TouchPro2
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Hacker cons HTC Touch Pro 2 into providing multitouch, other WinMo devices too (video)
Never, ever doubt the skill and determination of the guys over at xda-developers, capable of cracking any device and bringing you fresh ROMs to brighten up your stuffy gadgets. This latest bit of wunder-code isn't a full new image, rather a tiny WinMo app that does something magical: enables multitouch on single-touch resistive screens. How? Sadly developer OndraSter isn't saying just yet, but it relies on leaving one finger in place and moving the other, so perhaps it detects a jump in touch position and treats it as a pinch gesture. In the videos below it's shown working in Opera, but should work anywhere, and while the developer filmed these on an HTC Touch Pro 2 he says this will work on just about any WinMo 6 or 6.1 device. The app has sadly not been released to the wild just yet, but we hope OndraSter drops some binaries soon before he starts a riot among Windows Mobile users with more than one finger. [Thanks, Wes]
Sprint's HTC Touch Pro2 gets official Windows Mobile 6.5 update
Sprint had promised a first-quarter update for its Touch Pro2 way back in January, and sure enough, it's delivered the Windows Mobile 6.5 boost right on time. It might not have as much punch now that we know everything there is to know about Windows Phone 7 Series, of course, but it's still a pretty big deal -- the Touch Pro2 remains one of the best Microsoft-powered phones you can buy in the States, and unlike AT&T's Tilt2, it launched with that grubby old WinMo 6.1. It's available now, complete with Sense "enhancements" and a variety of bug fixes -- so if you've got one of these bad boys in your pocket, it seems like a must-grab.
HTC Touch Pro2 gets a new lease of Android life, loves it (video)
Android for Windows phones -- simple concept, simple enough installation, but awesome results. The good people behind the XDAndroid project have been working hard to allow you to get your Google juices flowing nice and freely on your WinMo device and the latest build looks to have all but completed the task. Demonstrated on a Touch Pro2 -- a phone that recently got itself Ubuntu-ized -- the Android installation experiences no difficulty in making calls, sending SMS or email missives, or browsing the web. There are still limitations, mind you, with GPS, Bluetooth and "other key functions" not yet available, but for the most part you're looking at the full Android experience on devices that weren't initially meant for it. Check it out on video after the break or hit the source link for detailed instructions on how to load this up on your own phone. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Seems the Touch Pro2's keyboardless cousin has no intention of getting left out of the party -- m8cool has a little exposé on HTC's Touch Diamond2 dual-booting WinMo with Android. Thanks, stagueve!
Ubuntu hits HTC's Touch Pro2, is any Windows Mobile handset safe? (video)
If there's one thing we're pretty sure Windows Phone 7 Series will be worse at than its Windows Mobile precursor it's in the running of various and sundry other operating systems. We've seen Android running on seemingly every WinMo handset ever created and more recently Ubuntu has been receiving the mobile treatment. Last month it was on an Xperia X1, now an HTC Touch Pro2 is getting a taste. A modder who goes by the handle sebbo90 is the one responsible for this, running basically the same technique as used earlier on the X1. It looks quite easy: just download a 200MB zip, extract it to your phone, then run an exe within. A few moments later you'll be in open source heaven, and, from what we can tell looking at the video below, it works remarkably well. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to hit up eBay to find a used handset and get hacking.
BlackBerry Application Suite leaks, ready to corrupt a perfectly good WinMo phone
We'd figured that RIM's ambitious (if not questionable) project to port the juiciest morsels of BlackBerry OS to a virtual machine running atop Windows Mobile was abandoned long ago, and for all we know, it has -- but the half-baked remnants of the undertaking are finally available thanks to the good folks at xda-developers. BlackBerry Application Suite, as its known, has finally found a proper home in a CAB file that's making the rounds on the forums, and it's apparently been bolted together with enough duct tape to work on an AT&T Fuze. Well, "work" is a relative term -- you've apparently got to be on a BES server for it to work, you need to generate a valid PIN, and actuating the touchscreen requires a double-tap, but when you're ready to stop punishing yourself with this craziness, the cold comfort of WinMo is just a couple clicks away. If you think you need this, odds are you really just need a Storm2, but hey, feel free to ruin your weekend trying to get this to work.
Sprint outs details on WinMo 6.5 update for Touch Pro2
Windows Mobile 6.5 fever: catch it! AT&T had the good fortune of releasing the Tilt2 late enough to get 6.5 out of the gate, but the other guys have been falling in line ever since: first Verizon, then T-Mobile, and now Sprint's getting in on the action. The bad news is that they're only committing to a vague "by the end of first quarter, 2010" window at this point, but the great news is that this appears to be more than a simple 6.5 bump -- Sprint says that there'll also be "significant enhancements to the Touch Pro2 user interface which will allow additional customization / personalization options and more integration with the applications users access most." We'll take it -- and actually, why don't you just go ahead and make it this mysterious 6.6 while you're at it, guys?
T-Mobile's Touch Pro2 and Dash 3G signed up for WinMo 6.5 updates this month
So far, it seems like manufacturers (well, HTC and a couple others, anyhow) are staying on the ball about upgrading recent handsets to WinMo 6.5, and the next deserving pair comes from none other than T-Mobile USA -- the Dash 3G and Touch Pro2. Of course, the unbranded versions of both of these handsets (the Dash 3G goes by Snap internationally, you may recall) were quite literally the first pre-6.5 devices anywhere to get updated way back in October, so you could make the argument that the American cousins are already way, way behind the curve. Anyhow, the carrier is saying that official updates for both models will be ready for download on the 20th of this month, so get ready to say your final goodbyes to 6.1 and start wishing that you'd received a 6.5.3 update instead.
Verizon's HTC Ozone, Touch Pro2 blessed with official Windows Mobile 6.5 updates
Remember that leaked Ozone ROM from a couple weeks back? Yeah, well, it's back -- and this time it's being offered in a very official way. PCD -- the middleman between Verizon and HTC -- is offering Windows Mobile 6.5-imbued builds for both the Ozone as well as the Touch Pro2, bringing it up to spec with AT&T's Tilt2 which launched with 6.5 out of the gate (thanks in no small part to its late availability). Both updates are posted on PCD's site, so go grab 'em while the grabbing's good. [Thanks, Brian]
Leaked Sense ROM with landscape mode looks wider than it is tall
Landscape orientation: a bastion of width-lovers everywhere. Indeed, hearts have to be melting on news that the leaked T-Mobile USA-branded HD2 ROM -- which has somehow made it onto some Touch Pro2s thanks to xda-developers' usual black magic -- seems to have revealed a new landscape mode for Sense, the beautified WinMo skin formerly known as TouchFLO. Though this makes a ton of sense for devices like the Touch Pro2 that actually need to be used sideways when the keyboard's deployed, we think it'll find plenty of use on slates like the HD2, too. Won't it?
HTC Touch Pro2 and Snap among first official WinMo 6.5 updates
HTC promised way back at Mobile World Congress in February that the Touch Pro2 would be fully upgradeable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when the binaries went gold, and... well, here we are. Sure enough, they're making good on the promise by rolling out official updates for both the Touch Pro2 and the Snap so far, though this is one of those situations where availability for your particular version of the phone is going to depend on carrier branding, locking, and the phase of the moon, among other things -- so if the updates don't work for you, you can wait for your carrier to get in gear or, you know, try your luck over with the always-helpful xda-developers to roll your own update. [Via Smartphone Thoughts] Read - HTC Snap Read - HTC Touch Pro2
AT&T's HTC Tilt 2 handled: it's very much a Touch Pro2
Unlike the Pure's transformation from its Touch Diamond2 roots, AT&T's Tilt 2 is very much a Touch Pro2 for look and feel. Given our past experiences with the device, we'd say that'll suit the phone's business-oriented clientele just fine -- it's not like you'd want to turn it into a "fun" phone by coating it in wacky colors and preloading it with every social networking client this side of Orkut, after all. We didn't have a ton of time to pore over the interface, but we get the impression that TouchFLO is largely intact (though tweaked by AT&T, naturally) and the keyboard's different than what you'll find on the generic European version -- the top row is all symbols with a numeric pad (a little staggered, unfortunately) near the right side. Check out a few more sexily-lit shots in the gallery. %Gallery-75127%
AT&T's HTC Tilt 2 coming October 18? (updated)
AT&T's official press materials might coyly say that the HTC Tilt 2 will launch "in the coming weeks," but we just noticed that an official Windows Mobile 6.5 PR blast we got from Microsoft lists Blue's take on the Touch Pro2 as launching October 18. Sounds about right, we'd say -- anyone planning to grab one? Update: We were just sent an internal AT&T memo that says the Tilt 2 is actually being stocked and sold to business customers as of today, but that it won't go widely on sale until the 18th. So, our question stands, with an addendum -- anyone planning on pretending to a businessperson today in order to grab one?
HTC Pure and Tilt 2 bring Windows Mobile 6.5 to AT&T
Long-rumored versions of HTC's ubiquitous Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 have finally been made official for AT&T -- but perhaps more notably, they mark AT&T's very first forays into the WinMo 6.5 arena as Microsoft officially unleashes the latest version of its mobile platform on the world this week. The Pure (pictured left) is a particularly heavy rework of the Diamond2's industrial design, shedding the square metal-adorned shell for a glossy black plastic one while carrying over the 3.2-inch WVGA display and 5 megapixel autofocus camera. Meanwhile, the Tilt 2 resurrects the Tilt name -- dormant since AT&T's version of the TyTN II made way for the Fuze last year -- bringing a 3.6-inch WVGA display, full QWERTY keyboard with tilt-up display (hence the name), full duplex speakerphone, and a 3.2 megapixel cam. The Pure will be the first on shelves, available already (ahead of Microsoft's official release on Tuesday, interestingly) for $149.99 on contract after a $50 rebate; the Tilt2 comes "in the following weeks" for $299.99 after $50 rebate.
Sprint readying big price drop on Touch Pro2?
We'd hypothesized that neither Sprint nor T-Mobile wouldn't be able to hold out long at the positively ridiculous $349.99 on-contract price point they'd both set for the HTC Touch Pro2 out of the gate, and it looks like at least one of the two might finally be getting the hint. Sprint's now rumored to be bringing the beastly smartphone down to $199 after mail-in rebate, which would match Verizon's current pricing -- a move Sprint simply had to make, especially considering that the carrier typically positions itself as a value brand. Hopefully this rumor pans out, in which case T-Mobile will be looking pretty silly if they hold out at $350; if they capitulate, that'll put all of the currently-released US Touch Pro2s under the magic $200 mark and put a ton of pressure on AT&T to stay in line by the time it drops the green flag. [Thanks, Guy]
How would you change HTC's Touch Pro2?
HTC's Touch Pro2 is the cat's meow on paper, and the US carriers that have managed to score it have demonstrated as much with their outrageous MSRPs. But with Android devices popping up in more places than ever, is the TouchFLO'd Windows Mobile experience really cutting it? We've already shared our own opinions about one of the best specced phones to land this side (and that side) of the Mississippi, but as you know by know, this space is all about you. If you've splurged on the Touch Pro2, why not give us a shout in comments below and let us know how that decision is working out for you? Feel free to mention the carrier as well, particularly if you've got some beef with reception. And... go!
Verizon grabs HTC Touch Pro2, prices it right at $200 on contract
C'mon folks, say it with us now: "Finally!" After T-Mobile USA and Sprint decided to charge two arms and three-quarters of a leg for HTC's fancy-but-not-world-changing Touch Pro2, Verizon Wireless has stepped in to show those other guys how to price a phone appropriately. Big Red's version of the WinMo 6.1-packin' handset will be available starting tomorrow (just as we'd heard) for $199.99 on contract, though that is after a $100 mail-in rebate. You already know what to expect in terms of specifications -- 3.6-inch WVGA tilting touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera, a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, built-in GPS for VZ Navigator and a microSD expansion slot. Now, there's just the decision to overlook Sprint's Any Mobile, Anytime plan or not...
Sprint kicks off HTC Touch Pro2 sales at $349.99
So, any luck socking away $350 worth crisp, unmarked, non-sequential US currency over the past week since the Touch Pro2 was officially announced for Sprint? If so, we'd just like to offer a friendly reminder that you can now head over to Sprint's online store to place your order -- and yes, that $349.99 you'll be shelling out is after rebate and discount on a new two-year contract. Being second doesn't come cheap, it seems. [Thanks, Wilson]
HTC Touch Pro2 graces Verizon on September 11
Alright, so maybe a square Nokia isn't your style -- we understand. Maybe you'd like something a little more businesslike, something with a little more Exchange ActiveSync flair and a keyboard with room to spare. What you're looking for, we reckon, is the Touch Pro2 -- and now that Sprint and T-Mobile both have it, it's Verizon's turn to get real with HTC's latest QWERTY beast. Knowing full well that this is a businessperson's dream, HTC and Verizon have gone ahead and stuffed EDGE in there to keep you connected while you're abroad; otherwise, you've got the same WVGA resolution, 3.2 megapixel cam, GPS, and WiFi as the other guys, and just like Sprint, you're signed up for that all-important 3.5mm headphone jack. Global capability doesn't come cheap in this case, though: expect to pay $299.99 on a two-year deal before a $100 mail-in rebate.
Video: Sprint HTC Touch Pro2 unboxed, compared to T-Mobile version
There's not long to wait now, with September 8th confirmed as the date the Touch Pro2 hits Sprint stores, but just in case your cup runneth over with anticipation, we've been to the future and videotaped what you'll be doing this coming Tuesday morning. The Sprint model you see above comes with a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack (is that a chorus of approval we hear?) and some minor keyboard and color scheme modifications from the T-Mobile version we reviewed a while back, but yeah, you already knew that. Anxious to see it? Run along past the break and look out for the new back cover, it's quite the eye catcher. [Thanks, thedoctor]
Sprint follows T-Mobile's lead, wants $350 for HTC Touch Pro2
We figured the suits over at T-Mobile USA were on some of that good stuff when they slapped an almost comical $350 (on contract) price tag on HTC's Touch Pro2, but evidently said "stuff" has made its way into the halls of Overland Park as well. After months of watching evidence mount, Sprint has finally come clean and admitted that HTC's EV-DO Rev. A-equipped superphone is coming to its network, and with it will come access to Sprint TV as well as NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile apps. The smartphone will go on sale September 8th, though you'll have to pony up $349.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) in order to secure one on a two-year contract. We're all about that 3.6-inch WVGA tilting screen, but with Palm's Pre selling on this very network for a full $150 less, we're thinking this one won't appeal to many outside of the WinMo faithful.
