HTC touch pro 2

I'm thinking of buying this phone mainly because it's touch + full qwert keyboard, and it has a rather large screen size albeit heavy (~180g) but I'm fine with that.

I have a few questions as followed:

1. I have my contacts on microsoft outlook. How easy is it to transfer that data onto the HTC touch pro 2?
2. Does it have separate areas in the contact to store postal codes, email address, house address and phone numbers?
3. Can I make folders in the contacts? Eg, family folder + client folder.
4. How stable is the 3g connection in your experience? I understand this is greatly affected by the place I'm in.
5. Is the web browser similar, if not identical to that of IE?
6. Since the touch screen is resistive, does it respond to a stylist?
7. How accurate is the touch screen?
8. Does it have a scroll wheel like a blackberry?
9. How is the ergonomic and user interface of the phone in your opinion?
10. Are there minor annoyances when using this phone, or anything which I should take note of?

Blazing fire said:

I'm thinking of buying this phone mainly because it's touch + full qwert keyboard, and it has a rather large screen size albeit heavy (~180g) but I'm fine with that.

I have a few questions as followed:

1. I have my contacts on microsoft outlook. How easy is it to transfer that data onto the HTC touch pro 2?
   Dead simple, its a straight sync.
2. Does it have separate areas in the contact to store postal codes, email address, house address and phone numbers?
   yeap
3. Can I make folders in the contacts? Eg, family folder + client folder.
   Not sure on this one.
4. How stable is the 3g connection in your experience? I understand this is greatly affected by the place I'm in.
   Nobody can really answer this. It will depend on what carrier you go with and how their coverage is in the area.
5. Is the web browser similar, if not identical to that of IE?
   It uses opera and it far and away the best browser available. It provides a very nice browsing experience but no flash which is pretty much the standard on mobiles for now.
6. Since the touch screen is resistive, does it respond to a stylist?
   Yep, until WM7 we are stuck on the tried and trued stylis/fingernail input. HTC has done a very nice job with TFL3D to the point that once set-up you will only rarely have to get the stylist out.
7. How accurate is the touch screen?
   From the reviews I have seen it is much better in that regard to the TP. It had a tendency to loose sensitivity on the edges.
8. Does it have a scroll wheel like a blackberry?
   I don't think so but am not 100% sure.
9. How is the ergonomic and user interface of the phone in your opinion?
   Haven't got it in my hands yet but overall impressions are good so far.
10. Are there minor annoyances when using this phone, or anything which I should take note of?
    Biggest on is no headphones jack, you have to use a USB converter or bluetooth. The size can be an issue, its a big phone. They took out the flash and didn't upgrade the camera but other than that all things are looking good.

Click to expand...

No one has released it in the states yet so user opinions around here will be pretty sparse until then. Most of my responses were from the original TP where the software is very very similar and from reviews/user reviews of the European unit. Pretty much everyone is declaring it the best windows mobile phone ever.

Thanks ou_phidelt!

From what I've heard of opera as well, it seems like best browser, as you've said!

1. I have my contacts on microsoft outlook. How easy is it to transfer that data onto the HTC touch pro 2?
   Dead simple, its a straight sync. Great!
   
2. Does it have separate areas in the contact to store postal codes, email address, house address and phone numbers?
   yeap. Oh boy, it's inexhausive
   
3. Can I make folders in the contacts? Eg, family folder + client folder.
   Not sure on this one.
4. How stable is the 3g connection in your experience? I understand this is greatly affected by the place I'm in.
   Nobody can really answer this. It will depend on what carrier you go with and how their coverage is in the area.
5. Is the web browser similar, if not identical to that of IE?
   It uses opera and it far and away the best browser available. It provides a very nice browsing experience but no flash which is pretty much the standard on mobiles for now.
6. Since the touch screen is resistive, does it respond to a stylist?
   Yep, until WM7 we are stuck on the tried and trued stylis/fingernail input. HTC has done a very nice job with TFL3D to the point that once set-up you will only rarely have to get the stylist out. Actually, that's a good thing, because I like the stylist . I know it's so 1990, but what the heck.
   
7. How accurate is the touch screen?
   From the reviews I have seen it is much better in that regard to the TP. It had a tendency to loose sensitivity on the edges. Seems very accurate from my limited testing.
   
8. Does it have a scroll wheel like a blackberry?
   I don't think so but am not 100% sure. Nope, it does not.
   
9. How is the ergonomic and user interface of the phone in your opinion?
   Haven't got it in my hands yet but overall impressions are good so far. It's like every other phone- rectangle. I don't know what it would look like if it were ergonomic in design.
   
10. Are there minor annoyances when using this phone, or anything which I should take note of?
    Biggest on is no headphones jack, you have to use a USB converter or bluetooth. The size can be an issue, its a big phone. They took out the flash and didn't upgrade the camera but other than that all things are looking good. That's okay. I don't need it
    

Click to expand...

Actually regarding Opera. The latest stable release of Opera for wm 6.5 does include flash! It was actually cooked into NRG's latest release of NRG rom 3.0 for my Touch Pro 1. Best phone on the planet in my opinion. Basically the reason I chose this phone over all the other phones on the market including the iphone 3g, is network response time, throughput,and the large-close to home keyboard. With a new rom flash (i prefer NRG rom phoenix release, current build 61209), you essentially can double the speed and memory capability of the phone and it also allows UMTA/HDSPA which is a 7.2 mbps broadband like connection. To give you a comparison of response time on the iphone 3g and on the HTC Touch Pro.

This is a little comparison I did vs. my friend Iphone 3g:
Carrier: ATT
Location: Smithtown, NY and Port Washington, NY (two seperate areas 45 miles away)
Throughput (using iphonespeedtest.com, and speedtest):
Iphone 3g: 328 - 400 KB/s
HTC Touch Pro: 976 - 1200 KB/s

That is the average of 10 or so seperate tests between both phones in both areas. Something very important to take note, even though supposedly the new Iphone 3gS is supposed to take signal from the H 7.2mb air waves, you need to remember that what is holding back the Iphone and similar 3G technology is RESPONSE time, NOT throughput.

Example: Throughput is once you make the connection to a server how long the page downloads.
Response time is HOW long it takes to actually connect to the server.

My HTC Touch Pro connects instantly like a broadband home internet connection to any server and makes your broswing experience MUCH more fluid. The Iphone 3G takes what sometimes feels like ages and this takes away from usability completely. Dont ask me for credibility because I actually owned the iphone 3G. It was not until my friend sdlopez from XDA-Developers.com showed me the network capability of his Touch Pro until I realized what a dramatic difference there was between the phones.

BUY THE TOUCH PRO 2!! LOL
And here is a little advice, once you buy the Touch Pro 2, we already have the best chefs in the world cooking up new roms daily over at XDA-Developers.com - The best windows mobile phone developer site on the net. Basically re-flashing a cooked rom over your stock rom is a NIGHT and DAY difference in network and GUI performance. Good luck.

is there a new opera release for 6.1 dom?


i was looking at other phones, but my PPC6800 will have to do for now. i'm using 6.1 Heavy by RyanMogul off XDA it includes opera 4.2 mini final that is just amazingly fast compared to IE or the blown verson of opera

gangaskan said:

is there a new opera release for 6.1 dom?


i was looking at other phones, but my PPC6800 will have to do for now. i'm using 6.1 Heavy by RyanMogul off XDA it includes opera 4.2 mini final that is just amazingly fast compared to IE or the blown verson of opera

Click to expand...

Hey bud, this is the exact version of Opera I am using on my TP2 with NRG Rom:

Opera 9.5
Build 15613

Unless there was some kind of ADDON that NRG cooked into the rom that I dont know about, all flash works perfect and stable on my phone.

Regards,
Dom

Dang dom now I am going to have to hunt head out and find that build of opera. I have tried several 6.5 roms and all of them have been just to buggy for me and have went back to Mighty Mike's latest 6.1 build. On top of that I just don't like the interface at all compared to TFL3D so it's kind of pointless anyways. Does hulu work on it?

ou_phidelt said:

Dang dom now I am going to have to hunt head out and find that build of opera. I have tried several 6.5 roms and all of them have been just to buggy for me and have went back to Mighty Mike's latest 6.1 build. On top of that I just don't like the interface at all compared to TFL3D so it's kind of pointless anyways. Does hulu work on it?

Click to expand...

i didnt mind the interface at all, just taxing on low mem devices. i since went back an use touchflo2d.

ou_phidelt said:

Dang dom now I am going to have to hunt head out and find that build of opera. I have tried several 6.5 roms and all of them have been just to buggy for me and have went back to Mighty Mike's latest 6.1 build. On top of that I just don't like the interface at all compared to TFL3D so it's kind of pointless anyways. Does hulu work on it?

Click to expand...

PLEASE TRY THIS ROM:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=525366

Just trust me on this one. I believe it is the fastest and most stable 6.5 release.

This is a little comparison I did vs. my friend Iphone 3g:
Carrier: ATT
Location: Smithtown, NY and Port Washington, NY (two seperate areas 45 miles away)
Throughput (using iphonespeedtest.com, and speedtest):
Iphone 3g: 328 - 400 KB/s
HTC Touch Pro: 976 - 1200 KB/s

Click to expand...

Dom if you ever get a chance compare again with Iphone 3G S, It would be nice to see.

dominick32 said:

PLEASE TRY THIS ROM:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=525366

Just trust me on this one. I believe it is the fastest and most stable 6.5 release.

Click to expand...

I have a Diamond, not a Pro. The thickness of the keyboard killed it for me. I just installed this ROM which includes the version of Opera you listed. I enabled plugins but no luck with Hulu.

Thanks for that info, dominick32! That basically sold me over to the HTC touch pro 2, because internet is one of my top priorities.

So far, the performance is good and it never once hung on me. It's quite similar to using a very small netbook. I'm happy

Thanks all!

ou_phidelt said:

I have a Diamond, not a Pro. The thickness of the keyboard killed it for me. I just installed this ROM which includes the version of Opera you listed. I enabled plugins but no luck with Hulu.

Click to expand...

hey man, I have been researching your problem on XDA to no avail. Do me a favor and try NRG rom DIAMOND release here: It is the EXACT rom that I am using on my Touch Pro, with the same opera build but created for your Diamond. It is very very possible he might have some kind of addon/fix cooked in that will help you out tremendously here. It takes 10 minutes to flash and hard reset so lets try it and let me know what happens!

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=517300

And believe me, I wouldnt let you down. I have tried so many different Roms. In terms of speed of gui and network response/throughput, NRG's roms are like comparing a corolla to a ferrari.



Dom

dfonda said:

Dom if you ever get a chance compare again with Iphone 3G S, It would be nice to see.

Click to expand...

Yes definitely! After the release on June 19th I think it would be a good idea to do a direct comparison with the Touch Pro and the 3GS in regards to throughput and response tine.

Blazing fire said:

Thanks for that info, dominick32! That basically sold me over to the HTC touch pro 2, because internet is one of my top priorities.

So far, the performance is good and it never once hung on me. It's quite similar to using a very small netbook. I'm happy

Thanks all!

Click to expand...

No problem man! Enjoy. The only downside to the phone is one that unfortunately cant be fixed until the Execs at HTC get off there arses. The Qualcomm 528 mhz processor on the Touch Pro 1 and 2 is NOT ENOUGH power for a windows mobile 6.5 phone! Please HTC listen to your end user for once!!!!!!

Dom

dominick32 said:

No problem man! Enjoy. The only downside to the phone is one that unfortunately cant be fixed until the Execs at HTC get off there arses. The Qualcomm 528 mhz processor on the Touch Pro 1 and 2 is NOT ENOUGH power for a windows mobile 6.5 phone! Please HTC listen to your end user for once!!!!!!

Dom

Click to expand...

thats all the touch pro has? wow, i didnt know that. 6.5 runs ok on 400 but it does get rather warm after using it for a while.

For when the TP was released that was a respectable processor. That was before the days 6, 7, and 800Mhz CPU's were being crammed into phones. Heck snapdragon is even putting 1Ghz in one. All that said this is a refresh and something in the mid 600's should have been done. Pretty hard to justify no CPU change when people complain of sluggishness. Still, its a great phone and will serve you well.

dominick32 said:

No problem man! Enjoy. The only downside to the phone is one that unfortunately cant be fixed until the Execs at HTC get off there arses. The Qualcomm 528 mhz processor on the Touch Pro 1 and 2 is NOT ENOUGH power for a windows mobile 6.5 phone! Please HTC listen to your end user for once!!!!!!

Dom

Click to expand...

But it's okay for 6.1 right? I'm happy with the performance, unless I open too many programs (4+).

ou_phidelt said:

For when the TP was released that was a respectable processor. That was before the days 6, 7, and 800Mhz CPU's were being crammed into phones. Heck snapdragon is even putting 1Ghz in one. All that said this is a refresh and something in the mid 600's should have been done. Pretty hard to justify no CPU change when people complain of sluggishness. Still, its a great phone and will serve you well.

Click to expand...

X2^^

I own the TP1 and for the average user you wont even notice the slower processor in the TP1 and 2. But for the performance user like you and I, you will notice every once in a while when opera, facebook mobile, or that windows media player app you love using takes 5 seconds to load rather than 1. Or if you are typing on the keyboard and you get slight lag waiting for keys to be entered on screen. It all has to do with cpu speed, memory usage, and secondary cache. I commend apple for its selection of hardware in the 3GS - i believe a 200 mhz bump in cpu speed and a doubling of secondary cache from 16k to 32k. I was praying and hoping that HTC would put a 650 to 700 mhz + processor in the TP2 and manage to sustain current battery usage, but unfortunately I didnt get my wishes. Doesnt mean I am not very happy with the phone, but what I use it for I need something a little quicker in gui response.

But it's okay for 6.1 right? I'm happy with the performance, unless I open too many programs (4+).

Click to expand...

With all that being said, yes it is absolutely fine with 6.1 or 6.5. I actually got used to 6.5 and prefer it on my Touch Pro. Since you are a member of OC Forums I think like me, you are always craving for a little more performance. A little XDA insight for ****s and giggles: The MSM7201A Qualcomm 528 mhz processor is speculated to be capable of withstanding a core frequency increase of 120 mhz without any voltage increase or anything. So, theoretically if someone allowed hardware overclocking on these phones in the future it is possible to have a NICE bump in power, but we would still be stuck with the lower cache and I'm sure battery life would suffer tremendously. Either way, its nice to think of the possibility.

Yes, I do like more performance but I think I'll be realistic . Given the small size (relative to netbooks, not other phones), it's reasonable fast. And like what you said, a powerful CPU would decrease battery life tremendously. Solution? 10A batteries, which probably weigh a ton.

Blazing fire said:

Yes, I do like more performance but I think I'll be realistic . Given the small size (relative to netbooks, not other phones), it's reasonable fast. And like what you said, a powerful CPU would decrease battery life tremendously. Solution? 10A batteries, which probably weigh a ton.

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Ah, so now you bring up another interesting point for the future. Speed vs. Battery Life. I used to research this in the beginning stages of XDA many many years ago. Since we have such a nice running thread so far let me finish this with one more thing to ponder. lol

The question of lets use a standard mobile current battery consumption schedule. A 400 mhz ARM processor (like those found in the iphones) should consume on average .25mw/hr and a 600 mhz processor (like the one found in the Iphone 3GS, anandtech did an excellent job explaining this) takes up a more than double .60mw/hr just from a boost of 200 mhz. So most of america would say: how can both processors get the same battery life on the same battery technology? How is that possible? If you ran both phones at full speed crunching data or playing a graphics intensive game theoretically one phone would run out of battery in 1/2 the time on current battery technology. But heres where it gets interesting, because the processor is 200 mhz faster things are going to get done 50% or in 1/2 of the time. So, for everyday tasks and average battery life these figures are rendered useless and most times battery life turns out to be almost identical of the slower counterpart, ex: (the 400 mhz processor is running its core at 100% for 5 seconds burning the same amount of juice that the 600 mhz processor takes to complete the same task in 1 second) so things level out. Usually in the end, the faster processor if you are gaming or doing heavy tasks will run out of juice faster. But because of getting normal tasks done faster like the average world user both processors should consume about the same amount of juice in the end.

Just had my morning cup of coffee so thought it would be cool to throw in a little more interesting info in this thread. I am a PDA buff if you couldnt already tell and I am VERY VERY interested in advancing tech. Read the Anandtech 3GS article to get basically an identical comparison to what I just explained in Anands words - its a pretty cool article.

Good luck with the Touch!