KEY POINTS:
Telecom is launching its new 'Okta' range of mobile phones in Auckland tomorrow.
The sub-brand name may sound horrible - a little close to 'ocker' for my liking, but it definitely opens up the options for Telecom customers.
In particular, it appears that one of the new smart phones Telecom is releasing is a re-branded version of the Touch from Taiwanese electronics maker HTC.
Mobile operator Sprint has the Touch here in the US and I've had a look at the device.
It's probably the best phone HTC has put out yet. The company has had smart phones in the market for years and started out with the same philosophy as its software partner Microsoft - pack in as much useful stuff as possible and hope it will all prove useful.
The early HTC handsets weren't great, but the company has come along in leaps and bounds. I really noticed their handset design and branding improvements at the 3GSM show in Barcelona this year where the company was really out to make a splash.
The Touch is a really nice looking handset and while HTC's smart phones have had touch screens for some time, this one is similar to the iPhone in that it is designed to be used with your finger rather than a stylus pen.
Telecom is obviously continuing to leverage the Sprint relationship to get access to some handsets.
It's a pity it hasn't done the same for the Blackberry and the Motorola RAZR which are in the Sprint armoury but noticeably absent here.
The Touch is likely to prove popular - no details yet on the pricing and the internal specifications of the phone but if you're looking at buying the Titan, also by HTC, you may want to hold off for a few days to see what Telecom has in store with Okta and the rebranded Touch - which sounds much better as simply, the Touch.
