HTC’s plans for global summertime availability of its Touch Pro2 PDA phone includes the U.S. market, a spokesman said.
The 3G HSDPA phone, based on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS, is an upgraded version of the 3G Touch Pro available through CDMA carriers Sprint and Nextel and, under the Fuze name, HSDPA carrier AT&T. Enhancements include a larger touchscreen, faster Web-page loading, sorting of previous communications by person and an improved 3-D motion user interface.
HTC declined to specify the U.S. HSDPA bands in which the new device would operate or whether it would market the handset through carriers, unlocked channels or both.
Both models feature slide-from-the-side QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen with swiping 3-D user interface, but the Pro2 features a larger 3.6-inch WVGA screen vs. the Pro’s 2.8-inch VGA display. Both devices can be used in landscape mode like a mini laptop, thanks to a tilt-up screen.
Another upgrade is a people-centric viewing history of conversations, sorting all communications — including voice, SMS and email — by person. The Pro2 will be HTC’s first U.S.-market phone with the technology.
The Touch Pro 2 will also be the first U.S.-market HTC phone with Straight Talk technology, which lets users initiate calls and conference calls directly from an email’s “from, to and cc” lists. Users flip the phone over to automatically activate the speakerphone.
Other features appearing for the first time in a U.S.-market HTC phone include zero-waiting Push Internet, which accelerates Web-page rendering and lets users preselect favorite Web sites for immediate access.
