HTC Touch Pro2 Smartphone

HTC has outdone themselves again, putting out a spectacular business smartphone loaded with features, powerful hardware, as well as excellent business-oriented software. 

Specifications:

3.7" WVGA TFT LCD with resistive touchscreen and 800x480 resolution
Full QWERTY keyboard
3G wireless and wi-fi capable
World phone: Compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks
Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional with HTC Sense
256 MB memory built in; accepts up to 32 GB SD cards

The TP2 offers the best of both worlds: a large touchscreen and a full hardware keyboard.  The touchscreen is resistive, which means it registers pressure, not skin contact.  While resistive screens aren't as durable as capacitive screens because they're typically made of soft plastic, they are far more accurate and easy to use.  And while they lack the ability to register multi-touch gestures, the TP2 has a touch zoom bar that can perform more or less the same function.

The full hardware keyboard is something to behold.  It's probably the best microkeyboard for any smartphone currently available.  It easily trumps blackberry keyboards and if you're not comfortable using softkeyboards, this is perfect for you.  The keys are wide, offset, and have a nice click to them. 

Call quality is something overlooked on most smartphones, but the TP2 really shines.  A noise-cancelling microphone makes outgoing voice calls crystal clear, even in loud areas, and incoming calls come in with great clarity.  The large speakerphone on the back can come in muddled at times, but turning the volume down a notch usually fixes the problem.  Reception and overall call quality can vary from carrier to carrier, but overall this phone performs excellently.

Texting is wonderful on this phone.  HTC's software keyboard is probably one of the best on the market, even trumping the iPhone keyboard in terms of options and ease-of-use.  You even have a choice of several keyboard options: there's a full keyboard, an abbreviated keyboard similar to that of the Blackberry Pearl, which allows for quicker texting with autocomplete, and a keyboard that resembles a phone pad.  Whatever option you're most comfortable using, the TP2 can accomodate you.

IMAP and POP3 push e-mail and MS exchange networks are fully supported.  For business users on the go, e-mail can be a critical function and this phone does not disappoint.  You can easily set up a download schedule or simply download e-mails at will.  The hardware keyboard makes composing long, complicated e-mails as easy as on a PC. 

HTC has done a fantastic job of skinning Windows Mobile with their custom Sense User Interface.  It adds a lot of panache to the phone while making things a little more user-friendly.  However, there are still moments when you'll have to deal with the old WM interface, and it can be a little jarring.  Furthermore, WM wasn't designed to be finger friendly, so using the included stylus is a must if you want to change even basic settings like ringtones and screen brightness.

For fun on the go, two games are included: Teeter, which is a labyrinth game from HTC, and Bobble, which is a puzzle game.  There are tons of games and entertainment options for the Windows Mobile platform available.  Media playback is excellent.  There's a custom MP3 player included which is as easy to use as an iPod, and Windows Media Player allows easy video playback.  Almost all audio and video codecs are supported.  However, there's very little onboard memory, so an expansion card is absolutely necessary if you plan on loading up multimedia.

Custom, powerful apps are really what separate smartphones from the rest of the technology crowd.  While Windows Mobile doesn't offer the same depth of apps that the iPhone or Android platform does, there are still a wealth of apps out there for productivity and entertainment.  The Bing Mobile app, exclusive to Windows Mobile, offers turn by turn voice directions, rivaling that of GPS systems and Google Maps with navigation.  There's also a custom Youtube app pre-installed for viewing videos online. 

Despite all the great features the TP2 offers, there's a major caveat: it's still a Windows Mobile phone.  It was never designed with the consumer in mind; it was always geared towards business professionals who needed e-mail and internet on the go.  With the introduction of the iPhone, the smartphone has become a consumer-oriented product, and Windows Mobile simply hasnt' kept up.  There's a very large learning curve involved in even the simplest operations like installing apps, and it can become quite frustrating for the average consumer.  Furthemore, Windows Mobile 6.5 has become a dead platform; Microsoft is gearing up for the launch of their next great mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, leaving all previous users behind.  Current phones won't be able to upgrade to the new software, and all apps that you purchase for your phone wont' be able to be carried over to the new hardware/software.  In other words, the HTC Touch Pro 2 is already a dead platform.  However, for business and power users looking to get a great phone that services all their needs while still performing at near the top of the smartphone heap, the HTC Touch Pro 2 is one of the best phones out there.