Yes, everyone seems to be in love with the Apple iPhone, but many have said that the iPhone is inappropriate as a business tool. Part of their rationale is that the iPhone lacks a physical keyboard, making it more difficult for the purposes of mobile email.

While the original HTC Touch — which some claim to be little more than an iPhone clone running on Windows Mobile 6 — suffered from the same “problem” by lacking a physical keyboard, it’s follow-up addresses this issue straight on without adding too much bulk. The HTC Touch Dual, shown above, is otherwise identical to the first HTC Touch (which is available through Telus Mobility and soon available through Rogers Wireless), except for the vertical slide-out keyboard.

At this time, there are two variations to the HTC Touch Dual: one has a standard numeric keypad, whereas the other has a keyboard that is closer to SureType, mapping two letters to each key. There are obvious advantages to either choice. Other features include a 2 megapixel camera, TouchFlo interface, Windows Mobile 6 Professional, and GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, as well as 3G via HSDPA. If you want one in North America, you’ll need to import it.