It’s been al little bit over a week

Since I got my HTC Touch Pro 2. The Shadow has been retired for all intents and purposes.  ANd really don’t regret it…

The second day after I got it, I flashed the ROM. Went from Windows Mobile 6.1 to Windows Mobile 6.5 (and actually the first time that I had a 6.5 device without voiding the warranty…) (and while we’re at it, this is the first time, I’ve flashed a phone’s ROM and still had it under warranty…).

Some of the new features I like with this phone:

1. The 3G. At my definitely non-IT day-job, we just had DSL installed very recently, and I commented to my boss that my phone still has a faster connection. Though knowing how ‘thrifty’ some employers can be, perhaps even the EDGE network of my previous phone might still be faster.  BTW, there’s now WI-FI at work… And it’s really great to watch youtube without it having to buffer…
2. The GPS. If your phone has a data plan, chances are you can get a pseudo-gps by triangulating the signal from the cell towers. Sometimes it’ll work, if you just need accuracy to the nearest ZIP code. WIth GPS however, I can fire up Google Maps, and follow my bus ride in real time (and theere are apps available that will track you speed and distance).
3. The touch-screen. There’s something to be said about being able to scroll by merely flicking your screen. On the BlackBerry, the track-ball has died, and my brother is stuck until he buys his new phone). And the on-screen keyboard ain’t too shabby, either… Which brings me to:
4. The keyboard. A five row qwerty keyboard. The Shadow has what can best be described as a SureType keyboard. It got the job done, and it was easier than a normal cell phone key pad, but there were still moments when I texted gibberish because the system didn’t understand what I was saying. It’s a godsend for entering usernames and passwords…
5. The memory. I hated the BlackBerry because of the piss-poor memory. I think I could only install  5 or six apps from the BlackBerry app store before I ran out of memory. The Shadow had a lot more memory, and also had the option of installing to the memory card. The Touch Pro has a whole shit-load more (and if necessary, I can also install to the memory card, too).
6. The speed. The BlackBerry was about average. It could handle everything you threw at it. The Shadow when I was running the original ROM could keep up with it, but when I went to 6.5, I had to start overclocking the processor. This one has the jiuce to spare…
7. The battery. With the Shadow, two batteries were the norm, and even then I still had to watch what I was doing (or keep a charger with me). I have yet to run the battery down with this one to worry about it…

All and all, I’d say I like the new phone. I’m not going to cook the ROM yet, but there is a well-developed community for software develpoment for when the warranty expires (or I just decide to say fark it and hack the phone anyway).

Now Igwanarob and I have one more thing in common.