A Device By Any Other Name Is Still Vulnerable And Frustrated

I couldn't make up my mind about the title for this entry which is why it's so long.

The device in question goes by several names - Elf, P3450 and Touch but it's marketed here as the Touch.

I got myself one of those a few days ago. Despite what I said in an earlier blog entry, I simply couldn't wait for the iPhone which only becomes available in Asia in 2008 and also because my HP Ipaq rw6828 is ageing and soon won't have any trade-in value.

It looks like this (pictures courtesy of CNET):

In terms of appearance, features and functions, it's generally surpasses or at least equals the rw6828 but in terms of speed, it's frustratingly slower with a processor that operates at 210 mHz whereas the rw6828's processor runs at almost double the speed at 416 mHz.

So far, apart from the slowdown in the functions, it's got sufficient memory such that it doesn't hang when I'm using the TouchFlo interface (which was a concern for some industry pundits who reviewed the device prior to/at launch).

The other thing which I don't like about it is a lack of a protective case. It comes with an open-topped pouch which is practically useless for men. It's alright for women who have handbags (and for those men who have manbags - I'm not one of those). It could so easily fall out of the pouch.

Seeing as it was only launched in the first week of June, there aren't really many, if at all, accessories on sale for the Touch. I was told that it will take a few more weeks before the accessories become available which is very frustrating as the Touch will be vulnerable to damage until there's a protective case available for it. I've seen some video clips on Youtube featuring leather cases for the Touch and there's one in particular which I like (see the embedded video) and hopefully it will be on sale soon.