HTC Touch Pro2 review: Out with a pro

Full pack connectivity

When it comes to connectivity the HTC Touch Pro2 has it all – HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 2Mbps, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth + EDR.

The Touch Pro2 has quad-band GSM support and dual-band 3G – 900 and 2100 MHz bands are supported (that is Europe and the like). You can check out our Worldwide Network Bands distribution database.

USB 2.0 is supported as well through a miniUSB adaptor. Actually it’s extUSB, but miniUSB cables fit just fine, and the port also serves audio input and output. When connected to a computer, the Touch Pro2 prompts you to select among ActiveSync, Mass Storage or Modem modes.

In Mass Storage mode, the memory card is handled as a removable drive on the computer for faster file transfers. The only downside is in this mode you have no access to the memory card from the handset itself – the card is simply invisible to the file manager.

Web browsing is top-notch

The HTC Touch Pro2 as usual comes with the Opera v9.5 browser. There’s IE Mobile if you really want it, but the default browser launched from the homescreen is Opera. And with good reason, since it puts IE Mobile to shame.

The Opera browser is extensively touch-optimized and draws inspiration from the iPhone’s Safari. The browser has matured since its inclusion in the Touch HD and now exhibits no rendering bugs.

GSMArena.com on HTC Touch Touch Pro2 (Opera 9.5)

The browser is heavily optimized towards vertical scrolling – it zooms through complex pages without missing a beat. Panning sideways is a little slower – a checkerboard pattern appears for a moment before the content is drawn, but this lasts for no more than a second so it’s no big issue.

Zooming in and out is also very fast. Here the Zoom bar can be used or you could opt for the regular double-tap zoom. Double tapping is more accurate as it zooms in to where you tapped, eliminating the need for much panning. On the other hand, the Zoom bar gives you finer control over the zoom level.

The WVGA resolution of the display helps navigation a great deal – at the minimum zoom level text is readable enough for you to find the section of the text you’re interested in and double tapping takes you straight there.

In landscape mode, the minimum zoom fits most pages, while strangely in portrait mode you can zoom out even more, but then the text becomes unreadable. The orientation is changed automatically of course, thanks to the built-in accelerometer.

As the Touch Pro2 offers automatic screen rotation inside the web browser, the Opera 9.5 offers a landscape QWERTY keyboard, but in the presence of the hardware one this option won’t be necessary.

And a few words about the Opera 9.5 interface. By default web pages are opened fullscreen free of any overlaying controls. A tap on the bottom right corner, however, brings up the available controls. When entering a URL there’s a special ‘.com’ button on the keypad, saving a few presses.

First, you've got the address bar at the very top. At the bottom of the screen there is a row of icons that can take you back, take you to bookmarks, bring up the tab switcher (you can open up to two tabs), the home page or the browser settings.

Opera 9.5 has a handy download manager which tracks the progress of the files you’re downloading.

Organizing your life is just easy

Windows Mobile offers several time-management features and all of them are easily syncable with Outlook. In the Touch Pro2 the standard interface is kept under wraps – the only times you catch a glimpse of it are when creating or viewing an appointment. The homescreen only shows the basics – time and subject.

The Calendar offers daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly views, although the TouchFLO 3D interface shows only daily and monthly views. If you want the others you’ll have to do without the pretty TouchFLO skin.

When viewing tasks, you can also see weather information for that particular day if available. The TouchFLO 3D preloads the weather forecast for up to 5 days ahead of the last update.

The TouchFLO skinned Calendar daily and monthly views • viewing and editing a task

The To-Do list allows you to add tasks and assign them priority. The Notes also come in handy, as you can either type or directly write the text down on the screen. The Voice recorder and Calculator need no explanation.

The Alarm clock has three alarm slots. Each Alarm can have its own repeat pattern. Unfortunately, due to the limited customization options in the default Alarms application, we suggest you check out some free third-party alternatives.

Document editor is not forgotten

Among the other WM core applications is the Office Mobile package featuring support for viewing and editing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. With the latest version of Office Mobile, you also have the OneNote application.

The Office Mobile allows viewing and editing Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote files

Once again, the WVGA display of the Touch Pro2 proves superior in fitting as much of the documents contents on the screen as possible – especially in portrait mode.

Thanks to Adobe Reader LE, there is also support for viewing PDF documents. We are again pleased (first in Diamond2) with the performance of the Touch Pro2 in this area, as opening and handling PDF documents is usually rather slow on handhelds.

Opening PDF documents with Adobe Reader LE