Existing somewhere between (and a sidestep or two away from) the full-touch HTC Touch Diamond and the HTC Touch Pro QWERTY slider is the S740, a non-touch, Windows Mobile 6.1 QWERTY slider. While it’s been floating around Europe for a few months now, HTC is just today announcing its US brethren: the S743.

Surprised that HTC is still making non-touch Windows Mobile 6.1 phones for the touch-obsessed US market? So are we. If the audience is out there, though, good on’em for having it covered. A shout out to the trendy-touch-tech-free days of yesteryear, the S743 sports 850/1900 HSDPA support, a full QWERTY slider, a number pad on the face, and good old softkeys. The 2.4″ screen is a relatively paltry QVGA (320×240) resolution – but if you want some HTC smartphone action but just can’t bring yourself to poke and prod just yet, maybe that can be overlooked.