HTC Touch Dual Scores FCC Approval

Early this month, HTC announced plans to release the Touch Dual in in the United States. At that time though, the company didn't give an exact date when this will happen.

At least one of the necessary steps for this smartphone to debut in the U.S. has taken place: the FCC has given this device its approval.

The documents on the FCC website simply refer to this model as the NEON 300, but images deeply buried in the files make it clear that this is the Touch Dual (see here).

An Overview of the HTC Touch Dual

The Touch Dual is a version of HTC's popular touchscreen-centered smartphone that -- unlike the ones being offered by Sprint and Verizon -- includes a sliding keyboard.

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The upcoming U.S. model will be one of the first devices on the market running Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. It will do so on a 400 MHz processor, and use 128 MB of RAM.

The device also features a 20-key slide-out keyboard for text input and dialing, and HTC's TouchFLO custom interface, which allows users to perform many common tasks on the QVGA touchscreen with their fingertips.

While an older version of the Dual was designed for overseas networks, the U.S. model will include quad-band GSM/EDGE, and dual-band HSDPA for North America.

This device will also include a two cameras, a 2 megapixel one for taking pictures, and a smaller forward-looking one for video conferencing.

Other features include Bluetooth and a microSD card slot.

It is 4.2 inches tall, 2.2 inches wide, and 0.6 inches thick, and it weighs 4.2 ounces.

Pricing and Availability

The U.S. version of the Touch Dual will be available within the next three months from both Best Buy and HTC's retail site. It will be sold unlocked, so people will only need to plug in their SIM card to start using it.

No pricing information is available at this time.

Related Articles:

• HTC Touch Dual Preview
• HTC Touch Sales Pass the 2 Million Mark