March Smart Phone Madness Game 1: iPhone 3GS vs. HTC Touch Pro2

Voting has concluded for this contest, but more Smart Phone Madness awaits!

Welcome to March Smart Phone Madness, ladies and gentlemen, where we pit 16 of the most popular smart phones from the four major carriers in the U.S. against each other. From the iPhone 3GS to the Samsung Moment, these phones will be battling it out to see who comes out on top in the smart phone world. So, remember to check back here for the daily match-ups and don’t forget to vote for your winners!

Without further adieu, let’s get started with today’s round: Apple’s iPhone 3GS against the HTC Touch Pro2.

Starting with the Apple iPhone 3GS ($199 and $299 for 16GB/32GB with two-year contract), we have a smart phone with a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display. The iPhone has a 3-megapixel autofocus camera with spot metering and video recording. It also has a built-in iPod for music, movies and podcasts and it comes in two memory capacity versions – 16GB or 32GB. Best of all, over 160,000 applications from the most frivolous games to college study guides are available in the iTunes App Store.

Going head-to-head with the iPhone 3GS is the HTC Touch Pro2 ($349.99 with two-year contract), a touchscreen device with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It has a 3.6-inch WVGA resistive touchscreen and runs Windows Mobile 6.1 with TouchFLO 3D. The physical keyboard is spacious and tactile and we were a big fan of cranking away e-mails and text messages on it. Unfortunately, it’s currently listed as “Temporarily out of stock” on T-Mobile’s website.

Between the two, it’s almost a no-brainer. The Touch Pro2 is running a very antiquated WinMo 6.1. Version 6.5 is already available on devices like the upcoming HTC HD2, which we said was going to hit the market on March 24. And when considering the coming of Windows Phone 7, it really pushes the Touch Pro2 into the realm of a soon-to-be bygone era.

While it’s a matter of preference, the Touch Pro2 has a resistive touchscreen and we’re a bit more fond of the sensitivity and accuracy of the iPhone’s capacitive touchscreen. We’re pretty damn picky about our touchscreens. One physical feature we like, which is probably the only area where the Touch Pro2 dunks one over the head of the iPhone, is the physical keyboard. Some people would rather go to hell and back than get a phone with a touchscreen only.

These days, apps really make the phone. The iPhone has a wealth of great applications while Windows Mobile devices have too many places to get apps with too great a variance in application quality.

It’s pretty obvious who our pick is, but we’re all in this together. Which phone do you think takes the win in this first round of Smartphone Madness? Cast your vote below!