As expected, T-Mobile has launched the Touch Pro 2.

The HTC Touch Pro 2 features a 3.6-inch WVGA touchscreen display in a thinner design with adjustable tilting display and updated TouchFLO user interface along with the Opera Mobile web browser.

The rest of the featureset consists of a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and video recorder, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi radio, GPS transceiver, accelerometer, microSDHC expansion slot and 3G access.

The phone is now available for $349.99 after $200 instant online discount.

Buy the Touch Pro 2 from T-Mobile
Get $30 Cashback from PhoneCashback.net

Product Category: Windows Phone running Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard

Manufacturer: HTC / T-Mobile

Where to Buy: T-Mobile

Price: $349 (No Contract) / $199 (2 year Contract)

Requirements: Need to speak to others, desire to be connected to information.

Specifications: QUALCOMM 528 MHz, Quadband GSM, Dualband UMTS (Supports T-Mobile USA 3G), WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, 2 MP Camera, GPS.

Pros:

• 3G Data Connection (In T-Mobile 3G Markets);
• GPS Capabilities;
• Speedier than the original!

Cons:

• Imprecise Trackball;
• Button arrangement will confuse Dash devotees;
• No real incentive to upgrade if you aren't in a 3G market or don't need GPS.

Summary: The original T-Mobile Dash was a great little device that only started to feel dated recently. With 3G rolling out farther, GPS being standard, and 1 MP being woefully bad for a camera phone, the Dash 3G sets out to update its older brother into 2009. But is it worth the price to upgrade?

A Bit On The Original Dash

I own an obscene number of Pocket PCs and Smartphones, and switch through them quite regularly. However, one that had probably seen the highest amount of use in the last 3 years was my T-Mobile Dash. I bought the Dash in October 2006, and have found it to be a trusty companion. It's rugged enough to slip into a pocket on weekend getaways, yet productive enough to be used all week. It also has a very usable (at least to me) keyboard and is fairly solid from an operating system stand point. In conversation with many of my fellow Windows Mobile enthusiasts, the Dash consistently received high marks. Even our own Executive Editor was known to profess his love of the Dash. So when HTC took a few years off from making a phone in the same style, it was a bit troubling. Thankfully they've returned (and so has T-Mobile) to this form factor with the Dash 3G. But seeing as the Dash 3G runs almost the same operating system as the original Dash and only really adds 3G, a trackball, GPS, and some fancier styling, I was anxious to see if it was worth the upgrade.

Figure 1: The Dash 3G packaging next to the larger packaging from the original Dash. The Dash 3G packaging is designed for the consumer to open (it flips open to display the device) while the original was utilitarian.

The Device

Physically the Dash 3G is nearly identical in dimensions as the orignal Dash. It's slightly thinner, and a bit longer, but still feels fairly compact and light in the hand. The buttons are slightly bigger and are rectangular as opposed to square. Oddly, this seems to have made it more difficult (at onset) for my big hands to use. I've had to train my hands over the last few days to hit the buttons a bit differently than when I used the Dash or any other square-button phone. The D-pad on the Dash was replaced with a trackball on the Dash 3G. While this initially seems like a good idea, it's woefully imprecise when attempting to scroll quickly through. I had to turn the sensitivity up to high just to get it to feel like it responded to my touch. While the trackball adds some nice new features (e.g. a mouse pointer in Internet Explorer), I really wish I had my old D-Pad back. Interestingly enough, Jason had quite the opposite opinion of the trackball - he was happy it didn't have an infinite scroll to it. I guess I just move faster than Jason, as I felt the trackball couldn't quite keep up!

Figure 2: Dash on the left, Dash 3G on the right. Notice the key layout on the 3G is slightly different than other versions of the HTC Maple.

The soft key button layout also differs, with the soft key and home buttons now side by side as opposed to top and button. The same is done on the right resulting in a more button-jamming appearance. Again I wish it was still top / bottom, however I'm slowly getting used to it. One feature from the original device that I do not miss is the Joggr bar. Now I know what you're saying "What Joggr?" - because any Dash user after day 1 pretty much abandoned that thing if all possible. HTC apparently listened and decided not to even try it again on the new version. Thank goodness.

Also gone from the device is a dedicated power button (it's now the red End key), which results in the red end key not locking the phone as it does on the original. The A / * key now locks the device. There is also a "Favorite" button at the bottom of the keyboard that can be mapped to whatever app you'd like (which is a nice improvement over the asinine t-zones button on the original Dash). Finally there is a volume button on the left, and charging port on the upper right as opposed to the bottom (similarly to what was done with the Pantech Matrix Pro; seriously, who demands the charging port be in the upper right?!?).

A device listing page has listed selected specifications for the forthcoming Sprint variant of the HTC Touch Pro 2.

The device is identical to the reference version with a 3.6-inch WVGA touchscreen display in a thinner design with adjustable tilting display and a new speakerphone implementation with two mics and two speakers for noise cancellation that is activated by turning the phone on its face.

The rest of the featureset consists of a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and video recorder, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi radio, GPS transceiver, accelerometer, microSDHC expansion slot and 3G access along with quadband GSM/EDGE access for international roaming.

A leaked internal employee information slide has revealed that T-Mobile plans to launch the HTC Touch Pro 2 on August 12th.

The T-Mobile HTC Touch Pro 2 is the successor to the venerable and outmoded Wing in the carrier’s smart device lineup and represents a substantial upgrade with a 3.6-inch WVGA touchscreen display in a thinner design with adjustable tilting display and a new speakerphone implementation with two mics and two speakers for noise cancellation that is activated by turning the phone on its face.

The rest of the featureset consists of a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and video recorder, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi radio, GPS transceiver, accelerometer, microSDHC expansion slot and 3G access. No pricing information is known at this time.

This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the 2009 version of the T-Mobile Shadow, a Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard smartphone (non-touch screen). The T-Mobile Shadow is in its second incarnation, but this model is similar to the previous version. It features a 260 Mhz CPU, 128 MB of RAM, 256 MB of ROM, and a 2.6 inch screen with 240 x 320 (QVGA resolution), and built-in 802.11b/g WiFi. There's no GPS, but it does have Bluetooth. It's a quad-band GSM phone, with GPRS/EDGE speeds for data - no 3G here. It has a built-in 2 megapixel camera, but no flash, and weighs in at 5.3 ounces. I requested the T-Mobile Shadow for a review article I wrote for Microsoft - it hasn't been published as of yet, but when it is we'll link to it.

After the launch event for the T-Mobile myTouch 3G, representatives from T-Mobile have confirmed some further details regarding the HTC Hero and the myTouch 3G.

First, CTO Cole Brodman has confirmed that T-Mobile will not be launching the recently announced and highly anticipated HTC Hero Android device, stating that the myTouch 3G is the flagship Android device for the carrier this year.

Finally, other T-Mobile representatives have confirmed that the device warranty for the myTouch 3G will last as long as the customers’ contract, which would make it an unheard of 2 years with the additional allowance to exchange non-functioning devices within the timeframe.

The first details and images of the forthcoming XV6175 (HTC Ozone) have surfaced thanks to a leaked employee information slide.

The HTC Ozone is a variant of the reference HTC Snap which features a dual-mode CDMA EVDO Rev. A/GSM/EDGE radio, QVGA landscape display, Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, A-GPS support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, Qualcomm chipset with 256 MB of RAM and 192 MB of ROM running at 528 MHz, speakerphone, microSDHC expansion slot and 2.0 megapixel camera with video recorder, auto focus and flash.

Preliminary availability for the device is set for June 28th online and through Telesales, with wider retail availability set for July 13th. Preliminary pricing is set at $429.99 Month-to-Month, $189.99 on a new 1 year agreement and $119.99 on a 2 year agreement before an additional $70 mail-in rebate, bringing the totals to $119.99 and $49.99 respectively.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

HTC Snap goes on sale in the UK originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I used the T-Mobile Dash (HTC S621) for what seemed like an eternity, and other than a few minor quibbles (namely that silly "JOGGR strip") it was pretty much the perfect phone for my needs. Touch-based phones were fun and flashy, but on the Dash I got real work done. It was fast, stable, felt perfect in my hand, was rugged, and had a fantastic keyboard. Sadly, HTC all but abandoned the form-factor when they became obsessed with beating Apple in the touch game - they never gave the Dash a significant update. When I decided I needed 3G speeds, the Dash got retired in favour of a Samsung Blackjack II. It's not a bad phone, but it's no Dash. At pretty much every Mobius event, I'd bring up the fact that I think HTC was missing a great opportunity by not continuing with this form-factor; that they had become too touch-obsessed and there was room for them to innovate and compete with Samsung and Motorola on this form factor. Many other Mobius attendees shared my opinion. An HTC representative shared with the Mobius group recently that this product was a direct result of our feedback. How cool is that?

OK, enough chit chat, let's get down to the nitty-gritty: the Snap weighs 4.23 ounces with the battery, and is 4.59 inches tall, 2.42 inches wide, and 0.47 inches thick (11.9mm). For comparison purposes, the S621 is 12.8mm thick, so they managed to shave a single mm off the thickness - but when you consider that the battery got a boost from 960 mAh up to 1500 mAh, that's quite impressive. The Snap claims 8.5 hours of talk time on GSM and 5 hours on WCDMA, while standby times are 15.8 days on GSM and 20 days on WCDMA. Interesting how the standby times are a reversed - WCDMA is easier on standby time but harder on talk time. Go figure.

At the heard of the Snap is a Qualcomm MSM 7225 running at 528mhz, Windows Mobile 6.1, 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM, a microSDHC slot for expansion, and the typical quad-band GSM/GPRS and tri-band HSDPA/WCDMA (900/2100 MHz). The HTC S522 will have the 850/1900 Mhz bands. Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g WiFi, and GPS/AGPS round out the offering. The 2.4 inch screen is 320 x 240, it has a 2.0 megapixel camera, and instead of the "JOGGR strip" it has a "jog ball". The QWERTY keyboard is offset and looks like it might be an improvement over the already excellent keyboard on the S621. There's some software innovation here as well - HTC has something called "Inner Circle Email Management" that's supposed to act as an email Inbox filter, showing you the messages from a pre-selected list of up to five people. Seems a bit quirky, but HTC has attached a dedicated button for it on the keyboard, so they must be pretty serious about it.

Although there's no guarantee that this device will get a 6.5 update, Microsoft has said that any device with 128 MB of RAM and a 400 Mhz CPU is "6.5 ready". It's up to the OEMs to release the update of course, but the HTC Snap is fully capable of running 6.5.

The full press release, and more images are below.

HTC Snap makes staying in touch with more people less complicated HTC's newest QWERTY smartphone features "Inner Circle" to automatically prioritize email from life's most important people

LAS VEGAS - April 1, 2009 - HTC Corporation today debuted its newest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC SnapTM. Designed with a set of features selected to deliver everything customers need without overwhelming them with things they don't, the HTC Snap makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with life's most important people.

A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive® and commissioned by HTC* found that 44% of US adults are often overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive, and over half (55%) of US adults prioritize five or fewer people with whom they communicate via email. In response to these issues, HTC's innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.

"Recognizing that people are being overwhelmed by an avalanche of email, the HTC Snap introduces Inner Circle, an HTC innovation that makes it easy for people to prioritize messages from the most important people in their lives at the press of a button," said John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, HTC Corporation. "The HTC Snap represents the latest step in HTC's mission to create a range of innovative smartphones, each with specific benefits designed to both surprise and delight our customers."

With a slim, sleek profile designed to fit perfectly in the hand, the HTC Snap measures less than a half-inch thick (12 mm), yet it can deliver up to eight and a half hours of talk time with the standard 1500mAh battery. The full QWERTY keyboard is ergonomically designed with extra-large domed keys and responsive tactile feedback to make typing emails and text messages fast, accurate and comfortable. High-speed 3G HSPA connectivity makes it quick and easy to send pictures to friends, access favorite social networking sites, or download large files while on the go.

The HTC Snap is powerful enough for experienced business users looking for an affordable, straightforward choice for remotely synchronizing email, calendar and contacts with their Microsoft Exchange server. However, the flexible Microsoft Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard platform allows the HTC Snap to also be simple enough for first-time smartphone users wanting to keep their family life organized.

The HTC Snap is expected to be available in select channels during the second quarter of 2009, rolling out in markets around the world throughout the second half of the year. Additionally, an unlocked version supporting HSDPA at 850/1900MHz for the US market will be made available under the name HTC S522 during the summer.

And now for some high-resolution photo goodness...

Product Category: Windows Mobile Standard

Manufacturer: HTC

Where to Buy: eXpansys USA [Affiliate]

Price: $474.99 USD

System Requirements: Compatible system or service for syncing

Specifications: Windows Mobile 6.1, QWERTY keyboard, 528MHz processor, 2.4in QVGA display, 256MB ROM/RAM, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 900/2100 MHz HSDPA, 801.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, 3.2MP camera

Pros:

• Small form factor
• Great keyboard with a lot of keys, functions, and shortcuts
• Quick and responsive

Cons:

• Small screen makes it horrid for web browsing
• Navigation keys are poorly designed
• The device is really thick

Summary: Off the bat I want to thank eXpansys for loaning us the HTC S740 that I have been using for the past few weeks to put together this review. I will start off by saying the time I have spent with this device has been really enjoyable and it was really nice to carry around a Windows Mobile device again for a bit. In the interest of full disclosure though I would like to state that I unfortunately could not use the HTC S740 continuously throughout the time I had the device as my only handset since due to the nature of a project I was working on for work. I had to switch back to my Google Android device for several hour stretches every few days. Now that we have that out of the way, onto the review!

What's In The Box

Inside this nice compact box we have an assortment of accessories as well as the handset itself. There is a very fashionable travel/home charger that is designed to match the phone, a pair of headphones with a micro-USB adapter, micro-USB cable for charging and syncing, as well as the phone itself and a couple of pamphlets.

Figure 1: The freshly opened HTC S740 box contents.

Figure 2: From left to right: software CD, user manual, battery, travel/home charger, data cable, headphones.

Initial Impressions

For starters, I was very surprised at how thick this device was. As you can see from some of the comparison shots below, the HTC S740 is as thick as Google's flagship phone the T-Mobile G1. If you have not seen the T-Mobile G1 in person then I will be the first to tell you it's a pretty beefy phone. To have a Windows Mobile Standard device be equally as thick was a little off-putting at first but eventually I got used to it. Also since the device is awkwardly shaped I found it pretty uncomfortable to carry around in my pants pocket. Luckily it's winter and I was always wearing a coat or jacket of some kind with plenty of pocket room. Another thing you'll notice is the reflective mirror-like surface on the front of the device. While it's esthetically pleasing to the eye, it unfortunately is a huge smudge magnet.

Figure 3: T-Mobile G1 and HTC S740 side by side.

Figure 4: HTC S740 and T-Mobile G1 side profile shot.

Figure 5: HTC S740 and Samsung Blackjack side by side.

Upon powering up the device I ran across something else that gave me a bit of a startle. Either my eyes were going bad or this phone came with one of the most sub-par screens I have seen on an HTC device in years. From the looks of the homescreen as well as browsing through the Start Menu, the screen on this device appeared to be a bit washed out. Not one to just throw in the towel right away I sat down with the phone and started poking and prodding through all of the settings and pre-installed applications and quickly discovered while looking at the pre-loaded images on the phone that there was nothing wrong with the screen. In fact the screen was downright gorgeous and incredibly vivid. The problem with the device was the operating system. It was like hooking up a computer running Windows 98 to a HD monitor. A lot of the graphics in the OS, as well as the icons, just look washed out, jagged, and well past their prime.

Figure 6: A glance at the aging Windows Mobile interface.

A version of Opera Mini Beta version 4.2 has been made available on the Android Marketplace for the T-Mobile G1. 

Image courtesy of FreewareAndroid.com

The version available on the Android Marketplace is identical to the release for standard Java devices with skins, YouTube support, file uploads, improved Opera Link support, page zooming, and faster browsing via US-based proxy servers.

This is a new type of review that I'm experimenting with - rather than me doing an exhaustive review of a product, I'm giving a Windows Mobile smartphone to someone else for a couple of weeks and asking them about their experience using it. I think there's a lot of value in real-world testing of products by people who aren't experts, because as much as I try to put on my "Everyman Hat" when I'm testing a product, I still carry a bias with me. This first Real World Review fell together nicely: my wife had a phone on our local CDMA carrier in Calgary, Telus, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to ask HTC for an S640 for review.

Q: Let's start off with the basics: this is your first Windows Mobile-based phone. What were you using before, and why did you want to leave it behind to try a Windows Mobile smartphone?

A: Before I started using my HTC S640 with Telus, I was using a Motorola KRAZR (also with Telus) and an iPAQ Pocket PC rx1955 as my PDA. I would sync it over WiFi or at home to my Exchange server in order to keep track of appointments and contacts - when it would work. The WiFi was really unreliable on it! I often couldn't connect reliably to WiFi with it and it would then be out of sync. I really liked the look of the KRAZR - sleek and sexy - but as I started text messaging more and more, I found it just simply wasn't meeting my needs, largely because I wasn't very fast at using the predictive text input. My iPAQ wasn't connected, so it was useless to me as far as a device for communicating with my friends and family. It was at that point I decided I wanted to look into getting a Windows Mobile smartphone.

Q: You always told me you preferred being a two-device person. What changed your mind?

A: I don't think I fully bought into the concept of a single device until I started using the HTC S640 smartphone. Now that I have my email, calendar, contacts, phone, etc. available to me no matter where I am on a single device, without having to remember to sync it when I get home, or am in range of a wireless network, I can't believe I waited as long as I did to make the switch! More than anything, using a smartphone gives me the ability to be productive no matter where I am. I don't have to worry about things like whether I'm missing appointments because my calendar is out of date. I also love having a QWERTY keyboard to use for texting and responding to email. Composing messages on my KRAZR took far too long. Now it takes me a fraction of the time.

Q: So let's talk about the HTC S640. Are you finding it easy to use? You went from a touch-screen device to a keyboard-driven device. Is there anything you miss from the iPAQ?

A: I definitely was worried about losing the touch screen, as I'd grown used to the ease of using a stylus. However, transitioning to a keyboard-driven device has been a breeze. I've even figured out how to play games with a keyboard instead of a touch screen! I feel like data input was easier on a touch screen - specifically as far as calendar appointments and contacts were concerned - but other than a small learning curve to figure it out with a keyboard, I don't miss the touch screen at all.

Q: I remember you saying you had trouble finding the ringer volume, which is one of my long-standing complaints with Windows Mobile Standard smartphones - in this instance, they don't function like basically every other phone on the market where the volume buttons control the volume of the ringer, and putting the phone into silent or vibrate mode. How have you found the HTC S640 in use as a phone - does it measure up to the Motorola KRZR in pure phone functions?

A: I felt like a bit of an idiot when I couldn't figure out how to adjust the ringer volume, and had to ask for help. It seems like such a basic function for a phone. Generally I like the HTC S640 as a phone, but I've accidentally hung up on more people than I can remember. Even though I have the "Any Button Answer" function turned off, if I pick up the phone while it's ringing and locked, any key I hit hangs up on the caller. Very awkward and inconvenient, to be sure. Otherwise, I love having my whole contact list available to me everywhere I go.

Q: You haven't installed much on the HTC S640 yet - how do you find the included software on it? Is there anything missing in terms of what you use the phone for in day to day use?

A: I'm not a huge software user on this device yet...however, what I do have on it is more than adequate. I tend to use the email, text, and Internet software most, along with a few games, and I haven't run into any issues with any of these.

Q: How has the battery life been on it? How often do you have to charge it?

A: Battery life has been hit and miss. Normally I can get two to three days of use from a full charge, however, recently I recharged it fully, used it normally for a day, and it died on me that night. I'm not entirely sure what caused the major battery drain, but any phone should absolutely provide longer than a single day's use on a full charge. Thankfully it hasn't happened again.

Q: Has the phone been stable? Have you had to reboot it or has it crashed at all?

A: The only time I've rebooted it is when I accidentally hit the Power Off option when switching ring modes from Normal to Silent. :-) The other day the call button wouldn't work - I selected a phone number, and pressed the call button...and nothing happened. I was able to dial the number manually, thankfully.

Q: What about call quality and call volume? Has anyone noticed you've switched phones?

A: I haven't had any complaints about either of these. No one has indicated that they can't hear me, nor have I experienced incoming call volume loss.

Q: The HTC S640 uses 1x-EVDO for wireless data - any complaints about the speed?

A: I'm always looking for more speed, but it does a decent job at data transfer.

Q: Is there anything you'd like to change about the HTC S640 hardware itself, or the version of Windows Mobile it comes with? I recall you mentioning something about it not always "waking up" properly, and the fact that you sometimes power it down accidentally - tell me about that.

A: I think my biggest complaint about the hardware is that I accidentally hit the camera button regularly. Because it sticks out a smidge from the side of the device, if I grab it from my purse, I'll hit the camera button, take a picture of my wallet, and then have to back out of that function before using it for whatever I needed it for.

As you mentioned, I've also noticed that sometimes when I go to use the device, I'll hit the centre key on the D-pad, and it takes abnormally long to wake up. I find myself having to hit the button a couple of times before it recognizes that I'm trying to wake it up. And, I mentioned this above, that having the Power Off option as the first choice when I go to change the ring mode is silly. That should be the last option, and Vibrate, Silent & Normal should be the first three. It's too easy to accidentally hit Power Off when trying to simply switch the ringer to be silent.

Q: Thanks for answering my questions!

A: You're welcome! I'm generally very happy with my new smartphone. I'm officially a convert!

While not sold widely in the United States, the HTC Touch Cruise is technically the first UMTS-variant of the HTC Touch line to be sold in the United States.

Sold only as an unlocked phone in the U.S., the phone was sold more abroad in countries like Australia, which helped HTC to justify the offering. The Touch Cruise also replaced the P3600 Trinity, a device that HTC has refused to upgrade to American version of Windows Mobile 6 (despite offering the upgrade in other regions).

This finally completes HTC’s promise to upgrade all Windows Mobile 6 devices, to version 6.1. HTC also noted to PhoneNews.com that this process has ensured that all Qualcomm-based devices sold in the United States (aside from the P3600) have received “video performance enhancements” prompted from the HTC driver scandal.

HTC Touch Cruise - Windows Mobile 6.1 Upgrade

While Shadow 2 may not be the final name for the product, photos have leaked of the second-generation version of the T-Mobile Shadow, again made by HTC.

Click to enlarge…

While the device looks largely unchanged on the outside, the device will at least feature a faster processor. That important change will enable UMA support, making the Shadow 2 the first Windows Mobile smartphone to include built-in Wi-Fi calling on a U.S. carrier. Along with built-in HotSpot@Home support. More surprising however, the device appears to lack UMTS (per FCC documentation on the device), leaving the Shadow 2 with the same lack of 3G that the original version currently has.

On the software front, it appears that T-Mobile will continue to use their custom, just-for-Shadow home screen, developed with Microsoft. Microsoft had previously stated that the home screen on the T-Mobile Shadow would be integrated into future Windows Mobile versions. However, upon the release of version 6.1, the Sliding Panel interface was revealed to be substantially different from the Shadow’s home screen.

Neither HTC or T-Mobile have commented on the device, as it has not been formally announced by either company. Click Read More to view additional photos of the Shadow 2.

 
Click to enlarge…

This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the HTC S640, a CDMA 1xEVDO Windows Mobile phone that's sold by Telus in Canada, and as far as I can tell, it's only sold by Telus. So even though this phone has been out since late 2007, I was interested in taking it for a spin because there are virtually no reviews of it anywhere online. It runs Windows Mobile Standard 6, meaning it's a non-touch screen phone and has a QVGA screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot. It also has a full QWERTY keyboard and shares its lineage with products like the HTC Excalibur and Cavalier. I've long held that the T-Mobile Dash I have is the best Windows Mobile Standard smartphone ever made, but being stuck at EDGE speeds got old really quick.

There's another thing that made this phone interesting to me: my wife would be using it. I'm using a Samsung Jack (Blackjack II) with Rogers, our monopolistic GSM carrier, and my wife Ashley is with Telus, our main CDMA carrier herein Western Canada. For several years now, she's been a two-device user, using variations of the smallest iPAQs on the market, most recently the iPAQ 1940, and a Motorola KRZR for phone-calling duties. She preferred the large screen on the iPAQ and she synchronized her email and PIM data with a 4smartphone hosted Exchange account. She wanted her phone to be just a phone...until she started doing more text messaging. Her skills with T9 were lacking, so a QWERTY smartphone started to make a lot of sense. And since data plans in Canada were finally more reasonable ($30/month for unlimited email + Web), she wanted a Windows Mobile smartphone.

I'll be following up this first impressions video with a Q&A interview - it's been really interesting to watch what my wife liked about the S640, what she didn't like, and what she thought of Windows Mobile 6 (sadly, there's still not 6.1 update from Telus).

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, China Mobile

Remember HTC's maybe-it'll-replace-the-Touch Opal? Well, it would seem if the rumors of this set existing are true -- and hey, they can be -- it'll not be replacing anything if it only features GPRS / EDGE. Specs potentially feature the same 200MHz OMAP CPU, a 2 megapixel camera, no 3G, and apparently TouchFLO 3D, too. No dates, prices, or anything else here, though we'll hopefully hear something either way soon.

[Via Cellpassion]

We have photos of all the upcoming Windows Mobile phones, and all in high definition. Click read more to see in more detail than anywhere else.

HTC

The Sprint Touch Diamond was on show, but we also snuck a few shots of the Sprint Touch Pro… not on the show floor. Aside from the technical differences of CDMA, and the memory card changes, we did notice the silver side paneling, which makes the two devices look even closer to the iPhone. The Verizon variants were not on display, as Verizon has yet to make an official announcement.

  

In addition, HTC also showed off the standard Touch Diamond and Touch Pro, both of which are slated to be released in the United States as well. AT&T has already re-branded the Touch Diamond as the AT&T Fuze ahead of its launch.

  

Palm

Palm only had on display the Treo Pro, now available for pre-order.

Toshiba

Toshiba is a first to show off at CTIA. The Protege G810 could potentially be released in the United States, ushering a long-awaited return to Toshiba PDA devices in North America.

Velocity Mobile

Velocity Mobile also was a newcomer to officially showing off devices. The 83, is the first slated for launch in the United States.

TechFaith

TechFaith brings the newcomer count to three this year. While offering reference and knock-off designs, the Vista 850 is their first device directly targeted to consumers. It is a basic Windows Mobile Standard smartphone.

PCD / UTStarcom

The SMT5700 appears to have been cancelled for AT&T. The demo units on show were not available in English. It appears that UTStarcom has re-positioned the EDGE-only smartphone for release in South America. We’ve covered the device for over two years, but it appears that the lack of 3G, and several delays, have killed the device off in the United States.

While PCD has been spun off from UTStarcom, the device is still carrying the old branding…

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, HSDPA

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile

Continue reading HTC Touch HD takes 480 x 800 pixels fullscreen

It was confirmed today that HTC’s Touch Diamond smartphone will make its debut on the Sprint network on September 14th with a starting price of $249.99 with a two-year contract and $100 rebate.

The device features a TouchFlo 3D home screen in which HTC and Sprint have written a custom YouTube application, a customized version of the Opera Web browser, and a customized media player to work on top of the existing Windows Mobile platform.  The device is built around Sprint’s new data intensive applications such as Sprint TV, Sprint Radio, downloadable music store, and YouTube that work well with Sprint’s high-speed EVDO Rev A network or Wi-Fi.

Encyclopedia: HTC Touch Diamond (CDMA)

Alright, either I've completely missed the rumours about this device (entirely possible) or HTC managed to keep this one a secret up to the very end. This is an interesting phone! Here are all the specs, pulled right from the press release I was sent earlier tonight.

• Size: 116.3 x 43.4 x 16.3 mm
• Weight: 140g with battery
• Networks: WCDMA/HSDPA: 900/2100 MHz for EU and Asia
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Maximum speed: UL = 384 kbps; DL = 3.6/7.2 Mbps**
• Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard
• Display: 2.4-inch QVGA screen
• Camera: 3.2 megapixel with fixed focus
• Internal memory: 256 MB flash; 256 MB RAM
• Memory card: microSD
• WLAN: 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth®: 2.0 with EDR
• GPS: GPS/AGPS
• Interface: HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
• Battery: 1000 mAh
• Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 320 minutes*** / GSM: Up to 380 minutes***
• Standby time: WCDMA: Up to 400 hours*** / GSM: Up to 280 hours***
• Special features: Sliding QWERTY keyboard, FM radio, Google Maps, RSS Hub
• Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM7225, 528 MHz

Looking at that list, a few things stand out. First, it's an EU/Asia release first, so no North American 3G bands - meaning where I am, it's an EDGE-only phone. The good news though is that it's a GSM quad-band phone, so as far as voice coverage is concerned, it will be solid. The 2.4 inch QVGA screen is a bit of a disappointment - I was hoping for a VGA screen. This thing looks so much like the Diamond, why not give it the same screen? 256 MB RAM is plentiful on a Windows Mobile Standard device, and with the microSD card slot this thing can load up with a lot of storage. Built-in GPS is nice, but couldn't they do better than a 1000 mAh battery? Perhaps that will give stellar battery life since there's no VGA screen...

The potential down-side? As a slider, it's going to be thicker than a candy-bar style phone. The thickness of the S740 is 16.3 mm. The previous generation slider from HTC is the S710, and it's 18.6 mm - so they've managed to shave 2.3 mm off. My Blackjack II is 13 mm thick in comparison, and my all-time favourite Windows Mobile Standard phone, the HTC S620 (aka T-Mobile Dash), is 12.8 mm.

Regardless, I'm heartended to see that HTC hasn't abandoned the Windows Mobile Standard platform like it seemed they had. Bring us more non-touchscreen phones HTC!

The HTC Touch Dual has made its Canadian debut via Bell Mobility, and is available now.  Bell’s version will include a 20-key QWERTY keyboard that slides up, rather than the traditional numeric keypad some versions carry.

Windows Mobile 6.1 is the platform that supports the basic feature-set; full 3G support (EV-DO Rev. A), a touchscreen with HTC?s “TouchFLO” user interface, media player with streaming video support, 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and a microSD memory card slot.  Wi-Fi support seems to be the only feature it’s lacking.

Pricing for the Touch Dual on Bell Mobility; CA$99.95 on a three-year term, CA$249.95 on a two-year term, CA$349.95 on one-year term, or CA$399.95 without any contracts.

Encyclopedia: HTC Touch Dual