Competition in the touch-screen smartphone segment is set to heat up soon now that Asustek Computer has unveiled its first touch-screen handset, the Asus P552w, while High Tech Computer (HTC) is preparing to launch a mid-range touch-screen model, the HTC Opal, to strengthen its penetration in the segment, according to market watchers in Taiwan.
The P552w, which was unveiled on September 5, features the latest Asustek-grown 3D touch user interface, the Glide, which is able to perform functions similar to the HTC-grown 3D TouchFLO technology, the noted the observers. Asustek is expected to start volume shipments of the P552w in the fourth quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter of this year as originally planned, the observers indicated.