Fondling the HTC Touch Dual

HTC announced its new Touch Dual slider phone today at CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas. It’s a lot like its older brother, the original Touch, in that it has the same TouchFLO user-interface technology that lets you navigate by swiping your finger across the display.

The unit also looks quite similar, albeit slightly thinner-faced than the Touch. We really love the addition of the new 20-key, slide-out number pad, and HTC has opted for Windows Mobile 6.1 as the underlying OS for the Touch Dual, an upgrade from Windows Mobile 6 in the Touch.

The device, which will be sold at Best Buy and on HTC’s Web site, supports quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 Mhz) and HSDPA (850/1900 Mhz) wireless connectivity.

It also has a 2-megapixel camera for shots on the go. Other improvements weren’t noticeable right off the bat, but it’s a great choice for those that liked the design of the HTC Touch but were longing to ditch the stylus for a real keyboard. HTC said review units would be available soon, so stay tuned for a more in-depth hands-on.

I apologize for the quality of my camera (subsequent images failed to upload to my computer), but here’s a blurry shot to give you an idea of the size of the unit.