It's so much harder to poke fun when a clone manufacturer gets this close to the real thing. Santek's SSG730 runs Windows Mobile 5, bills itself as a "samrt phone" and of course has other minor hardware differences from the HTC Touch, but we've gotta respect Santek going the extra mile here with the inclusion of a fingerprint reader. There's also a surprising amount of hardware left intact, like GPS, Bluetooth, a WiFi option and a 2 megapixel camera. The split screen is kind of odd, and we're not even positive it's touchable, though we'd venture a guess that it is with this kind of commitment to fakery.

HTC just went live with their Touch Cruise. "Touch" as in that TouchFLO interface, "Cruise" as in GPS-enabled. The third addition to HTC's Touch lineup packs HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 3 megapixel camera, microSD expansion, and a 2.8-inch touch-screen lying on top of a Windows Mobile 6 foundation. Oh, and it's loaded with TomTom Navigator 6 software to make the most of that GPS receiver. Yup, everything mostly what we thought it would be. Available this month from European retailers or SIM-free direct from HTC.

Update: We're still digging but HTC was a bit unkind by not providing specific country launch information or supported radio bands. At the moment, this looks like Europe-only.

Update 2: Good news, specs are now posted and it's quad-band GSM like we originally heard with HSDPA/UMTS riding 2100MHz for Europe and 850/1900MHz for the ol' US. Hoozah!

[Via Pocket-lint]

Read -- Press Release [warning: PDF]

We've heard various whispers that Bell Canada is expected to release its own HTC Touch midway through the month of November to keep up with the Joneses, aka Rogers and Telus. We're fine with that and at a rumored $449 off contract, $399 one year, $299 two year, and $249 three year deals, Bell seems mostly inline with the other major's thinking. While we like the Touch, the more interesting rumor in this news lies in Bell's apparent decision to consider the Touch a normal cell phone -- and not a PDA -- thereby enabling it to use a $7 unlimited data plan. Of course, some traffic and usage exceptions will apparently apply, like no tethering, streaming, and the like, but seven bones for unlimited data! This is game changing in Canada's savagely priced data market and we're decidedly envious if this really comes to pass. Go Bell, go Canada!

[Thanks, RileyFreeman]

We've given you your chance to choose a champion amongst the iPhone, HTC Touch and LG Prada, and while the latter wasn't included at LG's request, the other two were recently pit against Nokia's N95 in a study of usability. The test was reportedly conducted by Perceptive Sciences, a Texas-based usability consulting firm, and relied on data from just ten individuals who had "never used any of the three devices." The group was asked to "perform a series of tasks on each handset with quantifiable results, such as the time needed to find and use the on / off switch," and when all was said and done, the iPhone managed to snag the gold. Of course, we wouldn't take these results to be the bonafide truth, but if you're interested in seeing what all the mobiles (and guinea pigs) went through before a winner was chosen, head on over to the read link.

[Via iLounge]

What started as a trickle of unofficially official shots from Sprint's Q4 pipeline has suddenly become a deluge. Check the LG Rumor, Touch (aka, Vogue), and Blackberry Pearl 8130 (above) all dressed up with Sprint logos and sales-goon positioning points for a Q4 launch. We already saw Palm's Centro, OQO Model 02, LG Rumor and Touch yucking it up in the wild this morning but this is the first time we've seen the 8130 in Sprint, not Verizon attire. The 8130 sports a GPS receiver but no WiFi like we saw in those RIM slides last month yet still packs all the rest of the EV-DO niceties you'd expect. The Touch is EV-DO revision A upgradeable like we heard while the LG Rumor does it's QWERTY thing for the non-Pro crowd. See for yourself in the gallery below.

[Thanks, Stephen]

HTC just made their "major" announcement. Are you ready for it... wait... it's the Elf now official with its "Touch" street name. Right, the Windows Mobile device we first saw six months ago and already formally announced by O2 Germany as the Xda nova. HTC's big surprise? Well, the Touch is the first device to feature TouchFLO touchscreen technology "developed by HTC" -- though we think Microsoft had a little something to do with it. It's not multi-touch like the iPhone, but it does offer a "new and unique" way to sweep a finger (or stylus) across the screen to control the 3D interface. To recap, the diminutive 99.9 x 58 x 13.9-mm Touch runs Windows Mobile 6 with TouchFLO UI on a 2.8-inch display and OMAP850 processor while packing tri-band 900/1800/1900 GSM with EDGE, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, 1GB microSD expansion included, and a 2 megapixel cam. Best of all, it's available now in the UK, later this month around Europe and Asia, and then North and Latin America in the 2nd half of the year.

Read -- press release
Read -- TouchFLO interactive