Comments on: Verizon gets its own HTC Touch Pro

Joining Sprint and AT&T, the HTC Touch Pro, Windows Mobile smartphone aimed at business users, debuts on Verizon Wireless.

[gilliganjr]

Wow, just when I was about to change carriers, Verizon Wireless comes out with two smartphones in one week. Thank goodness, I really prefer the VZW network. While I was glad to see the Storm coming out, I have to admit (as a long time Blackberry user for e-mail) the Storm seemed like a good "first version" of a concept that will probably prove short-lived when it comes to durability. Call me skeptical, but given the failure rate of the pearl trackballs, I have to believe the push-to-click screen will also suffer under heavy usage.

Instead, I have been waiting on VZW to release a rival to the HTC phones of Sprint and AT&T. I used to carry a "pocket pc" on one hip and my blackberry on the other. The TouchPro is the first device that, I believe, combines the best of both worlds as well as all the new bells and whistles included on other smartphones (Wi-Fi, Camera-n-flash, Removable Storage, Office integration, and navigation).

THANK YOU VERIZON! You saved a customer (actually 2 since my wife would have been changing carriers with me.)

Bonnie... I look forward to your review. Hopefully the Verizon software department didn't screw the phone up too much.

[cancerman1013]

Actually, after some internet research it appears that VZW actually illogically rearranged the keyboard and also lowered itself on hardware specs...undoubtedly another attempt to cripple yet another phone. I just switched back over to Sprint after 6 yrs of Verizon. Their pricing, phone releases, and lack of respect for leaving alone all the full features of the phone, have all made switch, despite the excellent network coverage.

[AppleSuxLeo]

She will say "it too shiny , it too slippery" no matter which phone.

[JC7119]

Well yeah it's great that they get new smart phones, but here is what the article leaves out. I bought the HTC Touch Pro and it's been gimped from 288 mb's of ram down to 192 mb of ram, now this wouldn't be so bad but Verizon has blocked off 78 mbs of the 192!! I am so angry at Verizon I think they are gonna loose some one who has been a costumer for the last 8 years because they keep messing up there phone and in tern there customers over.

[motoq9m]

I really cant understand verizons logic when it comes to hardware specs on the phones they release. It truly boggles my mind. Do they think people are just stupid and wont know that the same phone from a different carrier has far superior specs? It wouldnt be a problem if it didnt happen ALL the time and to many different phones. They dropped the ram on the htc touch pro to 128 from 288, and they removed the accelorometer... a carrier killer to me and the last straw. I'll be switching to att or sprit to get this great phone the way htc designed it. You know what the real kicker is? They jacked up the price 5 bucks compared to the others on top of removing features... complete and utter ********** at verizon... no doubt about it

[motoq9m]

Sorry I meant 50 bucks, not 5

[bkesselman]

I've been playing with my Verizon HTC Touch Pro (VX-6850) for two days now. I ordered it via the website before it hit the stores. There is some truth and some fiction being spread about the phone. Verizon did not lower the processor as was originally rumored. They did lower the RAM to 192k, and if you leave TouchFlo active it gets a little lag. The accellerometer has not been removed, it is alive and well.

I've added the SBP Shell and Today plugins which are both more responsive and more customizable than the TouchFlo, and can have a similar look and function, though not exact. They also improve the contact dialing function. There are numerous other tricks and tweaks available and so far I really like the phone (and don't need to switch networks).

Some frustrations: GPS requires VZNavigator which I am not willing to pay extra for. Headset/headphone usage is either bluetooth or via a dongle that plugs in to the non-USB port at the bottom, which means I need to bring their USB cable/adapter to charge the phone and I can't use a tip on my Kensington universal adapter. Battery life seems a little challenged, but I've been on it much more than usual including push email and playing with my new toy. No internet phone, which only T-Mobile leaves live on their phones to compensate for the small network.

All told, I'm very pleased with the phone. It runs circles around my Treo for email, media and browsing, and now I can use it better for remote desktop in addition to the typical VNC and other features that make it a work and play machine. Once I finish mastering the subtleties of the UI I expect it will be a phone I can live with for a long time, replacing my phone, my iPod Nano and my Broadband card. For now though, I'm keeping my Nuvi ;-)