HTC has announced a Windows Mobile 6.1-based phone that features the company’s signature “TouchFLO 3D” user interface. The Touch Pro also sports a 2.8-inch VGA-resolution touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, TV output, 3.2 megapixel camera, optional GPS, FM radio, and 4GB of storage.
The Touch Pro is HTC’s second phone, after the Touch Diamond announced last month, to feature the TouchFLO 3D interface. Both phones build upon the original HTC Touch, which pioneered the TouchFLO user interface.
This 30-second video shows TouchFLO 3D in action
Source: HTC
(click to play)
TouchFLO suger-coats the standard Windows Mobile applications with a finger-friendly front end aimed at obviating styli. Touted as a “great leap forward,” the new “3D” version adds “animated access” to contacts, messages, photos, music, and weather, HTC says. For example, a custom build of Opera Mobile 9.5 allows touch-based zooming.
Like the Diamond, the Touch Pro features a five-way controller that doubles as a scroll wheel. And, a built-in accelerometer switches its 2.8-inch, VGA-resolution display from portrait to landscape orientation automatically.
Unlike the Touch Diamond, however, the Touch Pro includes a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Another significant difference is the phone’s capability to send output to a television, touted as ideal for PowerPoint presentations or photo sharing. A special cable is needed for the device’s all-in-one “ExtUSB” port.
Other specifications are essentially carry-over from the Diamond, though we’ll summarize the differences between the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro later for readers who might be cross-shopping the devices.
Under the screen
The Touch Pro uses a Qualcomm MSM7201A processor clocked at 528 MHz. In addition, it has 288MB of RAM, 512MB of flash storage, and a microSD expansion slot.
Initially offered in a version that operates in Europe and Asia, the Touch Pro has three-band (900/1800, 1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, plus 900/1200MHz HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access). The latter is said to provide uploads at 384Kbps and downloads at up to 7.2MBps.
Other wireless interfaces include Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g local area networking, GPS, and an FM receiver. The device includes a 3.2 megapixel main camera with auto-focus. A secondary camera provides VGA resolution for videoconferencing.
In addition to Opera Mobile 9.5, the device also includes Google Maps and an HTC-developed application for viewing YouTube videos.
Features and specifications listed by HTC for the Touch Pro include:
* Processor — Qualcomm MDM7201A clocked at 528MHz
* Memory — 288MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage
* Display — 2.8-inch screen with VGA resolution
* Keyboard — slide-out QWERTY keyboard
* Cameras — 3.2 megapixel main camera, and VGA-resolution secondary camera
* Wireless:
o WAN — three-band (900/1800, 1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 900/1200MHz HSDPA
o LAN — 802.11b/g wireless
o PAN — Bluetooth 2.0
o GPS
o FM radio
* Other I/O — HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB connector also provides access to audio and video output)
* Battery type/life:
o 1340 mAh lithium-ion battery
o Talk time — up to 485 minutes for GSM, 397 minutes for WCDMA
o Video calling time — up to 201 minutes for WCDMA
o Standby time — up to 406 hours for GSM, 503 hours for WCDMA
* Dimensions — 4 x 2 x 0.7 inches (102 x 51 x 18mm)
* Weight — 5.8 ounces (165g)
The key differences between the Touch Pro and the Touch Diamond are the former’s slide-out QWERTY keyboard and TV output. In addition, the Touch Pro does not include the 4GB of flash memory present on the Diamond. In partial compensation, it jumps from 192MB to 288MB of RAM, and adds a microSD expansion slot. Slightly thicker and heavier, it also has a larger battery that provides longer operating times.
Of course, for eager North and Latin American HTC fans, these differences are only academic, since neither phone is available yet. The Touch Pro will go on sale “later in the year” in the Americas. Meanwhile, European, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets will receive it in late summer, HTC says.
