Verizon Wireless Touch Pro 2 and Ozone owners still clinging on to Windows Mobile 6.1 will be happy to know that HTC and Verizon Wireless, as promised,  have rolled out the official Windows Mobile 6.5 update for these two handsets. Folks that have been reticent to jump on the flashing bandwagon can download and install the updates using the instructions provided at PCD’s website. Wondering about PCD? Formerly UTStarcom, PCD provides wireless communications devices (handsets, modems, etc) from leading manufacturers in Japan, Korea and China to wireless carriers throughout North and South America. Touch Pro 2 and Ozone owners can hit the links below to get some Windows Mobile 6.5 goodness.

Thanks to all who sent this in!

[Via HTC]

Read [Touch Pro 2] Read [Ozone]

It’s official, Verizon fans — one of the sexiest Windows Mobile handsets to launch this year can be yours starting tomorrow. Just like we exclusively scooped last week, the HTC Touch Pro2 will be available tomorrow, September 11th for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate on a 2-year contract. While $200 is a substantial amount of money of course, it looks like peanuts compared to the insane $349.99 Sprint and T-Mobile are asking. Customers looking to score a Pro2 from Sprint or Tmo shouldn’t despair just yet though — Verizon’s insanely competitive pricing will likely clear the early adopter tax from both carrier’s offerings relatively quickly. If you’re a Verizon customer however, there’s no need to wait. Anyone planning on snagging one of these bad boys tomorrow?

UPDATE: For those asking below, Verizon has confirmed to us that the Touch Pro2 will be $489.99 off contract.

Thanks, Jason!

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Good news for owners of HTC’s latest bumper crop of Windows Mobile phones. Lars Christian Weisswange, the Regional Director of HTC for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has reportedly confirmed that the HTC Touch Pro2, the Diamond2 and the HTC Snap will be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when the OS is officially released by Microsoft in early October. The ROM update will be free (yay!) and will feature the latest version of TouchFLO 3D, which reportedly borrows its look and feel from HTC’s Sense UI for Android. No details on when the ROM upgrade will be provided, which countries outside Germany, Austria and Switzerland are included or whether carrier involvement will influence availability. In the unfortunate event you can’t get your hands on an “official” Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM, there is always the xda developers forum,which has been providing WM 6.5 ROMs for several months now.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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As if an Android handset and a couple of Blackberry handsets weren’t enough, Verizon Wireless customers may have yet another handset coming quickly down the pike. A trusted ninja let us know that VZW’s Touch Pro2 is slated to launch on September 11th for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and the obligatory 2-year contract. If this is in fact the case, and we have no reason to doubt it, it will be a massive slap in the face to both Sprint and T-Mobile as each of their Pro2s bear a $350 price tag. Wow. Go and revel this long Labor Day weekend, Verizon fans — and when the week is out, don’t forget to hit Big Red for a brand spanking new TP2.

Thanks, goldciv!

As the title might suggest, a flurry of screenshots hit the Web this morning, allegedly depicting Verizon’s inventory system and the bevy of unreleased smartphones found within. While we definitely can’t vouch for the authenticity of these screenshots, they could certainly be the real deal as we know that each of the handsets mentioned is due to hit Big Red in the near future. The source also claims these screen shots come from a “most loyal tipster” so we’ll assume that means he or she has provided good info before. Covered below are the Palm Pre (P101), Palm Eos (P121), BlackBerry Storm 2, HTC Touch Pro2 (XV6875), Samsung Omnia II, and the Samsung Convoy U640. Sheesh, when did VZW become the king of smartphones? Hit the jump for the shots, including a larger version of the cap above.

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Call it the HTC Rhodium, call it the HTC Fortress, call it the HTC Touch Pro2 or whatever else you like — the bottom line is the AT&T version of this sexy Windows Mobile handset has just received a green flag from the FCC and we want it now. Proving that big really is beautiful, the Pro2 is probably one of the most attractive Windows Mobile phone that has ever been built in every sense of the word. The giant 3.6-inch sliding/pivoting touchscreen display, the spacious QWERTY keypad, the TouchFLO 3D UI… It’s all good. Now that big momma has the green light from the FCC and presuming internal testing it on schedule, it shouldn’t be long before this puppy graces AT&T shelves across the country. Yum.

[Via Phone Arena]

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T-Mobile fans, we’ve got good news and bad news. The good news — internal training on HTC’s Dash 3G (Snap) and Touch Pro2 is set to kick off June 16th on the east coast. In other words, we’re likely very close to seeing both handsets get official. The bad news — training doesn’t wrap up until July 2nd in Baltimore/DC so the rumored July 1st release date for the Dash 3G is pretty much not going to happen. The rumored July 22nd launch for the Pro2 could be on the late side of things however, so it’s not all bad. Our ninja only has access to the east coast training schedule but assuming the rest of the country wraps up around the same time, we could see one or both of these handsets by mid to late June — because June isn’t already jam-packed with sweet handsets launching left and right. Woo!

Thanks, Dominic!

HTC’s flagship Windows Mobile Professional device, the Touch Pro 2, has made its debut on Vodafone’s UK website. And yes, Voda has gone ahead and named the handset Touch “Pro 2″ while HTC refers to it as the Touch “Pro2″. Listed in the business section, the qwerty keyboard packing Touch Pro 2 is displayed only as coming soon. No pricing details have been revealed yet but, as is the case with most European phones, expect it to be heavily subsidized when higher tariffs are chosen.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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A simple post about the launch of T-Mobile’s upcoming Visual Voicemail service has revealed a proverbial goldmine of information about the Summer launch of several hot handsets for T-Mobile. In chronological order, we have the following phones and their respective launch dates:

• Sony Ericsson CS8: 6/24/2009
• T-Mobile Dash 3G (HTC Snap): 7/1/2009
• Sony Ericsson CS5: 7/8/2009
• Samsung t469 “Smiley”: 7/15/2009
• Samsung t549 “XO”: 7/15/2009
• HTC Rhodium (Touch Pro 2): 7/22/2009

Oh yeah, and there’s also a Visual Voicemail service launching on July 16th. Sadly missing from the list is the HTC Magic, aka the MyTouch 3G, whose marked absence from the list may possibly be explained by a pre-Summer launch date. No need to include the Magic if it will already be available before the end of June!

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As T-Moble customers continue to get excited over the coming lineup additions, this leaked screenshot of the T-Mobile inventory system is certainly cause for celebration. First, an HTC “MYTOUCH 3G” is apparently on its way; remember, “MyTouch 3G” was one of the options in a T-Mobile survey seeking a name for the upcoming HTC Magic, which is hitting overseas carriers very soon. It’s pretty exciting news for those who are getting bored or becoming disenfranchised with their G1s. Maybe. The new Android handset looks like it will be available in three color choices this time around: black, white and merlot (mmm, classy). Another item of note in this screenshot is the HTC Touch Pro2 mention. It seems like a lot of big things are lined up for T-Mobile this year, but we’ll have to wait for a price point on the Pro2 before we get all worked up over it. So, T-Moblers, which handset are you more amped for — Touch Pro2 or the Magic, err, MyTouch 3G?

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There’s a reason companies around the world often go to HTC when they need to outsource handsets — they’re without a doubt among the best when it comes to build, form and design. This year at CTIA, the HTC Snap announced this morning was the only new addition the company showed off, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take another look at two of the most exciting upcoming handsets currently on deck too, right? Hit the jump and get your gawk on.

First up, a few more shots of the Snap. As you can see, the Inner Circle feature wasn’t live yet on the handset which is a shame because we definitely wanted to check it out. As for the hardware itself, it feels great. The dimensions are ideal for a work horse candybar, the keypad is surprisingly inviting and the handset has that nice rubbery feel a la the HTC Touch.

Next up, the handset we can’t wait to get back at BGR HQ so we can abuse the hell out of it: The Touch Pro2. Just look at it… That sleek case, that giant sliding/pivoting touchscreen, that spacious QWERTY keypad; it’s all good, literally. The Pro2 is a bit of a beast though, but sacrifices must be made in order to stuff all that sexy into one package.

Last but certainly not least is Pro2′s little cousin, the HTC Touch Diamond2. As you well know, it’s basically a Pro2 sans-QWERTY — just like the original Diamond and Pro. Same giant touchscreen, same sexy TouchFLO 3D UI over Windows Mobile and same attention to detail. If a QWERTY isn’t your thing and WinMo doesn’t make you head for the hills, the Diamond2 is definitely a contender to be your next handset. Definitely.