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MWC 2009: HTC announces a new signal wave: HTC Touch Pro 2

February 16, 2009 By Remo Knops 1 Comment

While I wrote earlier about the announcement of the HTC Touch Diamond2, HTC also announced another flagship device: The HTC Touch Pro2, a real powerhouse with a full QWERTY hardware keyboard.

“Designed for business professionals, the HTC Touch Pro2 is architected with distinct style and strength while delivering the most powerful productivity experience available on a mobile phone” [ref01]

If I have a look a the current HTC Touch Pro, this is also true. HTC has packed the HTC Advatage X7510 features into the compact casing of the Touch Pro, making this an extremely powerfull device in a compact design. This device is very very popular and commonly used both in corporate environments as well as in personal (home) environments. Let’s have a quick look at the HTC Touch Pro2:

htc_tp2_front-back-side_570px1

“Sporting Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the HTC Touch Pro2 features a Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU at 528 MHz, a 3.2 megapixel main camera and a 3.6″ TFT-LCD WVGA touchscreen at 480×800 pixels. At a size of 11.61 x 5.92 x 1.70 cm the device weights 175 g only, including the 1500 mAh LiIon battery.” [ref02]

“Leveraging HTC’s TouchFLO 3D, people-centric communication and Push Internet technology, the Touch Pro2 features a high-resolution 3.6-inch widescreen VGA display for an expanded viewing area and large finger-friendly QWERTY keyboard. With improved battery life, expandable memory, a touch-sensitive zoom bar as well as gravity, proximity and ambient light sensors, the Touch Pro2 is optimized for touch as well as heavy email use.” [ref01]

Specification wise there is nothing to complain. To be honest some specifications look the same as the HTC Touch Pro1. I like the new outer casing, which has a more business-finish in comparison with the diamond design. Also the round edges make it a more comfortable device in use. I currently use the HTC S740 and this one also has this sharp edges. Furthermore I do like the improved batterylife, with 3G use in the current times you can’t have enough of battery juice. Thumbs up for HTC.

I was watching the Microsoft Mobile World Congress Keynote with Steve Balmer and Andrew Lees. The demos during the keynote were conducted on a HTC Touch Pro2 device, given the rounded edges. During the keynote already I was impressed with both the speed and snappy-ness of the devices as well with the fact that it will be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5 as soon as this platform hits te market. At the end of the keynote Pter Chou, president and CEO of HTC made the announcement that both the HTC Touch Diamond2 and the HTC Touch Pro2 are free upgradeble to Windows Mobile 6.5. This speed is also addressed in a short hands-on video Arne Hess from the::unwired shot at the Mobile World Congress.

Finally one of the features that made the HTC TyTN II such a popular device is back: A screen with TILT-MECHANISM. In the short hands-on video this feature is also addressed, while it is also shown in the picture below. According to Eric Lin fron HTC it is possible to tilt the screen in what position you just like.

“The HTC Touch Pro2 will be available across major global markets beginning in early summer. A price wasn’t announced today.” [ref02]

Although in general I prefer a full QWERTY non-sliding device, I do think the features of this device look really great. Again a five row QWERTY keyboard, which I also like on the HTC Android G1 device is build in. Furthermore I can’t wait to get my hands on a Windows Mobile 6.5 device, so combined with the power and features of the Touch Pro2 this seems a fair choice ! htc_tp2_open_570px1

UPDATE:

T-Mobile announced, the day after the HTC announcement of the HTC Touch Pro2 and the HTC Touch Diamond2, the T-Mobile MDA Compact V and the T-Mobile MDA Vario V. These devices have a slightly different casing than the HTC models. Please have a look at some pictures live from the Mobile World Congress (Barcelona).

UPDATE2:

Michael Gartenberg writes about a new people centric approach on the device, which is also mentioned by Peter Chou, president and CEO of HTC in my previous article about the HTC Touch Diamond2.

“I had a chance to play with this a few weeks ago and the implementation is downright brilliant. Need to see a contacts history in terms of email, messages or other interaction? It’s all there. Want to call a person instead of emailing them back a reply? It’s one click. Want to make a conference call to all the folks on an email list? No problem. Favorite feature? Turn the phone upside down on a flat surface and it automatically engages in speaker phone mode. There wasn’t a whole lot of innovation this week at MWC, but the Touch Pro 2 delivered quite well. This is one handset to look for when it hits later this year.” [ref05]

UPDATE3:

Windows Mobile Italy has posted an article with a great video, showing a hardware tour of the HTC Touch Diamond 2 & HTC Touch Pro 2.

Reference List

MWC 2009: HTC announces a new signal wave: HTC Touch Diamond 2

February 16, 2009 By Remo Knops 1 Comment

Today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona HTC has announced two new flagship mobile devices running the Windows Mobile Platform, of which one is the HTC Touch Diamond 2. Below you can read how Peter Chou, president and CEO of HTC summarizes the launch of these new devices.

“The HTC Touch Pro2 and HTC Touch Diamond2 introduce a mobile communication experience that simplifies how we communicate with people in our lives whether through voice, text or email,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corp. “HTC is delivering the latest, cutting-edge sophistication in a broad portfolio of mobile phones that improve how people live, work and communicate.” [ref01]

You and me care more about the hard facts like specifications and some pictures, so let’s have a more detailed look below.

HTC Touch Diamond 2

htc_td2_front-back-side_570px

“Sporting Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the HTC Touch Diamond2 features a Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU at 528 MHz, a 5 megapixel main camera and a 3.2″ TFT-LCD WVGA touchscreen at 480×800 pixels. At a size of 10.80 x 5.31 x 1.14 cm the device weights 117 g only, including the 1100 mAh LiIon battery.” [ref02]

“With fifty-percent better battery life, a five mega-pixel auto focus camera, expandable memory, gravity sensor and an ambient light sensor, the Touch Diamond2 brings the most sophisticated capabilities to a broad consumer audience looking for the professional benefits of a smartphone without sacrificing size, looks or functionality.” [ref01]

What really puts a smile on my face is the increased batterylife, which is a problem all mobile users are struggling with. So my compliments for HTC who really do listen to their end-users and dealing with one of the problems of the HTC Touch Diamond. The specification list reveils that this device incorporates everything you need while on the move, and compared with the previous HTC Touch Diamond the screensize is increased. If you are a non hardware keyboard user this simply is your device, due to the easy Touch FLO 3D navigation and the incredible small size and weight. For more incredible eye candy browse to the HTC website. Also very cool are the build-in FM Radio and the G-sensor, which make it a device for both business and pleasure.

The HTC Touch Diamond2 will be available to customers across major European and Asian markets in early Q2-2009 with broader global availability coming later in the year. A price wasn’t announced today. [ref02]

I can’t wait to get my hands on such a baby (which is a real powerhouse) !

UPDATE:

Windows Mobile Italy has posted an article with a great video, showing a hardware tour of the HTC Touch Diamond 2.

Reference list:

ANNOUNCEMENT: Treo Pro Windows Mobile Smartphone & Review

August 20, 2008 By Remo Knops Leave a Comment

Palm officially announced the Palm Treo Pro device, although some training pictures leaked onto the web last week. Will this newest Palm device be an ongoing development of the Palm Treo 750 and the US Palm Treo 800w, or is it something completely new.

I’ve owned the Palm Treo 750 for quite some time, and Palm developed the device from a end-user usability perspective. Since the Palm Treo Pro is just the second Windows Mobile device, I hope Palm continued the line of putting some really nice features (deeply anchored into the Windows Mobile OS) into the device. Let’s first start with the specification list and some picture of the device:

Specifications:

Platform: Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional Edition
Processor: Qualcomm® MSM7201 400MHz
Display: 320×320 transflective colour TFT flush touchscreen
Radio: HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM radio; Tri-band UMTS – 850MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz; Quad-band GSM – 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz
Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, and 801.1x authentication
GPS: Built-in GPS (standalone and assisted)
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology: Version: 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Memory: 256MB (100MB user available), 128MB RAM
Camera: 2.0 megapixels with up to 8x digital zoom and video capture
Battery: Removable, rechargeable 1500mAh lithium-ion; Up to 5.0 hours talk time and up to 250 hours standby
Expansion: microSDHC cards (up to 32GB supported)1
Connector: MicroUSB™ 2.0 for synchronisation and charging
Audio: 3.5mm stereo headset jack
Dimensions: 60mm (W) x 114mm (L) x 13.5mm (D) 133 grams [ref01]

The specifications really show that the Palm Treo Pro is a high-end device, up to today’s standards. I’ve highlighted some cool features. Pocketinfo already managed to publish a review, and I will put forward some conclusions combined with my own thoughts:

On the front of the device there are no hardware keys / buttons to control the softkeys. This can only be done with touching the screen, although this device is put forward as a business manager. Personally I miss this functionality !! Matthew Miller also asked Palm about this in his Q&A session. [ref06]
The GPRS / UMTS / HSDPA hand-over works remarkably well, and out-performs other devices like the HP iPAQ 914c, the HTC Touch Pro as well as Option Globetrotter and Bandrich datacards.
I like the fact that Palm has put a decent 1500 mAh battery, and I hope the Treo Pro can exceed the 1 business-day on one charge.
The device is really well balanced and can be easily controlled with one hand.
The dedicated threaded SMS application, which has been introduced on the Palm Treo 750, is switched for the standard Windows Mobile 6.1 threaded SMS application. However the great keylock application is still present on the device (one of the best implementations of the keylock I’ve seen). And furthermore the call button is mapped to the phone history (not the 10 last-dailed-contact with all the numbers like on the Treo 750)
The hardware keyboard is typically Treo, but compared to the Treo 750 the material is different and the whole keyboard seems to be smaller.

Overall it seems a pretty decent workhorse, and I invite you to read the articles on the weblog of Jason Langridge (you tube video) and Matthew Miller’s Q&A session with Palm. Both articles reveal some background information about certain design aspects. The Palm Treo Pro will hit the stores medio September (at least here in the Netherlands).

UPDATE:

Some new links with some nice video’s and eye-candy are added to the reference list !!