Sprint Promises to Upgrade HTC Touch Pro2 to Windows Mobile 6.5 by March

Sprint says it will give users of its HTC Touch Pro2 an upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft's mobile operating system for free. This upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro might not be available for several months, though.

This smartphone was released last year with version 6.1, and an upgrade will provide some new features, including ones specific to Sprint's version.

According to a statement on this carrier's support website:

This upgrade will not only provide updates to the Windows Mobile platform, but also significant enhancements to the Touch Pro2 user interface which will allow additional customization/personalization options and more integration with the applications users access most.

The launch of this new version may still be some time away. At this point, Sprint is only saying that it will be released in the first quarter of this year.

What's new in Windows Mobile 6.5?
The latest version of Microsoft's operating system for high-end phones isn't a major upgrade, but tweaks the user interface to make it more fingertip friendly, with many on-screen elements enlarged so users can select them without a stylus.

Windows Mobile 6.5 also has more of a focus on consumers, as the Today Screen has been modified to include items like a music player and photo viewer.

However, the Touch Pro2 comes with HTC's alternate user interface, so many of these changes aren't apparent to users. Still, the new version also comes with a new version of Internet Explorer, and includes access to Microsoft's recently-launched on-device software store.

An overview of the changes can be found in this article: Windows Mobile 6.5 Review.

At this point, there is no additional information on the custom changes Sprint plans to make to this version.

An Overview of the HTC Touch Pro2
This smartphone has a 3.6 inch, WVGA (800 by 480 pixel) touchscreen and a landscape-oriented QWERTY keyboard. The Touch Pro2 marks 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 on a 528 MHz processor from Qualcomm, with 288 MB of RAM.

It offers support for Sprint's mobile broadband network, as well as Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Other features include a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, a GPS receiver, a microSD card slot, and a 1500 mAh battery.

Source: Sprint