HTC Touch Pro gets handled, keyboard better than X1's?

The question on quite literally every WinMo fanatic's mind as we go into the second half of the year here is, "Touch Pro or X1?" It's not an easy question to answer, and anyone hoping to sink some cash on either one of these models in a few months is going to want to do so with a crap-ton of research and anecdotal information under their belts lest the buyer's remorse set in particularly quickly. MobileBurn scored an early look at the Touch Pro -- which won't be available at retail for a month or three yet -- and came away impressed with the all-important keyboard, saying that it was "much more" usable than the QWERTY found on Sony Ericsson's rival superphone. Closed, it's said to be virtually indistinguishable from the Touch Diamond (which we'd say is a good thing) other than being a bit thicker to accomodate they keyboard and picking up a matte-finish rear cover. Unfortunately, HTC refused to show off the Touch Pro's interface -- apparently on account of some new tricks up TouchFLO 3D's sleeve that haven't already made their way into the Touch Diamond -- but they did share that the new model will handle landscape mode with particular aplomb. So this one might have the X1 beat in the keyboard department, but the X1's WVGA display takes the crown for sheer pixel count. Decisions!

LG Dare Phone Is Available Now on Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A. today announced the LG Dare is now available through Verizon Wireless' online store. Here is more info:

This summer's must-have phone dares to be different with its bold looks and advanced capabilities - boasting a spacious three-inch touch-screen with handwriting recognition, a superior 3.2 megapixel camera with face detection and flash, and unique photo editing capabilities. The phone will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, including those in Circuit City, on July 3.
The LG Dare’s touch-screen offers the optimal HTML Web browsing experience and runs on the nation’s most reliable wireless network to ensure a smooth and easy navigation experience. The touch-screen also supports handwriting recognition and tactile feedback so that customers can more easily select their options on the phone. The phone’s camera has a Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens for outstanding image quality, and the camera offers advanced features, such as face detection and an LED flash so customers can take enhanced-quality photos from their mobile phones. Additionally, customers can use the photo editing tool to personalize their digital photos with features that include borders and landscapes, and they can draw on their pictures directly on the screen using their fingertips.

Additional features and capabilities of LG Dare include:

-V CAST Music-capable – access more than 3 million full-length songs from well-known and independent artists that can be purchased and downloaded over-the-air directly to the phone
-Music Player for .mp3, .wma, unprotected .aac, and unprotected .aac+ files
-microSD card memory port – with up to 8 GB support with an optional memory card
-USB Mass Storage – transfer files between microSD card and PC
-3.2 Megapixel Camera and Camcorder
+Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens for optimal picture quality
+Camera Resolutions: 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 pixels
+SmartPic technology and manual ISO adjustment for improved image quality
+Face Detection – detects a face when taking a picture
+Panorama, split shot and frame camera settings
+Scene Mode – automatically makes adjustments to camera settings for improved quality in different environments
+Zoom: up to 2x
+Image Editor – zoom, rotate, crop, add frames and icons and write over images
+Video Resolutions: 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 176 x 144 pixels
+Video Recording Speed: up to 120 frames per second for slow video playback
+Video Recording Time: 30 seconds (for sending); up to 1 hour (for saving) depending on memory
+Video Player for WMV, MP4, 3GP, 3G2 formats
+Customizable brightness, white balance, shutter sound, color effects, night and preview mode, photometry, self-timer
-Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
+Listen to music with optional stereo Bluetooth headset
+Send all contacts and calendar events via Bluetooth
+Print and send customer-generated pictures (JPEG) via Bluetooth
+Save up to 20 Bluetooth pairings
+Supported Profiles: headset, hands-free car kits, dial-up networking, stereo Bluetooth, phone book access, basic printing, object push for vCard and vCalendar, file transfer, basic imaging, human interface device
-One-touch speakerphone
-Speaker-independent voice commands
-Voice Recording: 1 minute or 1 hour (standby)
-Music ringer support (clips from hit songs)
-HTML Web browsing with touch navigation and favorites
-Text, picture, video messaging-capable
-Mobile Email – access MSN Hotmail, America Online and Yahoo! accounts to exchange e-mail
-Mobile IM capabilities
-VZ Navigator-capable – get visual and audible directions to thousands of destinations, locate businesses and other points of interest, get maps of a location, and share directions with others
-Phone Book with 1,000 contacts: each contact entry stores five numbers, two e-mail addresses and a Picture ID
-FOTA-capable – upgrade firmware over-the-air
-Favorites – add up to nine contacts with Picture ID
-Speed Dial (up to 996 entries)

Technology: CDMA
Frequency: 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA (Digital Dual-Band)
Data Transmission: high-speed EV-DO
Dimensions: 4.1" (h) x 2.2" (w) x 0.5" (d)
Weight: 3.76 ounces
Display: 260K Color TFT, 240 x 400 pixels, 3.0"
Standard Battery: 1,100 mAh
Usage Time: up to 280 minutes or
Standby Time: up to 360 hours

The Dare is available for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Official Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM for Sprint Mogul leaks out

Here's a deeply philosophical question for you: if an official ROM is released unofficially, is it official? We don't know, and frankly, we don't care -- the important thing is that a shipping-quality cut of Windows Mobile 6.1 for Sprint's Mogul has found its way onto the interwebs courtesy of the wizards over at xda-developers. It's not clear when Sprint or HTC might make this just a little more official than it already is and release it through one of their support sites, but in the meantime, at least we still have a shot at nabbing the goods through "other" channels. Let us know about any trials or tribulations you face getting your units upgraded, alright?

Sprint's HTC Touch (Vogue) gets Windows Mobile 6.1 update

Hey, Vogue users -- jealous of your Mogul toting friends, are you? Put all that angst aside, as an official Sprint firmware update has just been loosed that adds Windows Mobile 6.1 among other things. Not much else to say beyond that, and besides, shouldn't you have that download started already?

HTC Touch Diamond Hands-on Update

I'm still working on the full review, but I wanted to give everyone an update on that performance fix that was released last week for the HTC Touch Diamond. I installed the new ROM (it was easy, just run the executable on your PC), and now TouchFLO is noticeably faster. It's still not instant, but it's definitely improved to the point where it's usable and you won't really mind it. Yeah, it's passed that bar. I'd even say that it's just as fast as the iPhone. Current owners will be able to upgrade to the newer official ROM soon.