HTC Touch Pro2 (Verizon Wireless)

Summary: I held onto my old 8130e blackberry for an extra year and a half after my 2yr contract expired waiting (impatiently) for Verizon to put out a decent smartphone. I used to carry an original iPaq on one hip and a company blackberry on the other. After reluctantly upgrading to Windows Vista (currently impatiently waiting for Win7) the old iPaq died from "device incompatibility".

So, I have suffered along with a blackberry alone and made the mistake of changing to the "smart/sure-type" 8130e (phone form factor without the full qwerty keyboard). It was fine as a phone and for the (unrivaled) BB e-mail, but I lost all of the functionality that I carried on my pocketpc (including a decent password manager). When HTC started cranking out the "Touch" phones, I began to see a glimmer at the end of my BB tunnel. Tragically, VZ kept overcharging for "low quality" versions of the HTC products. I almost converted to Sprint this summer... tempted by the Pre and the HTC TP2. But after trying the tiny keyboard on the Pre and not "really" wanting to take a chance on Sprint, I held on.

Long story short... I am SOOO happy with my TP2. Is it perfect? Um... NO WAY! But, I like the FB integration with contacts, I like the touchflo interface, the e-mail isn't BB, but it is good enough (and HTML to boot). Camera is not great, but it is better than not having one. I like the global phone capability for the rare international travel. I love that it is Wi-Fi (and apparently tetherable as a modem if needed... extra cost, I'm sure). I splurged on the VZ Nav service (haven't had a need for it yet) and the visual voicemail (still waiting on my first message).

I am not impressed with the Opera browser. While it offers fully rendered web pages, I actually find that I was able to navigate most sites faster on the limited BB browser (thanks to the scroll wheel). Hopefully the WinMo6.5 upgrade will improve the browser experience.

I find I use the stylus a lot, but I was used to that with my pocketPC. It is nice to have the stylus for "fine" selecting needs.

The manual that comes with the phone is underwhelming, but a full/real manual is available online at HTC. I found there were several "how-to's" that were missing in the "hints/tricks/FAQ" version that Verizon included in the box.

The battery life is "maybe" a day - if you manage your connectivity closely.

I was disappointed that it did not ship with a clip or holster. I am tempted by the clip available online, but was hoping to see it before buying. Unfortunately, it is ONLY available online (like the phone) currently. May see if any of the retail Sprint clips work, couldn't find any "compatible" versions at Best Buy or RadioShack. At the moment, I am using my BB holster which seems to "activate" the screen when holstered (the holster is designed to put a BB to sleep when holstered). Strangely, even when I "lock" the phone, the holster seems to not only turn the phone on, but also unlock the phone.

There are some BB settings that I miss (or haven't found yet). For instance, BB has a setting for turning the phone off and on at certain times daily (with different settings for the weekend and weekdays).

I like the integration of "weather" with the calendar, and some of the HTC animations are cool. Although I can also see them becoming boring down the road. But in terms of cool features, the animations, world phone and auto-speakerphone (when placed face down on a desk, including a mute button) are among the best.

Other small gripes, charging the phone seems slow, but it is nice to have trickle USB charging. Haven't figured out (yet) how to default file storage to the SD card (except for music). I am also still trying to figure out how to wirelessly sync using bluetooth. (this has been disabled on devices by VZ in the past, so it won't surprise me if they did it again)

I am looking forward to winmo6.5 and the MS App store. I am a long-time fan of the iliumsoft eWallet for passwords (glad to have it back!)

The keyboard is great and the virtual keyboard when in profile is decent as well.

As someone who resisted Facebook for so long, I have learned to love the FB integration with contacts. It automatically "discovers" matches with FB friends and pulls their pictures and birthdays, as well as status.

I am still in search of the right "accessories"... in particular "spare battery or larger battery/larger backplate"... stereo headset (wireless bluetooth or standard earbuds)... the clip/case (already mentioned)... and other connectivity wires (tv out).

Overall... very happy. I only paid $150.00 for the phone (thanks to a $50.00 upgrade credt on the $199.00 online price). I got to remain with the high-quality VZ network (albeit pricey plans and options). I was able to seemlessly sync my data to the new phone and start receiving e-mail. The old blackberry has been fully replaced... everything else (winmo and HTC) is a bonus.