Gadling gear review - HTC Touch Pro2

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The basics



Inside the Touch Pro2 is an absolutely stunning 800x480 display with ambient light sensor. Seriously - this is quite simply one of the best displays on the market in any phone. It is so unbelievably crisp, that you can't help stare at it in amazement. The screen measures just under 4".

The phone is powered by a very snapp 528MHz Qualcomm processor and it has 512MB of rom and 288MB or ram at its disposal.

The version I tested came with quadband GSM/EDGE support and dualband WCDMA (3G). Of course, it also has WiFi (802.11b/g) and Bluetooth 2.1. Upcoming versions will support different frequencies, more on that later.

The most interesting feature of the Touch Pro2 is its sliding/tilting screen. This design is not new to HTC, as they used it in the past on the AT&T Tilt (HTC 8925/TyTN II). The ability to slide or tilt the screen is awesome - it means you can type on the phone whole holding it with both hands, or place it on a desk and use it as a mini laptop.

The phone can be expanded with a MicroSD memory card, and I had no problems using a 16GB card full of music and video files in it.

Like most current HTC devices, the Touch Pro2 also includes a G-sensor/accelerometer for automatic screen rotations (and for playing Teeter, a very addictive game included on the device).

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The design



Chrome accents, a massive display and a minimalistic design, make this one good looking phone. Sure, its chrome outline and large flat front, may make it look a little bit like the iPhone, but there are plenty of small touches on the Touch Pro2 that help make it stand out.

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Applications



As I mentioned earlier, the Touch Pro2 runs the same "flavor" of Windows Mobile as the Touch Diamond2 we previously reviewed.

In addition to the standard lineup of Windows Mobile and HTC applications, the version I tested also included Adobe Reader, the JBlend Java runtime and JETCET presenter (a Powerpoint display application).



Of course, the phone also comes with the Opera browser, which really does bring some excellent browsing to the device, and offers a much better surfing experience than Pocket Internet Explorer. Opera is also very "finger friendly" making it easy to scroll or zoom without having to reach for buttons.

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The keyboard



This entire section can be described in one sentence: best keyboard ever. Really - after so many years of various keyboard designs, the Touch Pro2 finally broke the code for designing the best keyboard. The keys are spaced perfectly, with an offset on each row, just like on a "real" keyboard.

The top row is a full row of numbers, there is a large(ish) space bar and a whole assortment of shortcut buttons.

With the Touch Pro2 in your hands or on a desk, you really can type a long email, without missing any keys. I'll admit that it still isn't at the stage where you can write your next bestseller on your PDA, but it really will boost your productivity.

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Multimedia



The multimedia features on the Touch Pro2 are clearly designed with a strong focus on the business user. This doesn't mean it won't please consumers, but the newest features included on the Touch Pro2 will really appeal to people using the phone for work.

The first (and most impressive) multimedia feature is called "straight talk" - this turns the phone into a very impressive speakerphone, capable of being used for multi-person meetings. If you have ever used one of those nifty conference phones, you'll know how convenient a good speakerphone can be. The phone has dual microphones to pick up the voices of partiicpants, as well as a mute button on the back.



The Touch Pro2 also supports the TV-Out cable from HTC, which means you connect the phone to a TV, projector or compatible monitor. Once connected, you see everything shown on the display is displayed through the output. This makes it perfect for presentations (or games).

The camera in the Touch Pro2 is a "mere" 3.2 megapixels, but its autofocus still helps make pretty decent photos.

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Availability

Unlike some of the other phones from HTC we've reviewed here on Gadling, the Touch Pro2 will actually be available from select mobile operators very soon. This means you won't have to fork over the full retail price to get your hands on this beauty.

T-Mobile is the first operator to sell the phone, and is asking $349 when bought on a 2 year contract. Yeah, that is not a typo - $349.

The usual leaked documents show it heading towards Sprint (in September) as well as Verizon and AT&T.

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Final thoughts

I called the Touch Diamond2 the best Windows Mobile phone ever - but it now has competition. Each phone is clearly targeted at a different audience - the Touch Diamond2 has no keyboard, but does offer a 5 megapixel camera, as well as an FM radio, while the Touch Pro2 adds the awesome Straight Talk speakerphone and TV out.

The Touch Pro2 I reviewed did not come equipped with a standard headphone jack, instead it relies on the same extUSB plug found on most other HTC devices. This is only moderately annoying, and means you'll need to invest in a $20 adapter to use your own headphones. Performance is snappy and battery life is surprisingly good (I got about 4 days out of it).

PRO'S: Fantastic design, very usable keyboard and bright display
CON'S: Bulky, no standard headphone jack, Windows Mobile 6.1 is feeling dated (will be upgraded to 6.5 later this year)