Ever wonder what the inside of the Verizon/Sprint Touch Pro 2 looks like?  Want to see how to disassemble your $600 phone and void the warranty?  Then check out these posts

• Santod, shows us the FCC internal shots of the Verizon Touch Pro 2, obviously taken in dirty garage (.pdf file)
• JinxCA who goes one step further and strips his own Sprint Touch Pro 2 down, including directions & tools to do it yourself

As noted in my review, they are definitely using Broadcomm WiFi/BT chipset instead of Texas Instruments, which I found to be a great decision.  Other than that, these are pretty standard--tell us in comments if you see anything cool or uniqe!

There's been a lot of hype around the latest HTC Touch Pro 2, released just a few weeks ago on Sprint. The Windows Mobile 6.1 device is a significant upgrade from the original Touch Pro and offers quite the bang for the buck.

Here's an interesting question though: Is the Sprint Touch Pro 2 now good enough for this Black Slab™ skeptic? It should be no secret that I've been a critic of this style for some time now, instead preferring front-QWERTY types. Yet here I am, compelled enough to go out an buy one.

Lets just say ... I'm impressed.

Read on for my review and judgment of the Sprint Touch Pro 2 from the perspective of a non-believer!

Read the rest of this entry »

We're getting word that as of today, September 3rd, you can now place pre-order for the just announced HTC Touch Pro 2 via Sprint TeleSales (866-866-7509).

All sorts of prices are being thrown around, depending on your current contract-status. There is a $100 MIR and you should be able to get the fee for over-night shipping waived. Some SERO users though are getting denied, so be careful.

The devices are also suppose to be in stock now, meaning deliveries could start as early as tomorrow (no tracking numbers have been confirmed as of yet) but most people are being told it won't ship till next week, so 3-5 business days.

Good luck everyone!

Update:  SERO users should try and call 1-888-503-3078--reportedly orders go through that channel with no problem. (thanks Russelhi).

Okay folks we have some good news/bad news:

Bad news first is that Sprint and Verizon are launching the hotly anticipated Touch Pro 2 with the same build of Windows Mobile 6.1 as the recently launched Telus version (review).

Interestingly, US Cellular will be launching out the gate with Windows Mobile 6.5 on its Rhodium device, though we have no firm date on that release yet.

Now some goods news:  Sprint and Verizon both have working test-ROMs with Windows Mobile 6.5 already, meaning an official update won't be too far off after launch (8-12 weeks?).  Seems both companies are racing to get it out the door ASAP, so no one is waiting for a stable Windows Mobile 6.5.

Finally, Verizon is not only keeping the GPS unlocked, but it looks to be shipping with Bing/Live Search in the actual ROM. This is odd for them since Verizon usually includes its own Nav program and not Bing/Google Maps (like on the Ozone). Definitely a change in practice there!

We really have zero doubt that we'll see the Touch Pro 2 on Sprint, and this just about wraps it up. We've gotten a glimpse at the leaked phone itself. We seen ROMs that point to its release. And now it's appeared on Sprint's NASCAR site for, natch, the Sprint Cup. [via Engadget]

It's a little odd that the phone's listed as the Rhodium, which as we all know is its HTC codename. (The asterisk, for the record, points to the Rhodium as one of the "devices (that) support NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile full audio and video content.")

So we'll avoid saying that Sprint's revving its engine on the Touch Pro 2 (or getting ready to drop the green flag) and instead say that it's coming, get ready.

And if you ain't first, you're last.

We're getting word that both Verizon and Sprint's upcoming Touch Pro 2 — aka "Rhodium" — are getting closer to launch.

How do we know? Evidently the ROM has been finalized and is ready to ship:

• RUU_Rhodium_W_VERIZON_WWE_1.16.605.1_RS_1.71WV_NV_VZW_1.38_0505_PRL58002_Ship_PPST
• RUU_Rhodium_W_Sprint_WWE_1.21.651.3_RS_1.96WF_NV_S PCS_1.42_0430_PRL60652_Ship.exe

With the ROMs locked down, it seems more about dotting their i's and crossing their t's now, specifically time-to-market, FCC, packaging, production, etc. One thing looks certain: Verizon and Sprint are both racing to get this out at the same time.

We can also confirm the radio frequencies available for this CDMA/GSM world phone on both carriers:

• GSM; GPRS; EDGE; CDMA;UMTS-HSUPA 2Mbps; CDMA2000-1xRTT; CDMA2000-1xEVDO; CDMA2000-1xEVDOrA RL-1.8M,FL-3.1M

Looking pretty sweet.  Verizon, along with its HTC "WhiteStone" device, is poised to make one heck of a WM splash in the next few months.

We've seen renders of the HTC Touch Pro 2 (aka Rhodium aka Fortress) destined for AT&T, and now comes word that it's passed FCC testing.

It's got all the goodies we've come to know of the Touch pro 2, including the 3.6-inch touchscreen at 480x800, Windows Mobile 6.1, aGPS, WiFi b/g, a 3.2MP camera, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. The standard AT&T 3G bands (850MHz and 1900MHz) are, of course, present.

Now all we need are some leaked shots, release date and pricing. A slew of FCC information won't be unsealed until the end of September, so we might not see the Touch Pro 2 on AT&T until October at the earliest. But that's rampant speculation on our part, and stranger things have happened.

FCC via CellPhone Signal

We'd seen rumors that two of HTC's soon-to-be-released phones, the Touch Pro 2 and Snap, could well be sporting CDMA and GSM radios for some worldwide fun, and now we've got some official evidence to go with it.

Engadget spied a document in FCC testing of the Touch Pro 2 (aka Rhodium) that states there are in fact two radios on board, and that the GSM side "has been disabled by firmware and is SIM locked for all US operators."

So what's that mean? It's a world phone all right, but don't expect to be rocking dual CDMA/GSM in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Another item of note here is that there are two FCC IDs, the Rhodium 400 and the Rhodium 500, which very likely means versions for Sprint (which we just saw) and Verizon (which we don't expect to see anytime soon - see VZW Touch Diamond). Stay tuned.

The HTC Touch Pro 2 continues its long (and gooey) march to T-Mobile. We've already seen one variation of the Rhodium (its original HTC code name) at the FCC, but here's another, and it sports the T-Mobile 3G band of 1700 MHz.

Other tidbits: The first Rhodium at the FCC was the RHO100; this one's the RHO210, for what it's worth.

FCC (pdf link) Via Cell Phone Signal

We've been halfway expecting for a little while now that some new HTC goodness would finally be making its way to T-Mobile, and now we've got some tentative release dates.

TMoNews is reporting that the HTC Snap (aka the Maple) will arrive July 1 to replace the venerable Dash, and the Touch Pro 2 (aka the Rhodium) could be released July 22 and be branded the Wing II.

Of course, this is all very unofficial and is subject to change. But in any case, it'll be nice to see some fresh Windows Mobile devices coming to T-Mobile.