HTC Touch Pro Verizon CDMA Review

Introduction:

Verizon has released their variant of HTC’s Touch Pro, a device we first saw with a GSM radio over the summer and which came to Sprint and Alltel a short time ago.  Verizon’s Pro may share the same name as Sprint and Alltel’s model, but they have done more than simply slap their name on it and change the color of the battery door.  Interestingly enough, while it finally carries the HTC name on the box the device remains branded only with the Verizon logo.  This variant is slightly larger than the others, but more importantly Verizon has decreased the RAM.

Design:

The original GSM and other CDMA Pros all have slightly rounded corners,with a metal frame.  Verizon’s Pro closer resembles the GSM Diamond’shard lines and sharp corners (as does AT&T’s Pro, the Fuze.)  Thebody has a piano black finish, and the metal frame found on the otherversions is gone.  The battery door is very plain; it is constructed ofthe same piano black plastic and is unlike anything we’ve seen from theTouch series before.  Both the GSM and other CDMA Pros are coated insoft touch paint, which give them a better in-hand feel.  The lack of ametal frame and hard plastic leads to a slick, cheaper feel whencompared to other variants.  While not good, this is less of an issueon the bigger Pro, and would be more apparent if they did it to theDiamond.  Please Verizon, don’t do it to the Diamond!  Overall the feelisn’t quite right, just like we said about the Sprint version thoughfor different reasons.



You can compare HTC Touch Pro CDMA with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The keyboard is also different.  It occupies the same physical space and still offers five rows, but it is short two columns when compared to the other Pros.  This leads to bigger keys, a noticeable change, but also fewer keys.  Each layout has its merits; those with fatter fingers will appreciate it but those who can handle the smaller buttons will miss the extra functionality.  The navigational keys below the screen remain the same in function, but the send and end keys have been painted green and red which does not mesh well aesthetically.  The d-pad sits relatively flush, as opposed to the Sprint’s which has some relief around it making the touch scrolling more comfortable and natural.

Software:

The major difference though is system memory. All other versions have shipped with 288MB of RAM and 512MB ROM, but inexplicably Verizon has stripped it down to 192/512MB.  ISM (Intimate Shared Memory) - which lets the device use RAM more efficiently- has doubled to 64MB, but that doesn’t compensate for total loss of memory which is sorely felt.  Verizon’s Pro is sluggish, and we found ourselves waiting to do just about anything.  After startup the VZW Pro had 58% of its memory in use, compared with 32% from the Sprint Pro.  There is an apparent memory leak as well, as we commonly found our Pro in the 60s a while after startup and even saw it as high as 77% with only ActiveSync (which automatically pops up,) if anything, running.  Memory leaks are nothing new for Windows Mobile, but that is fairly severe especially when you’re dealing with less memory in the first place.  The Pro supports microSD expansion, but Verizon does not include the 1GB memory card that Sprint does.

For the most part the software remains the same.  It runs a Verizonized version of TouchFLO 3D, with a red and gray theme and reorganized and sometimes renamed icons.  The functionally, however, remains exactly the same.  We do have to note that TF3D is not enabled out of the box; the user must enable the plug-in via Today in the options menu.  Included programs are similar to Sprint’s offering, with apps like Remote Desktop and Jetcet Print 5 still along for the ride.  VZ Navigator is your only GPS option; Verizon has locked the feature and so applications such as Google Maps and other third party offerings cannot take advantage of it.  Also missing, for no good reason, is HTC’s wonderful YouTube client.  VZAppZone is your download portal for new applications.