Touch Pro launching on Verizon November 24, in stores December 1

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 12th 2008 at 4:14PM

And then there was one. Following a November 24 launch of the Touch Pro on Verizon, that'll leave just T-Mobile among the big four US carriers without a version of HTC's top-of-the-line QWERTY set -- though at a staggering $419.99 on a two-year contract, we're not sure that we'd bother anyway. To be fair, that price comes before a $70 mail-in rebate, but that only knocks it down to $350, which still makes the Touch Pro one of Verizon's priciest devices. Following telesales availability, we'll get to see it, touch it, and take it home from retail locations starting on December 1, which gives us a few days to collect soda cans and take 'em to Michigan for the 10-cent deposits.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, EV-DO, CDMA

Tags: htc, touch pro, TouchPro, verizon, verizon wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw, windows mobile, windows mobile 6.1, WindowsMobile, WindowsMobile6.1, winmo, wm6.1

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Highest Ranked

Johnson @ Nov 12th 2008 4:33PM

Looks like red screwed up yet another phone by:

1)late release
2)Higher Price than everyone else
and
3)Dropped the ram to 192mb

Good one, I'll be going to Sprint or AT&T

Highest Ranked

mphayvanh @ Nov 12th 2008 4:39PM

Not to mention to:
4) No accelerometer
5) Probably underclocked as well

I'm curious though, the box mentioned "Wireless Sync Capable". Is that possible with Active Stink anymore?
The bigger question is: WHERE IS THEIR DIAMOND?!

Highest Ranked

Kennyb123 @ Nov 12th 2008 4:44PM

Well, I've been a Verizon customer for over 6 years, and they really blew it here. I just ported my # over to AT&T for the Fuze. I couldn't be happier. From the looks of it, and the above post, I made the right decision. I do believe they removed the accelerometer from the device as well. There were also rumors that they are using a lower CPU. The lower RAM helps confirm their intent to limit the phone's features.

If they didn't take out the accelerometer or use a slower CPU, well, they let that rumor continue for 2-3 months now without ever "slipping" new tech specs to make us think otherwise. I guess they only want to sell Storms.

Neutral

kitsVA @ Nov 12th 2008 4:43PM

Even with a verizon employee discount it seems more expensive than getting it from AT&T or Sprint without any discounts. At this rate their pricing on Xperia X1 (I don't think they will carry any SE phones) will be more than MSRP of unlocked Xperia.

Highest Ranked

t-pain @ Nov 12th 2008 4:43PM

What the hell is Verizon doing? Why do they always do this to potentially good phones, hiking up the price, messing with the specs, and then releasing it late. I do wonder what it will look like in person though, will it have the diamond-like back or the matte finish. I'm not a fan of the sharp corners either, it would have been nice if they had rounded them like AT&T and Sprint.

Highest Ranked

joetron2030 @ Nov 12th 2008 5:10PM

According to a poster at HoFo, it does have the accelerometers...

http://www.howardforums.com/showpost.php?p=11922099&postcount=757

Neutral

Firelight @ Nov 12th 2008 6:00PM

Where's Alltel's? Rumor had it dropping tomorrow. An un-cripped Alltel version before the merger would be the ideal platform opportunity...

Neutral

Jerad @ Nov 12th 2008 7:08PM

Latest rumor is next Thursday, November 20.

Neutral

Ari @ Nov 12th 2008 5:50PM

wow, that made my decision easier. Storm Pricing at 199, PRO at 350. It cant be that much better. Still waiting on the Omnia but barring a major surprise Blackberry has got me back, and with that price it will bring in a ton of new users.

Highly Ranked

bernardino @ Nov 12th 2008 6:08PM

Too little too late Verizon, I already switched to AT&T. You can take your crippled, late, crappy phones and "New Every Two" discount and shove it up your big, red @$$.

Neutral

DoctorWho @ Nov 12th 2008 6:26PM

This is exactly what I said in the middle of August when they released the rumored specs for the Touch Pro on VZW. Went to AT&T (iPhone) and haven't looked back! Seriously people, rollover is a GREAT plan feature and unless someone can come up with something better I'll be with them for quite a while.

Here is me giving YOU the finger Verizon!!! Not that you will EVER change...

Neutral

mphayvanh @ Nov 12th 2008 7:07PM

True that! I left them and was glad to pay the $85 termination fee.
I'm saving more with T-Mobile on my data & voice plan anyways.

Gotta be honest and say that my Euro Touch Po is great with all features intact except for 3G. The bands are not compatible with US 3G. It's disappointing that I couldn't wait for Sprint or ATT to get theirs. Paid only $250 with a 2yr contract though.

Neutral

Who? @ Nov 12th 2008 8:41PM

Oh well. I left Verizon in October 07 for AT&T to get the Tilt. I was thinking about coming back to VZW and getting the Touch Pro because of the better network. This version of the Touch Pro isn't going to cut it, though. I'll check out the Storm, but I guess I'll be sticking with AT&T.

Highest Ranked

D @ Nov 12th 2008 9:11PM

Good lord, they just can't get it right on the devices. Don't they realize they could have a monopoly on the whole U.S. if they had their current emphasis on the network and Sprint's emphasis on the devices???

Oh well.

This latest fiasco makes me wonder how long it'll be until we see a Blackberry Storm on AT&T or Sprint with more RAM, a faster CPU, and a lower price.

Verizon...so much potential, so little follow-through.

*sigh*

Neutral

SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Nov 12th 2008 9:27PM

as a longtime Verizon customer, i can say that i absolutely hate that they do this time and time again. they charge more for less and rationalize it by saying they have the best network. i have been through so many crappy Verizon phones which seem to have no problems on other networks because they continue to cripple the phones. most recently i have had the Q9m and Q9c from them. my Q9m was so glitchy and had to be master reset so many times i actually returned it. they replaced it with a Q9c which was twice as bad until they FINALLY rolled out the 6.1 update that stabilized the piece of crap.

since i see we probably wont be getting the Treo 800w anytime soon (if ever) on Verizon i had been considering the Touch Pro or Omina. but ill be dammed if ill pay that much for it.

im going to college now and living at home so i can pay my tuition while im in school and not have debt later. when i graduate next year and move out, i am done with Verizon. unfortunately, right now, they are the only people that have even a shred of service where i live.

Highly Ranked

Jack @ Nov 12th 2008 11:11PM

HOLY CRAP DUDE!!! I love your icon!!!

Neutral

Jeff @ Nov 12th 2008 10:35PM

any real-world comments on battery life?

Neutral

Ryan C @ Nov 12th 2008 11:14PM

PhoneArena says it's worse than the Fuze but better than Sprint's Touch Pro.

Neutral

Ryan C @ Nov 12th 2008 11:14PM

http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/compare_results.php?phones[]=3056&phones[]=2879&phones[]=2846

Link to phone comparison.

Neutral

Mooex @ Nov 13th 2008 9:35AM

yea verizon has better battery life, about 30 minutes more.

http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/compare_advresults.php?phones%5B0%5D=3056&phones%5B1%5D=2879&phones%5B2%5D=2846&area=1

is where i get my info.

ps im getting 1 :)

Neutral

Ryan C @ Nov 12th 2008 10:27PM

$350 is really steep for the Touch Pro. Not to mention that it's an underpowered phone compared to Sprint's and AT&T's versions.

At least it doesn't have the rounded edges like Sprint's does, the rounded edges make it look fatter than it is. Though I'd still take the Sprint version because it's what's on the inside that counts.

Highly Ranked

zenoran @ Nov 12th 2008 10:40PM

why do I continually get angry every time I hear/read more about this? I'm going to need therapy to deal with the Inadequacies of my cellphone provider.

Neutral

IR @ Nov 12th 2008 11:20PM

can this phone be used internationally?

Neutral

Ryan C @ Nov 13th 2008 12:12AM

Only in countries like Canada, Mexico, and Latin America, where CDMA is used on the 800/1900mhz bands.

Neutral

bobasp1@gmail.com @ Nov 13th 2008 12:23AM

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL verizon is a bunch of duche bags of course they will... for 5.99$ a min. ;)

Im dropping em switch to ATT. There storm is crap and i want a GOOD phone which shouldn't have to cost 419$...

Neutral

chefgon_ign @ Nov 13th 2008 8:14AM

Did they really screw up the keyboard as bad as it looks in this picture? The UP arrow is right in between the N and M keys. That would get annoying really quick.

Neutral

IR @ Nov 13th 2008 9:24AM

so it's not a 3g world phone like the new blackberry storm right?

Highest Ranked

gareth @ Nov 13th 2008 9:27AM

Dear Verizon,

In lieu of certain pieces of news on your network, it brings up some feelings very close to my heart. You see, I have always wondered what your philosophy truly is for marketing new phones. It always seems so painful. I want to love your network but you make it so damn hard.

I often feel like someone seriously goes out of their way to make SURE that their phones are underpowered and crippled- I just don’t know why.

Maybe its run by some aged ad exec a’ la Ted Stevens who just doesnt 'get' technology, (series of tubes anyone?)

"we can save x amount of dollars by halving this thing called ‘memory' who needs that AMIRITE guys RIGHT??"

That really has to be the worst part about Vzs network. I wait and wait for something better to come along but they always seem to end up making me angrier.

Seriously Verizon WTF?

Neutral

jsp4057 @ Nov 13th 2008 11:41AM

alltel never gets any love. htc has the touch pro listed on there web for alltel but alltel doesnt have it posted yet so its gonna be very soon

Neutral

Achilles @ Nov 13th 2008 11:51AM

Wow Verizon, EPIC FAIL!!!! Even Sprint has a better deal with the better model. Can you hear me now cause Sprint is hearing me???

Neutral

livinggood @ Nov 13th 2008 1:10PM

Wow!! So much anger, passion and agression based on a rumor. No one said that information in picture is authentic or validated by anyone. It doesnt even look like VZW paper. why not, wait for product to be released before rushing to your praise or criticism for this phone and the carrier.

Neutral

ghettotheemu @ Nov 13th 2008 2:07PM

So is that ram difference really that bad? How badly will the phone be different?

Highly Ranked

Chris @ Nov 13th 2008 2:59PM

Wow. Once again vzw proves how completely inept they are at marketing a device.

First they're last to market.

Then they gimp the phone.

Then they charge $50 more than their competitors.

Congratulations vzw. You hit the idiocy trifecta.

I switched to Sprint last week and other than a hiccup porting my number, am SO happy to not have to pay more with VZW.

SUCK IT VZW.

Neutral

fanboy1013 @ Nov 24th 2008 12:39PM

Ditto! My sentiments exactly, and I had the same experience! After having Verizon for 6 yrs, I've switched back to Sprint...for all the same reasons. Enough is enough, VZW needs to start feeling the pain for the awful decisions they've been making!

Neutral

Niknak @ Nov 13th 2008 7:52PM

Argh! So disappointing! Ive been waiting for this phone. I got the bold from At&t monday and when they fuze cam out tuesday i stopped by to check it out and see if i wanna switch it. Sadly the touch flow SUCKS :( i was sooooo bummed i was really looking forward to it. Its not as reponsive as i thought it would be. sad sad sad =(

Neutral

Steve @ Nov 13th 2008 9:48PM

It's a bit of a disappointment to see that VZW is taking away some of the RAM, but when it comes to the processor and using the 7500 instead of the 7501, really... what's the actual difference between the two processors?

And for the love of God, can we please put the "no accelerometer, no TouchFLO 3D" thing to rest? It has both, I've used the device.

As for the misplaced M key, the original GSM Touch Pro had the same layout. The prototype VZW Touch Pro I used had the same keyboard, but I wonder if they'll actually launch the final product that way.

Neutral

Steve @ Nov 13th 2008 9:59PM

On the topic of the processors, I think we're making a big to-do about nothing.. according to these two data sheets, the MSM7500A (VZW) and the MSM7501A are virtually identical..

http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=cpu&id=a7500a (VZW)
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=cpu&id=a7501a (Sprint)

Neutral

SaS23 @ Nov 16th 2008 1:30PM

Yes it is true the ram has been dropped to 192 ...you know how much difference its going to make? if your a true WM6.1 user and download a TON! of programs then you may have to close a few before using others...(just like every other phone for WM) makes no true difference if you test both side by side you will see what I mean (of course that will be when it comes out)

there are some features depending on how long or knowledgable you are with VZW that comes with the phone. Wireless Sync is the client VZW uses (created by nokia) to sync Personal information (calender, Contacts, Task, and Email) so if you dont have a pc or dont want to use the pc to sync (active sync or Windows mobile device center) you can sync with that over the air.

The phone will now be VZappzone capable (revamped from the days of Q) so you can connect to vcast servies (similar to the blackberry storms version)

The phone will also have a revamped Touchflo 3D for landscape view (to try and accomidate for the notification error when turning the phone to landscape and receiving your 8 icons on other versions)

No accelerometer = False! as said above The phone CAN! be turned on its side to change views from portrait to landscape. This was being talked about for removal cause do to WM6.1 The change in views can be slow or not work at all (same as sprint's if you see the video reviews on it.)

As for the Diamond there are a few reasons why there would be a reason it may not be shooting down the pipe for this christmas. 1) The diamond is similar in alot of ways to the pro and would be marketed for the average consumer (pro is marketed for business) Which would be overshadowed by the storms advertisements is one of the big ones. (ALWAYS remember its not about the phone its about how much will the company MAKE off the phone Biggest competition for nealy all phones is iphone3g and thats going to be the main focus until things even out in the market.)

People who are jumping ship to other carriers due to 100- Ram should really think about there decisions and long term effects of the company as a whole. There are other phones being tested at this moment by all companys that are going to put this phone to shame (unless your rolling in cash) the phones are tested before they are released to see how to market the phone and to see how much its going to make. If you have seen average consumer reviews Iphone3g is said to be more appealing to consumers that the diamond or pro (and havent heard anything of the HD coming state side.)

as for the 50 dollars more meh ive seen worse when it comes to competitive pricing. The storm is only 200 with a rebate and 2 year contract. The retail value is around 550...needless to say whose losing money to make up for competiiton? why make down a phone that isnt going to sell as much to consumers or even business (blackberry storms business and world usage is going to be killer for business person on the go)?

anyways thats just my thoghts and rants not saying im a VZW fan boy but I just think the hype over this phone and the diamond has gone out of hand with our group of power users. Look at the bigger picture..better yet ..look at the other more powerful phones that may be coming state side.

Neutral

MDillenbeck @ Nov 18th 2008 12:29PM

*sigh* Cell phone shopping is always a game of sacrifices. I live just outside Madison, WI, USA and this is my result when searching for a decent phone that will also do mobile broadband:

T-MOBILE:
Not available in my area.

AT&T:
Upgraded their system last summer. 3G is in Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago. However, only EDGE between these areas - so no 3G when commuting. In my little home town there is a 1/2 mile diameter circle of no 3G coverage, and of course I live smack dab in the middle of it.

Also, I didn't like the keyboard on the Fuze. The shiny diamond back was quickly marred with finger prints. Overall, lack of service kills this for me.

SPRINT:
Currently using a U727 with them for mobile broadband. Signed up a month before they capped it to 5 gig data transfer (only 300 MB when roaming), but it is a 2 strikes and your out versus a charge by the kilobyte for overages. Bounce between EVDO and 1xRTT. Spotty reception at my work in downtown Madison - but that may be because I am inside the heart of a concrete building, but I can just use the university's wi-fi instead.

Played with the Touch Pro, and liked the familiarity of the keyboard to the PC (tab, control, function, number keys, etc all the same place that facilitates quicker typing for me). Didn't need all the special short cuts, because I can just use the screen to launch apps rather than the keyboard. However, when I started typing fast, I found that I tended to accidentally hit the buttons on the side of the phone. While I liked the diamond back, I am fine with the look and feel of this one.

Unfortunately, the battery life is much worse and the phone is less "snappy" compared to the AT&T phone.

VERIZON:
Currently have voice through Verizon. Typically have slightly stronger signals than Sprint. However, is the crippled phone and the really badly messed up keyboard worth it? Heck, that keyboard is worse than my EEE PC 4G's layout - so if having the arrow between the '?' and 'Shift' key messes me up bad, what will having it between the 'N' and 'M' key do? Honestly, when using Office Mobile, I think I would prefer to have a more traditional layout.

However, I am on a family plan and Verizon is the cheapest for multiple lines. To go to another carrier would be at least $20 more per month than what I am currently paying. *grumble*

Phones tend to be more $50 more than at other providers.

WEB BROWSERS:
Skyfire could support flash, but has bugs with full VGA so it won't work on the HTC Pro. Opera Mobile 9.5 Beta hasn't resolved its flash issues either. While not necessary, I will say having access to a quick flash game or flash-based news content off a web site might be nice while waiting (in a line, for the doctor, for the wife, and so forth).

MOBILE BROADBAND:
Checked with all the providers in my area. Pretty much limited through the phone is $30, "unlimited" (read 5 gigs of transfer) is $45, add $15 if you want to tether to a laptop - so for me ALL data plans will be $60 to tether to a laptop for 5 gigs. However, I don't want to pay $30 for a smart phone for one provider and $60 for a mobile broadband card to another provider. Yes, I find mobile broadband worth it - I don't have to go to places that provide free wifi, and when stuck in traffic its nice to be able to look up congestion maps. However, I doubt I would replace my home internet for it (unless someone would actually offer me true unlimited mobile broadband again).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So why this lengthy post? It is my anecdote to say, no matter what provider you choose or what phone you choose, you will never get it all. For a mobile broadband user in Southern Wisconsin, T-Mobile and AT&T are complete non-options for me. Sprint is not as good, but constant crippling by Verizon makes their phones fairly undesirable. If I lived in Montana, I'd HAVE to go with Verizon, and if I lived in the NE USA then AT&T would actually be an option. However, there is no one right "answer" as to whether this is a good phone for all users. The real answer depends on how you want to use your phone.

Neutral

Amir @ Nov 21st 2008 4:21PM

I agree with most of you I just ported over to ATT and got a Fuze and am Very happy.

Everything is unlocked and not gimped like Verizon.

Verizon loves dummying down all their phones and I hate it.

Apple wanted to use Verizon and they said no, they took their billions of dollars else where and look
how successful it is. The storm is just another joke.