Mobile and Smart Phones

In recent years HTC has become a driving force in the smart phone market, they have released some innovative and lust-worthy products. They may not have the marketing power or image of Apples i-Phone but they do have the features, if features and flexability are what you're looking for then they have more than one device capable of fullfiling your requirements. The HTC Touch Pro has been upgraded with a newer version, the HTC Touch Pro 2. This new smart phone is an elegant-looking upgrade that incorporates a full keyboard for those of us who like them.

 If you read the marketing intro on the HTC home page it is quite evident they are marketing this device to business people. With the large feature set though, it is a great choice for anyone who is a gadget enthusiast or even someone who wants a lot more than just a mobile smart phone. Like most phones that run Windows Mobile the customization and features you can add are only limited by the hardware  and the amount of storage available.

Experienced Windows Mobile users already know there is wide range of free applications on this platform available for specific functions and tweaking. So lets start with looking at the hardware.

• Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz
• Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• ROM: 512 MB
• RAM: 288 MB
• 178.5 grams (6.3 ounces) with battery
• 3.6-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
• Adjustable tilt screen
• HSPA / WCDMA Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
• Internal GPS antenna
• Bluetooth® 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
• Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0, audio jack, and TV Out* in one)
• Main camera: 3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus
• Second camera: VGA CMOS color camera for video chat
• microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• G-Sensor (accelerometer)
• Noise-cancelling dual microphones and speakers

This new revision is larger and heavier than the previous one, however that can be forgiven as HTC has learned from past mistakes, listened to consumer requests and incorporated some of the better design features of their earlier phones.

For example the poor battery life of the HTC Touch Pro, which was one of its major flaws, seems to have been eliminated in this second generation product. I have only had the phone for about a week but so far I am getting about 2 days to a charge. The extra size hasn't gone to waste, they have also increased the screen size and resolution from 71mm 480x640 pixels at  3:4 aspect ratio to 91 mm 480×800 pixels WVGA. (5mm smaller than the HTC touch HD)

The form factor of this phone resembles the almost ancient HTC Hermes devices, with the softer edges and slide out keyboard . The keyboard now has the ability to tilt so if you have it sitting on your desk you can still see the time or an open document you are reading without having to crane your head. The tilt mechanism is very stiff, particularly upon initial movement. On closing there is a distinct mechanical click just before it goes flat. The phone feels sturdy and well-made.

There has been a refinement of the user interface. The responsiveness seems to have improved over previous versions. HTC's Touch Flow has been further integrated into WM with the addition of larger menus and buttons in a wider range of programs. The start menu is now a grid of large finger friendly icons. Finger scrolling and the UI has been improved to the point that you may not even require the use of your stylus for 90% of the activities available on the device. They have also added a new physical element to the UI. The new "Zoom Bar"

The Zoom Bar allows you to zoom in on images, documents and the web browser. This makes web browsing more user friendly. Similar functionality is being developed at XDA developers to add this feature to the HTC Touch HD.  For those of you who are experienced in changing roms or tweaking WM devices this news will probably make it harder to choose which of the two phones to purchase as they are very similar devices.

User Experience

The Touch Pro 2 has good call quality on my network even though it is not specifically supported. So far the call audio has been clear and trouble free with no dropped signals. The speaker phone function, which I use in my car, is loud and clear, no-one has yet complained about the call quality or audio when I use it this way, so it is either good or my friends are too polite.

There is also a handy mute button ( pictured right ) which is well placed for when you are using the speaker phone function.  My only concern is the grid pattern covering the speaker may attract dirt, or in my case milk if I absent mindedly put it down on the kitchen counter.

You can see the camera lens and speaker channel in the image. The camera lacks a light or a flash. I don't use the camera but if you do this may be a concern.
 

Text messaging is very comfortable, the keyboard is well spaced and large enough to make it usable without accidentally hitting more than one key.

Overall this is a good phone. There are only a few small issues that I have with it. I listen to music on my phone and I store the music on my SD-card. Unlike the older Hermes devices the SD-card slot is internal which is inconvenient if you use it for portable data like music. There is also no 3.5 mm headphone jack, only the standard micro-usb port which is also used for charging. This limits your choice of ear buds unless you carry an adapter. If this is a feature you prefer the HTC HD actually has a standard 3.5 mm jack, but again the SD slot is internal.

The three newest releases from HTC share some very similar specs.  Rom , Ram , processor  and screen resolution are pretty much identical. The differences are shape, screen size, and a few hardware extras like the magnetic stylus and keyboard. There are also some minor software differences, but again if you are comfortable with unlocking a phone and installing custom roms you can change just about any software feature.

For me the bigger screen, dual speaker and slide out keyboard make this a more attractive choice than the Touch Diamond 2. If you like the HTC products then choosing one over another recent release will be a close call and depend entirely on how you intend to use it. This phone is marketed as a business device but I can see many people getting it for its keyboard and similar features to the HD.

Pros:

• Improved UI with some nice touches and integration
• Improved responsiveness
• Nice keyboard
• Huge feature set
• Good call quality
• Sturdy and seemingly well made
• Excellent hands free /Speaker phone
• Tilt screen

Cons:

• Stylus is not magnetic like the other recent HTC phones
• No 3.5mm headphone jack UPDATE: New releases have been upgraded to include the 3.5mm jack. The inclusion may be dependant upon which vendor you make your purchase through and /or what region of the world you live in. You should confirm this with the seller befor making a purchase.
• No camera flash
• SD-card pacement is internal
• May accumulate dirt in speaker channel grid or in the slider (remains to be seen)

To give you an idea of the features and interface the youtube video below was uploaded by http://pocketnow.com.

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