Sprint HTC Touch Pro2 launching on September 8

Sprint HTC Touch Pro2

(Credit: Sprint)

Start saving your pennies, Sprint customers. The carrier announced on Monday that it will finally release the HTC Touch Pro2 on September 8 through its Web site and telesales, but like the T-Mobile model, it'll cost you a hefty $349.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 rebate.

The Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone does offer a couple of advantages over the carrier's other smartphones, however, including the Palm Pre and RIM BlackBerry Tour. For one thing, it has world-roaming capabilities in addition to a brilliant 3.6-inch, WVGA, tilting touch screen.

Plus, the Touch Pro2 also Wi-Fi, a spacious full QWERTY keyboard, HTC's TouchFlo 3D user interface, and Straight Talk Technology. Being a Sprint phone, you also get access to several of the company's services, such as Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, and NFL Mobile Live, and it supports the carrier's 3G network.

While the price is definitely cringe-worthy, the Touch Pro2 should still appeal to power users and the business set. We were certainly impressed by the smartphone when we reviewed the T-Mobile version and we look forward to checking out the Sprint HTC Touch Pro2 as well.

[NYGadgetGuru]

Uh, you may want to do your homework before posting. You said :

"The Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone does offer a couple of advantages over the carrier's other smartphones, however, including the Palm Pre and RIM BlackBerry Tour. For one thing, it has world-roaming capabilities in addition to a brilliant 3.6-inch WVGA tilting touch screen."

The BlackBerry Tour is a world phone as well, has a full QUERTY keyboard (as does the Pre) and a great screen.

[Dalmatian28]

Bonnie is right.... you can't even compare blackberry screen or keyboard with TouchPro2's. This phone has 3.6 inches screen and f.ull keyboard and both appear to be twice as big and useful as the one on Blackberry! So there is huge advantage. The phone will probably be updated to .WinMo 6.5 which is great for business users!

[bonnie.cha]

Hi NYGadgetGuru. I should have clarified for each phone. You're right; the Tour does have world roaming capabilities and a full QWERTY keyboard, but I wanted to point out that the Touch Pro2 offers the advantage of a touch screen as well as Wi-Fi. In the case of the Pre, the Touch Pro2 holds the advantage with world roaming and a larger screen and keyboard.

[roadlife]

run the nav on this handset it lags like crazy as does video. the hardware is not strong enough for that 400x800 screen. put the advocates at sprint though the paces first.
Sprint's pricing on this is only so that the business account buyers who will get it for $200 feel like they are getting a good discount. Just like they can get a pal pro for $50. only suckers will pay the $350.

[GodWish]

What is the OS Touch PRo2 will have

[inverse137]

TouchFlo running on top of WinMo 6.1

[joshd4]

Well with my experience with htc phones they are not that well made, although they are expensive. Either way windows mobile still sucks, and the I-phone is now cheaper, and a far better device. Don't spend the money on it, cancel your contract and got to an att store and get a phone you won't end up despising.

[daguila29]

and sign up to ATT? are you crazy?

[itster]

how is the iphone os better than windows mobile os? please give me your fantasy break down?

[bigpapibob]

i had the iphone then i went to the htc touch hd then i went to the htc hero and the phone i ended up despising was the iphone and my favorite phone is the hero but the htc touch hd not far behind..and ATT? seriously? thats the worst carrier know to man

[Llantha]

/drool. What about Alltel or Verizon?

[inverse137]

I have a current Touch Pro on Sprint. All I can say is I'm pretty much done with Windows Mobile.

After playing with my friends iPhones, my wife's Pre and a couple of Google v2 phones...I can honestly say that Windows Mobile is by far the worst moible OS. Every time I have to pull out that stylus to enter stuff, or every time Touch Flo loses the display settings, or every time I have to reboot that phone...another small part of my soul disappears. No, seriously, WinMo is by far the clunkiest mobile OS that is out there.

Mobile 6.5 has been promising to fix all of WinMo 6's deficiencies. The problem is, it has been promising it for 2 years now.

I should be able to use a mobile OS with only my fingers...especially on a 3" screen.

So, While the touch pro v2 may have some beefed up hardware over the Touch Pro, it is still crippled by the operating system. Even the Touch Flo interface, which is a nice improvement over the WinMo layout, is still limited by the underlying OS of WinMo 6.1.

[inverse137]

Oh, let me add, I love the hardware of my current Touch Pro. The camera takes better pictures than an iPhone, the battery life is decent for a smart phone, it uses a mini-USB to connect/charge instead of a $50 proprietary cable, the keyboard is GREAT! and the screen is nice.

But.....and this is a huge BUT...Windows Mobile is so frustrating that it negates all of the positives of this phone.

I would have to rank phones this way: 1) iPhone, 2) Palm Pre 3) Android v2 and 4) WinMo 6.1.

And this is for business...not the consumer that want's over powered hardware.

I can't stand blackberry for business so i do not use them on my networks. having to buy a phone and then spend thousands of dollars more for BES and licensing is ridiculous. And BES is one of the most tempormental pieces of software I have ever had the misfortune of using.

[erkme73]

I've had my TP since March of this year when it first came out. I'm embarrassed to admit I paid $750 at Best Buy since I was not eligible for rebates. I've suffered with WM6.1 ever since, and finally gave in to jailbreaking the phone and installing a cooked rom (EnergyRom). It made ALL the difference. It now runs WM6.5, it's faster, and nearly everything can be done with finger/thumb.

That being said, WM still sucks. And, after enough programs have been opened/closed throughout the day, it turns into a slug.

Here's what I don't understand. The Touch Pro seems underpowered with the 528mhz processor and 512/256 memory combination - that's driving a 640x480 screen. How on earth will the Touch Pro 2 perform with exactly the same processor/memory stats, but driving a 800 x 400 screen? It doesn't have the required horsepower.

I would STRONGLY recommend to stay away from the TP2 unless it can run a more efficient OS like Android.

[daguila29]

SInce you seem to know so much about the touch pro 2 i assume youve used it before, maybe you should give be the one reviewing it.

I don't really know what touch pro did you get because my touch pro from sprint Hardly gives me any problems of course only when i try to do hacks here and there.

[HollywoodHaa]

Dude do yourself a favor and go to the ppcgeeks forum and load a custom rom and watch all your pain go away. Stock windows mobile OS is trash but these custom roms run really really good (some better then others). I've been running 6.5 for months now and will run WM7 months before it launches... FREE YOUR PHONE... and as far as apps is concern you can find them all there or at the xda forum... (FYI - I have none of those issues you have using the same phone)

[jimijam16]

The guy who paid $750 for a phone is a fool. 750???!!! For what? OMG!!!

[SoCal_Techie]

Although this device offers a lot, I still wouldn't take a chance on it till others try it out first. The last HTC Touch Pro was good but had a horrible battery life. Out of all the carriers that I've tried (T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T) I would still recommend Sprint/Nextel over them all. The coverage is almost as good as Verizon, but a lot less expensive, their data products are awesome, and their customer service is great. To anyone thinking of switching carriers, I would highly recommend Sprint over all the others!

[JOMBAM]

I love sprnt network also and their prices are pretty good. But I will wait until they have an android phone on their system b/d attempting to join. Android is the most forward looking systmem there is

[roadlife]

jobam, Android will require an significant monthly cost increase to the expensive everything plans.

[DaVoAxiom]

I highly doubt that you are going to see any increase in the service plan with an Android device. The Palm Pre is and will pull just as much data. The everything will still cost the same regardless of the phone.

[DaVoAxiom]

Yeah Sprint held off on this phone until after the Pre release, for good reason. This is their big business phone. It still functions like a touch phone from 2 years ago but I have to say no one makes WM look as good as HTC. But it's still windows and windows sucks at UI, has always been buggie and has no apps. The real impressive thing about the TP2 is the speaker phone. Unless you are going to use this, why bother. The other thing is that this maybe the last one on WM 6.XX. I wouldn't suggest buying any WM until after 7 and this whole "pink" thing comes out.

Save the $50 and get a Pre. There is a great deal of growth still needed but at least with Palm you have room to grown. WM 6.1 has grown as much as it can no matter how sexy an outfit HTC puts on it.

[itster]

sprint is crazy if they think they can get $449 up front and im a sprint customer waiting for this device. i'll wait for the poor saps that want to dump it on fleebay

[jadedbythenet]

I don't know who's more of an idiot - all of you who are doing your best to force everyone to the phone/OS of YOUR choice, or me for continuing to read the comments every time I read a new story.

For the record, I've used both an iPhone 3G and a WM6.1 on AT&T, and the ONLY thing I liked better about the iphone is that the battery life on the iphone is great and on my Tilt it's horrible. Of course that could be because my 17-year old wanted the iphone because WM was "too hard" to figure out, but had worn the battery out before I got it by texting a thousand times a day for the 6 months he had it. Bottom line - I've used the tilt for the last two years with no problems, and used an old HP Jornada back when it was still Windows CE. If you're having problems with your WM device, it's just as likely that it's a hardware issue specific to YOUR specific device as it is that it's software related.

So please, people, give it a rest already - iphone, palm, android, WM - it's all about what you want to use it for and what YOU personally like better. If we all liked the same thing, there wouldn't be any choices, we'd all have boring phones, drive boring cars, and live in cookie-cutter houses all painted the same boring color...

[joshuareview]

I just wanted to comment a input on why on september 18, 2009 i check sprint.com & the phone htc touch pro 2 was $319.99 with $280.00 instant savings i was going to buy it but i did not have enough money in the bank so i had to wait intill morning so atfer coming back from the bank i went back online to sprint.com ready to buy the phone when then i see that it went back to 349.99 atfer -$100 mail in rebate so what whould i like to know why is sprint playing around with the prices like that .

[joshuareview]

Sorry forget about the last commet i put i may a mistakei try to delete the post but i can't ...