An Overview of the HTC Diamond
HTC has released the HTC Diamond, the latest in their Touch series of smartphones. Running Windows Mobile 6.1, the HTC Diamond features a VGA touchscreen, 7.2Mbps HSDPA/HSUPA, WiFi b/g and GPS. It also has HTC’s new TouchFLO 3D interface, a slick overlay for WM6.1 that adds CoverFlow-syle navigation to contacts, images, video and music.
Click to view the entire HTC Touch Diamond image gallery.
Click to view LIVE hands-on HTC Touch Diamond videos.
The HTC Diamond also features the Opera 9 browser, designed to revolutionise the mobile internet market. Dynamic zooming is handled both by the touchscreen and by the touch-sensitive scroll-wheel D-pad. A custom YouTube app has also been specially created for the HTC Diamond, while an accelerometer allows it to quickly flip between portrait and landscape modes.
Media is catered for on the HTC Diamond with a 3.2-megapixel main camera - with autofocus and capable of video recording - and a front-mounted VGA camera for video calls. The smartphone also has an FM radio with RDS. 4GB of internal storage supplements the 256MB ROM and 192MB RAM, and battery life is quoted at up to 270/330 minutes talktime for WCDMA/GSM or up to 396/285hrs standby for WCDMA/GSM from the 900mAh power-pack.
Measuring 102 x 51 x 11.33mm and weighing 110g, the HTC Diamond is significantly more capable than anything from HTC’s back catalogue, and makes a strong case against the first-gen iPhone. It’ll launch in June in Europe and Asia, while the rest of the world will have to wait until later in the year. Lets discuss more about the HTC Touch Diamond — click here!
HTC Touch Diamond Hands-on / Review
We expected something big when HTC invited us to London for the launch of their next-generation of smartphones, and they delivered the HTC Touch Diamond handset. HTC wouldn’t let us bring the Diamond back that we played with in the UK, but they did promise us our own and it arrived this weekend. Read on for the first part of our exclusive HTC Touch Diamond review, beginning with the unboxing and some hands-on first impressions.
Based on Windows Mobile 6.1, the device certainly isn’t lacking in its specs: 7.6Mbps HSPA, a VGA-resolution 2.8-inch touchscreen, WiFi b/g and GPS. What tempted many Windows Mobile users most, however, was HTC’s new 3D TouchFLO GUI, which sits over the top of the Microsoft OS and aims to make it a whole lot more usable. You can see our initial TouchFLO video demo, shot at the launch, here, and obviously we’ll bring you more on the GUI improvements in the second part of our full HTC Touch Diamond review.
As you can see in the video, the Diamond’s packaging is unusual and, it has to be said, not the easiest thing to get open. An outer cardboard box gives way to a plastic inner container, and inside there’s the Diamond itself, a stereo headset (with the wires initially hidden, so you momentarily think they’re cordless), a USB cable which doubles for recharging (with the power brick) and hooking the smartphone up to your computer, the stylus and a couple of screen protectors for the touchscreen. The usual software and manuals are provided on CD, with very little paper documentation.
The power adaptor is of a similar shape to the outer box, and can be fitted with different slot-in plug sections for different locations. Ours unfortunately came with European pins, not US, so we had to dig out a converter. HTC obviously won’t make that mistake come the Diamond’s US launch! The screen protectors are a nice touch; first of all, so much of the front panel of the smartphone is display, it’s immediately at risk, and second HTC have used a traditional resistive (rather than capacitive, like the iPhone or the Samsung Instinct) panel which is softer and arguably more susceptible to damage. One notable omission is the self-cleaning case HTC were so proud of.
That’s a shame, because our first few hours with the Touch Diamond have confirmed that it’s a real fingerprint-magnet. The touchscreen and glossy bezel obviously gets its fair share of prints and smudges, but the faceted rear panel is also incredibly prone to them. While HTC seem to have used a quality plastic, it’s certainly no replacement for a proper metal casing. However tweaks like the magnetic stylus-bay - which draws it in and holds it in place magnetically - bolster the device’s feeling of being special.
Turned on, and fingerprints and plastic casings fade quietly into the background; the 2.8-inch VGA display is simply incredible. It blows away even HTC’s higher-resolution screens on larger smartphones. Colors are rich and viewing angles broad (although it’s proving tricky to photograph), and the whole thing moves without a hint of sluggishness. WM6.1 itself is rendered beautifully, but TouchFLO 3D really comes into its own: for once we feel we could recommend a Microsoft smartphone to a relatively novice user without expecting several hours of “how do I…?” follow-up calls! Expect plenty more in-depth coverage of TouchFLO 3D in the second part of our review.
It’s too early to call things on battery life, but we’ll be watching the gauge carefully and tracking just how much juice the relatively small 900mAh battery can put out. HTC themselves seem to have admitted that the supplied power pack is a compromise between size and performance, as they’ll be selling a larger-capacity version (with a deeper rear panel) as an accessory.
We’re still excited about the HTC Touch Diamond, and we’re looking forward to seeing how well it performs over the next few days. It’ll come with us to WWDC 2008, where we’re expecting Steve Jobs to announce what could be seen as the Diamond’s biggest rival, the 3G iPhone; you can follow our Apple Live Blog at http://live.iphonebuzz.com/ on Monday at 10AM San Francisco time. Until then, and the second part of our HTC Touch Diamond review, enjoy the unboxing video and the hands-on gallery below!
The Wall Street Journal’s review of the Sprint HTC Touch Diamond came out today and it’s more of a knock of Windows Mobile than the phone itself. And as HTC attempted to cover up the OS’s lesser liked features, it succeeds in some regard, but mostly falls short.
The biggest complaint was the device’s inability to disguise Windows Mobile’s flaws as well as some other company’s software. The TouchFLO 3D software and touch screen are nice and rather attractive, it’s simply not enough. Windows Mobile menus constantly interrupt the sleek interface. For instance, the mail program opens with a preview function that incorporates clever animation. But if you wish to open the mail client, it’s the standard Windows Mobile email program.
The touch capabilities were also a bit “sticky.” However, the device itself is nice to look at and is smaller than the BlackBerry and the iPhone. The Diamond’s browser is based on Opera and opens websites in such a way so that they reformat specifically for the phone. It also has an accelerometer called a G-Sensor, which had a tendency to get stuck when flipping from horizontal to vertical, delay for about 3 seconds or not flip at all.
All in all, the WSJ feels the HTC Touch Diamond makes a valiant effort, but it falls short of covering up all that Windows Mobile lacks.
The Touch Diamond store is the one stop shop for everything HTC accessories. Make sure to drop by and check it out when you get your very own HTC Touch Diamond.
Breaking news about the HTC Touch HD!
HTC’s Touch HD runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and it is powered by Qualcomm’s 7201A processor 528MHz. Expect no less than 512MB ROM and 256MB RAM (+32MB on processor) in additional to a massively large WVGA display on the HTC Touch HD! The Touch HD measures 115mm x 62.8mm x 12mm, has GPS, HSDPA, Quad-band, 5 Megapixel camera (no flash), no D-Pad or scroll wheel, it does have a stylus, microSD slot and a decent battery of 1350mAh. The HTC Touch HD also features a 3.5mm headset jack on the top.
Expect more information about the HTC Touch HD phone soon, and according to Modaco, expect to us the world’s best smartphone in HD!
Apple introduced the new iPhone 3G on June 9 at WWDC 2008. The new iPhone 3G is priced at an amazing price of $199 for the 8GB model, and just $299 for the 16GB model. iPhone 3G will be available in more than 70 countries later this year, beginning with customer availability in 22 countries-Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US-on July 11. We’ll post the iPhone 3G prices in the other 21 countries as they get announced.
New iPhone 3G cases and accessories will be available at MY iPhone accessories store in the next couple of weeks. Additional information about the iPhone 3G is available over iPhone Buzz, so make sure to click on over for the latest buzz in iPhone 3G!
Are you interested in the HTC Android Dream phone?
Head on over to Android Community to watch the latest HTC Dream phone videos demoed at Google IO 2008 and much more!
First LIVE images and videos of FULLSCREEN Android Dream demos!
