I have been watching the iPhone clutching hordes of my acquaintance with their pretty new phones and wondering if that was the answer for me. But something stopped me from queueing up to collect my iPhone overnight in the winter cold with my buddies. It was the thought that my needs were more utilitarian than theirs. I just need a phone that works, that makes phone calls reliably and which enables me to leave my notebook PC or MacBook at home.

Discussing these business needs with friends it was suggested that I try an HTC phone. A friend over at Microsoft arranged for a loan phone for me to try – the HTC Dual Touch.

I’ve been putting this phone through it’s paces for a fortnight now and it is my favourite phone ever! A deliberate strategy was to ignore the user manual as I wanted to see how intuitive this phone is. And it is pretty intuitive to use without referring to the manual.

The practical reasons I’m loving this phone are:

• I can leave my notebook computers (MacBook and eee PC) at home & still surf the net, Twitter and email on the go
• It has a touch screen as well as a number pad – so I can switch between the two as I choose
• It works like a real PC and the Windows Mobile is stable and easy to use
• The internet is fast with the 3G

My wish list? I wish the HTC Dual Touch reoriented the screen from portrait to landscape when the phone is rotated. I also wish that the keylock would not kick in while I’m browsing the net. These are minor issues and usually by this stage of phone usage I’m starting to experience regret. But right now, I’m thinking that this is a good phone that delivers what it promises.