Remo Knops

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

published on 16/02/2009 by Remo Knops

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

published on 16/02/2009 by Remo Knops

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: HTC Touch Pro

published on 02/07/2008 by Remo Knops

During my holidays HTC officially announced the HTC Touch Pro, as follow up of the HTC TyTN II. A few websites managed to have their hands-on a (pre-production) unit, so let’s have a look !!

The first pictures of the HTC Touch Pro, codenamed HTC Raphael, were taken on a T-Mobile event. In the meanwhile PhoneMag managed to shoot an impressive gallery as well as a nice video. Sometimes it’s even said that it’s simply a HTC Touch Diamond with an added hardware keyboard. [ref06] However this is not true since:

The 5-row qwerty keyboard has the CRTL key on it, and hopefully this is the way to a full desktop experience with loads of shortkeys, not just the copy-paste function. [ref01]
From the pictures on the HTC-website it seems that the TouchFLO 3D version on the Touch Pro seems an itterated version of the HTC Diamonds TouchFLO 3D. So let’s wait what improvements HTC has in mind with this version.

After comparing the specification sheets I was really surprised that this device is almost as powerful as the HTC x7510, which is the flagship and “powerhouse” in the Windows Mobile family. With this device one really has a powerhouse on pocketsize. Also the TV-out / VGA-out seems to be a really high end option, and hopefully it can be very helpful when connecting the device to a beamer.

Branding:

The first picture of the HTC Raphael was the T-Mobile version called MDA Vario 4. Besides the pink T-Mobile branding in the software and the logo on the casing, this type has another significant optical difference. The backcover is flat compared to the Diamond shaped back-cover of the HTC branded version. Also the O2 version, which is shown in the review of the::unwired has a flat back-cover, and the famous blue O2 branding in the software. If I follow my personal taste I prefer that latter, but there is another remarkable feature, which hopefully follows the XDA Touch Diamond. O2’s online shop states, that compared to the other Diamond incarnations, the O2 branded Diamond is bundled with TomTom Navigator 7, and hopefully this will be also the case with the HTC Touch Pro.

Finally and in addition to the different branding it’s also cool to compare the HTC Touch Pro with upcomming devices like the Sony Xperia and the Samsung Omni. the::unwired.net has shot some real nice comparison pictures of those devices (each having its own pro’s and con’s). The reference of PhoneMag is highly recommended !!

Reference list:

HTC Touch Pro product page
MOBILEBURN: Live Photos of HTC’s Raphael – the Touch Pro
PHONEMAG: HTC Touch Pro Hands on images and video
PHOTOVIEW: Hands-on with the O2 Xda diamond pro Windows Mobile Smartphone
VIDEOVIEW: Hands-on with the O2 Xda diamond pro Windows Mobile Smartphone
Phonescoop: Comparison pictures HTC Diamond / HTC Touch Pro

NEW: HP iPAQ 900-series Business Messenger

published on 13/06/2008 by Remo Knops

HP recently announced the follow up of the HP iPAQ hw6915 messenger: HP iPAQ 900 business messenger, with the 914c model specific for Europe (according to some online shops).

The HP iPAQ 900 series looks seem to have strong influences of the Blackberry design with its chrome sides, and the black color of the device make it a really stylisch and business oriented devices. Although the mass-market coolness and fanciness factor is remarkably lower than for instance a HTC Touch Diamond, the specifications are really impressive:

HP iPAQ 900 Series Business Messenger
Wireless Integrated Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and Tri Band UMTS/HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
Integrated WiFi – 802.11 b/g with WPA2 security
Integrated Bluetooth® v2.0 with EDR
Integrated multi-mode GPS navigation
Operating system Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Processor Marvell PXA270 Processor, 416 MHz
Display 2.46-inch transmissive TFT 65,000 color 320×240 pixel touch panel display with LED backlight
Memory 128 MB SDRAM
256 MB flash ROM
Dimensions 114 x 64 x 15 mm (4. 5” x 2.5” x 0.6”)
Weight (with battery) 154g (5.4 oz)
Power 1940 mAh Li-polymer rechargeable, user changeable battery
Interfaces USB 2.0 connector for sync/ charge and headset , micro-SD card slot
Audio Integrated microphone, receiver, speaker and mini-USB wired stereo headset
Camera 3 Megapixel, autofocus, 4X digital zoom, codec supports .jpg image file format
Hardware buttons Alphanumeric keyboard, scroll wheel, 5-way navigation, 2 soft keys, volume control, send /end buttons, reset, voice command [ref01]

Personally I’m a huge fan of the messenger type devices suited with non-sliding a full QWERTY-keyboard. The keyboards of the past Palm Treo 750, iPAQ hw6915 and HTC S620, were really good ones, and I hope that the 900-series follow that tradition.

A second really important aspect is the powerful 1940 mAh battery. I had a Samsung i600 once with a 1850 mAh extended battery and this was really a killer devices lasting 3 or 4 days (under normal use). So I really like the choice of HP. Compare this with the 900 mAh battery of the HTC Touch Diamond.

With Windows Mobile 6.1 and all the connectivity options this device seems to be a decent messenger, which could replace my current HTC S620, although I like the navigation on a non-touchscreen device. The device will start shipping on 30th of June 2008, so we need a little more patience.

Finally I would like to recommend the unboxing pictures on the Brighthand and Gear Diary websites.

UPDATE:

There are some new references added with initial thoughts, experiences and some real nice eye-candy. Matthew Miller from ZDNet has written a follow-up article and used the device for some time now. His conclusion really good reception !!