GADGET REVIEW: Is The HTC Touch The New iPhone Killer?

Unlawyer-At-Large looks at his first-hand experience with HTC Touch, a Windows-based mobile phone which features the much-touted "TouchFLO."

Just what exactly is the TouchFLO? And why many mobile phone users think it is an iPhone killer?

TouchFLO provides an experience similar to that of the flagship mobile phone from Apple called, unsurprisingly, the iPhone. A swipe from bottom to top, a swipe from left to right (or vice versa), and you immediately see an animated, rotating interface that is quite an eye candy. Adding a few taps to the simple swipes can easily get you to the basic functions of the phone, except the task of typing. You can, of course, use the included stylus (there's even an extra stylus in the standard box) or your fingers if you have some fingernails worth typing with (the standard virtual keypad can be inconvenient for people with big fingers).

Accessing music and photos with TouchFLO is very enticing. Only a few swipes and taps are involved. This, it must be pointed out, enhances one's multimedia experience in a similar way the iPhone does.

Its home screen, with a conservative default graphite-color theme, features quick shortcuts to things like a weather widget, your contacts, and SMS or email messages. The home screen also features an oversized but very useful digital clock. On the upper right hand of the screen, one can easily access the utility to shut down apps which are running in the background. Shutting down apps which are no longer needed will speed up overall operations.

The HTC Touch has nifty features which are becoming more commonplace on HTC devices. Under the hood of this slim and elegantly-shaped phone (it fits nicely in one's hand), you’ll find a 200MHz TI CPU, 64MB of RAM with 128MB ROM, an included 1GB microSD card, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and bluetooth. On the outside, the HTC Touch features an impressive 2.8-inch QVGA screen with a 320×240 pixel resolution and a 2-megapixel CMOS camera. Like the newer reincarnations of HTC phone models, it runs Windows Mobile 6.0 impressively on its 200MHz TI CPU (the iPhone is not Windows-based, but runs its own beautiful Mac-Based user interface called the OS X). Included in the standard package are USB headphones, a data cable, a three-pronged international charger and a carrying case.

The HTC Touch is now available in Europe and across Asia, whether locked to a specific cellular provider or unlocked (and may carry a bit hefty a price). At last check, the HTC is gradually being introduced in US Mainland, together with the HTC Touch Dual.

For the seasoned traveler, the HTC Touch is a welcome gadget travel companion equipped with GSM Tri-band operating frequencies (900, 1800, 1900) and can be thankfully used in most parts of the world. It is also equipped with GPRS/EDGE for data communication, in addition to 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. For internet browsing, the Wi-Fi is very useful and easy to configure.

Looking for 3G? The HTC Touch, like the iPhone, is not equipped with 3G, but will be available in the HTC Touch Dual which features a slide-out keypad. But who really uses the 3G these days? Unlawyer-At-Large has yet to see widespread use of 3G anywhere on the planet (and this is readily apparent whether mobile phones are Windows-based or not). The lack of 3G in this phone is not a big issue for Unlawyer-At-Large, especially when EDGE is readily available than 3G.

Like most Windows-based mobile phones, the HTC Touch is not perfect. Unlawyer-At-Large notes that the HTC Touch is inconvenient for one-handed operation (especially SMS and email), having been used to the QWERTY-keypad equipped Dopod C720 Windows Smartphone (also made by HTC, otherwise known elsewhere as the "Dash"). The virtual keypad, even if replaced with other commercially available virtual keypad apps, is significantly slower than the real keypad. The handwriting recognition is also a matter of many hits and misses.

TouchFLO, notwithstanding its strong potentials, also has its own quirks. Even without swiping the screen, the animated TouchFLO screen suddenly pops up and gets in the way. This happens often even if one is using the precision of the stylus. A less frequent quirk is not being able to activate the TouchFLO at all, despite trying many times to swipe the screen properly.

As far as the supplied battery is concerned, moderate use yields a mere day-long operation. The good thing about HTC Touch is that a spare battery can be easily swapped, unlike the iPhone's battery compartment which is sealed (much like the iPod) and will constrain you to go to an Apple service center. The bad thing about purchasing a longer-capacity battery is like searching for a holy grail.

While the entire body construction of the HTC Touch feels sturdy, one cannot help but lament the flimsy construction of the plastic lid which covers the SIM and memory card slot. Fresh from the box, the plastic lid had only been opened twice, but it no longer fits the slot evenly and even feels like falling apart.

Using the contacts in Windows Mobile 6.0 leaves much to be desired. There is no native command to allow the phone to display contacts from either SIM only or phone memory only, or both. It necessitated the installation of a 3rd-party app to do this. This is an unaceptable flaw in the basic "contacts" interface. Unlawyer-At-Large used to have a US$100 mobile phone which was able to easily select either the SIM or phone memory for storing and displaying contacts.

Another unacceptable flaw in the "contacts" interface is the absence of multiple mobile phone entries for a single contact name. The multiple mobile-entry is impressively well-implemented in other brand names, like Nokia and Motorola. The HTC Touch only allows the assignment of one mobile phone number per contact. What a sad, frustrating limitation for a business phone! Are HTC and Microsoft both oblivious to the present world where it is commonplace to find a single person owning two or more mobile phones with several discrete mobile numbers?

The most annoying interface flaw happens when one is using "Add Recipient" command when composing an SMS or email message. The interface only shows a list of names, without phone numbers. Say, if you have Contact X added 4 times to the contact list, so that each instance of Contact X has a discrete mobile number (you are constrained to do this because the phone only allows one mobile number per name, not multiples thereof), there is no obvious way to find out which number to use as only the 4 identical names of Contact X show up on the list. So "Add Recipient" becomes a hit or miss. If the "contacts" interface is accessed directly without using the "Add Recipient" command, all of the 4 names of Contact X with corresponding mobile numbers appear. Is this a joke?

HTC Touch appears to crash less often than its predecessors which were based on Windows Mobile 5.0. This is an improvement and must be considered good news for Windows Mobile aficionados. However, HTC Touch is not immune to freezing screens and crashes which happen when installing 3rd-party apps, even if they are designed for Windows Mobile 6.0. On the positive side, the HTC Touch can be easily reverted to factory state if necessary.

Both the earpiece and speakerphone tonal quality of a mobile phone is important. The HTC Touch gets low scores in this area. In a real-world usage of HTC Touch in a busy airport, Unlawyer-At-Large had a very difficult time hearing the other person even if the earpiece volume is pumped up. At its full level, the earpiece volume is not only lacking, but also crappy, like a struggling shattered speaker cranked up beyond its capacity. This was not to be expected, especially for a phone worth more than US$450. Turning on the speakerphone is of no help either with its "tiny" and, again, crappy sound. As far as Unlawyer-At-Large's personal experience with many business mobile phones is concerned, the best earpiece and speakerphone tonal quality to this day belongs to Sony Ericsson P910i and P990i (which are both Symbian UIQ-based), with runners-up positions belonging to Nokia E51 and Nokia E90 (which are both based on Symbian S60 3rd Edition).

Is the HTC Touch an iPhone competitor? Absolutely not, especially with the aforestated quirks and annoying flaws.

However, Unlawyer-At-Large will recommend the HTC Touch for the TouchFLO experience. Remember, it is not perfect, but this is as close as you can get to enjoying the iPhone experience without having to buy an iPhone.

TRENDS: The Top 3 Countries And The Kind Of Words They Search For Online

Ever wonder which particular country in the world topped the list for having searched online the word "sex"?

Unlawyer-At-Large notes that India, Egypt and Turkey garner the top spots (yes, in that order) for having searched "sex" more times than other countries. That is what a recent survey from Google Trends reveals. Google Trends is a web tool from Google Labs that shows the most popularly searched terms from the beginning of 2004 to present.

Kama Sutra, by the way, originated in India. According to Wikipedia, Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian text widely considered to be the standard work on love and, of course, "sex" in Sanskrit literature. See a connection between the most-searched word in India and Kama Sutra?

There are, obviously, other words being searched for online. Each word is interesting.

"Viagra," a popular male erectile dysfunction treatment, is the top search word for three European countries, namely, Italy, United Kingdom and Germany.

"Jihad," which means holy war, appear to be the most often typed keyword in countries like Pakistan, Indonesia and Morocco, reports a newspaper in Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald.

Unlawyer-At-Large also notes that the post 9/11 world gives us a chart-topping search for the word "terrorism" in Pakistan, Philippines and Australia.

Philippines topped the list for frequently searching two words, namely, "homosexual" and "love." The word "homosexual" is also popular in two other countries, both from Latin America, namely, Chile and Venezuela.

Curiously, the top three search words from Philippines seem like strange bedfellows: "homosexual," "love" and "terrorism." If Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote about "Love In The Time Of Cholera," can this be paraphrased, tongue-in-cheek, to "Homosexual Love In The Time Of Terrorism"?

"Hangover" is the most popular search in Ireland, although traditionally the world's highest alcoholic beverage consumption can be found in Luxembourg, Hungary, Czech Republic and Germany. "Hangover" is also popular, next to Ireland, in United Kingdom and United States.

"Botox" (a popular neurotoxin protein used for cosmetic enhancement) and "car bomb" are favorite Google Search Engine words for Australia, while "burrito" (or taco de harina, one of Unlawyer-At-Large's favorite Mexican food) and "Iraq" are both top favorites in the United States. We can all understand why "Iraq" is a popular search word in the United States. But shouldn't the word "burrito" be more popular in Mexico? And wonder of wonders: why are people from Australia, United States and Canada frequently searching for "car bomb"?

Who doesn't know Britney Spears? If you think "Britney Spears" is a popular name search in her own country, the United States, you would however find it surprising that hers is most often searched online in Mexico, Venezuela and Canada.

Go figure, Paris Hilton.

Monks Brew The Best Beer In The World?

Unlawyer-At-Large loves a good drink. Having the chance to experience the taste, for instance, of a plethora of the best beer brands from all over the world is one of the little pleasures (with or without guilt) of travel.

With Oktoberfest in mind and the urge to imbibe Munich's popular helle beers like Augustiner and Paulaner tempts the senses, there is one brand Unlawyer-At-Large finds very exquisite, very pleasant to the palate. It is called Trappist Westvleteren 12. Served in a “Trappist” glass or not (of course, Unlawyer-At-Large would always insist on being served with the right glass), this dark and strong beer never fails to exude an intriguing aroma. The moment a sip hits your palate, it is bound to infuse you with a taste of out-of-this-world complexity, which combines the inherent tastes of dates, raisins, cocoa, plum, an unassuming hint of licorice and molasses. It feels delightfully hopped, rich and full-bodied, with an amiable and elegant carbonated mouthfeel. Here are some of the most remarkable flavours that could be associated with the word "beer" that you can ever imagine. The entire tasting experience, for lack of a better word, is simply “divine.”

Unlawyer-At-Large is not exaggerating. A “divine” bottle of Trappist Westvleteren 12 actually came out of a small brewery being run by monks. Yes, Trappist Monks. From Westvleteren in Flanders, Belgium. They are real monks, not businessmen. They are monks interested in prayers and piety, not profits.

The Trappist Order, which originates in the Cistercian monastery of La Trappe (hence, the name “Trappists”), France, like many other religious groups, has brewed beer to fund and support their religious work and help the needy. Monastery-based brewhouses existed all over Europe, but many of them were destroyed during the French Revolution and the World Wars.

There are six Trappist monasteries in Belgium which are found in Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay, Orval (said to be the oldest of the brewing monasteries) and Achel. At the Abbey of St. Sixtus located in Westvleteren, the Trappists have been certainly one of the most active, and they have what is considered the smallest and most private of all the Trappist breweries. They brew three beers, namely, the Westvleteren 12 (strong and dark), the Westvleteren 8 (dark) and Westvleteren Blonde (light), with a 12%, 8% and 6% alcohol content, respectively. At this writing, each crate of Westvletren 12, 8 and Blonde is priced at Euro 33, Euro 27.50 and Euro 22, respectively.

So where can one buy this beer?

One method of obtaining this "divine" beer (though it may not be the easiest or practical thing to do) is to call directly the “beer phone” of St. Sixtus to reserve a small quantity (depending on availability, orders may be limited to a crate or two per vehicle license plate). Then fly to Belgium, hop on a car (the countryside drive is gorgeous), drive up to the abbey at Westvleteren early enough to avoid the queue of snaking cars before the gates open at 10 a.m. to pick up your own order. Try as you might, the monks, who prioritise drive-in visitors, will most likely not sell you any beer if you arrive there without prior reservation hoping to get some. But don't fret. If you get turned away politely by the monks, the In De Vrede Cafe located just right outside the abbey, which serves authentic Westvleteren beers, is open to the public beginning at 10 o'clock in the morning.

And for those who are in North America and don't want to fly to Belgium? Wait for a downtown bar specializing in European beer brands (if you are blessed with infinite patience) to have them flown to US soil. But that is not going to happen easily, even if some bottles find their way to the gray or black market once in a while.

In fact, at Michael & Louise’s Hopleaf Bar in Chicago (a personal favourite of Unlawyer-At-Large), which specializes in beers from “Belgium,” “North America” and “Europe,” the fabled Trappist Westvleteren, which used to be one of the bar’s bestsellers, is no longer available (with the exception of other abbey-style ales). The menu of Hopleaf Bar explains that the Monks of St. Sixtus no longer wanted to operate a commercial brewery, preferring to brew and sell just enough to support themselves—only in restricted quantities at the monastery, just a few hours a week, only to individual customers—who must register in advance by phone and promise not to sell to others!

Even if you visit another bar elsewhere in the world which specializes in European or, more particularly, Belgian beers, you may not find a Trappist Westvleteren easily. The explanation offered by Hopleaf Bar would be the same explanation wherever you go. Which is understandable. St. Sixtus only employs a very small number of workers (as little as 3) who are not members of the abbey. The Trappist Monks want their beers to be available in the area of West Flanders for local, private consumption and they have consistently made it known they are not going to endeavor into any form of increased production. The yearly production of 60,000 crates (each wooden crate holds 24 bottles) a year is done in 75 days by five of the 28 members of the monastery. The bottling line dates from 1978, runs only 35 days a year and can fill 12,000 bottles an hour. One can only hope that some unscrupulous persons buying the beers for resale in other areas and countries will not cause the limited inventory to sell out too quickly with the use of bottle “labels” not authorized by the Trappist Monks themselves (it is noteworthy, by the way, that the bottles have been sold without labels since 1940s, leaving all of the beverage's logo and legally required information printed on top of the beer crown).

The Trappist Monks, who maintain that the specific list of malts and ingredients in the Westvleteren 8 and 12 is classified, admit that the rarity of their craft beers certainly contributes to an aura which is nothing short of “mystical.” Unlawyer-At-Large couldn’t agree more. The combination of mystical aura and exquisite taste convinced beer aficionados around the world to rank the Trappist Westvleteren 12 the No. 1 spot in the Best Beers In The World Overall For 2007 by Ratebeer.com, which posted the results of its competition based on a tally of over 1 million reviews of 59,000 beers from over 7,300 brewers worldwide. The Trappist Westvleteren beers similarly rate high in Beeradvocate.com.

Despite the well-deserved worldwide accolades earned for their “divine” beer and the unexpected increase in demand generated even without marketing, the Trappist Monks have eschewed media attention and have remained focused on their true religious calling.

A Trappist Monk was once quoted to have said: “We brew to live, but don’t live to brew.”

To that, I say: Amen.

Cynthia Rosenfeld Of Conde Nast Traveler And Her "Great Asian Beach Finder"

Unlawyer-At-Large finds Cynthia Rosenfeld's "The Great Asian Beach Finder" a first-rate review in Conde Nast Traveler website. Rosenfeld has traveled to 12 countries in Asia (including Philippines' Palawan and Indonesia's Nihiwatu) and shares her thoughts on "33 strands tailored to every taste and budget-along with where to eat, sleep, party, play and be pampered." She writes concisely with such flair and honesty that a discriminating beach lover would expect.

Check out Cynthia Rosenfeld's October 2007 article in Conde Nast Traveler and discover what beaches in Asia await your next visit!

The World’s Top 10 Best Airports For 2007

What’s your favourite airport?

Unlawyer-At-Large has always been fascinated by world-class airports. They have become a symbol, among other things, for a country’s showcase of economic progress. How airports are rated can be a daunting task, considering that sheer size of airport terminals alone is not enough to snag the top spot. In other words, "bigger" is not necessarily "better".

Thankfully, there’s Skytrax, which released the results of its survey on Top 10 World’s Best Airports for 2007. Skytrax, a well-respected aviation research organisation, actually conducts the annual World Airport Awards to pick out the best airports. This year’s winners emerged from more than 7.8 million detailed passenger surveys, covering over 170 airports, and conducted over an 11-month period throughout the world. Airports were rated according to terminal cleanliness, staff efficiency and courtesy, terminal signage and walking distances, as well as features like shopping, dining options, internet services. Security processing and immigration waiting times were also considered.

Two of Unlawyer-At-Large's favourite airports in Asia, namely, Hong Kong International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport, made it to the top list, the latter sharing second spot with Seoul Incheon International Airport.

Check out Skytrax's official link for more details and see if the Top 10 Airport List includes your own favourites.

Where To Find The Best One-Stop Worldwide Travel Advisory Resource Online?

Unlawyer-At-Large is no stranger to travel hassles. It is such a sheer inconvenience to just discover at the 11th hour that a quirky storm puts a kibosh on that trip of a lifetime. Unlawyer-At-Large, who was once caught in a quagmire of a last-minute flight cancellation from Manila (Philippines) to Hong Kong and was stuck for hours at the airport with hundreds upon hundreds of clueless passengers, will never leave home again without consulting the latest travel advisory.

Travel guides, which are useful, cannot be the sole source of information before traveling. Certainly not before departure.

So what is the best complement to your travel guide?

A travel advisory.

A travel advisory, according to Wikipedia, is a public notice issued by a government agency to provide information about the relative safety of traveling to or visiting one or more specific destinations. The purpose is to allow travelers to make an informed decision about a particular travel destination, and to help them prepare adequately for what may be encountered on their trip. Travel issues include, but are not limited to, inclement weather, civil unrest or disease.

Yes, you can spend hours searching online for a particular travel advisory from embassies around the world, health and government agencies, as well as travel and non-governmental organizations. Is that too cumbersome? Maybe. But if you simply want a well-organized travel advisory resource online, you better check out this link from AllSafeTravels. You will be directed to a clean, simple, yet very navigable one-stop, worldwide travel advisory page. Simply select the country of destination and you will see categorized advisories per country. AllSafeTravels' advisories include up-to-date news links from other resources, too. One of the most frequently updated lists is weather condition.

Best of all, the country-by-country travel advisories you can find in AllSafeTravels are available for free.

BOOK REVIEW: 1,000 Places To See Before You Die

Unlawyer-At-Large has been pondering...don't we all (at least those of us whose inner wanderlust has not been traded in for that inner couch potato) have such a fantasy that someday we will travel to the world’s most exotic destinations, and that before we die we'll get to do it all?

To deal with that question, Unlawyer-At-Large takes a look at 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE. No, this book is not about morbid thoughts. This is about seizing the day, as in carpe diem. This is about the joys all of us can find in traveling, beginning with a 972-page book guide which, to say the very least, is very organized and well-written. No boring prose. No words wasted.

There is a plethora of travel guides on print written by many experts, but the credibility of the author of 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE as one of the famous travel gurus cannot be shrugged off. Patricia Schultz, now 54, wrote this New York Times #1 Bestseller, which created quite a delightful stir worldwide since 2003. She is also the co-author of Made in Italy, a former writer for Frommer's, Berlitz, and Access travel guides, and is now a freelance travel writer. Her articles have appeared in Conde Nast Traveler (one of Unlawyer-At-Large’s favorites), Islands, and Harper's Bazaar.

This is a must-have book (notwithstanding the mixed reviews it received) for the seasoned traveler (and you thought you’ve seen everything?), the unseasoned traveler (do not feel intimidated by it), and the dreamer (hmmm, arm-chair traveling is not a lost art and it's free). There is something for everyone here. Ms. Schultz does a convincing job of weaving a very engaging list of "travel wonders" of the world encompassing Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, North America and South America. Hotels, bars, restaurants and watering-holes are included, whether known or least known, “on and off the beaten track,” exactly as inscribed on the book cover.

Last May 2007, Ms. Schultz released another book, 1,000 PLACES TO SEE IN THE USA AND CANADA BEFORE YOU DIE (finally, something which Unlawyer-At-Large has always expected and yearned for, but that is another review to deal with later). Adding another thousand places to see is no joke, but not for the indefatigable Ms. Schultz who, in a recent interview last July 2007 with CNN, said: “People have always loved to travel. People will always love to travel. It's as old as mankind…It's to remove yourself from the same-old same-old, the day-to-day-ness of everyday life, to recharge, explore."

Before Ms. Schultz starts to write another round of thousand places to see, Unlawyer-At-Large urges you to grab a copy of this book to help you get started with planning your trip(s) of a lifetime.

Here is a caveat, though. No travel list out there is ever complete, and this book is no exception. After all, declares Ms. Schultz in the said CNN interview: “The more you travel, the more you realize that you've seen nothing."

RATING: Highly recommended.