TouchPro
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Telus Touch Pro breaks cover again courtesy of Future Shop
Best Buy already did the honors a few weeks ago, but it seems like the release of Telus' Touch Pro is imminent now that Future Shop is... oh, you know, actually listing it in its mailings with a price and all. Excited Windows Mobile fans (and converts -- if such creatures exist) can apparently look to pay $239.99 CAD (about $206) on a three-year agreement, and you get a $50 gift card to boot. We're hearing that these are still difficult -- if not impossible -- to actually come by in Future Shop locations, but they've got to be shipping any minute now.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Latest spy shots show AT&T Fuze defaced with carrier's logo
We'd been encouraged in previous spy shots that AT&T was intending to keep a clean, brand-free look on the front of the Fuze, but what were we thinking? That'd never sit well with the suits up on the 49th floor of AT&T's headquarters (we just made that up, by the way -- we have no idea how many floors AT&T's headquarters has), and sure enough, the latest batch of shots is showing a big ol' logo slapped on the upper right of the face. The poster says release is currently planned for early November, but we'd say that target is about as solid as one of those Jello rings you make in a bundt mold. We'll believe it when it's on the shelf, as they say.[Via wmpoweruser]
Best Buy spills the beans on Telus' HTC Touch Pro and Touch Dual
We absolutely love it when stuff like this happens, the FCC do it -- well we might add -- and now it appears Best Buy wants in on the game at Telus's expense. While it comes as no surprise that Telus is snapping up the HTC Touch Pro, we honestly weren't thinking they'd have the Touch Dual on their radar, too. Curiously, the image gaffe doesn't mention dates and pricing, but seeing as it is in this week's ad, Telus might well be fleshing out those details in a day or two. Stay tuned.[Via Boy Genius Report and thanks, RileyFreeman]
HTC's Touch HD, Diamond and Pro get together for photo shoot
You've seen HTC's Touch Diamond, Touch Pro and Touch HD handled in separate instances, but CNET Asia took the opportunity to get all three of the handsets together for a little get-together. Atypical for most sibling relationships, these three seemed to get along fairly well, though we did overhear the Touch Diamond calling the Touch Pro "a fatso." Hit the read link for a few more looks.[Via SlashPhone]
Alltel getting Touch Pro?
If history is destined to repeat itself, it stands to reason that Alltel would be getting ready to follow Sprint down HTC's golden road yet again, does it not? This time around, of course, the devices in question would be the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro -- and we just so happen to have been presented with a shot of what appears to be an Alltel-branded Touch Pro doing its thing on a tastefully contemporary laminate surface somewhere. Word is that it'll launch "soon" after the Diamond does, making Verizon look all that much sillier that we haven't heard an official peep out of 'em. Can't be shown up by your new acquisition, can you, guys?[Thanks, Brandon A.]Update: More pictures have popped up, so this thing's definitely looking legit. 'Grats, Alltel subscribers -- it's like winning the lottery! Thanks, Mills!
Hands-on with Sprint's Touch Pro
We're just going to get this out of the way upfront: this thing's got back. The version of the HTC Touch Pro gracing Sprint next month isn't going to win any awards for miniaturization -- but with the VGA display, extremely usable QWERTY board, and the time-tested, buttoned-up business efficiency of Windows Mobile, it's hard to argue that they really could've done any more to make it a ridiculously usable smartphone. Interestingly, the phone isn't actually any larger than its GSM cousin; the curves applied around the edges here definitely add a few optical pounds and it's still pretty pocketable (just don't expect to ever forget that it's in there). The keyboard is fantastic (as all HTC keyboards tend to be) and we were surprised at how tasteful -- nice, even -- the chrome rings around the around the edges of the two halves actually are when you see them. The backside is done up in a soft-touch grey that would probably look just a little better in black (or even the Touch Diamond's red), but at least the neutral shade keeps it just about as biz-friendly as they come.Now here's the important part: after spending considerable time with both this and its QWERTY-free counterpart, we can definitely say that this one shouldn't simply be considered a "better Touch Diamond." The Diamond murders the Pro for total pocketability, sex appeal, and feel in the hand -- so you've really got to ask yourself just how badly you need that keyboard before you pull the trigger one way or another.%Gallery-31662%
Sprint launches HTC Touch Diamond and Pro into officialdom
Yeah, we all knew -- or rather hoped with all digits crossed -- they were coming, and what better venue to make the announcement than at CTIA in San Francisco. We've talked about these two for what seems like ages so we won't bore you with the tech babble, the important bits are Touch Diamond on September 14th, Touch Pro on October 19th. Pricing? Touch Diamond will run you $249 on two years after $100 rebate and the Touch Pro $299 on the same term after the same $100 rebate. Job well done busting these two out Sprint, we can't wait to get hands-on.
AT&T Fuze gets FCC approval?
It's always good news when some sort of Touch Pro garners approval from that lovable bureaucracy we call the FCC, but this one has an extra-special place in our hearts: we're pretty sure it's the Fuze. Digging a little deeper into the documentation for the HTC model with code "NM8RPLT" reveals that it's a Raphael, and it sports HSUPA 850 / 1900 -- and if that doesn't dovetail nicely with what we're expecting out of AT&T any day, week, month, or year now, we don't know what does. So tell us, FCC, how are AT&T's customizations to TouchFLO 3D? Tasteful? Annoying?
AT&T page confirms HTC Touch Pro as "Fuze"
Before a single AT&T-subscribing soul dreams of jumping ship for Sprint just to pick up the Touch Pro in a few weeks, hold up: we can pretty much confirm that it's coming to your neck of the woods, too. We've already seen some totally legit-looking shots of HTC's hottest QWERTY WinMo piece in AT&T trim, but now we have some more damning evidence in the form of a Google cached page detailing the so-called Fuze on the carrier's own site. As expected, we've got tri-band HSDPA, GPS, WiFi, and BlackBerry Connect waiting for us when AT&T finally decides to pull the plug on the Tilt and make this thing happen. Follow the break for AT&T's poetic Fuze verbiage -- and take your time, since there's no indication that we'll have this in stores in the next few days.[Thanks, Fred]
Leaked Sprint roadmap reveals Touch Pro, Touch Diamond dates and pricing
From the looks of it, Sprint has gone and gotten a decent chunk of its playbook leaked all over the interblogs, and it's chock-full of titillating information. Thanks to slippery fingers and loose lips, we already knew that the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro were headed to the carrier, but now we have some solid dates (mid-September for the Diamond, October 19th for the Pro), and pricing ($549.99 and $579.99 unsubsidized, $249.99 and $320 with contract). Of course, this is all according to the above document, which admittedly could be the work of an extremely bored Photoshopper -- but this jibes pretty tightly with a lot of other chatter we've been hearing.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC wars: Touch Pro, Touch Diamond and S740 go head to head
Now that the cat's out of the bag it was no trouble tracking down HTC's S740 this morning, and just for kicks we rammed the phone up against the Touch Pro, which we subsequently rammed against the Touch Diamond and an iPhone for a generally violent display of smartphone force. It is worth noting that while the S740's keys are similar to the Touch Pro's, they're not quite as deep or clicky, which leads to a rather sub-par typing experience by HTC's standards. That glossy mirror finish on the phone screens isn't doing them any favors either -- even when wiped smudge free it seems to impede viewing -- and we must say the Touch Pro's matte finish makes the Diamond and iPhone 3G look cheap in comparison. Oh, and when asked about the Dream, the HTC rep quickly replied "we don't know anything." It was worth a shot, right?%Gallery-30814%
FCC outs HTC Dream's dimensions: it's smaller than the iPhone 3G
Attempts to keep the most hotly anticipated consumer electronics devices under wraps these days are getting more and more futile. It's hard enough for companies to control disgruntled employees and leaks in the international supply chain, stir in a giant government organization and things quickly unravel. Case in point: T-Mobile's HTC Dream, widely believed to be the world's first Android handset. After Engadget loosed the Dream from its FCC constraints on the 18th of August, HTC contacted the agency on the 19th with a request to use a less detailed diagram for the FCC label placement. Fortunately for us they complied, giving us what can only be construed as official measurements in the process. The newly unveiled 115 x 55-mm dimensions tell us that it beats the iPhone 3G in terms of length and width but is almost certainly thicker than the iPhone due to the Dream's sliding QWERTY. The tiny dimensions come as a surprise if you've seen the videos of the purported Dream and Dream reference design. So small, yeah, but it's still longer and wider than both the Xperia X1 and HTC's own Touch Pro QWERTY handsets. Here's how the smartphones compare: HTC Dream: 115 x 55-mm iPhone 3G: 115.2-mm x 62.1-mm Xperia X1: 110.5 x 52.6-mm HTC Touch Pro: 102 x 51-mm Image of HTC's label exchange request after the break.[Thanks, OC]
Video: HTC's Touch Diamond / Pro are multi-touch gods, just not how you'd think
While multi-touch input might be all the rage in handhelds and laptop trackpads at the moment, alas, it's not on the feature list for HTC's latest Touch Diamond and Touch Pro. However, the capability is indeed present and exploited on video by HTC's own debug application. Even more interesting is the way that the handsets' entire front, capacitive surface (not just the 2.8-inch, 640 x 480 pixel display) can be used for multi-finger input. So like Dell's Latitude XT Tablet which launched multi-touch ready, expect to see future, multi-touch capabilities come to HTC's latest... someday. Click through for the vid.
HTC Touch Pro turning into the "Fuze" for AT&T?
We were personally pulling for the "Full Tilt," but WMExperts is citing a tipster that claims AT&T's rendition of the HTC Touch Pro will end up seeing the light of day as the "Fuze." That name would certainly make sense, because, you know, "Fuze" is a word that evokes ultimate productivity without sacrificing the hip style that today's young mobile professional demands. Whoa, did we just channel a marketing guru, or what? The tip goes on to say that we can expect the QWERTY slider to hit "sooner rather than later," so you might want to hold off on that imminent Tilt purchase if you can help it.[Thanks, Malatesta]
HTC Touch Pro now available in UK
Vodafone expected the Touch Pro to touch down in the UK this month, and sure enough, said expectation has become a reality. HTC's mighty WinMo-powered smartphone is now available from official UK distributor devicewire, and if you just so happen to use pounds as your primary currency, you can claim one of your own for the eye-popping price of £514.99 (including VAT). We won't bother converting that into dollars -- trust us, you're better off pretending you don't know.[Via coolsmartphone]
HTC Touch Pro hands-on
After spending a few minutes with it, there's no question to us that the Touch Pro is HTC's most impressive handset to date (even if you count the Xperia X1). Okay, the phone is still a bit thick (roughly the same as a Tilt), and there's no 3.5mm headphone jack, but it's got a very small footprint and a very comfortably proportioned keyboard. We can also really definitely appreciate the lengths HTC is going to trying to make Windows Mobile a bit less doggish these days -- but were they to spice up the Touch Pro with a capacitive touchscreen and Android, HTC might just have a game-changer on their hands.%Gallery-29419%
Sketchy claims, pictures of first AT&T Touch Pro emerge
With all the Touch Diamond / Touch Pro news surfacing for these US CDMA carriers, quite a few AT&T subscribers are beginning to get restless. Calm down, folks -- it seems the AT&T Touch Pro is a reality waiting to happen after all. Based on some admittedly dodgy claims and even dodgier photographs, one particular soul has apparently paid $900 for a pre-release Touch Pro with North American 3G. Only time will tell if he got duped, but we're going to believe that AT&T wouldn't let this gem pass it by for too much longer until proven wrong.[Via wmpoweruser]
Vodafone UK expects Touch Pro this month
So when exactly is the Touch Pro launching? Unless you're in the UK, we can't answer that with terribly high certainty -- but yeah, you Brits now have a target window to start saving for. Vodafone's online business shop says that HTC's mightiest QWERTY handset is "expected" in August, and while we admit that they could simply be airing out their wishful thinking on their product pages, it'd be awfully poor form to do so. Instead, we suspect HTC and Voda are on the hotline with one another here, and we'd give the window some weight. Now, if any other carriers would care to chime in with their own windows -- preferably in August -- we wouldn't try to stop you.[Via CoolSmartPhone]
More details on HTC's Touch Diamond / Touch Pro for Verizon and Sprint
There's no doubt that both of HTC's forthcoming handsets (yeah, the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro) are coming to Sprint and Verizon. What we're still curious about, however, are the respective launch dates and the eventual names. phoneArena has it that the Touch Diamond will go by HTC Victor on Sprint and HTC Diamond on Verizon, with the former packing a slightly speedier CPU, an aluminum frame, accelerometer, 4GB of internal memory and EV-DO Rev. A support. As for Verizon's, expect it to boast half the RAM (128MB), a wimpier CPU, microSD expansion slot and a stainless steel frame. Moving on, we're told that the Touch Pro will be rechristined HTC Herman for Sprint and HTC Raphael (nice to re-meet you!) for The Network. Finally, we're clued in on a September 2nd release date for Sprint's Victor, while the Herman is expected a month later. As for Verizon? It'll probably be 30 or so days behind in both instances thanks to a presumed exclusivity agreement with its nemesis. Get all that?
HTC's Touch Pro gets toyed with on video
You're getting anxious for the release of HTC's Touch Pro, aren't you? As the heads bob up and down in unison, we're thrilled to be able to pass along a hands-on video that complements the images you've already seen (numerous times) quite well. Nothing too special going on, just a new way of looking at the handset you're still longing for. Check it out in the read link.
