Orange just announced that the HTC Touch HD handset would be available in the UK starting early November, exclusively on the Orange network. The Touch HD is a premium multimedia enhanced mobile handset, designed with a focus on entertainment that is set to change how people experience multimedia on the move.

Its extensive 3.8 inch, high resolution, widescreen WVGA touchscreen offers users stunning clarity and vibrant colors, providing an unrivalled experience when watching movies or using Orange’s mobile TV service, browsing the Internet on Orange’s high speed data network (3G+) or even scanning through photos taken with its 5 megapixel auto focus camera. The Touch HD also renders websites quickly and in full-page width, providing a browsing experience closer to that using fixed line broadband and allowing users to navigate more easily.

What’s more, the stylish new device features HTC’s beautiful TouchFLO 3D user interface to provide quick and intuitive access to the people, messages and content that are most important, and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack has been incorporated, allowing customers to use high-performance headphones with the device for the best possible sound quality.

Speaking on the announcement, Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK said, "We are very pleased to launch this state of the art mobile internet device exclusively on the Orange network. It is a great phone but also a wonderful multimedia handset which paves the way to even more innovations from Orange next year in the mobile internet space. The HTC Touch HD on Orange will be the must have device this Christmas for the person that wants it all".

The HTC Touch HD is exclusive on the Orange UK network until 2009 for £79.99 on an 18-month contract, £40 per month contract. The phone is available from Orange via Orange stores, Orange Telesales and Orange's online shop.

The handset will also be available from Orange in France and Romania in the forthcoming months.