Question on Handhelds:

Thanks for the amazing photos of the HTC Touch HD. As someone in the market for a new smart phone with a strong desire for the best portable internet experience, I'm anxiously awaiting the chance to get my hands on an HTC Touch HD in America. When do you think that chance will come for me? Will I need to purchase this phone unlocked online and bring it to a USA mobile company for service? Or will the phone be release in America in due time?

Submitted by Blair (US), via email

Answer:

Since you live there, I'm sure you know how the mobile phone market works in the US. Whether a device makes it to your shores depends greatly on the operators. Case in point, the HTC Touch Diamond has just become available with Sprint and that's a CDMA version that may not go down well with you if you are with a UMTS operator. I cannot tell if the Touch HD will be available with one of the operators so you'll just have to wait and see.

As for unlocked versions, that's simple. These devices are almost always sold unlocked in our part of the world so you only have to wait for the official release which is some time in November. There are various online stores which ship them from Europe and Asia, but you'll probably have to pay a little bit over the retail price for it.