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Older Revision of HTC Touch Verizon XV6900 PDA Camera Phone

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HTC Touch (Verizon XV6900) PDA Camera Phone

This is the Camera Hacker web site. So rather than reviewing the PDA/phone functionalities, I am going to review the digital camera portion of this PDA camera phone and anything else that supports the digital camera function. The review will follow the same gripe and rave format that you will find on the rest of this site. And no doubt, there will be comparisons to other camera gadgets that I've used in the past.

Unlike its predecessor, the HTC XV6700, the HTC Touch Camera Phone has a well rounded style. It's is also far thinner, about half-an-inch thick compared to the almost one-inch thick HTC XV6700. It's now possible to carry the new HTC Touch in your pocket without actually feeling that it's there. Gone also is the antenna that pokes out of the HTC XV6700. The HTC Touch is sleek with no awkward protrusions. Its physical shape is far smaller and sleeker than digital cameras on the market. It's PDA screen serves as the electronic viewfinder and the photo review display. The LCD has a resolution of 240x320.

Photo capturing lens is on the backside of PDA. The tiny lens reminds me of lenses on web cams and disposable digital cameras. The lens is fixed focus. So there is no way to adjust focus manually or automatically. Even the macro focus switch on the older HTC XV6700 is gone. But I've found that the new HTC Touch can focus quite closely even without the switch. The instruction manual is written for typical consumer, not for photographers, so there are no camera specifications like minimum focus distance, aperture, shutter speed, etc.

There are two ways to enter the camera from the PDA, either click the the shutter button pull down the Start menu and select Camera. Clicking the shutter button is the most convenient way and I am glad to see that HTC has gone with a simple click, rather than holding down the shutter button for 2 seconds. The simply click actually gets you into camera mode for quick, spur of the moment photographs. You can turn the HTC Touch off in camera mode, and the phone will stay in camera mode when you turn it back on.

HTC has eliminated the annoying and useless video light on its new HTC Touch. Instead, it replaces it with a small self-portrait mirror. This mirror lets you see you and your companions' pose while shooting self-portraits. It's really a nice feature, since I often see people shoot self-portraits with their camera phones.

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