TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

Okay, now I've seen some reviews (okay, MANY reviews) of the touch pro compared to the original touch pro. But the touch pro that the reviewers compare it to tends to be much different from my touch pro.

I want to give as much info as I can, so we can compare my phone to the Touch Pro 2. This will help me be able to decide if the upgrade is worth it, and it might help someone else get an idea of the comparison between a TP2 and a tweaked TP1.

Here's the condition that my alltel touch pro is in:

1. I'm running a rom from Calk's kitchen (WM 6.5.1 build 23414)

2. The overheating issue is pretty much fixed thanks to No2Chem's nuedynamicclock (bring down the voltage to lvl 0 and there's next to no heat, except when I talk and charge simultaneously)

3. As for talking and charging, I can get 2-3 hours talk time on a single charge (the battery can last from 8am to about 5pm with HEAVY usage). I have a dock that charges one battery while I use one, so I can switch batteries at virtually any time and get back to 100% battery.

4. Some OS lag, but not much.

5. I can type pretty quickly on the keyboard (I type outlines of my novels on my phone, and I really those normally unused functions like tab, ctrl. etc.)

6. The back battery door doesn't creak anymore (I put some scotch tape on the back, and it quit creaking.

Okay, so there's the main points of my phone. I really wanna see how it stacks up to the Pro2. To add to that, there are some things that worry me about the Pro2's features, and hopefully someone can tell me if they will be a problem or not. Here they are:

1. The keyboard. Will the missing keys become a problem for a frequent Word Mobile user?

2. The Screen. Is it really THAT much better than the Touch Pro's screen? Personally, I've never been concerned about screen size in a phone (I used to watch crazy amounts of movies on my razr).

3. No camera flash. How does that work out? Does it take a lot of getting used to?

4. Here's my main, biggest concern EVER with the Touch Pro 2; the missing Dpad. For me this means no more touch panel potential, limited button remaping capabilities. To make it worse, I like to play games on my phone A LOT (currently I have over 40 games on my Touch Pro 1). How bad will the lack of a Dpad hurt my gaming experience?

For further information, if I got the Touch Pro 2, it would be the Verizon one since I have Alltel.

So, those are my concerns. Will the Touch Pro 2 be worth the upgrade from my Touch Pro? I REALLY REALLY appreciate anyone who takes time to give yet another review of their phones! Thanks!

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

1.The keyboard. Will the missing keys become a problem for a frequent Word Mobile user?

I've been typing a lot through text, word, and excel and it has not been a problem for me. All the keys necessary are there. There is also a pretty good feature that allows you to hold a key (digital keyboard) and the symbol corresponding to the key can be selected without pressing function, cap, or shift.

2. The Screen. Is it really THAT much better than the Touch Pro's screen? Personally, I've never been concerned about screen size in a phone (I used to watch crazy amounts of movies on my razr).

3. No camera flash. How does that work out? Does it take a lot of getting used to?

I can't take any pictures in dark conditions. Compared to the touch pro any pictures during the day look pretty much the same, in some instances I saw that some pictures looked better... Could be circumstances. I do miss the flash, but I'd rather buy a real digital camera if I'm trying to take a lot of pictures. As far as recording, I haven't had a great experience...

4. Here's my main, biggest concern EVER with the Touch Pro 2; the missing Dpad. For me this means no more touch panel potential, limited button remaping capabilities. To make it worse, I like to play games on my phone A LOT (currently I have over 40 games on my Touch Pro 1). How bad will the lack of a Dpad hurt my gaming experience?

I have used the arrows on the arrows on the keyboard and that works out pretty good... I even think its a lot more responsive.


If you can get the phone for 350 or less I'd say do the upgrade... Its a great phone. Battery life is awesome for me and I work in an area where my phone is ALWAYS looking for service. You appreciate the bigger screen once you actually start to navigate on it... So far the best WINMO device I've had.

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

Wow, I'm blown away with how fast and thorough your response is. :D

At first I was thinking about holding out until the next device (considering that the Pro2 came out within a year of the original Pro's launch), but I'm glad to hear that you can still play games on it.

The battery life is a whole other issue for me too. I don't know what it is, but I NEVER get the same battery life as everyone else. For example, many people on these forums say they get over 24 hours of heavy use out of their phones with a certain tweak. I do the tweak, and it improves my battery life, but not as much as it was supposed to.

After over half a year of this happening to me, I wonder if the Pro2 will really give me the battery life everyone says it does. A guy on pocketnow.com said that the Pro2's battery life was worse than the Pro's (I'll find you the link if you wanna see it). Anyway, I'm starting to believe he was wrong, because everyone who has the pro2 says otherwise.

Another thing is my contract. I just got the original Pro last Christmas, so I don't know if I can get the Pro2 at a 2-year contract price. What do you think?

EDIT: For those of you who wanted that link, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbYBlvaLmY&hd=1

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

1. The keyboard. Will the missing keys become a problem for a frequent Word Mobile user?
YES!! I love my TP2, but I severely miss having a TAB key.

2. The Screen. Is it really THAT much better than the Touch Pro's screen? Personally, I've never been concerned about screen size in a phone (I used to watch crazy amounts of movies on my razr).

No comparision, I was very happy with the screen on my TP, but the TP2 screen is amazing. I cycled my TP to my wife and a few days ago I went to use the web on it it and I realized how much I appreciated the additional screen space. If you are outlining on it I would venture to say that will be one of the greatest upgrades that you will see.

I know what youare saying about movies on a smaller screen, but once you start watching them on the TP2 you will have a hard time going to anything smaller.

3. No camera flash. How does that work out? Does it take a lot of getting used to?

I never really use my camera, I occasionally will grab a quick photo and it does reasonably well for that, but if you want good pictures buy a camera don't scold your phone because it can't do double duty.

4. Here's my main, biggest concern EVER with the Touch Pro 2; the missing Dpad. For me this means no more touch panel potential, limited button remaping capabilities. To make it worse, I like to play games on my phone A LOT (currently I have over 40 games on my Touch Pro 1). How bad will the lack of a Dpad hurt my gaming experience?

Not a big loss to me, I round it to be more a pain that it was worth. I must admit I am not a real gamer. I do play a few but for the most part I use my phone for a phone, email, internet access (I can't believe I am saying that), and videos.

I love my TP2 and I have brought along a half dozen people that love theirs.

I hope this helps.

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

The Dpad on the TP1 is the worst piece of design I've ever encountered. One fixed piece of plastic that is supposed to handle at least 8 different functions. I constantly am having problems with key presses being interpreted wrongly:

1. Instead of moving the cursor to the left, it will bring up the call screen.
2. Instead of going to the home screen, it will take me to the call screen.
3. Instead of moving the cursor to the right, it will close down the application I'm in (I guess it thinks i'm hitting end phone call button).

So I don't think I'd miss the dpad very much since I dread using it at all. I miss the mogul dpad, at least they were smart enough to define each key separately with the mogul.

Note: I'm not a TP2 owner, I still have my Sprint TP1 and I'm contemplating a change after just 7 months with this thing.

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

I know what you mean; using the dpad does take some SERIOUS getting used to on the TP1, but I've actually managed to find out how to use it with little to no hesitation between each key press.

Oh and if it helps, moovius, you can use dredsensor to disable the four buttons on the bottom to allow your dpad to be used correctly.

Thanks for your quick responses so far! I'm lovin' it (<----- McDonalds!)

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

The tab key is the only thing I miss on the keyboard (miss it a LOT).

I never used the flash to take pictures, but I often used it as a flashlight. I miss this the most, it was an amazing flashlight and with Torchbutton it was very quick to start.

Missing dPad takes a little to get used to, but not much, I don't really miss it.

The screen is AWESOME and well worth the upgrade, however it is also the primary reason for any possible complaint about reduced battery life. As a larger screen it obviously requires more power, but they put a bigger battery in to compensate so it's pretty much a wash, but with heavy use and bright backlight settings, it may have an impact. Your idea of having two batteries to swap is very good and will eliminate this concern.

I don't know if Verizon has this option, but if you can buy it and if you are not happy, return it within 30 days, why not? Heck, if I said you could drive away in your favorite car for 30 days would you?

Good luck

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

You are EXACTLY right about the camera flash TheMostToys. That's my main use for the light on the back (the flashlight/htorch). I guess though, if you have a huge screen, then I guess you can use that for light I guess.

I guess, now that I think about it (sorry that I didn't put all this in the first post), but another huge issue for me is the hardware specs. Screen and keyboard aside, it's practically the same phone under the hood, and that's kinda killing it for me. If I upgraded, I wouldn't feel like I was getting a new phone; it would just feel like I paid 200-350 bucks for a bigger, higher-res screen and a new keyboard to get accustomed to all over again. Does it really feel completely new to you guys?

Oh, and I'll look into that 30-day trial deal. IF Alltel/Verizon has it, then that'll be really helpful in bringing me to my final decision.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I forgot something. You say there really IS a reduced battery life on the Touch Pro 2? Hmmm... that confuses me. Some say the battery life can last two days easily with frequent use...

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

i think the pic from here shows how big of a difference it is (notice the same piece of paper used to cover the tp1 screen is put on the tp2): http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showpost.p...06&postcount=4

the keyboard is so much better... and seeing how you use your phone to type out drafts, you will appreciate it. you can remap your keys with free software to add tab btw.

the dpad is the only thing that may bother you. i personally hated the tp1 dpad even tho i mastered it, so i dont mind that its gone. just have to get used to using the touch screen more.. but with more screen realestate, it makes it easier to view more of the screen... imagine typing up your drafts on that big screen compared to the tp1. anyway, there is a tool that remaps the volume keys to dpad functions.

if u have the money and u can get it for 350 or less, i say upgrade... the next htc phones to hit probably wont have dpads either, so why wait? and an htc phone with a keyboard? that probalby wont cmoe around for another year... to me, that's a long time to be using a tiny vga screen with cramped keyboard..

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

My only complaint about the KB is the missing tab key.

I am not like most users as I hardly ever use the hardware KB. I use my own customized version of TouchPal 3.5, & I find that I can type insanely fast using that & T+ technology (much faster than ANYBODY can type on a hardware KB)

The screen is fabulous (& I loved the screen on my four TP's). I was getting pretty decent battery life using NFSFAN's latest ROM, but it is still better using the TP2 for me.

I also miss the camera LED, but as previously stated I used it for a flashlight (I don't think I ever used it once for the camera). As far as the D-Pad, the only thing I miss is using the round center button for "enter". I use AEButton + which helps, but I still miss the scroll wheel from my old xv6800 so less hardware buttons is not a plus IMHO..

~John

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

By the way, I'm not a gamer at all.

The only game I own is Need For Speed Undercover (g-sen version) which I absolutely LOVE, but that doesn't need a D-Pad so I'm not really a good critic of that particular function.......

~John

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

But remember, I've never been concerned about the screen size. So, not considering the screen, is it worth the buy?

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

all i can say is go try one out. my sprint store didn't have one, but the t mobile store did.

i was skeptical at first, thinking about waiting for the hero, but changed my mind when i got to use this phone. "Phone" barely even begins to describe this device.

i had the pro 1 and enjoyed the love/hate relationship in getting the damn thing to work. never had that problem with this phone. its beautiful and i get complements on it all the time. i saved myself from replacing my zune and from buying a nav unit with this little guy.

and about the screen- if you didnt get bothered by the smallness of the pro 1, then you will be after using this for a bit. 800x480 means you can see almost every webpage the way it was ment. videos also look better then most video players on the market such as ipood touch. just try it, i promise you"ll like it :mrgreen:

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

allow me to be perfectly honest with you......... the tp1 sucks. there's no need to think, compare, debate, or analyze..... just sell it asap, and move on..... the end

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

Well, I guess you're right. I'll just have to get m hands on one and try it out. But if the screen is the only thing about it that makes it worthwhile, then I think I'll pass for now (or at least until the price drops).

I just need more of an upgrade than that. I went from the touch vogue to the Pro for the light sensor, g-sensor, VGA screen, keyboard, and higher megapixel camera with flash. Now THAT is an upgrade. And even then, the screen was just an added bonus, because I still fall in love with the vogue's tiny little qvga screen whenever I see it.

I guess you can say I'm just too easily satisfied. But who knows... maybe I'll come back and eat that whole paragraph because I was blown away by the screen, but I doubt it lol.

Thanks for the reviews everyone! You guys helped me more than any of those Youtube vids lolz!

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

ahhhh, i remember what it was like thinking that the screen might not make too much of a difference... u may think it's not a deal maker for you, but i'd bet that you will not want anything less than wvga after using it for a while. besides, the screen isn't the only thing that's worth it. you said the keyboard is important to u too, well the tp2 keyboard is considered the best smartphone keyboard to date by all the reviewers and sites.

battery life is a little better, camera pics are actually better i hear (even tho it's still 3.2), video is taken at a higher resolution too (so the camera is not the same), build quality feels better, screen is more sensitive, 3.5mm headphone jack, amazing speakerphone sound (tp1 was terrible), proximity sensor so when u put the phone to ur ear the display turns off and when u pull the phone away it turns back on (tp1 was crap it just had a timeout to turn it off), and don't forget the tiltin display which is huge for me when i wanna watch videos.

But honestly, the keyboard and screen is more than enough to hold me over another year - with no regrets. If you're willing to upgrade from the tp1 after 10 months (or less maybe), then you're obviously not satisfied...

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

I always had that same issue where everyone had better battery life than I did... I think for me it was situational. Since I work in an area with low to no service the battery would die. I'm talking about, off the charger at 7:00 am and practically dead by 11:00am-11:30am... It was absolutely the worst battery life I had ever experienced. I mean, the battery life on the TP2 is not {cough} blackberry caliber, but it makes it through the day for me... and that's a big improvement

I do agree, I do miss the tab key quite a bit. But, with such a responsive screen, I'm getting use to navigating with the screen. Actually, I don't even mind using the keyboard on the screen for typing. It is very responsive. I think if anyone is not getting the results most of us are, you may consider swapping it out.

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

I wouldn't know about video as I've never taken one, but I see little/no difference between my new TP2 camera & my old TP's for still pics.

Both cameras work fine in bright light & are completely useless in low light. They both are useless for a subject that is moving even a little bit.

It's no big deal to me anyway as the only time I would ever use the camera is if I just have to capture something, don't really care about quality & there isn't a real digital camera within reach.

~John

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

lol, not only that, the screen is wider too. I just sent my TP2 back yesterday to be replaced with a new one (eBay seller) and I'm stuck with my TP1 right now. Oh...my god. The screen on the TP1 looks like the size of a watch face by comparison. It's so itty bitty.

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

Like I said guys, I'm really not concerned about the screen. I know you may not believe it, and I understand your doubts, but seriously, I really don't care about screen size. For example, some of you don't use the camera that much. Picture someone offering you a phone with a 6 megapixel camera... that might not be the best example, but it's something like that.

I'm still planning to go look at it, but actually, I've been wanting the device less and less as the days go on. Remember, we're not comparing the TP2 to A touch pro, we're comparing it to MY touch pro.

But who knows, there may still be hope for it lolz.

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

Sorry there is a lot of info already out there on this phone, so i won't type up a long winded response to the specific concerns you have but, all that needs to be said is that the TP2>TP by a long shot. I've used the TP, the AT&T Fuze and the Sprint and the Verizon version, and even out of the box vs a very tweaked TP, the TP2 blows them away. The hardware is just that much better alone. Already had a coworker who spent nearly $400 on a sprint TP on ebay to use on Verizon last year, upgrade to a TP2 for $200 for Verizon's native version. He had his tp for under a year and loved it, but the TP2 is greatly superior.

any concern about lack of keys on the keyboard is easily resolved with the Keyboard Controller program. For instance I have mine setup to do long press of X,C,V as cut/copy/paste, without needing a hard CTRL button at all. This keyboard is seriously the BEST keyboard I've ever used on a mobile device, period.

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

When you say the hardware is better, you aren't talking about the screen and keyboard are you?

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my TP1 keyboard. This could be because it's my first qwerty phone, but hey... regardless of the reason, it works.

Are there any other reasons that the pro2 is better besides the keyboard and the screen?

Re: TP2 vs. MY Touch Pro
 

I was gonna type up this big long winded explanation but then I remembered how I felt about the TP2 vs my Titan and how I was weighing the pros/cons of it vs my titan and the TP's I had used. And then how I felt after I got my TP2 and started to use it - and how I was overwhelmed with how the stats / pros / cons suddenly didn't matter nearly as much as they had seemed - and how impressed I was with it out of the box. No matter what I say, the expierence of looking one over and using it, viewing an HD youtube video on it, typing on it's keyboard, using it's headphone jack, using it's speakerphone, it's implementation of TF3d out of the box, etc none of that really conveys well in video or text.

In short, if you are on the fence still after considering the specifications, then I encourage you to try one. The specs alone should be convincing enough depending on how much it costs you, and how much you can sell yours for. But if those $ figures are too close to call, then get your hands on one as that should seal the deal. Try to get your hands on a cherry Verizon version too. I know 4 friends that have them now, if you have any local forums maybe you can find someone locally to show you.

i will add on more thing though, the effective battery life on this phone is way better then my Titan or the TP's my friends used to own prior to owning TP2's.