Sprint Gets in Touch

Written by
October 17 2007 @ 13:02

Sprint Nextel is hopping on the touchscreen bandwagon. It announced Wednesday it is releasing the Touch handset, an HTC smartphone that will go on sale Nov. 4 for $250.

The Windows Mobile device has no keyboard and is meant to be manipulated via a touch screen.

In the wake of the Apple iPhone, a flurry of activity has yielded a range of touchscreen devices scheduled to hit the market in time for the holiday season. Verizon Wireless announced the Voyager by LG earlier this month, expected before Thanksgiving; it features a large touch screen but also opens to reveal a full QWERTY keypad.

Handset manufacturers are interested, too. On Tuesday, Motorola Inc. and Nokia Corp. announced moves to get touchy. The former has purchased 50 percent of Sony Ericssons stake in UIQ Technology, a mobile software developer that provides a platform for touch screen smartphones. And Nokia said it will upgrade the Series 60 user interface for smartphones with touchscreen capability, and license it to its competitors.