Gigabyte Communications joins touch-UI trend

Taiwan-based ODM, Gigabyte Communications, has joined the increasing number of smartphone vendors releasing their own-brand handset with a touchscreen interface.

The Smart Touch II interface was developed by, and is patented to the company, and two handsets have been released that exploit the technology.

The MW702 and MS802 smartphones are already shipping to Hungary, with plans to launch the MS802 in Taiwan later this month.

Both handsets run Windows Mobile 6.1 and support EDGE and HSDPA.

Connectivity includes Wi-Fi, quadband GSM, and Bluetooth.

Strategy Analytics predict that worldwide touchscreen handset sales will hit 90 million units this year, making up to 7% of global market handset sales.