Orange UK will launch a 16-key variant of the HTC Touch Dual with a numeric-only keypad. There are few differences, compared to the original HTC Touch smartphone, other than the numeric keypad, which should take care of a faster dialing for calls, with little or no other advantages.

It's great news to see that HTC Touch Dual is breaking through the market and heading towards stores. The phone has been recently officially announced by its producer, although it was already available in Japan, under the name of FOMA HT1100. It turns out to be a pretty strong handset, as it also brings 3.5G connectivity. This should take care of providing some fast data transfer speeds and great personal file management.

It runs on Windows Mobile 6 Professional and also uses the TouchFLO interface that HTC has used in its latest devices. The smartphone proves to be pretty compact, despite its high performances, as it measures 107 x 55 x 15.8 mm and weighs 120 grams. The 2.6 inch display is actually a touchscreen, a feature that many people look for in the latest handset releases. There is also Bluetooth and USB connectivity, just to make the package complete.

HTC said that this Touch Dual phone should arrive at Orange UK this October, although it mentioned no exact date for it. The handset is set for a big release, looking to expand in many other European countries by the end of this year and bring an improved alternative to the HTC Touch handset.

Orange has made no official announcement on the future release of the HTC Touch Dual smartphone, although it sounds like a pretty natural choice for this carrier. It refused to sell Nokia N81 in the past, because of its integrated music service and this device could very well turn out to be a great replacement.