HTC Raphael details emerge
Enamored with the HTC Touch Diamond but think that the lack of a physical keyboard is a deal-breaker? We might be one step closer to your perfect handset. Shots of the HTC Raphael were revealed to the world leading up to this month’s Touch Diamond press event, but when the 6th of May came and went without a QWERTY version of HTC’s next generation handset, many left a bit disappointed. Thankfully, help is on the way. The HTC Raphael will be branded in Europe as the T-Mobile MDA Vario IV, and should hit the ground running sometime during Q2 of this year. The handset will sport WiFi, Bluetooth, Tri-Band GSM with HSDPA, GPS, 460×640 screen, 3.2 MP camera, 528 mhz processor, and a slew of other features. No word on whether TouchFLO 3D will be integrated, but the impression we got from HTC in London was that their impressive new Touch interface would be offered on a variety of devices, and we see no reason why the Raphael shouldn’t be one of them. No word on pricing or specific drop date, but given the tri-band GSM status we’re not holding our breath for an imminent stateside release. Seriously though, when has HTC ever offered tri-band devices in recent years? What happened to all high-end devices having quad-band EDGE and tri-band UMTS?
[Via Engadget]
Tags: Bluetooth, GPS, HSDPA, HTC, HTC Raphael, T-Mobile, TouchFLO 3D, Vario, WiFi
Shadow 3? Hopefully!
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SMH
when will TMO USA get this? or ANY touch screen device for that matter.. damn they slackin here in the states..
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::drool:: This needs to be out soon on Tmo in the US. Tmo needs to give us more smart phones, like NOW!!!
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PLEASE come to T-Mobile US w/ 3G. PLEASE.
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The o2 Xda orbit2 (aka HTC Polaris) has Triband HSDPA and Quadband EDGE
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PLEASE T-MOBILE U.S.!!! HOOK US UP WITH GREAT 3G SMARTPHONES!!!!
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unfortunately tmobile in the nyc/nj area is horrible so it would suck for it to go to tmobile for me. any other carrier, i would definitely pick one up.
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uhhhh….where is the video review for the Nokia E71?
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So buying that when I hit Taipei for COMPUTEX
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we SOO need a cdma version for sprint….!
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According to the spec, it has 256MB RAM and 512 MB ROM and with the support for microSDHD, things are looking good.
Some previous report also listed TV-out ( or VGA output) as a feature. Hope this is still the case. I would love to use the device for broadroom presentation.
Now between Sony X1 and HTC Raephael, it is really hard to decide which one is the best smartphone of the year.
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slide the keyboard closed and it looks awefully like the rumored spy pic of the shadow 2 that was posted on here…… i bet this does come to tmobz stateside…..
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Yea, I like my Tilt better. X1 HERE I COME!!
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WHO cares if this thing comes to Tmo since it will only be EDGE. And WHY would HTC “dumb mobility” make this thing TRI band where it won’t even work for ATandT?????? Any serious GSM smartphone user who needs a fast data network in the US is on AtandT so why would you cut 45 million potential customers off by not having quad band GSM and tri-band HSDPA????? I just don’t get it. It’s like every phone they make is missing one or two things. ALL they had to do was make this like they’ve been making EVERY other phone the last 3 years and it would be an iphone killer (not the only one). But instead they cut off the serious smartphone buyers in the US, and with their last fiasco of the video drivers, you’d think they’d be trying to make up some ground….They just made my decision for me: Xperia X1 over you HTC, and even if you made the hardware for the X1 you sure as heck aint getting the money you wish you were from me…
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Dayne, it doesn’t have to be EDGE on T-Mobile. It just has to support 1700MHz spectrum UMTS to work on T-Mobiles (obviously limited at this point) 3G network.
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I wish t-mobile in the us will have a touch phone is the US besides this Wing. I hate having this Wing.
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The original report said the Diamond and Raphael were CDMA and destined for Sprint. I know CDMA gets everything after GMS but the hope that I might have a Raphael alternative to the iPhone was my last link to Sprint. I’m just not feeling the love!
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HTC released the Touch Dual as tri-band and followed with a quad-band. It’s all about carrier interest in the U.S. I’m sure we’ll see a U.S. cariant with quad-band GSM.
Also, 460×640 isn’t a resolution supported by WM. I think you mean VGA resolution, 480×640.
Dayne… calm down.
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This is going to be an AWESOME phone.
http://www.HTCRaphael.net
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the american dollars so weak, i wouldnt be surprised if we started seeing less and less and less cool stuff released in the colonies.
why would i want make believe us money, when i can have euros.
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@ hydro
Lacking in the states…..
Shit check out our phones in canada….they suck!
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Whoever thinks this is going to be out for tmobile AND have 1700mHz band is dreaming. The Xperia was announced in Feb stating it would have a Tmo 3g band and they have completely cancelled that version of the Xperia, so the HTC Raphael is probably going to follow suit. Manufacturers aren’t going to go out of their way to make a phone that they probably won’t get to sell (tmobile’s 3g rollout is still PAINFULLY slow)
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all that wasted screen potential…
It has a frigggin keyboard why cut 30% of the screen off?
I’ll wait for something better designed
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@Louis that was funny
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I’m not digging the keyboard. It looks similar to the one on my Mogul with the keys virtually flush with the slideout panel. very hard to guage where one’s fingers are, as opposed to, for example, the Tilt’s keyboard keys which are more differentiated.
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