Raphael Gets Real - HTC Launches Touch Pro Uber-Smartphone

HTC Touch Pro

HTC Touch Pro

HTC Touch Pro

HTC Touch Pro

Today in Taiwan HTC announced the long-rumored, oft-dreamt about HTC Touch Pro, also known as the Raphael. The Touch Pro is basically an HTC Touch Diamond with a new 5 row, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It comes equipped with high end features like a 2.8" VGA touchscreen display, HSDPA/HSUPA high-speed data, and a 3.2 megapixel AF-capable camera.

Like the Touch Diamond that was announced in London a few weeks back, the Touch Pro sports HTC's shiny new TouchFLO 3D user interface extensions and home screen. TouchFLO 3D provides users with a high-gloss 3D animated user experience that is backed up with across the board tweaks to make regular applications more finger friendly, so that the Touch Pro should be easily usable with either one hand or two.

The Touch Pro runs version 6.1 of Microsoft's Windows Mobile Professional operating system, and comes equipped with over 256MB of application RAM and a respectable 512MB of internal flash storage space. A SD 2.0 compatible microSD card slot means that users can add even more storage capacity with 8GB or, in the future, 16GB microSD cards. other features of note on the Touch Pro include GPS and WiFi support.

The Touch Pro's 1350mAh battery should provide users with up to 8 hours of talk time or 2 weeks of standby time when used on GSM networks. HTC says that the Touch Pro will be available across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East by late summer. Version for North America and South America are due out later in the year.