There are a lot of reviews of TP2 on the net but i have yet to see any comprehensive review from the actual not-payed-by-anyone-for-review user rather than a pro reviewer. So decided to share mine with fellow ppcgeekrs(sorry for long post just wanted to do honest user review), as always your experience may vary.
This will concentrate on my experience coming from TP(1) to TP2
I consider myself a veteran when it comes to HTC devices(calling them phones is just rediculous at this point with latest ones being faster than my mothers current laptop). I fell in love with HTC in 2002 with Wallaby, since then i've experienced most(all?) of them on different networks(both GSM and CDMA) in US, Europe and Asia. Here however i want to talk about switch from Sprint Touch Pro(1) to Sprint Touch Pro 2(Verizon/ATT/T-Mobile versions are different but most points should still apply). I've used TP1 for last 8 month(bought new full price) heavily every single day(both Biz. and pleasure), went through most ROMS here and 2 keyboards. Today was my first full day using TP2(again new) and here is what i found:
Screen: yes its .8" bigger(2cm) and brings the total screen to 3.6"(9cm), however with resolution of 800x480(best on the market i must say) it still looses a bit to the original TP in terms of clarity. Original TP had 285.71 PPI(DPI if you will) with dot pitch of 0.0889. TP2 only comes at 259.15 DPI(higher is better) and 0.098 dot pitch(lower is better). Sure one must say its not a significant difference especially compared to door stoppers such as iPhone(if you have iPhone voluntarily and payed for it but still registered on this forum - i am sure Mac store will sell you iRope) but its still bit less clear. It does however make up for it by sheer size(much easier to see webpages in desktop version). To have the same DPI with its current size TP2 would have to have approx. 910x480 resolution. Still i love the screen just because of size increase(and me and my eyes getting older)
Battery: This one took me by complete suprise. I knew that battery in TP2 was 1500mah as opposed to 1340(higher is better) in TP but i thought the life would be approximatly the same since the screen in TP2 is bigger. Boy was i wrong - my original TP would need to be charged approximatly after 4 hours of heavy use, TP2 went from full charge to about 20% after full work day(8 hours of heavy use), i attribute it to newer cpu(processor) used (7600 vs 7500 in TP1). Battery life is amazing!
Flash: I as most of you here used TP on regular basis as a flashlite (hTorch soft was great), i am not sure which smartass in HTC decided to remove flash completely from TP2, huge dissapointment. Puzzles me, flash in TP1, no flash in TP2, dual flash in HD2? wtf???
Stilys: TP had a very nice stilys that would be pulled in by magnet when it was inserted about 80% in, TP2 does not have a magnet and its much harder to grab it(if you have longer nails would be easier) to pull it out. It does however have the stilys sensor that TP had as well
Keyboard: Here TP2 wins by landslide. While i thought keyboard was nice on TP(especially compared to Nokia N-Series-some may disagree), TP2's keyboard was redesigned to make it the BEST slide out keyboard on the the worlds market hands down. Keys are offset with gaps in between and give a more satisfying click feeling. The dedicated number row was kept(thanks HTC) and while the locations were slightly redesigned from TP it was very easy to get used to.
Tilt: HTS introdiced tilting screen in original Tilt (aka Kaiser/TyTN II/8925). but it was removed in later versions, glad to see it back. I would prefer if while tilting it would make a clicking sound and perhaps go to full 90, but still thank you for bringing it back(nice for watching movies while it sits flat on the table). Now to see how it withstands the test of time and durability.
Memory resourses: While TP2 has the same 288 of ram as TP on the paper, it has less RAM available to you when used with stock ROM(hoping for custom ROMS to resolve this). I was used to seeing under 45% usage on TP, with TP2 its well over 55% mark(currently at 70% after running all day with no resets). Same with available internal storage - on TP with fresh install i usually had over 220mb of available space with stock ROM on TP2 its was less than 170mb. Again hoping for custom ROMS to resolve this
Update: after installing 2 cabs found in this forum i boot up to 37% used only(from 55%), cabs are here:http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=85996&highlight=cabs
Reset button(pin-hole): important button for all of us custom ROMers TP had it easily accesible on the bottom of the device, TP2 moved it inside for some reason so you have to take off battery cover to get to it, dissapointing.
Update: Our handy ppcgeekers have found a way to take care of this here: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=84758
Headphone jack: Yes! finally included on the bottom of the device on TP2(was a no show on TP)
Hardware keys: Love the dedicated Windows key and overall the keys feel right, would love to see a gap between them so its easier to press blind, although some might miss the D-Pad from TP(i am not one of those peeps). Also included a new feature - a dedicated mute button on the back of the phone(for speaker/conf calls)-it works flawlessly i might add
Update: for those missing the D-Pad there is a way to make zoom bar work a bit like it(i like it a lot-quite usefull especially for selecting without actually clicking on the item), info here: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=92360
Sim card: TP2 now includes SIM card so you can use it on GSM network as well as CDMA. Currently its locked to Sprint only worldwide network but i am hoping this will be unlocked so it can be used on any GSM network(with appropriate band) in the nearest future(no more swithing phones when traveling to europe!!!)
Dual microphones: activated when on speaker/conf call - supposedly makes for clearer calls with noise cancelling technology - have yet to test it(anyone?)
Update: tested the mics and the clarity of the call is amazing - in most cases people on the other end do not even know i put them on speakerphone(very helpfull when talking to GF or mother and need to leave for just a sec
)
Speaker: while TP had a decent speaker, the speaker on the back of TP2 is just amazing! Clear and huge. Have yet to test it extensively(anyone?)
Update: after extensive testings - speaker rivals my handheld radio(with stereo speakers), sound is full, clear and crisp and you would never guess its coming from a "cell phone", huge improvement over TP(1) speaker
Slide zoom: new feature - right below the screen, works fine on pictures and webpages, didnt test it thoroughly(anyone?)
Update: make zoom work a bit like RIP D-Pad(lets u select entries without actually clicking on them(click activates function thats sometimes undesired)): http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=92360
Well thats all for my review i purposely left out the software in it since with customs ROMs it will be absolete. Please add your own experience as it would be an interesting read for those that are still thinking about switching whether through free(with fee if through assurion) or regular upgrade.
If it was educational/interesting read for you please consider clicking that thanks button
Update: after reading through the forum i have found some things that resolve some of the problematic/annoyance issues with TP2. I take no credit for any of them, all found in our beloved forum. The updated stuff is in this color in the main post and under appropriate sections(with my experience added).