HTC Touch Pro Getting Started

HTC TouchFLO 3D Philosophy & Details

This video explains the philosophy behind HTC's new user interface, TouchFLO 3D, which could be found in HTC Touch Diamond.

Innovations of the Touch Diamond

John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer for HTC, explains the innovations of the HTC Touch Diamond. The four innovations are:

Innovation #1:
Approach sensitivity auto focus

Innovation #2:
Accelerometer function lets you to mute the Touch Diamond while ringing

Innovation #3:
Sliding out the stylus during conversation will pop up the Note screen and attach the details of the calling contact

Innovation #4:
Sliding out the stylus while the phone is off will turn on the Touch Diamond

Getting Started with TouchFLO 3D

Versions of TouchFLO

Manila
Manila is the code name for TouchFLO.

TouchFLO
The original version of TouchFLO which was introduced in the HTC Touch. Main feature of TouchFLO is enabling finger gestures throughout the device. Gestures includes flick scrolling, swiping, panning, etc. Other features includes the Touch Cube which each side of the cube contains easy to use shortcuts to media, contacts and commonly used programs such as calendar, tasks, emails, sms, internet explorer and communication manager.

TouchFLO 2D
This is version 1.0 of ManillaDevices such as Touch Viva and Touch 3G runs a stripped down version of TouchFLO 3D. It is similar to TouchFLO 3D but without the 3D animations on several tabs.
Main difference between TouchFLO 2D compared to TouchFLO 3D are:

1. Analogue clock instead of the 3D generated flip clock on the home tab
2. Contacts table (Similar to TouchFLO contacts screen) instead of the rolodex on the people tab
3. SMS, Mail, Music, Videos and Pictures, Weather tabs does not have 3D animation
   

TouchFLO 3D
All new high end HTC devices starting from Touch Diamond runs on the well known TouchFLO 3D. Different device runs different versions of TouchFLO 3D. (Note: Manila versions written might not be accurate)

Touch Diamond (Manila version 1.1)
This is the original version of TouchFLO 3D.

Touch Pro (Manila version 1.2)
This version of TouchFLO 3D is similar to Touch Diamond and could possibly be the same as the updated TouchFLO 3D version of the Touch Diamond. The noticaable difference is its speed. The animation while switching tabs are stripped of to boost the speed of TouchFLO 3D.
On top of that, TouchFLO 3D on the Touch Pro has an additional landscape screen called the Task screen. This screen appears when the keyboard of the Touch Pro is slide out. It basically contains shortcuts to eight most commonly used tasks which is email, messages, bookmarks, web search, calendar, tasks, notes and contacts.


Touch HD (Manila version 1.3)
This version of TouchFLO 3D improved a lot from the original Touch Diamond. Upgrades of this version of TouchFLO 3D includes:

1. Quick access for voice call, messaging and email in people tab
2. 5-day weather forecast are all displayed on the weather tab
3. Added new stock tab
4. Ability to rearrange TouchFLO 3D tabs
5. Slide-to-answer during an incoming call instead of just on screen Answer/Reject buttons

Touch Diamond2 (Manila version 2.0)
This version of TouchFLO 3D has been upgraded a lot and focusses on the people centric concept. Contact, messaging, mail and call history of a particular person are grouped into a screen with tabs for each category. Besides that, other changes are:

1. Improved creating/editing contact screen
2. Better looking program tab. Removed from TouchFLO 3D tabs but is launched by tapping the Start button
3. New notification screen
4. Better looking alerts such as alarm, power-off warning, etc.
5. Push internet feature with added search bar on internet tab
6. Added calendar tab
7. Upgraded calling canvas
8. New connections manager
9. New keyboard layout10. Improved HTC album
10. New alarm clock interface
11. More options in settings tab
12. New stock tab
13. New wallpaper/background
14. Finger friendly soft key menus implemented throught the operating system
15. New contacts screen

Touch Pro2 (Manila version 2.1)
Similar to Touch Diamond2's TouchFLO 3D, this version adds HTC's Straight Talk technology which enables easier call conferencing. Another major addition on this version of TouchFLO 3D is its landscape version. There is finally a real landscape version of TouchFLO 3D, unlike the version on Touch Pro whereby it is merely shortcuts to applications. Besides, HTC also added facebook integration in this version of TouchFLO 3D.

TouchFLO 3D Changes on the Touch HD

With the announcement of the high-resolution new Touch HD from HTC, a modified TouchFLO 3D comes along with it.

Because the screen of the Touch HD is 160 pixels taller than the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro, more data can be shown in one screen. Thefore, HTC improved the People and Weather tab on the new TouchFLO 3D to show more information.

People Tab

There are more buttons on the HD people tab that allow you select other options such as call, text, email, etc. This improves usability as there is no need to go to the application such as text message, scroll through the long list of contacts and add the particular person.

Weather Tab

HTC has put the 5-day forecast and current conditions all in one screen on the Touch HD, rather than on a second page accessed via the left soft key as found on the other TouchFLO 3D devices.

Stock Tab

Also new to TouchFLO 3D for the Touch HD is the inclusion of a stocks tab, which is worth applauding. The newly added Stock tab keeps you informed of the latest stocks, where you can easily track your favorite stock quotes.

Rearrange Tabs

With complains from the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro where people prefer to have the ability to remove unused tabs, most people have to download a third party program in oder to have that ability. HTC must have listened to user feedbacks and with that, the Touch HD comes with that ability right out of the box. Touch HD users can turn off tabs, or move the order of them. Unfortunately, some tabs cannot be removed like Settings, Program, and Home.

Slide to Answer

This is new. When you get an incoming call, you get this. Slide left to answer, and right to ignore. You can use the Call Start/End keys for this function as well. From here you can also send a text message to the person, or mute the ringer.


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HTC Touch Diamond with TouchFLO 3D

HTC TouchFlo 3D - A 3D Perspective

Innovation has always been on the deck for HTC's suite of Windows Mobile devices, and one can't help but remember their very first touch with the HTC Touch and its TouchFlo interface. Bringing us forward to the year 2008, consumers will have their fingers full (in the literal sense) with HTC's next generation touch interface, the HTC TouchFlo 3D, presented on their latest Windows Mobile 6.1 device, the HTC Touch Diamond.

John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, HTC, showcased the company's vision and roadmap in the touch arena, which started off with the development of the first generation TouchFlo interface almost 3 years ago. (as of 2008)

Believing that touch technology is the next big thing on the innovation front, HTC envisions a future where human interactivity with their devices will be an intuitive affair. In their conceptualization of its latest TouchFlo 3D interface, Mr. Wang takes a few analogies to showcase how the TouchFlo 3D was built to enrich and enhance your daily life, to the next evolution of the mobile internet for the consumer.

On the possibility of integrating multi-touch interface into any future iterations of its TouchFlo family, Mr. Wang expressed that HTC did consider the multi-touch technology, but decided against it. As Mr. Wang explains, "The phone experience is a one-handed experience when you're walking down the street carrying something, dialing phone numbers or checking things out. Multi-touch is a two-handed experience, where you hold the device with one hand and navigate with the other. If one were to use multi-touch with one hand, you'll drop the phone. Fundamentally, we (HTC) believe the phone experience to be a one-handed experience, and to zoom in and out (of images) with multi-touch is not the only method."

Taking us further into the TouchFlo technology, and specifically to their latest innovation, the TouchFlo 3D interface, Mr. Wang highlighted the core design of the 3D technology as embedded within. "Our mission as we've shared earlier on, is not (only) about 3D. If we cared only about 3D, it's not meaningful, and when we started this project, we set out to change how people think about the phone. We made sure that there is zero learning involved for the phone, because phones nowadays are too complicated. Simplicity is about zero learning, and the only way to make it zero learning is to make it innate. If you have a deck of business cards in front of you, do you need to learn how to flip it? You don't need to, you just reach out and intuitively flip it, and that's how you bring simplicity to that level, which is second nature and what you'll see on the TouchFlo 3D. And because of that, most of the things in our world are 3D, and that's why we want to make this into a 3D experience."

The third dimension concept, though not exactly the new kid on the block, is still going to capture a significant amount of attention when it's presented on HTC's TouchFlo 3D interface.
Going deeper into how HTC innovates its user experience for the internet, and how the mobile internet is the next big thing, Mr. Wang shares with us the following, "I think a lot of people think of web browsing as an unsatisfying experience, as you are trying to squeeze a full page into a tiny screen. When you land on a webpage, you would like to see the page according to the publisher or designer intended to, which means a full screen. So, we came up with a solution whereby when you zoom, you zoom into the right level, and we reflow the text into one single column, and this all happens in about half a second. When you think about the problems and what's wrong with the world, we think of these little details. When you wish to watch a video, you would want to watch it in a full screen. The YouTube experience on the Touch Diamond as you can see is a collaboration with Google and we developed an application that actually 'talks' to the YouTube server."

Though not exactly a brand new initiative when it comes to a direct application link to various popular sites such as Facebook or YouTube, the underlying concept and goal by HTC is to provide a much stronger support for the mobile internet in the months to come. Nonetheless, as we enquired on the possibility of HTC moving into the mobile internet realm with their very own browser software, Mr. Wang has stated that there are currently no plans, but in the long run, anything goes.

"TouchFlo 3D is not an application, it's a technology, an experience that embodies everything that we have talked about. I would even venture to say that it even embodies the philosophy of HTC Touch. Even though we launched TouchFlo last year, that same philosophy that helps to make things beyond simple that is innate to human nature is what we strive for and TouchFlo 3D is an embodiment of that design. Obviously, we will continue to advance the experience; last year we had Touch, this year we have Touch Diamond, and we will continue to make the user experience even better than before."

This was the ending and mission statement as dictated by Mr. Wang for HTC's future in the touch technology realm. To that end, with years of work supporting the current TouchFlo interface, and many years to go right after its first anniversary, the innovate nature of touch technology will see a revolution in the upcoming future, and HTC will be one of many companies that we'll be looking out for in this competitive technological race.


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