Following last week's T-Mobile announcement of the MDA Vario IV, today HTC Corp. today announced its advanced next generation business phone, the HTC Touch Pro, formerly known as the HTC Raphael. Bringing a beautiful new angle to mobile business productivity, the HTC Touch Pro utilizes similar styling and functionality of the highly anticipated Touch Diamond and introduces a variety of business-focused enhancements that make getting work done on the go quick and easy. With the introduction of Touch Diamond and Touch Pro, HTC delivers an entirely new mobile Internet experience that utilizes broadband-like speeds with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA wireless connectivity.

Committed to improving Web browsing, HTC provides a new customized mobile Web browser that enables easy viewing and effortless navigation of Websites in the way they are designed to be viewed on a PC. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Turning the device sideways automatically rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view.

Key HTC Touch Pro Specifications

• Operating System: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM 7201A 528MHz
• Connectivity: GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 900/1800/1900 MHz, WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100MHz with HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA
• Bluetooth: 2.0+EDR
• Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g
• GPS: GPS/AGPS
• Internal memory: 512 MB ROM, 288 MB RAM
• Expansion Slot: microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• Size: 102 x 51 x 18.05 mm
• Weight: 165 g
• Display: 2.8" VGA touch screen
• Camera: 3.2 megapixel with autofocus
• Keyboard: Slide-out 5 row QWERTY keyboard
• Interface: HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
• Battery: 1350 mAh
• Talk time: GSM: up to 8 hours
• Standby time: GSM: up to two-weeks

The Touch Pro delivers an unrivalled combination of features and functionality. The 2.8" display provides near-print quality viewing that enables beautiful Web browsing and viewing of photographs. The built-in camera includes an optical auto-focus lens that ensures the photos you take will be clear and consistent. Advanced wireless and auto sensor screen pivoting are just a few of the features that make the Touch Pro experience a stand out.
In addition to Web browsing, the Touch Pro includes an HTC-developed, YouTube application for watching a variety of user generated video content as well as including Google Maps for mobile for mapping and traffic data.

Like the Touch Diamond, Touch Pro is crafted with precision to fit comfortably in a user’s hand and brings together elegant touch screen response with the direct precision of HTC’s trademark sliding keyboard design. Introducing a new five-row QWERTY keyboard layout that makes typing-intensive tasks like composing email or working on Microsoft Office documents quick and easy. Built-in TV-out functionality means users can deliver the perfect PowerPoint presentation from the Touch Pro.

HTC has taken a great leap forward in touch screen innovation with its 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D. TouchFLO 3D provides a stunningly intuitive way to zip through common tasks like messaging, calendar appointments or making calls with just one touch. Delve a little deeper to find that your music, photos, contacts and surfing the web are also responsive to the touch. In addition, the Touch Pro includes a new innovative touch-sensitive control for device interaction.

The HTC Touch Pro will be available to customers across all major European, Asian and the Middle East markets in late summer. The North American and Latin American versions of Touch Pro will be available later in 2008.

UPDATE: HTC Germany unveiled later today that the HTC Touch Pro will retail for 699 Euro without a contract. While this is valid for Germany only, it might be a good indication for other countries as well.

Cheers ~ Arne

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any infos on carriers in Germany? looks as if this would be a line up like the HTC Magician (XDA Mini) and XDA Mini S with Keyboard. The cameraflash and micro SD slot instead of 4 gig of fixed memory (8 GB micro SD cars are as low as 32 € online) killed the diamond in favor of the Raphael (or Pro as it is now called) for me.
The only competitor would be the Xperia, which has a larger battery and is 0,1mm thinner (is that even noticeable?). Though WVGA might be nice, but the unusual form factor will most likely bring problems with programs not designed for this format, also skins for Wisbar will tend to be VGA only, so there will be some ugly gaps in the design.