ATT "Fuze" (HTC Touch Pro) due out this Friday 10/7

[robr]

This is basically the successor to the HTC Kaiser (ATT Tilt)

Some info here:
- more memory
- faster processor
- VGA resolution (finally!!!)
- 5 row keyboard

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_touch_pro-2413.php
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/tag/touchpro

 

[Hrant]

Good to hear! I checked with my local AT&T store yesterday and they weren't sure; they thought by Thanksgiving or after!.

I have till Sunday to use the 30 day option to keep my Tilt or not.

 

[robr]

Good to hear! I checked with my local AT&T store yesterday and they weren't sure; they thought by Thanksgiving or after!.

I have till Sunday to use the 30 day option to keep my Tilt or not.

Yeah, ATT corporate is not telling their stores the exact date, so it's all rumors right now, but the rumor sources that are known to be more reliable in these matters are saying Friday.

I bought my Tilt the day it was released to replace my 8525, frankly I've never been all that impressed with it and it's far more fragile than my 8525 ever was. I already cracked the screen once, there was no reason for it to happen, and dozens of others have reported the same thing. ATT will not help if it happens as they claim 'abuse'.

With the Fuze right around the corner, if it were me, I'd return your Tilt even if the Fuze doesn't hit by Friday.

 

[mickeylex]

Good to hear! I checked with my local AT&T store yesterday and they weren't sure; they thought by Thanksgiving or after!.

I have till Sunday to use the 30 day option to keep my Tilt or not.

Return that TILT, although it is a definate workhorse, it is one thick brick.

I saw the Fuze and the specs months ago - trust me, you'll want the FUZE once it is out. HTC's TouchFlo interface for the FUZE is pretty cool too.

How can you not love this face: :biggrin:

I'm using the Samsung Epix right now because I got it at the office. I really like my Epix, but if I had a choice, I would go w/ the Fuze.

 

[robr]

I have TouchFlo installed on the Tilt... or did.... I removed it, it was more of a PITA than it was worth. Someone jacked it from the Diamond and got it working on the Tilt.

The Fuze is smaller than the Tilt, but not by all that much

Tilt:
# Dimensions - 112mm (L) x 59mm (W) x 19mm (T)
# Weight - 190g with battery

Fuze:
# Dimensions 102 mm (L) X 51 mm (W) X 18.05 mm (T)
# Weight 165 g (with battery)

 

[topman2005]

Fuze is good, i tested it in Hong Kong and was gonna buy it, but my wife bought me a Iphone 3G before i confirm the order. Anywayz, eventhough i'm a HTC fan, i'm start loving my iphone :biggrin:

 

[Motegi]

I've had my HTC TouchPro on the Sprint network for several days now. It is my first combination PDA phone and is a decent phone but I find the actual phone interface a bit too sensitive and I often find myself inadvertently making calls from the recent call history list with a slight brush of the screen. Now I have to remember to always hit the "home" button after ending a call in order to hide the phone dialer screen and prevent accidental dialing.

Recently being at the end of my wireless contract period I had my choices narrowed down to iPhone 3g versus the HTC TouchPro. In terms of the PDA functions the HTC TouchFlo interface is definitely not as slick or as responsive as the iPhone OS. I happen to also own an iPod Touch that uses the same OS as the iPhone so I know how fantastic the iPhone OS can be. The Windows Mobile HTC Touch Pro much like my old Windows Mobile Dell Axim X51v PDA will crash or bog down when there are multiple programs running and requires frequent checks of the memory manager to manually turn off background apps.

In terms of size the HTC Touch Pro is somewhat bulky and I find the slide out keyboard to have a somewhat "loose" feel. The case also squeeks or creaks a bit when you apply some side to side pressure on the edges. And while the touchscreen display is very sharp and bright it is very prone to smudging that is not as obvious with my iPod Touch. And after the outstanding experiences browsing the web using Safari and gestures for the iPhone OS I find the HTC TouchPro's screen to be a bit too small and the Opera browser user interface a little lacking. I do on the other hand appreciate the expandability of the HTC TouchPro in terms of the micro SDHC memory card slot. Micro SD memory is very inexpensive these days so it really opens up the possibilities.

So with all of these criticisms why on earth did I opt for the HTC Touch Pro instead of an iPhone? I use many Windows Mobile specific applications on a daily basis for work and the HTC Touch Pro now allows me to combine two separate devices I used to carry 24/7 into one. Also I get a great discount on the monthly charges from my employer and Sprint offered an additional monthly incentive for renewing my family contract with them.

 

[mickeylex]

So with all of these criticisms why on earth did I opt for the HTC Touch Pro instead of an iPhone? I use many Windows Mobile specific applications on a daily basis for work and the HTC Touch Pro now allows me to combine two separate devices I used to carry 24/7 into one.

You make a good comparison between the iPhone and WinMo devices. I'd say the iPhone the best combo mobile device out there - the user experience is unsurpassed. However, if Win apps are your thing, then only a WinMo smartphone will really do what you need.

 

[Hrant]

Frankly, the more I am using the Tilt, the more frustrated I am getting. I got the phone for its keypad but I am having more problems in using basic phone functions given how they have designed their interface .......... not to mention, haven't been even successful at doing basic edits of documents!

For example, you can't keep the option on speaker phone when driving! When looking at e-mails, you can go to the next one until you close that one and re-open the next one ........ the screen at times is supersensitive and unless you have very agile and precise touch, it will pick the option next to it ........ I mean, I just want a basic phone with some options for document viewing/editing when on the road! My old dinosaur Nokia was easier to receive and send calls .........

I played with the Bold, the key pad is indeed easier than the other models. So it will be back to Bold or iPhone unless the Fuze has improved its interface/logic with more user freindly approach ...........

 

[robr]

everyone is raving about the new keyboard on the fuze, but there are some complaints about other things compared to the tilt. supposedly it will now be out on tuesday rather than today now. the 640x480 will certainly be nice for viewing and editing docs.

if you're doing document editing though, im not sure that an iphone is the right answer without cut/paste or a real keyboard..

 

[myguitar]

It looked pretty cool to me until I saw that keyboard. Those things annoy me and make the phone seem like it's targeting high-school kids.

 

[robr]

It looked pretty cool to me until I saw that keyboard. Those things annoy me and make the phone seem like it's targeting high-school kids.

youd rather have the keyboard on the front lower half like a blackberry? no thanks. i've been there, will never go back. a 'real' keyboard is far superior IMO and the new 5 row is supposed to be much easier and better to use than the current 4 row on the HTC kaiser.

 

[Hrant]

Yep, the key board is the selling feature. The weight doesn't bother me - in fact I think its a plus!

 

[Motegi]

My current impressions of the HTC TouchPro (Fuze) are that the Opera browser is much easier to navigate with the stylus than with one's fingers. Actually if you use just your fingernails the HTC works better than trying to use the pads of your fingers. This is in contrast to the iPod Touch/ iPhone that work better when using the pads of the fingers.

The Opera browser menu bar auto "hides" sometimes at random - like right in the middle of typing a web address. The browser stop and back icons are slow to react and can be frustrating to use. The circular motion scroll wheel center button method of zooming in and out of a webpage works less than 50% of the time and flicking the screen to move vertically is TOO sensitive and usually ends up scrolling way past the intended point.

And again the phone interface is a bit clumsy in my opinion and while I am getting better I still end up making 5-6 inadvertent calls in the day just from brushing against the screen while it is in phone mode. Speaking of phone mode it runs really hot when making calls and the earpiece can make raspy or rattling sounds if the person on the other end of the conversation is speaking loudly. This speaker problem is not an isolated manufacturing defect with my unit alone but rather has been a documented problem with the HTC Touch Pro from many users.

The battery life overall is not spectacular and I still need to charge it every night. Certain of the included apps can continue running even when the phone is on standby and can run out the battery even if it seems like the phone is off.

The HTC's 3.2 MP built-in camera takes passable photos but is in no way comparable to my older Canon 3.2 MP digital ELPH. This device does integrate my cell phone and PDA into a single unit but I'm still going to have to carry a pocket camera with me.

I do agree with Hrant about the Touch Pro's (Fuze) keyboard and I chose to purchase this over the otherwise identical Touch Diamond because of it. The Touch Diamond uses only a on-screen keyboard that is excessively small. Not to mention the Diamond has no memory expansion slot.

 

[robr]

thanks for the review. im not a big fan of the opera browser myself, but then again, there is no decent mobile browser out there at all in the windows mobile world. i'm testing a beta of skyfire, but I hate that just about more than any other browser i've used.

 

[Motegi]

It looked pretty cool to me until I saw that keyboard. Those things annoy me and make the phone seem like it's targeting high-school kids.

If you would like the Touch Pro (Fuze) without the slide out keyboard you should consider the otherwise identical HTC Touch Diamond... Since the Diamond lacks the keyboard it is quite a bit thinner too!

 

[robr]

If you would like the Touch Pro (Fuze) without the slide out keyboard you should consider the otherwise identical HTC Touch Diamond... Since the Diamond lacks the keyboard it is quite a bit thinner too!

of course you wont be able to get that from AT&T, you'll have to buy an unlocked one from elsewhere. Also isn't the Diamond lacking the microSD slot?

 

[Hrant]

Well, I returned the Tilt last Tuesday right when the Fuze was released. ATT is not showcasing the Tilt anymore as the Fuze is what they want to move ......

The Fuze does look "nicer" or "cooler" than the Tilt. However, after several touch/feel it does not impress me as it is smaller than the Tilt - and smaller is not necessarily better. Based on this alone, I preferred the Tilt. Sure the 4 row of keypads are nice but the basic complaints re making phone calls with access to a key pad to that doesn't dim also to send commands or retrieve messages etc is still not resolved. I am told this is a common issue with all PDAs that do not have a visible key pad. The store still doesn't have much feedback on the Fuze so it is hard to tell how end users feel.

iPhone has the same issue with the keypad when making a call not to mention it does not have editing capabilities (which I am finding to be less of a critical issue now).

I did play with Blackberry Bold - and I found the key pad more acceptable than the Curve with little issues. This surprised me. But trying to find/manage pressing the numbers during a phone call is a challenge to the geriatric population LOL!

The Moto Q was another option but the store didn't particularly care for it.

While waiting for the Fuze and Bold to come on the scene, I switched to an old basic Motorola flip phone that we had around, and I just realized how easy it was to use as a phone with all the key pads right there! Too bad ATT doesn't carry such phones with PDA capabilities.

 

[mickeylex]

Hrant,
If you get a chance to go back to the AT&T store, check out the Samsung Epix (essentially the BlackJack III). This is what I use. It is a BlackBerry style PDA/ phone (exposed qwerty keypad) with Windows mobile. Another benefit in my opinion is the little optical mouse on the front - makes one handed use easier. Call quality is good - battery life is very good.

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...ils/?device=Samsung+Epix(TM)&q_sku=sku3030219

 

[cojones]

not a big fan of the opera browser myself, but then again, there is no decent mobile browser out there at all in the windows mobile world. i'm testing a beta of skyfire, but I hate that just about more than any other browser i've used.

I run IE, Opera and Skyfire on my WM6 Treo 750, and each has their respective features, but no "decent mobile" one yet... there are some test versions of Safari for WM5/WM6 floating around; if they are comparable to the one on the iPhone, they may be the one.

My work blackberry was recently upgraded from a "really old" BB 8700 to a "somewhat old" Curve 8310... BB Bold not configured/tested yet. The new BB Storm is IMO a potential winner, but lack of 3G data, WiFi - and AT&T - are deal-breakers for now.

Am considering the Fuze (HTC Touch Pro) as a replacement for my Treo 750. I passed on the HTC Tilt, but the new Fuze seems to be a much better unit.

 

[robr]

Firefox Mobile is also in early testing, hopefully we'll see that within the next 6 months.