Can you imagine Dell or HP selling a Vista laptop a couple months from now? No, you probably can't -- but we've got the mobile equivalent of that faux-pas going on here with MetroPCS' introduction of the rumored Code from Samsung, a portrait QWERTY device with EV-DO, a 2 megapixel camera, and microSD expansion up to 32GB. To be fair, WinMo 6.5 does far less for Standard than it does for Professional over its 6.1 equivalent, but still, it's just a little awkward for all parties involved. If you can get past that minor oversight, though, check it out now at your local retailer for $299 contract-free.

We finally got a good, hard look at the Verizon-customized version of Samsung's Omnia II, and we've got good news and bad news: the good news is that the phone's a darker, more reasonable shade in person than it was in that press shot we'd seen before, but the bad news is that we've confirmed it's running 6.1. Anyone daring to release a 6.1 phone at this point is at serious risk of getting laughed out of the room unless they offer an upgrade path mere minutes afterwards, so we're hoping that by the time this is on shelves, it'll either be running 6.5 out of the box or there'll be an update program announced in conjunction with the release. Otherwise, the display's absolutely phenomenal (indoors, anyhow) and TouchWiz seems to work as well as it did on the original model, though scrolling through menus got a bit laggy at times -- isn't it kinda weird that a years-old platform can practically max out a circa-2009 device? Check out a quick gallery below.

Kempler & Strauss -- which pretty much came out of nowhere this week to announce a pair of 3G WinMo devices and a watchphone -- is pulling out all the stops here at CTIA to get its new products noticed, so everything they've got is on display and ready to use (or in some cases, wear). First up are the Billionair B6 and B7, full touch and portrait QWERTY WinMo devices respectively that currently run 6.1 -- but we're told that 6.5 upgrades will be available by the end of the year. Neither phone looks that awesome and feel generally cheap; the B6 borrows styling cues from the original HTC Touch, to boot, so there's an overal KIRFy feel to the thing. The skin they've dropped atop the operating system is pretty uninspiring, too -- though many WinMo skins look uninspiring when they're up against something thoroughly modern like a recent build of TouchFLO 3D. The phones' saving grace might be the fact that they're cheap -- sub-$300 -- and in the case of the B7, the combo portrait keyboard / QVGA touchscreen is still a nice, sadly too-rare combo.

Turning our attention to the more interesting device of the trio, the W is a watchphone that employs a pretty standard GUI we've seen on similar models, but this one employs perhaps the most livable styling that we've seen this side of an LG GD910, and it all comes at a small fraction of the price. The touchscreen doesn't come with a traditional stylus, per se, but instead you get a "communicator" accessory that functions as a combination stylus / Bluetooth handsfree / remote control -- pretty cool, although we'd feel pretty silly (and sad) if we misplaced it. At $200, we could almost justify buying one of these just for the sheer novelty of it -- just don't expect desktop-class browsing on that display, and you should be a happy camper.

With the Imagio having just launched and the Omnia II coming down the pike, it's easy to be lulled into the false sense of security that Verizon subscribers will soon have their pick of several high-end smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.5 this month. Sure, the Touch Pro2 runs 6.1 for the time being, but the Omnia II must be hitting with 6.5 at launch -- right? Not so fast; WMExperts alleges that when Samsung's latest US-bound smartphone hits later this month, it'll have 6.1 loaded, and although a 6.5 update is eventually planned, it won't come "for a while." That's a huge disappointment if true, and it'll be a tough situation to explain if they've got the Imagio launching on the 6th with 6.5 and the Omnia II comes, say, two weeks later with an operating system nearly two years older (not to say we expect the jump from 6.1 to 6.5 feel like two years' worth of improvement, but still). Heck, we can't believe we're saying this, but we think it might even be worth their while to delay the phone by a few weeks if it meant they'd be able to be on shelves with 6.5 from day one -- but maybe that's why we're writers and not Verizon marketing strategists.

[Via pocketnow.com]

We'd hypothesized that neither Sprint nor T-Mobile wouldn't be able to hold out long at the positively ridiculous $349.99 on-contract price point they'd both set for the HTC Touch Pro2 out of the gate, and it looks like at least one of the two might finally be getting the hint. Sprint's now rumored to be bringing the beastly smartphone down to $199 after mail-in rebate, which would match Verizon's current pricing -- a move Sprint simply had to make, especially considering that the carrier typically positions itself as a value brand. Hopefully this rumor pans out, in which case T-Mobile will be looking pretty silly if they hold out at $350; if they capitulate, that'll put all of the currently-released US Touch Pro2s under the magic $200 mark and put a ton of pressure on AT&T to stay in line by the time it drops the green flag.

[Thanks, Guy]

So, any luck socking away $350 worth crisp, unmarked, non-sequential US currency over the past week since the Touch Pro2 was officially announced for Sprint? If so, we'd just like to offer a friendly reminder that you can now head over to Sprint's online store to place your order -- and yes, that $349.99 you'll be shelling out is after rebate and discount on a new two-year contract. Being second doesn't come cheap, it seems.

[Thanks, Wilson]

Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Monday, September 7, 2009:

• Samsung's got a version of the Jet for its domestic Korean market, the clumsily-named "Haptic AMOLED." Unlike its international cousin, the Haptic AMOLED packs a T-DMB tuner (as just about all Korean phones do) and it's available in spicy pink and white shades for the usual carriers SKT, KTF, and LGT.
• Did you know that AT&T used to have a stake in the Indian wireless market? Yeah, us neither, but they did prior to the Cingular merger -- and rumor has it they're looking to get back in by buying a chunk of state-owned operator BSNL, ostensibly because the market -- which is still in a heavy growth phase -- is seen as a powder keg waiting to explode.
• This one's been going around for a few days, and with the carrier's full-court press on Android, it makes total sense: the Bluetooth SIG is reporting that the Samsung T939 Behold2 for T-Mobile will feature "Google Mobile services," which would fit in with an earlier user agent profile leak. [Via Cell Phone Signal]
• There's a new Samsung i8910 HD firmware that's starting to hit some regions, and it's a good one -- it features an all-new 3D task switcher and a built-in weather forecast widget for TouchWiz. [Via PhoneArena]
• Surprise, surprise: Toshiba is relaunching the mighty TG01 with Windows Mobile 6.5 next month, a move that was fully expected all along. If anything, there'd be riots had this not happened.
• Sony Ericsson's Panel SDK for the X2 is now available, featuring new "Panelizer" tools to convert existing apps into panels in a few easy steps -- and starting in the next few days, devs will be able to submit their work for inclusion in the PlayNow arena.
• Vodafone has launched a range of eight new self-branded devices that'll be available in time for the holidays this year, and as usual, they're positioned squarely at the lower end of the market. Some of them like the E71 ripoff 1240 (pictured) are straight-up KIRFs, while others like the "Crystal" member of the 533 Catwalk Collection are trying to ooze fashion and style without killing the wad of cash stuffed in your pocket. Whether they've succeeded in doing that... well, that's another question altogether. [Via Unwired View]

Alright, so maybe a square Nokia isn't your style -- we understand. Maybe you'd like something a little more businesslike, something with a little more Exchange ActiveSync flair and a keyboard with room to spare. What you're looking for, we reckon, is the Touch Pro2 -- and now that Sprint and T-Mobile both have it, it's Verizon's turn to get real with HTC's latest QWERTY beast. Knowing full well that this is a businessperson's dream, HTC and Verizon have gone ahead and stuffed EDGE in there to keep you connected while you're abroad; otherwise, you've got the same WVGA resolution, 3.2 megapixel cam, GPS, and WiFi as the other guys, and just like Sprint, you're signed up for that all-important 3.5mm headphone jack. Global capability doesn't come cheap in this case, though: expect to pay $299.99 on a two-year deal before a $100 mail-in rebate.

Alltel customers -- totally legit ones who've been left out of the Verizon integration -- have a few things going for them, not the least of which is a one-year contract policy that applies across the lineup. That means you can get a Tour for the same two bills you'd pay on Sprint or Verizon but with only half the time commitment, but now, it also means you can get an HTC Snap (generic version pictured above) for just $80. Considering it's the same form factor with international roaming capability that the Tour offers, that might be $120 worth saving if you're not married to BlackBerry OS and you're willing to give WinMo a fair shake. That's not so crazy of an idea, is it?

[Via Phone Scoop]

Followers, fans, and casual observers of HTC alike all know that when the company launches a new landscape QWERTY model, it's a big deal. In fact, it's more than a big deal -- it's a Big Deal. Many describe it as the ultimate smartphone form factor, the perfect execution of everything a modern handset is capable of doing -- and realistically, no company has as much experience or know-how at making powerhouse landscape QWERTY sliders than HTC does.

That's why droves of subscribers on virtually every carrier are on the edge of their seats awaiting the Touch Pro2's release. Whether you love, hate, or feel nothing but pure, unadulterated ambivalence toward Windows Mobile, it's hard to argue that the Pro2 isn't a gorgeous smartphone at a distance, and T-Mobile USA's gently-tweaked version is no exception. Unless you're desperate for SLR-quality photography (which you're frankly not going to get regardless of what phone you buy), the spec sheet reads like a dream -- an expansive 3.6-inch WVGA display, full QWERTY, tilt-up display, all the 3G and WiFi you could ever want, and HTC's latest and greatest build of TouchFLO 3D constantly working to make sure that WinMo cleans up nice -- but is it true love or just lipstick on a pig? Let's have a look.

Alright, listen up: we're going to play a little game we like to call, "what carrier isn't getting the Touch Pro2?" Sound easy? Not so fast, partner -- this bad boy gets around like a record, if you know what we're saying. In fact, the beefy, all-business WinMo superphone is well on its way to becoming the first handset carried by every top-tier North American carrier in we-don't-know-how-long (granted, we don't have solid intel on Bell or Rogers, but we wouldn't be surprised to see them coming). We suspected AT&T was signed up for it some time ago, and now we've got it snapped in the flesh, complete with an AT&T logo conveniently assigned as the function on the down key. We don't know when this'll be available, but seeing how all notions of exclusivity appear to be out of the window on this one, we could see an announcement any day now. Better list that Fuze on eBay now, ladies and gentlemen.

[Thanks, Ahres]

Update: It'd stand to reason that this is going to be branded Tilt 2 in light of the screen shot posted earlier; kinda strange that AT&T would return to the Tilt branding, but... you know, marketing departments work in mysterious ways that we'll never understand.

We've been asked not to reveal the URLs, but we can assure you we've seen this official support screen pictured above with our own two eyes, which means that the HTC Hero is all but confirmed in a juicy CDMA blend for Sprint. How (or if) that'll affect the availability of the US 3G version unlocked or on any carrier is unclear, but given Hesse's huffy language regarding Pre exclusivity, we wouldn't be surprised if they've got this one locked down for a while as well. We've seen a similar support page for an Alltel-branded Snap, so if you're still tied up in one of the carrier's legacy divested markets and you've been pining after the Snap (and Ozone) on Sprint and Verizon, fear not -- your own version is on the way. We'll admit, if you had asked us a few months back what American carrier would get HTC's highest-end Android phone to date, Sprint wouldn't have been our first guess -- but hey, good for them. If you can't win the coverage battle against the Big Red juggernaut, may as well try to win the exclusive hardware battle, right?

[Thanks, Adam]

At a glance, Samsung's recently-announced Omnia Pro B7610 seems like a sweet hunk of Windows Mobile love -- especially if you're cross-shopping it with the Touch Pro2 -- but is there more than meets the eye? GSMArena recently put a prerelease unit through its paces, and it's not a perfect situation by any stretch; first off, apparently not very pretty in the flesh, owing in part to its girth and in part to the weird red battery cover. The resistive touchscreen isn't great and the OLED display washes out in sunlight (as they typically do), but on the plus side, the QWERTY keyboard is said to be stellar and it seems that Sammy's done a great job of completely concealing WinMo 6.1's sad, sagging skin with TouchWiz. In the final analysis, the site concludes that the phone easily matches the high bar set by the Touch Pro2 -- strong words considering HTC's market dominance and the fact that we're still looking at a prototype Omnia Pro here, so this should get even more interesting.

China's ZTE is still sticking to the low end in North America, but in its home country, the manufacturer is a huge player. Evidence of that lies strewn about ZTE's booth at Wireless Japan this week, where it's showing a pair of WinMo devices plus a Linux-based model that look ripe to compete with some of the best in the world. First up, the RAISE and XIANG do WinMo and HSPA for China Unicom's Wo network, rocking 5 and 3.2 megapixel cameras, respectively. The D820 reps the open-source world (though we're not sure what kind of Linux distro is running on it -- it's not Android, if we had to guess) and runs CDMA with WiFi, GPS, and a 2 megapixel camera. We're not sure if ZTE is using phones like these as warmups for more global launches, but given what we're seeing here -- and the low price points they're likely looking to hit -- we're all for it.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

If you're willing to peddle off three years of the prime of your life... well then, Canadians, Best Buy has an offer you simply can't refuse. Telus has yet to release its version of the HTC Snap on its own accord, but that's not stopping the big box retailer from doing its thing -- and at CAD $29.99 (about $27) on a three-year contract, we'd venture to say that's quite a steal for a WinMo smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and global roaming capability. Anyone lining up at the registers right now for this one?

[Via MobileSyrup]