing takes quite some time. Before you actually take a picture, three to four seconds will pass by. If a movement occurs right before capturing the picture, the picture will still fail. Even when the preview was already visible on the screen. If all went well, however, the picture is nice. The colors are fine and the autofocus works as it should. Despite the fact you cannot adjust focus, the autofocus works strikingly well when shooting up close as well as from a distance.
HTC Touch HD battery
Lithium Ion battery
HTC standard includes a 3.7V 1350mAh Lithium-Ion battery, which offers a very decent standby time. You'll be able to use the phone for three to four days, average use. According to the specifications, the battery should have a maximum standby time of 450 hours and a talk-time of 6 hours. These maximum values are a tad higher than usual, and that was also proven by the standby time during testing. This is extremely good for a mobile phone with energy-consuming functions.
HTC Touch HD memory
microSD memory card
The internal flash memory of the HTC Touch HD is 512MB. In addition, HTC delivers an 8GB microSDHC memory card as standard accessory with the phone, which gives you sufficient storage space. If you require even more memory, you can purchase one up to 32GB. The memory card is hidden behind the back cover, but not underneath the battery so you don't have to turn off the phone to remove or place a memory card. Transferring data from the internal to the external memory takes a lot of time.
HTC Touch HD data transfer
ActiveSync software
The moment the handset is connected to the data cable, a menu appears on the screen of the HTC Touch HD. You can opt to connect with ActiveSync, use it as a disk drive or as a modem. To quickly transfer data, the Diskdrive option is very handy; the phone actually works as a card reader and you gain direct access to the memory card via the computer. Data transfer is ever so easy then. Unfortunately, the software CD was missing from the HTC Touch HD that I tested, which made it impossible for me to test this further.
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