HTC Touch Pro2 for Sprint spotted in the wild, mid-June release?

by Chris Ziegler posted May 19th 2009 at 6:39PM

We've known that a version of the HTC Rhodium / Touch Pro2 was inbound for Sprint at some point this summer (assuming no delays), but would mark the first time we've seen one in what appears to be finished production trim. A SprintUsers poster claims that the global roaming-capable device should be hitting retail mid-June with the portrait QWERTY Snap following in July -- and yes, we'd be more inclined to ignore the noise had said poster not also provided the glorious pictures. Looking good -- really good, actually -- but good luck tearing any eyes away from the Pre kiosks in the stores next month, HTC.

[Thanks, David D.]

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Sprint, Windows Mobile, GSM, EV-DO, CDMA

Tags: htc, rhodium, sprint, touch pro2, TouchPro2, windows mobile, WindowsMobile, winmo

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

JayFiveAlive @ May 19th 2009 7:16PM

*drools* I hope this comes that early, but I will probably wait a few months for the bugs to be worked out. Looks sooo sexy with 3.6" screen that is tilt-able!

Neutral

iono @ May 19th 2009 11:55PM

Here's a video of Sprint Mogul vs. HTC Touch Pro2 (both running some variant of WinMo 6.5)

YouTube HD link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwqaGumWJgQ (1280x720 @ 30fps)
In the Description, there's a link for 60fps!

Neutral

Riley Freeman @ May 19th 2009 7:19PM

awwwwwwwwwwwww yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh i been waiting for a tilting screen sicne the kaiser was created and cdma was ignored. cant wait for telus to get this beast and to get rid of my touch pro 1.

Neutral

Jenna @ May 19th 2009 7:29PM

I'm getting this but on T-Mobile. Looks great I agree!

Nice to see global roaming capabilities on a Sprint phone for globe trotters. At this point, all Smartphones should have tri or quad band GSM capabilities for this purpose.

Highest Ranked

JK @ May 19th 2009 7:36PM

Looks great and what looks better is no "Everything Plan" requirement with Winmo. It will be interesting to see the following of this with the PRE launch and the plan restrictions. Does anyone have the full spec list for the CDMA version yet?

Neutral

Galen20K @ May 19th 2009 7:40PM

Sprint and T-Mobile versions of Touch Pro2 are SOoooo SEXAY!!!!!

Cannot WAIT!!! BOth should be released close to one another also, there will be Many people on Both Networks SMiling very Soon about this.

Highest Ranked

Jon @ May 19th 2009 7:58PM

Is it just me or is Sprint coming out with top notch phones? First the Pre now this, whats next? I'm a loyal VZW customer but i must admit Sprint is trying to get it together.

Highest Ranked

SDAlpha1510 @ May 19th 2009 10:11PM

This bothers me very much. I have had verizon forever but if they dont get it together i may start looking else where (seriously this time). Its getting on my last never. I hate this crap flip phone i have now, vzw has nothing interesting now. /sigh

Highest Ranked

Michael S @ May 20th 2009 12:34AM

Don't worry, you'll get it on VZW sometime in 2010!

Highest Ranked

Juggernaut @ May 20th 2009 11:08AM

...and it will be crippled hardware-wise and probably cost more. Good deal!

Neutral

rusty @ May 19th 2009 8:04PM

+1 on Sprint. They deserve kudos for the Pre and Touch Pro 2. Nice job. Now just get that freeking network in order and you will be in business.

Neutral

aoi tsuki @ May 19th 2009 8:12PM

Yeah, i was about to say the same. Great news for Sprint fans -- they've got a good network and prices, and their selection of phones is slowly looking up. June's going to be a phenomenal month for them, though mostly because of the Pre.

Sucks for those of us on AT&T. i was hoping they'd lead with the Touch Pro 2 as they did with the Touch Pro and the Kaiser.

Highly Ranked

Dan @ May 19th 2009 11:32PM

Don't forget Android in Q3..WebOS, Android, WinMo 6.5, BB OS 5 are a pretty nice line for the next 6 months. Also network's not a problem in Indy.

Highly Ranked

Sprint @ May 19th 2009 8:10PM

Sprints network IS in order. They were just ranked #1 by JD Power in Call Quality in the West and early this year were ranked #1 in the SouthEast reigion by JD Powers, and over and over again rank #1 in 3G coverage, dependability, and speed. Not to mention 4G. There is no better network. The best network, the best value, and the best phones...all Sprint

Network:
1. Sprint/Verizon (TIE)
2. AT&T
3. T-Mobile

Lowest Ranked

y2kss66 @ May 19th 2009 8:19PM

sprint fanb0y much?

Neutral

rusty @ May 19th 2009 8:40PM

Sprints network in zip code 10916 sucks. So to me, its not in order.

Highest Ranked

Blad3 @ May 21st 2009 3:04PM

@y2k

sprint hater much?

Highly Ranked

JerryAtrics @ May 19th 2009 8:16PM

@ Sprint: Network conditions are location dependant. Sprint's network in LA is decent like most of them are, but Los Angeles it not the signal strenght barometer for every city in every region in our nation.

Even in well built out areas, Sprint sometimes sucks in the RF department.

I say this as a Sprint user and employee.

You say T-Mobile is the worst, but somehow they work better than both Sprint and Verizon in my house. Go figure!

Neutral

Colebert @ May 19th 2009 8:40PM

I would say that a July release sounds plausible. The price of this phone (for new contracts) has plummeted recently. It was $99AR at Amazon until a few days ago. Now it is $49AR

Low Ranked

trooth @ May 19th 2009 8:48PM

No navigation pad = fail. I got an Omnia and the touch dpad is a pain. I guess at least you get the arror keys, but gaming looks to be horrid on this as well. I want a touch phone with the normal d-pad, I guess to get the bigger screens and stay in a "smaller" form factor this is what you got to live with. I hope WinMo7 includes some upgraded gaming. I still love surfing with Opera on a touch screen though. Should be a great phone for those who return their Pre's. Sorry Palm has sucked for so long I don't see them automatically turning it all around. Version 1.x devices are normally not that good in the mobile phone world.

Highly Ranked

Riley Freeman @ May 19th 2009 9:23PM

umm sprint has been doing it for a while. verizon has been lagging behind for at least the last 2 years. verizon has only been ahead in the dumbphone section. sprint has been kicking their ass in the smartphone department.

i guess u could say with the exception of the storm. but i didnt buy that junk. and i think a lot of other people with the fact number 2 is coming out so quickly

Neutral

trooth @ May 19th 2009 9:42PM

Yep, Verizon takes forever with most devices not made by LG or Samsung. The Omnia was great and a first over here for the CDMA version. Verizon has decent ties with RIM, but it is generally Samsung (I760 aside, and it was still bugged) and LG getting devices out fairly quickly on Verizon. LG seems to be moving over to GSM, I am kind of surprised that Palm chose Sprint just because of the future WiMax vs. LTE thing, but that is still going to be a few years down the road before 4g networks get implemented enough to truly have a customer base using them.

Neutral

Antonio @ May 20th 2009 2:25AM

trooth @ May 19th 2009 9:42PM said:
"..... LG seems to be moving over to GSM,..... "

LG has done GSM phones for a VERY long time. Lucky Goldstar has not been a CDMA only company.

Highly Ranked

plh2034 @ May 19th 2009 10:49PM

Why can't the Pre have this keyboard? Would make my choice so much easier

Neutral

Periks19 @ May 19th 2009 11:05PM

Wow good news for us sprint users just keep coming out touch pro 2, upcoming htc snap, and pre. now how bout that bold rumors we heard a while back ago?? what ever happened to that sprint bold that was suppose to come out

Neutral

Miguel @ May 20th 2009 11:34AM

Nah, its the Tour (Niagara)....Verizon is slated to get it in July, but considering how Quick Sprint Came With the Pro 2 (Cuz on the Roadmap it was late Q3, now i wouldnt be shocked to see the Tour on Sprint as Early as August.

Neutral

Palm Pre @ May 20th 2009 1:38AM

Sprint will not get the bold. It WILL be getting the Blackberry Niagra, early Sept. It is a fusion between the curve and the bold. And will be tri-band with GSM roaming. 3 MP camera/video.

Watch for a FLURRY of new devices come June 7th, along with the PRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neutral

ckeegan @ May 20th 2009 10:55AM

Now the question is whether or not HTC and Microsoft addressed the problem that makes the Touch Pro1, Fuze, 6800, and others useless when it comes to using bluetooth with many Nissan/Infiniti vehicles? HTC Apache worked fine when they were using the Widcomm stack, and then some genius decided to use the Microsoft BT stack in the devices listed above.

Needless to say, I will be so pissed if yet another device comes out, and the problem is not resolved.

Neutral

Who? @ May 20th 2009 2:50PM

If this is a world phone I'm in, although hopefully I can wait until WM 6.5 is on it; I don't feel like flashing my device. Can't wait to ditch AT&T. I'll probably take the Pre out for a 30 day spin just so I know what it's like and what I'm missing (and what it's missing, like expandable storage, music subscription service support, world capability, pleasant keyboard), but then I'll settle on the TP2.

Neutral

The Dark Lord @ May 20th 2009 3:02PM

Agreed, I hope this is a world edition and we eventually can dump f#%$^%&^& AT&T. Who the hell do they think they are. Arrogant idiots! I hate them.

I hope this phone and the Pre will pull sprint out of the water big time and will pull a lot of AT&T and Verizon customers in. Well, if we now produce world phones, there is truly no need to be with AT&T. Screw them.

The Dark Lord

Neutral

The Dark Lord @ May 20th 2009 2:58PM

Boy that orange on the keyboard and on the speaker is ugly!!!!! Where is the sprint yellow, would have looked so much nicer!!!
The original looks so much better with the silver contrast.

It is funny how they made the touch pro look so sexy and they made this look kind of boring ...

Neutral

Who? @ May 20th 2009 3:06PM

I agree that the orange isn't the best, but at least it's hidden most of the time. I agree with your ATT hatred, I just hope that Sprint's service doesn't suffer a massive decline as a result of the Pre, if it truly is a success.

Neutral

Zach @ May 20th 2009 3:26PM

YES!!! While everyone else is being wide eyed and wowed by the Pre, I'll be snapping this puppy up in a heartbeat. Now all I gotta do is convince Sprint to exchange my current Touch Pro and give me some sort of discount. I think I'll try the, "you put out an updated version of the same phone this soon?!" argument. My SERO + Touch Pro 2 = Oh oh oh...

Neutral

Peter F @ May 20th 2009 3:54PM

Hi Sprint. I'm Peter. I pay for an Extra nextel so I can get PTT. You marry a WinMo PDA like this with PTT over CDMA, and you'll make me dump ATT

Neutral

Peter F @ May 20th 2009 3:55PM

bad link?

Neutral

Blad3 @ May 21st 2009 3:20PM

http://www.wmexperts.com/sprint-touch-pro-2-spotted\

original link's thread got deleted as requested by the OP. WMexperts got a couple of pics from that thread though.

Neutral

ckeegan @ May 23rd 2009 8:47PM

I seriously hate that people keep saying crap like "Verizon will get it sometime in 2010". Verizon's won't be out long after Sprint, after all, the Verizon TP2 image came out a whopping 24 hours after the image in the article above. http://d474rpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/imga5492.jpg

Neutral

Cris @ May 24th 2009 5:11PM

Mmhmm yes, Verizon was the LAST carrier in the U.S. to get the Diamond, now what makes you think the Pro 2 will not do the same thing! If the rumors are true and it might be released after Sprint does, there is NO WAY IN HELL it will be better than sprints version (and im not a sprint user). Verizon tempts to mess up EVERY smart phone they release. Ex: Diamond, Pro, Storm etc.

Neutral

Tracy376 @ May 24th 2009 5:13PM

^^Haha no, verizon was not the last Carrier to release the Diamond in the US, but i totally agree with what you think.

Neutral

dan @ Jun 7th 2009 5:23PM

i just talked to a guy from my sprint store and he said tht he talked with htc and tht the phone wont come out til sept/oct, i almost cried

Neutral

WinMo @ Jun 15th 2009 1:36AM

Damn its this, the pre, the Blackberry Tour or that android phone...

Neutral

GuyanaG93 @ Jun 19th 2009 11:10PM

since this phone has wifi [for sprint]
does this mean that we cud go online without having internet?
cuz i dont have an internet plan
but i have a router at my house
so wud the htc touch pro 2 be able to connect to the internet with just my router?

Neutral

Mannie B. @ Jul 6th 2009 1:47AM

yes

Neutral

sarah @ Jul 9th 2009 8:56PM

when does the HTC touch pro2 come to sprint

Neutral

SNR McCoy @ Jul 22nd 2009 3:15PM

Let me start by saying that the HTC Touch Pro is a fantastic phone with more features than I knew what to do with -- while it worked. I had some of the problems that many others have noted: signal strength is not great; battery life is terrible, phantom dialing while in my pocket and occasional lock-ups. To be honest, I don’t talk on the phone all that much, so I was able to overlook these problems because of how well it worked for e-mails, messaging, internet, and I loved the GPS (Although GPS does suck the life right out of the battery. No long trips without a car charger.).
Then, after roughly 6 months, the touchscreen goes dead. I figure, no problem, the phone is less than a year old, my wife has the protection plan on it. All I should have to do is take it back to the Sprint store where I got it, and have it replaced. So I go to the Sprint store, and they tell me that I have to take it to the service center. I'm thinking that's reasonable, maybe they will be able to take a look at it and repair the problem right there.
I take the phone to the service center, explain the problem, and they don't even need to look at the phone. They've been seeing this problem a lot with the Touch Pro. So I'm thinking great, they know exactly how to fix it. No, it turns out that they don't actually fix anything there. They don't even send the phone to be repaired. You have to arrange that on your own, but they did give us a number that they thought could handle the problem. At this point my wife tells them that we have the protection plan. The service representative says that he can replace the phone, but it would be 1 to 2 months before they could get one in. I ask what my other options are, and he offers to replace it with a Blackberry Curve. Price wise, feature wise -- these phones do not even come close to comparing. I ask how much it would be to upgrade to a Palm Pre. He gets on the computer, sees that we've been with Sprint for ( I believe ) 10 to 12 years, and tells us that we are not eligible for an upgrade for 21 months, and we can take the Curve, or take it up with customer service.
My wife dealt with customer service, so I can not say exactly how things went with them. All I do know is that they were of no help to us either, so my wife found out what it would cost to get out of our contract. In the end, I am going to end up with a seriously downgraded phone, finish out my contract, switch to another phone company and make sure that everyone I talk to knows about the quality of Sprint's customer service, and how much their protection plan is worth.

Neutral

ohreli @ Jul 24th 2009 8:02PM

Wow, that is pathetic. I had thought about switching to Sprint, but I am reconsidering now. I'll stick with Tmobile.

Neutral

Chris @ Aug 3rd 2009 2:14PM

Contact Assurion for a timeframe, don't listen to the Sprint Service store employees who are most likely just guessing. The link that gr3atone kindly provided [http://www.phoneclaim.com/sprint] will give you the replacement model # [touchpro is 6850]. mine was received in 3 business days and that was just 2 months ago...

Neutral

gr3atone @ Aug 3rd 2009 9:37AM

@ SNR McCoy
If you use your protection plan as advertised, you would go through Assurion, pay a deductible and get your phone replaced w/in a few days via UPS. This is the same service that AT&T and T-mobile use. I am not aware of who runs VZW's program. You can go to www.phoneclaim.com/sprint to start the replacement process on your own.