TouchPro
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Verizon Touch Pro's GPS unlocked -- and not by Verizon
Why wait for Verizon to do it? As usual, the always-vigilant WinMo community has come through with its own GPS unlock for Verizon's Touch Pro, meaning you're not locked to the VZ Navigator app -- pricey monthly fee and all -- to get your coordinate fix. The unlock's a little hacky, and the trick's author himself says that it should be characterized as a "beta," so we wouldn't recommend doing this if you rely on your Touch Pro to be spot-on perfect day in and day out -- but if you like living on the edge and you just love knowing where you are, this might be worth a shot.[Via wmpoweruser.com]
Matte HTC Touch Pro battery cover tones down vivaciousness of HTC Fuze
The Fuze -- which is none other than AT&T's version of the HTC Touch Pro -- has a rather distinct glossy battery cover. Evidently that's not sitting too well with some owners, who'd much prefer the classy matte version that ships on the carrier-free GSM HTC Touch Pro (which is commonly sold in Europe). If you're one of "those people," you'll be elated to know that the cover from the latter slides on the Fuze just fine, but you'll have to lay down upwards of $30 for the change in scenery. Suddenly, glossy doesn't seem so bad, eh?[Via WMPowerUser]
HTC Touch Pro breaks free on Verizon
If it's just gotta be Windows Mobile then the HTC Touch Pro is about as good as it gets. After HTC jumped the gun yesterday, the Touch Pro is up and dancing the QWERTY slide on Verizon's website exactly as rumored. $419.99 minus that $70 mail-rebate makes it yours for $350 with two-year contract. Right, $50 more than with AT&T.[Thanks, Leindurstit]
Verizon's Touch Pro gets HTC-style introduction
It looks like HTC jumped the gun here just a little bit for two reasons: first, we've yet to hear a single peep (officially, anyway) from Verizon about its Touch Pro's existence, and second, the "Buy Now" link on the product page takes you to... wait for it... Sprint. We don't know much, but we know that ain't right. Anyway, hang tight, folks, because we're still hoping for a release this week -- we've heard rumors that it may have been pushed back, but from the looks of things on HTC's end, they'd just as soon get this thing out the door on the double.[Thanks, Leindurstit]
Alltel releases the HTC Touch Pro
Alright T-Mobile, seriously, how can you charge $299.99 for a Wing on contract with a straight face (do carriers have faces?) while every single one of your competitors is rocking a device that's essentially two generations fresher for the same price? Alltel becomes the latest to add HTC's quintessential WinMo QWERTY smartphone to its stable, charging $279.99 for the privilege of adding a Touch Pro to your account on contract after $100 rebate. From the looks of things, it's basically Sprint's version with a tweaked version of the TouchFLO 3D UI that's either prettier or uglier than the stock build, depending on your point of view. Let's be honest, though: doesn't everything look good in VGA resolution?[Thanks, theups]
Telus offers HTC Touch Pro for $299.99 on a 3-year contract
We knew it was coming, and the day Canadian WinMo users have been dying to see arrive has, well, arrived. Telus Mobility has at long last decided to offer HTC's Touch Pro for those with the requisite coin, and while it's just the same as every other CDMA Touch Pro in terms of features, you'll be locked in for a solid three years (or eternity, same difference) if you're lusting after the $299.99 price tag. For those unwilling to sign the dotted line on such an agreement, you can pay $549.99, $599.99 or $649.99 on a 2-, 1- and 0-year plan, respectively.[Via MobileSyrup]
HTC Touch Pro graces Bell, gets non-outrageous price
We seriously have no idea how Bell managed to beat Telus out of the gate with this one, but they did -- so, you know, more power to 'em. The HTC Touch Pro has now landed on Bell's airwaves, putting the mighty WinMo set on the path to becoming one of the most widely-launched smartphones in North America in recent history; on that note, Verizon is probably feeling a little sheepish right about now, but with any luck, they'll be fixing that up in short order. Meanwhile, Bell subs can go ahead and hook up a Touch Pro for just $239.95 CAD (about $195) on a three-year contract, so if you can see yourself punching away on the same QWERTY board for thirty six months, get to it.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
AT&T Fuze gets extravagant hands-on treatment
Now that HTC's Fuze is live on AT&T, a few lucky souls out there have gone ahead and emptied their wallets to make your purchasing decision just a little easier. The Fuze, otherwise known as the HTC Touch Pro, has been carefully photographed and videoed by the WinMo connoisseurs over at WMExperts, and quite candidly, we're simultaneously jealous and impressed with the level of detail here. If you're looking for loads of multimedia to keep you satisfied until you have a chance to score one of your own, the read link has the goods.
Touch Pro launching on Verizon November 24, in stores December 1
And then there was one. Following a November 24 launch of the Touch Pro on Verizon, that'll leave just T-Mobile among the big four US carriers without a version of HTC's top-of-the-line QWERTY set -- though at a staggering $419.99 on a two-year contract, we're not sure that we'd bother anyway. To be fair, that price comes before a $70 mail-in rebate, but that only knocks it down to $350, which still makes the Touch Pro one of Verizon's priciest devices. Following telesales availability, we'll get to see it, touch it, and take it home from retail locations starting on December 1, which gives us a few days to collect soda cans and take 'em to Michigan for the 10-cent deposits.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
HTC Fuze now for sale on AT&T's web site
Well, that didn't take long -- the HTC Fuze just started trickling into AT&T retail stores, and now it's available for sale online as well. Just as we'd heard, pricing is set at $300 after rebate on a two-year contract, which makes the iPhone / BlackBerry Bold / Fuze decision all the more difficult for AT&T customers -- a dilemma we're guessing the suits in Dallas are only too happy to inflict upon the gadget geek masses. So, what's it gonna be?[Thanks, Marco]
HTC's official Fuze page shows up... kinda
If you had any lingering doubt that HTC's US, GSM version of the Touch Pro (AKA the Fuze) was headed to AT&T in the near future, you can probably take a deep breath. Thanks to an eagle-eyed tipster, we're now able to view HTC's official page for the device, although it looks like they may not be done with all the coding, as an image of the Tilt is still being used as a placeholder. There's no mention of release date, though we do learn that the device will sport AT&T's Cellular Video and Mobile Music services, and a "unique AT&T defined 5 row slide out / slide away QWERTY keyboard," which definitely means nothing at all. Hit the read link if you don't believe us, but for goodness' sake -- you should see someone about that paranoia.[Thanks, Wie]
Verizon's Touch Pro caught on video
Any festering belief that Verizon's version of the HTC Touch Pro is nothing more than a figment of our collective imagination can probably be put to bed now that we have it strutting its stuff on video, yeah? It looks pretty much like what you'd expect it to, sporting an interface every bit as crimson as we've come to expect from a carrier lovingly (or not so lovingly) nicknamed "Big Red." It'll have 512MB of ROM, TV-out, microSD support up to a purely theoretical 32GB, and an integrated business card scanner to put the 3.2-megapixel autofocus cam to work -- enough to make the Windows Mobile faithful on Verizon drool and give pause before setting their sights on the Omnia, we figure. It's not clear exactly when it'll hit retail, but November 14 is sounding like a possible date for deliveries to begin; in the meanwhile, follow the break for the full video![Thanks, lwright84]
AT&T Fuze hitting on November 11 for $299.99?
We figured those dummies probably meant something good was about to happen, and sure enough, evidence is building that we're just days away from an official Fuze release. Boy Genius Report has been ever so graciously provided with documentation suggesting that we'll see HTC's latest WinMo greatness on AT&T shelves come November 11 (just a day after the Quickfire) for $299.99 after contract and rebate discounts have been applied -- or a solid $499.99 if you want to kick it commitment-free. That pricing is right in line with the Bold, making for an interesting, drama-rich showdown heading into the end of the year. Fight!
AT&T Fuze dummies popping up in stores
Sprint beat 'em with the Touch Pro, but that doesn't mean a throng of AT&T customers aren't going to be delighted to hear that the Fuze is now shipping to stores -- sort of. Retail locations are receiving dummy Fuzes now, which don't do much good if you're trying to store contacts, make appointments, or place calls, but at least give us a solid indication that retail availability ain't too far off. Sorry, Tilt -- you had a good run, but our lust definitely lies elsewhere at this point.
Sprint's HTC Touch Pro now available for purchase online, as promised
We heard last week when Sprint launched the HTC Touch Pro at "select national retailers" that the device would be available online on November 2nd. Well, it's November 2nd, and they've kept their promise. The base retail price of the QWERTY smartphone is $579.99, but an "instant savings" of $180 combined with a $100 mail-in-rebate brings the price down to palatable $299.99 (with a 2-year agreement, needless to say). Of course, if you're really starved for human contact, you could always head over to a Sprint store and buy one in person, too. Update: Had a little trouble with those read links -- all fixed now.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
AT&T Fuze shows up again, this time courtesy of eBay
We can't help but wonder who these mysterious individuals are who get pre-release gear from carriers and manage -- somehow -- to sneak it onto ginormous, hugely visible auction sites without getting into any hot water. Not to say we're complaining; after all, how else would we have the opportunity to see the Fuze's retail box guide book (strangely devoid of AT&T branding) and get a second confirmation that there's going to be a big ol' AT&T logo slapped on the upper right corner of the face? Not to mention that this gives all us peasants the opportunity to scrape up and count the dimes that've collected underneath our couch, hoping beyond hope that we somehow have enough cash to place a bid. We never do, but we can dream.[Via wmpoweruser.com]
Sprint launches Touch Pro at "select national retailers" this week
Locked in a footrace with AT&T's Fuze to become the first US national carrier to launch a variant of the HTC Touch Pro, Sprint has announced that folks can start ordering the QWERTY smartphone this week from "select national retailers," making good on a promise made at CTIA last month. That's not quite as cool as a full-scale launch, but at least we'll start to get 'em in the wild in the next few days -- meanwhile, a more full-scale, fanfare-filled launch is planned for November 2 when the Touch Pro is made available online, via phone, and in all Sprint stores. Any Touch Diamond buyers feeling lingering regrets right about now?
Fuze turns up on AT&T's website, again
The Fuze, otherwise known as the HTC Touch Pro, first turned up briefly on AT&T's website more than a month ago only to be abruptly pulled down, but it's now finally made a reappearance, and it's apparently staying for good this time. As you might expect, however, there's not exactly anything new to be found, with AT&T's description of the device identical to the one it first put up, but if you had any doubts that the device was in fact headed to AT&T, and that it would indeed be called the Fuze, you can now safely put those to rest. Now, about that release date...[Thanks, Steve]
Future Shop feels really bad about Touch Pro mixup, offers Touch Diamond blowout as peace offering
When it comes to the retailin' biz, apologies don't really mean a lot to us -- unless they're accompanied by some sort of financial recompense, of course. Canada's Future Shop is graciously extending an offer to sell Telus' HTC Touch Diamond for just $99.99 CAD on a three-year contract (a $100 discount) after it was unable to deliver on its flyer's promise of a Touch Pro this week for $239.99. The store blames the "vendor's shipping delay" for the gaffe, and you know what? We believe them.[Via MobileInCanada]
Sprint delaying HTC Touch Pro by a little bit
Bad news, Sprint users. That HTC Touch Pro you've probably been waiting for won't be ready for your soft, delicate hands on Sunday. According to an undisclosed contact at the carrier, the outfit is expected to "slightly delay [the] launch of the Touch Pro by HTC to ensure it has adequate inventory in all channels before making the device commercially available." If you're looking for specifics, we're told that consumers can expect the handset "in select national retailers by the end of the month and then in all Sprint sales channels (including online at www.sprint.com and Sprint stores) by early November." It's not that next month is really that far away, it's just that next month isn't on Sunday. Bugger.
