Verizon May Launch the HTC Touch Pro2 Next Week

Verizon will become the third U.S. carrier to offer the HTC Touch Pro2, if an unconfirmed report is correct.

This high-end Windows phone will go on sale next Friday, Sept. 11, reports BGR, citing an unnamed source.

This same source says Verizon will ask significantly less for Touch Pro2 than either of its competitors: $200 with a two-year contract and a $100 mail-in rebate. Both T-Mobile and Sprint are asking $350 with contract.

At this point, unconfirmed reports like this one are the only source of information, as Verizon hasn't officially committed to offering this model. Still, there have been enough leaks to leave little room for doubt.

An Overview of the HTC Touch Pro2
The Touch Pro2 will have much in common with the original, but also offer a number of improvements.

Both have the same general shape: a slider with a WVGA (800 by 480 pixel) touchscreen and a landscape-oriented QWERTY keyboard.

However, the upcoming model's 3.6 inch touchscreen and keyboard will be considerably larger the the current ones. In addition, the Touch Pro2 will mark the return of the slide-and-tilt screen that was a hallmark of an earlier smartphone from HTC, the AT&T Tilt.

This phone runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 on a 528 MHz processor from Qualcomm, with 288 MB of RAM. It could make the jump to Windows Mobile 6.5 when this new version is available, but there's no word yet on whether Verizon will offer an upgrade.

On top of the standard Windows Mobile user interface will be the latest version of HTC's TouchFLO 3D user interface, which has been designed to make the device easier to use with a fingertip, rather than a stylus.

Verizon's version of the Touch Pro2 will almost certainly offer EV-DO, its version of mobile broadband, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Other features include a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, a GPS receiver, 3.5 mm audio jack, a microSD card slot, and a 1500 mAh battery.

Here, There, and Everywhere
The HTC Touch Pro2 is shaping up to be one of the hottest smartphones of this fall. It's already available from T-Mobile, Sprint will launch it early next week, and now Verizon could introduce it very shortly thereafter.

AT&T is also expected to release a version, but unconfirmed reports say this carrier is waiting for the debut of Windows Mobile 6.5. Its competitors will likely release upgrades, but AT&T's version will supposedly debut with the latest version of Microsoft's operating system for smartphones.

Source: BGR