HTC has launched a Windows Mobile smartphone with a finger-operated touch screen interface, reminiscent of Apple's forthcoming iPhone.

The HTC Touch introduces an animated 3D user interface called TouchFLO that lets users move through on-screen options via a sweeping gesture across the screen, or scroll up and down using a fingertip. It is available immediately from HTC resellers for €449 (£305) SIM-free, or on the Orange network in the UK.

HTC chief executive Peter Chou explained that phone makers have done a good job of cramming more functions into handsets, but developments in new user interface technologies have not kept pace with the hardware.

“With the HTC Touch, access to your most commonly used content, contacts and features is only a simple finger flick away,” he said in a statement.

The new touch-based user interface has already drawn comparisons with Apple's iPhone, which is due for launch in the US at the end of June. Like that product, HTC's new handset lacks 3G capability, supporting GSM/GPRS and Wi-Fi communications instead.

The HTC Touch is based on Windows Mobile 6 and weighs 112g, with a claimed battery life of up to 200 hours standby or up to 5 hours talk time. It has a 2.8in display, digital camera, and comes with a 1GB MicroSD Flash card as standard.