I can't quite put my finger on it...
...but from the front/side it looks just like another phone i've seen
We were expecting the HTC Touch Pro2 to emerge around the same time as its cousin the Diamond2 back in April, but it looks like the wait has done the Pro2 good. Not least of its charms is a new version of HTC's TouchFLO 3D interface, which further relegates Windows Mobile to the background, but there's also a slide-out Qwerty …
So it's basically the same size and weight as the old TyTN/TyTN2, just marginally thinner.
As for satnav, don't you just download Google Maps?
Biggest question is of course when will the networks actually be offering it (T-Mobile took more than 6 months to get around to shipping the Touch Pro!)?
Why a touch interface AND a slide-out keyboard? I own an iPod Touch and have no problems with the touch keyboard, certainly no more than I had when I first carried a Blackberry at a previous job. It seems redundant to me and a big source of that extra heft. Am I missing something?
4 pages with a page and a half on the camera and only a sentence on web browsing.
Surely no one is buying a phone like this to take pictures or even for that matter make phone calls?
It is a business phone at a serious price for people wanting to do serious netty things and a review needs to review those things and not trivia.
I currently have a TyTN II, and it's very much a love/hate relationship. I run Opera on it a lot, and have push-email from Exchange enabled. I like being fully connected all the time. However as a previous poster commented, the TyTN II suffers from freezes and random slowdowns (even with the semi-official WM6.1 firmware).
But the big thing for me is, the 800x480 screen. Finally I can use the net without having to constantly tap-zoom-and-scroll.... When will Voda be selling it ?
Some of us don't like using touch screen keyboards.
HTC does offer other phones like the Touch Diamond2 which don't have the keyboard for those people who are happy using a touch screen to type
At the end of the day its all about choice and not being dictated to by the manufacturer
Monty, of which iPhone target market do you speak? Obviously it clears the hurdles for the home, hobby, geektard, music loving, teeny-bopper, bubble-gum crowd. But with ActiveSync and a slew of business-oriented applications, not to mention 802.1x and the PPTP and IPsec VPN client, it seems to do well for business which currently have it deployed.
I have assisted in deployment of a few of these devices, though I do not own one myself -- the SonyEricsson whore that I am. In all cases, they work wonderfully and present the business user with a distinctive class of product.
Although I do prefer a native Windows Mobile phone for ActiveSync and Pocket-Office apps, remote wipe (for phones that actually support it,) etc.
Paris, supporting remote wipe.
"Biggest question is of course when will the networks actually be offering it"
I got mine from Vodafone last week (free handset on 30/month contract with data) - I'm still playing with it under the 7 day return if I don't like it policy and have been comparing it to the Android Magic and the iPhone that friends have. All three have their plus and minus points. My comments:
Onscreen and physical keyboards both work well enough although this is my first touch screen phone so still getting used to them. The TouchFlo interface can be a bit sluggish sometimes but that's probably me not being firm enough with my swiping. Speakers on the back are definitely quite loud, not used it for a conference call yet.
As for battery life - it's been running unplugged now since Saturday morning, powered the whole time with wifi enabled the whole time but not necessarily connected to an AP. It still has about 15% of battery left at a guess. It's not been heavily used, it reports about 5 minutes of calls and 2.5 hours of 'device use' since it was unplugged - device use being texts and downloading emails, maps and weather.
One of the niggles I have is the change in interface when you switch from the glossy HTC front end into a Windows look and feel - going from the thumbnail preview of an email message or text into actually reading the thing. It doesn't present a problem, just feels a little less polished compared to Apple or Android where the whole OS and interface comes from the same company. (3rd party apps aside)
On the subject of 3rd party apps, it does miss a central appstore so there is no one central place to look for interesting apps - that appears to be underway for windows6.5. And while there are probably more apps in total for Windows mobile than Android or iPhone, a large amount appear to be for earlier versions of the OS or don't fully support the hardware and haven't been updated for some time. There also seems to be a different approach to cost - while a simple app on the iphone/android may cost less than the price of a coffee, a number of recommended apps for windows phones seem to be hanging around the $30 mark - which I'm not prepared to pay for yet another video player that may or may not work on this phone. There are a lot of free apps too, but some companies do seem to be on the high price bandwagon.
Steve.
Sorry, word on the grapevine is T-Mobile won't be offering it, they haven't even got it in testing and if you look at their T-Mobile HTC branded catalogue they've slimmed the offerings down by a few phones.
If you want to upgrade but stay on T-Mob, try Mobilephonesdirect, they will do the upgrade for you and hopefully you'll not have to pay sim-free prices for the phone.
It's my next phone in August, can't wait to get shot of this Touch Dual, I miss my qwerty keyboard.
I have just upgraded from a Tytn2 to a an Iphone 3gs. I really liked my Tytn2 but when the vowels stopped working on the keyboard i have to start using the stylus with the touch keyboard. Bleugh.
Hopefully this is an improvement. I might request this as a replacement for my business BB as the curve i have is shocking.
Make the goddamn camera better than the goddamn K800i so I can buy a pissng smartphone, will you?
A flash, some teeny tiny actual optics and anyone that wants to take decent pictures WILL BUY YOUR SHIT.
What here is different from the other HTC phones? The keyboard, that it? How long will that last? More power, fine, but making it multi-purpose is THE BIG WIN.
I want a nice new phone that at least matches this one, if Sony could do it 2 years ago..
I'm not sure how many people are bothered by cameras in phones. The sort of upgrade you might hope for is from a 3MP to a 5MP, or upgraded optics, either of which won't really produce a step change in picture quality (as well as size and cost). People who want to take decent pictures aren't going to look towards a smartphone to do so. Especially when cheap but capable compacts (and DSLR, nearly) are now affordable and very much superior for the sorts of people who would buy this sort of phone
Exceptions are for fieldforce operations where a picture can be taken of a job for audit purposes, and uploaded to a central server as part of a form submission on a mobile device. How detailed a picture would you then need for this purpose?
What graphics are behind the Touch Pro 2? Would like to see more of a media review of the phone. Also, can we have an upgraded Windows experience behind the TouchFLO? Although Mobile 6.1 is useable, it's starting to look rather tatty behind the iPhone and Blackberry mail, SMS and contact apps.
i looked at iphone, htc touch hd, blackberry storm and other touch phone form nokia, samsung etc... while they are nice looking, nice interface but it is not food for me.I am a touch typist and all of them fall flat on their faces when typing, not good enough. what is the point of holding the phone in one hand and swiping with your fingers with the other hand? how is that productive?
Phones with keyboards, while bulky, they offer huge versatality when it comes to fast email typing, memos, texting etc... or even reading ebooks.
The beauty of Windows mobile, the sheer number of applications for it, you can even change the rom, the interface and one look twice at you. you are not locked in to any one provider. Your phoen is yours to do whatever you like, install whatever you like, connect as you wish. This is why I stick to Windows Mobile with keyboards. Yeah they are heavy but I am strong man with muscles ;-)
In fact I am still using O2 XDA Exec, the daddy of them all. It does everything those phones do with a fantastic keyboard and screen. Bulky, but then again I am not on the cat walk ;-)
Whoever claims these two are redundant is a hopeless iTard with non-IT and non-business profession (= no real need for typing.)
A QWERTY is ESSENTIAL for me - it is one of the reasons why I never considered buying an iTard phone (others are single-tasking only, retarded iTunes-only syncing, complete lack of average features that were average two years earlier already etc.)
just got this from t-mob.
"Good Afternoon ########
Thank you for your email i have looked in to your query and we will not be launching the vario5 as the features of the Nokia N97 features are very similar which will be launched this week.We have launched the compact 5 which is available now.
Kind Regards
########"
been hanging for this phone for ages. decent interface, good screen, keyboard, memory expansion all in the one package. so off to vodafone for me.... can't help but feel their current financial crisis is driving their stock more than similarity to the N97. After all, every other region of T-mob is stocking it.... you can follow the saga on xda developers here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=520694