HTC Touch Pro2 is awesome in ways the Touch Pro never could be

So, how do you make HTC's Touch Pro -- already near the top of the WinMo heap -- an even beefier device? For starters, you can throw out that nasty VGA screen of yesteryear and up it with a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 replacement. Next, add a dedicated touch-sensitive zoom slider that works overtime to take maximum advantage of said screen, then throw in a few key carryovers: 512MB of ROM, 288MB of RAM, microSD expansion, and a 3.2 megapixel cam. Meet the Touch Pro2, the official follow-up to HTC's popular series of QWERTY sliders that introduces so-called "Straight Talk" technology for "seamlessly" transitioning conversations between email, single-line calls, and party calls. It'll also automatically switch to the crazy high-performance, full-duplex speakerphone simply by flipping the phone over, so it's clear that this bad boy was meant for business. It'll launch early in the second quarter in parts of Asia and Europe with other "major global markets" following in early Summer. Check out a shot of the Touch Pro2 in its fully (and delightfully) articulated position after the break.

[yG @ Feb 16th 2009 5:37AM]

Awesome!!! Bad thing for me is that I have more phones to choose from to replace my very old, still good-looking Nokia N70

[yG @ Feb 16th 2009 6:03AM]

Hahaha
I was first to comment
Wala lang!

[hitsthings @ Feb 16th 2009 6:12AM]

"Wala lang" ?!?!

First to suck, too, it seems.

This phone, however, does not suck at all.


Unlike you.

[OneLove @ Feb 16th 2009 4:11PM]

so glad i waited!!!!!!

[Levi @ Feb 19th 2009 9:45PM]

haHAHAHAHahaha "wala lang?" That is hilarious!!!

[chicmbile @ Mar 14th 2009 3:48AM]

which is much better HTC touch pro2, HTC HD or HTC cruise 09... need your opinion guys thanks!

[insky @ Feb 16th 2009 5:38AM]

But we just barely got the original Touch Pro here in the US. HTC is making my next phone purchase a very hard decision.

[yG @ Feb 16th 2009 5:41AM]

We are having the same problem

[Sunny @ Feb 16th 2009 8:50AM]

Hong Kong and other Asia places too.

Touch HD and Touch Pro are landed about a few month
however, those price are justdramatically high

[pekosROB @ Feb 16th 2009 10:32AM]

Yeah, I got my Touch Pro last November. Grrr... but this looks tight. I just wish WinMo wasn't so laggy.

[Julius @ Feb 16th 2009 11:42AM]

Hard choice?
Not go pro2 dude. I hope ATT will carry it hough. Can't wait.

[Brandon L @ Feb 16th 2009 2:31PM]

+1

I planned on upgrading to the Touch Pro when that was announced.
But then I saw news of the Pre.
Then today I learned of the Touch Pro2.

Ugh. What to do.

[Dave @ Feb 16th 2009 5:39AM]

oh god, PLEASE put android on this

[chickenator @ Feb 16th 2009 5:58AM]

but it got windows key on it.

[thedesolate1 @ Feb 16th 2009 6:57AM]

Where the hell are all the new android handsets? Why are all the companies still mostly cranking out nothing but winmo phones?

[Ardentra @ Feb 16th 2009 9:33AM]

Because android is a big piling heap of fail, obviously. Seriously have you used the G1?

[Andir3.0 @ Feb 16th 2009 9:58AM]

[As soon as|If there's ever] there's an Android ROM for it, I'm definitely getting one. Been looking for a nice full screen touch phone with keyboard.

[RemDX @ Feb 16th 2009 10:53AM]

Why the hell would they put Android on a phone targeted so obviously at business-minded consumers?

Please, enlighten me. Or do you just go with the flow and scream out whatever you heard the cool kids saying so you look cool too?

[Andir3.0 @ Feb 16th 2009 12:36PM]

Because I simply want a good looking full touchscreen open platform phone with a keyboard... is that too much to ask? Seriously. I just want a smart phone with a sliding or folding keyboard. I don't want to have to type on the screen and I text a lot. It would also nice to be able to put whatever the hell I want on it.

What makes this a "business phone" anyway? The speakerphone? WinMo?

Oh wait... I have to be some "wannabe cool" person because I want a nice phone as opposed to some cheaply built G1 phone?

[thedesolate1 @ Feb 16th 2009 2:57PM]

@ Rem
No thats you feeding into all that marketing bullshit. Its like that " I'm a PC and Im a Mac" bullshit. They are both personal computers. Its like buying a windows box and saying you must use it for microsoft office suite and performing calculations exclusively because its the "business OS". A phone is whatever you make of it. Whatever applications you install and use it for is what the phone is for. The OS just provides functionality and the platform for you to create your programs. The canvas so to speak. Personally i like my OS very functional,flexible,stable and fast. Notice how i didnt say pretty? Well whats the use of a pretty os that is crappy?(winmo) I would very much like the ability to turn the prettiness on and off for when i need performance (im looking at u iphone).

No I haven't toyed with the G1 and it is a beta os and I question its "openess" but that is the initial conception and the hardware isnt up to par on the g1 that's why i have been waiting to see what new stuff manufacturers can come up with but they are letting me down.

Look at the nokia e71 its a "business phone" but it plays quake 3 and Ngage games, Gameboy advance, Mame, and snes like its nobody's business. lol. Get a pair of jaybird bluetooth headsets or some high quality headphones and it plays music magnificently. Its also fast and very stable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fU3Fsk6FAQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSjs-rUpcZw

[Jeff @ Feb 16th 2009 5:38PM]

The people who keep shouting "Please put Android on this" have never ever used an Android handset.

[Shadowlinedesigns @ Feb 20th 2009 9:54PM]

Keep an eye on XDA-Devs in the weeks/months after the release of this phone, and I can guarantee you there will be android on it.

[Peter D. Lai @ Feb 16th 2009 5:40AM]

It doesn't look like there's going to be a 3.5mm headphone jack. :/

[Logan @ Feb 16th 2009 5:45AM]

Are you kidding me? What's wrong with HTC? That's really my one big annoyance with my touch pro. I cant stand carrying around a stupid adapter just to plug in some phones once in a while. lame lame lame.

[yG @ Feb 16th 2009 5:48AM]

For me, any audio jack would do as long as there is an audio jack. Hey, it's better than nothing, right?

[untitled @ Feb 16th 2009 6:04AM]

It has a multi port thingamajig:
"HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0, audio jack, and TV Out* in one)"
http://www.htc.com/www/product/touchpro2/specification.html

[Kamokazi @ Feb 16th 2009 11:58AM]

Yeah it's annoying, but I got a slimmer 3rd party adapter that makes it pretty painless.

The extUSB is nice for the Proclip mount in my car though....just drop it in and audio and power are connected.

[Rhinoman @ Apr 19th 2009 8:53AM]

Why would you need a headphone jack - When it has Stereo Bluetooth like its lil bro the TP?

[Uncontrol @ Feb 16th 2009 5:41AM]

they just had to do the chrome bezel

it's ugly on the iphone and it's ugly here

[yG @ Feb 16th 2009 5:52AM]

what chrome bezel? and what's that? Hehehe. Sorry, I'm just new to these tech-y terms (I'm only turning 13! cut me the slack!)

[~~Tito~~ @ Feb 16th 2009 6:02AM]

The silver lining around the phone, like the iPhone. Google the word bezel, not a "techie" term

[Chandler @ Feb 16th 2009 5:43AM]

HTC needs to stop ruining these beautiful phones with this junky OS on it.

[yG @ Feb 16th 2009 5:54AM]

WinMo really isn't junky. It's just the way companies use the OS. Some leave the UI as it is, some improve it, some just make it uglier than it already is.

[chickenator @ Feb 16th 2009 5:59AM]

no android love?

[GroovDude @ Feb 20th 2009 6:46PM]

I actually see it as HTC needs to stop putting out junky hardware for Windows Mobile. I think Windows Mobile got such a bad name for lag and stuff, because companies under produce with barely minimal hardware specs to run windows mobile.

[Mile @ Feb 16th 2009 5:52AM]

Want.

[yG @ Feb 16th 2009 5:58AM]

just like everyone else :D

[killagill @ Feb 16th 2009 6:51AM]

Damn I just got the touch pro. Now I gotta shell out another $400 bones for the pro2

[HemanC @ Feb 16th 2009 9:01AM]

Only if any of the US carrier will subsidize it. It's rare for any new PDA phone for under $600.

[Daniel @ Feb 16th 2009 6:00AM]

so will it still have a slide out keyboard. if does i might upgrade my touch pro when it comes out in states.

[deyanimay @ Feb 16th 2009 6:32AM]

Slide and tilt.

[yG @ Feb 16th 2009 6:02AM]

Why won't companies just put a "Switch to a different OS" button? In that option, every major OS out there will be listed in that section so just everyone can be just happy?
Everyone is asked this question.

[hitsthings @ Feb 16th 2009 6:13AM]

You comment too much.

[ghex88 @ Feb 16th 2009 6:03AM]

Great depression and I still am going to bring this home.

[Aaron @ Feb 16th 2009 6:07AM]

It's really ironic that the original Touch devices (Diamond and Pro) had a bezeled backplate on them, and when the devices were released in America, the Sprint device was the only one that got the matte silver backing. It was also the one that a lot of people complained about, because it wasn't true to the "diamond" backing that the GSM versions had.

Now HTC comes along and releases an updated version of the Touch Pro, and the first thing I notice about the new devices is it has the same sort of silver backing that the Sprint Touch Pro had.

[sam.manley @ Feb 16th 2009 6:10AM]

Great another beautiful piece of phone hardware from HTC not running Android. Its like Android is the little runt of the pack sat in the back of the kennel flung only the nastiest, rotten pieces of meat (the HTC dream). Except that runt will come back and destroy the entire phone market in 2 years!

Bets on HTC announcing a huge, plastic piece of crap running Android at MWC?

[superhobo @ Feb 16th 2009 6:10AM]

I am so glad I didn't buy one of those older WinMo phones

[al @ Feb 16th 2009 6:23AM]

no d-pad? wtf? why!?

[Macbeth @ Feb 16th 2009 6:50AM]

because you don't need it.

[kmoth @ Feb 16th 2009 2:00PM]

I agree, dpad is still the fastest way to get around on windows mobile. Finger support is nice but sometimes I just want to get things done and stop playing with the screen.