Save up to $369 on HP notebooksHTC Touch Diamond
Manufacturer: HTC America Inc. Part number: Diamond
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The HTC Touch Diamond offers much in the way of sex appeal and flash, and it's certainly got a formidable feature set. However, we hope HTC resolves some of the performance issues we experienced before the smartphone is released in the States.
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CNET editors' review
HTC Touch Diamond
price range: $699.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 06/27/2008
The good: The HTC Touch Diamond has a cool 3D interface and a beautiful touch screen. The Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone also offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
The bad: The Touch Diamond is sluggish and call quality is subpar. The TouchFLO interface has a bit of a learning curve, and there's no expansion slot.
The bottom line: The HTC Touch Diamond offers much in the way of sex appeal and flash, and it's certainly got a formidable feature set. However, we hope HTC resolves some of the performance issues we experienced before the smartphone is released in the States.
We don't envy the HTC Touch Diamond. There's a lot of pressure on this little smartphone; HTC executive Cheng Hui-ming has called it "the most important product for HTC this year," and of course, the Touch Diamond has been compared to the Apple iPhone. Now, we're still a few months out from seeing the U.S. version of the Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone, but we couldn't wait. Thanks to Dynamism, we were able to get our hands on an unlocked version of the Europe/Asia HTC Touch Diamond to try out. Now, to be clear up front, since this isn't optimized for use here in the States, we're not going to knock it for the lack of U.S. 3G support or the fact that's it tri-band. However, we will ding it for its sluggish performance and subpar call quality. It was really quite disappointing, especially since we think it's an incredibly sexy device and the new 3D interface is so cool. As is, we wouldn't really recommend shelling out the $700 for an unlocked version, but hopefully, some of these issues will be resolved once the HTC Touch Diamond is released in the United States.
Design
You may have seen pictures of the HTC Touch Diamond and thought it looked beautiful, but the images simply don't do it justice. The smartphone is that much more stunning in person with its sleek mirrored face and the prism effect on the back. It's also smaller than we originally thought at just 4 inches tall by 2 inches wide by 0.4 inch deep and 3.8 ounces, so you certainly won't have any problems slipping this compact handset into a pants pocket. The overall shape of the Touch Diamond reminded us of a smaller Microsoft Zune.
The smartphone is outfitted with a gorgeous 2.8-inch, 680x480 pixel resolution touch screen. With the VGA quality, text and images looked amazingly crisp and vibrant. Plus, the Touch Diamond is equipped with an orientation sensor, so it will automatically switch the orientation of the screen whether you're holding it vertically or horizontally. While this is all well and good, we think it may be the new TouchFLO 3D interface that really catches your eye. It builds on the TouchFLO interface that was first introduced on the HTC Touch, but the look and feel is completely different. The Home Screen now just displays a larger clock and your call history and calendar, but along the bottom of the screen, you'll notice a toolbar where you can move left to right to launch other applications, including e-mail, music, the Web, a customizable weather page, and the settings menu. In several of the programs, more specifically e-mail, the camera, and music, you can go through your files and messages by swiping your thumb/finger up or down the screen, all with a cool animated, 3D effect.
In all, the TouchFLO 3D interface is very cool, and we think it certainly goes a long way toward making the smartphone more attractive to consumers with its less businesslike look. However, it's not the most intuitive and has a bit of a learning curve. More specifically, it's not always clear which finger swipe actions work in which applications. As for text entry, you can use the onscreen keyboard, which you can switch from full QWERTY to compact QWERTY to phone keyboard or other format, depending on your preference. Most of the time, we used the full QWERTY mode and though it looked fairly cramped, we found it pretty easy to use and didn't have too many mispresses. On the other hand, when you have the keyboard open, it takes up about half of the screen, so if you're entering text into any field on the bottom half of the screen, it's covered up. It's actually quite annoying.
Below the display, you get some tactile controls. There's a Home key, a back button, Talk and End keys, and a directional keypad with a center select button. With the exception of the select key, which has a slight concave shape, all the buttons are flush with the phone's surface, and they're fairly easy to press. And while it's not apparent at first, you can press the navigation keypad up, down, left, and right, In addition, it's also touch sensitive, so in certain applications (multimedia album, camera, Opera Mobile, and Word and Excel Mobile) you can use your thumb or finger to make a clockwise or counterclockwise circle to zoom in/out of pages.
On the left spine, you will find a volume rocker, while the stylus and USB port/headphone jack are located on the bottom of the unit. We're disappointed that the Touch Diamond didn't come with a 3.5mm headphone jack; heck, we'd even settle for a 2.5mm headset jack, but instead you're pretty much limited to using the uncomfortable earbuds that are included in the box, unless you get a headset adapter. There's a power button on top, and the camera is located on the back.
The HTC Touch Diamond comes packaged in a very sleek box with the following accessories: a travel charger, a USB cable, an extra stylus, a wired stereo headset, a software CD, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.
Features
Behind all the flash and pretty looks, the HTC Touch Diamond is at its core still a Windows Mobile smartphone. It runs the latest Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition. Since the Touch Diamond uses the TouchFLO 3D interface, you don't get the new Getting Started menu on the Home screen to set up e-mail, Bluetooth, and the like. It's still there but you'll have to go under the Windows menu to access it. Here, you'll also find your standard productivity tools, including a PDF reader, a task manager, a voice recorder, a Zip manager, and a calculator. Of course, you also get the Microsoft Office Mobile Suite for editing and creating Word and Excel documents and viewing PowerPoint presentations. As for memory, the Touch Diamond has 256MB ROM and 192MB DDR SDRAM and 4GB of internal storage. While we appreciate the large storage capacity, we're disappointed that there are no expansion capabilities, so keep an eye on this, especially if you like to store a lot of pictures and music on your smartphone.
Like other Windows Mobile devices, the Touch Diamond offers Microsoft's Direct Push Technology for real-time e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via Exchange Server. You can also access your POP3 and IMAP accounts, and HTML e-mails are supported. Using the Getting Started utility, we configured our review unit to access our Yahoo account and also synchronized our phone with our PC via Microsoft ActiveSync 4.5. Both processes went off without a hitch.
Phone features on the HTC Touch Diamond include a speakerphone, voice dialing and commands, and text and multimedia messaging. The address book is only limited by the available memory (the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts) and you can store up to 12 numbers for a single entry, as well as home and work addresses, e-mail, IM screen name, birthday, spouse's name, and more. For caller ID purposes, you can pair a contact with a photo, a caller group, or one of 40 polyphonic ringtones. The smartphone also has Bluetooth 2.0 that supports mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits, file sharing, dial-up networking, and more.
As we noted earlier, we reviewed the Europe/Asia version of the smartphone, so it's tri-band (GSM 900/1800/1900) rather than quad-band. As such, AT&T coverage will be spotty in some places, and no surprise, it doesn't support our U.S. 3G bands. Surfing the Web on EDGE speeds isn't our idea of fun but fortunately, the Touch Diamond is also equipped with Wi-Fi. We should note that the device also ships with the Opera Web browser, in addition to the standard Internet Explorer Mobile. The smartphone offers Adobe Flash Lite 2, but not the latest Flash Lite 2, which offers FLV support (read: YouTube videos). To make up for this oversight, there is a preloaded YouTube app on the Touch Diamond that allows you to watch said videos. The final wireless radio on the Touch Diamond is GPS for real-time tracking and turn-by-turn directions (with the addition of a location-based service or navigation software). With the assisted GPS, the handheld can also use cellular towers and nearby Wi-Fi hot spots to more quickly find your location.
The HTC Touch Diamond is equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera with up to 4x zoom and videorecording capabilities. There are six capture modes (photo, video, panorama, MMS video, contacts picture, and picture theme). For still photos, you have a choice of five resolutions and four quality settings in addition to white balance and brightness controls. Other tools at your disposal include a photo counter, a self timer, flicker adjustment, and various effects. In video mode, you get four resolutions as well as white balance, brightness, and effects.
Picture quality was OK. For the most part, objects had clear definition, but there was a bit of shutter lag, so we found you had to have a really steady hand (and patience) to get a clear shot. Also, colors weren't very bright or rich. Recorded video clips looked decent, but again, there was some delay between the time we pressed the capture button to the time the camera actually started/stopped recording.
You can also enjoy your personal library of music and video with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. As always, there's support for AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4, WMV files, and more. Plus, you can check out shows recorded on your Windows Media Center PC or stream your home's TV programming right to your device with a Slingbox and SlingPlayer Mobile. The HTC Touch Diamond also throws in a couple of multimedia extras, including an FM radio, which you must use with the included headset, an audio booster, a streaming media app, and a utility called MP3 Trimmer that allows you to cut and trim MP3 files and make them into ringtones.
Performance
We tested the tri-band (GSM 900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) HTC Touch Diamond in San Francisco using AT&T service, and call quality was subpar. On our end, there was a bit of a background hiss, but not so bad that we couldn't hear our callers. Volume was good and voices sounded clear; we also didn't have any problems using an airline's voice-automated response system. Unfortunately, our callers had nothing good to report. One friend said we sounded "horrible," as our voice was drowned out by a crackling noise, and activating the speakerphone didn't improve matters, as it only added an echo to the mix. With the Getting Started menu, the Touch Diamond automatically found and connected to both the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones.
Despite being powered by a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, the HTC Touch Diamond felt very sluggish. There was often a lag when just switching between menus and launching applications, and there were a couple of occasions where the delay was long enough to make us think the system froze. In all, we found using the Touch Diamond was a frustrating experience because of the slow performance. Browsing the Web on GPRS/EDGE speeds was painfully slow, so we obviously used a Wi-Fi connection when possible. Multimedia performance was mixed. Music playback through the phone's speakers sounded weak and tinny. Watching video clips was tolerable in short spurts, and audio and images were always synchronized.
The HTC Touch Diamond's 900mAh lithium ion battery has a rated talk time of 5.5 hours and up to 11.8 days of standby time. The Touch Diamond beat the rated talk time by half an hour in our battery drain tests, but we noticed in general use that the cell drains pretty quickly. By the end of the day, the battery level is usually at one and we have to recharge.
User reviews
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Stylish, sexy phone bloating with features, HTC's bugfixing resolved most issues so far
by 7dee on July 14, 2008
Pros: Awesome VGA touchscreen, all the connectivity I desired, good and fast call functionality especially for a touch phone
Cons: Earlier versions had some issues, needs some prerequisite knowledge in order to get decent battery life
Summary: I used to own a Blackberry Pearl and was looking for a new phone, which for me, had to be able to deliver all the great functionality of a Blackberry ...
Summary: I used to own a Blackberry Pearl and was looking for a new phone, which for me, had to be able to deliver all the great functionality of a Blackberry and add in some connectivity options that I really missed in the Pearl. Usable software, excellent connectivity, small form factor and good looks are my main demands in a phone and basically the Diamond was, for me, the perfect blend between the main selling points of both the IPhone and Blackberry models, the two phones I was trying to decide between before running into this gem.
My main reason for writing this review is commenting on CNet's review. First off, performance, as this has been a main issue on most 'reviews' (quotes used because most reviews out at the moment are based on early, non-final and certainly not the latest versions).
HTC has made new ROMs available which greatly improve the speed of the device, it is very stable now, consumes less battery and the whole interface has become very responsive. HTC is still working on more vital updates, so it can only become even better. In the meantime, using XDA forums as good source for tweaks, I have been able to manually tweak the phone to be absolutely perfect for me, but, since this is not factory default, it is the only thing that prevents me from giving it a 10.
Call quality was about the first thing I asked the people I called, since I read this review prior to buying the device. Nobody could confirm what CNet said, I sounded fine, like with any other phone with decent call quality. It may be that the software for the mic had to be tweaked as the microphone is inside the phone, preventing wind blowing into the microphone which is very useful for me as I use the phone outside a lot.
Back to software. TouchFLO3D is very, very nice. It gives the whole phone a visual appeal which is hardly bested by any phone, and while being subjective to taste, once you get used to it switching between applications and functionality is extremely fast. The horizontal selection menu allows me to choose apps in a second, which is good, especially when you have a software platform that allows just about any 3rd part application that you can dream of.
Opera 9.5... amazing! It looks good, it runs very fast (3G does work like a charm here in Europe) and compares best to the Iphone's Safari (or even beats it in several areas, as stated by some tech sites).
Call functionality, people hardly mention this but it is of course the most important aspect of a phone. I want to be calling somebody 5 seconds after taking the phone out of my pocket. Fortunatly, huge contact lists are easy to manage and very accessible, making this an absolute plus. Integration with tasks, calendar events, address books and other management software confirm that I made a good decision in choosing this phone to replace the Blackberry's functionality.
Multimedia and connectivity is more than I could want. Wi-fi, GPS & AGPS (working perfectly with Google Maps, TomTom, Route66, etc), 3.5G, Bluetooth 2.0 with many features make it into a phone that just connects with anything.
As far as battery life goes, it is not spectacular. My first day of playing around with it a LOT (remember to charge the battery BEFORE using the phone to maximize its endurance, and always discharge the phone completely the first few recharges) resulted in half a day of battery life, while right now, with not having everything turned on by default (bluetooth and wireless only when needed) I get over 2 days with quite heavy usage (gps and calling quite a bit), so it's certainly not bad anymore.
So, to round it up, a very practical, very good looking phone that really allows you to do whatever you want to do with it. HTC is doing a good job in fixing the few remaining, minor issues with it, and chances are good that if you buy the phone right now, most of the latest and most important fixes are already there, as was the case with mine. Thank you for reading.11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Much faster after software update, has everything!
by Blue_straggler on September 8, 2008
Pros: The HTC Diamond is a remarkably complete smartphone, with all the
features I could think of. After software update (ROM update of 31/7/2008, AFTER
your reviews) the phone performance has greatly improved.Cons: The stylo is still a pain, and I dislike MS drop-down menus. Also, it lacks shortcut-buttons, for instance to connect to wi-fi (the Treo Pro has that) , which
would bypass the cumbersome drop-down menus.Summary: This is an excellent phone, way ahead of the pack, and vastly superior to the much.-touted iPhone. A fair part of my enthusiasm is due to the release of ...
Summary: This is an excellent phone, way ahead of the pack, and vastly superior to the much.-touted iPhone. A fair part of my enthusiasm is due to the release of the new
ROM software (which for me in Europe came as an Internet download, but most
of you folks will likely get it from the outset); this update removed completely
the phone sluggishness (slow? NO way Josè) . Also, i suspect call quality may
depend on operator: in Europe (and I visited all major countries in the last two
months, i.e. since I bought the phone) there is no trace of such poor performance
as related by your reviewers.
One can hardly be completely satisfied with a Windows OS, of course; still, the
phone operates through 2-3.5G connections, has wi-fi, bluetooth, GPS,
connection to a fast GPS location system, Google Maps, Opera browser
(thank God for sparing me the humiliation of using IE),; I would have found
it useful to have a short-cut button to link to a wi-fi connection (like the
treo Pro has), and it would be nice to have Skype already downloaded on the
system (but that surely would be asking too much, wouldn't it?) ; also, it is
disgraceful that the MS OS does not come with a version of Active Sync that
works on Linux systems too, but then again I might be now asking too much.
In short, the very best phone I set my eyes on so far, while waiting for the HTC dream, of course.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A well designed phone with good performance
by randalllewis on July 1, 2008
Pros: Apperance, rich feature package
Cons: No US 3G version (yet)
Summary: First, my experience with the Touch Diamond as a phone was vastly different than the Cnet reviewer. I have had international calls as well as local that are clear and ...
Summary: First, my experience with the Touch Diamond as a phone was vastly different than the Cnet reviewer. I have had international calls as well as local that are clear and distortion free here in the Puget Sound area. Problems that Cnet had are undoubtedly a result that the current phone is a non-US version and uses only part of the ATT spectrum in this country. I have noticed I don't get as many bars on the Diamond as I have seen with 3G ATT phones, but call quality has been fine.
Second, this is just one cool phone. It looks great and even non-tech oriented people want to see it when I use it. It is also cool because of the full feature package it has. There is a lot of stuff packed into this small device. It was designed to be used with one hand, and that is certainly how I've been able to use it so far.
The Touch Flo interface on earlier HTC phones was sort of like a frosting- just a coating on the surface of Windows Mobile. Touch Flo 3D is far more intergrated into the device. It is possible to use the phone for long periods without ever seeing the standard WM interface.
What Cnet and others have chosen to call lag is to me more an indication that the user interface is faster than the processor. It is possible to slide the home screen icons so rapidly that it takes a second or two once you stop for the requested program to open. This may annoy some users but it isn't unique to the Diamond. I frequently dial my office phone faster than it can handle. Sometimes humans move faster than machines.
A special note of thanks to HTC is needed for inclusion of the Opera browser. This program, which is the default, gives a much richer web experience than IE.
Is the Diamond perfect? No. Long lists that you can scroll through: contacts, programs, weather locations can only be scrolled in one direction: A to Z. Being able to go either way would make it much faster to find weather locales, for example, or a contact beginning with Z. You can rapidly scoll through these lists with finger flicks or the navigation button, but being able to move both directions through a long list would reduce time and frustration. Also, a standard headphone jack would be preferable. That is about it.
I have European/Asian version of the phone and use Wifi for my net surfing. I will certainly purchase the promised US version so I can enjoy 3G speeds.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Looks Great, Needs Work
by Dave_2112 on August 20, 2008
Pros: very sleek, easy to use
Cons: slow, memory problems, web surfing terrible
Summary: I've had my CDMA Touch Diamond for 5 days now. I've had to power it off and reset it at least once each day. The phone function works ...
Summary: I've had my CDMA Touch Diamond for 5 days now. I've had to power it off and reset it at least once each day. The phone function works fine, as does the e-mail. However, when I try to surf the web the phone either freezes or the web browser (Opera) just shuts itself down and the phone calls whoever is last on my recent calls list (very annoying). Sometimes the web browser starts up fine but when I tilt the screen to view it in wide mode, the browser automatically shuts itself off.
I have returned the phone. The constant freezing and re-booting was just too much grief for me. I was really excited about this phone but overall it was a letdown.
Other times I think the phone is frozen but it's just taking a long time to do something (like open my contacts list or start the camera). When I received an e-mail with a link to a webpage, I clicked on it and a box came up saying there was not enough memory to perform the function and that I must close my e-mail program. I closed it and the web browser started.
For phoning, texting, and e-mailing, this is a good phone. But if you intend to use the internet, this phone isn't for you.
Updated on Sep 25, 20081 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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unique and beautiful
by engram7 on July 28, 2008
Pros: brilliant design
Cons: short battery life
Summary: I bought my Touch Diamond through the CompUSA website about 4 weeks ago and I really like it. It is beatifully designed (iPhone looks like a bride's maid next ...
Summary: I bought my Touch Diamond through the CompUSA website about 4 weeks ago and I really like it. It is beatifully designed (iPhone looks like a bride's maid next to it), the Windows OS works great and is stable, and its multimedia features are outstanding. The battery runs out fast though. Most importantly, it is unlocked!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A practical phone with sexy looks that could've used more time in development for greater software
by abdoismx on July 17, 2008
Pros: Stylish, nice interface, 3.5G/WiFi b-g/Bluetooth/Plane Mode. Comes with pre-loaded useful programs
Cons: Camera features could've been better done. The HTC shell doesn't fully cover the windows mobile interface. I found it a bit slow at times
Summary: It is clear that HTC rushed in the development of their Diamond to compete directly with the iPhone v2.0 announcement ... You can see it through the many cool features ...
Summary: It is clear that HTC rushed in the development of their Diamond to compete directly with the iPhone v2.0 announcement ... You can see it through the many cool features and the tiniest details they added but still need further development for better performance. The phone is stable though. It include radio, a youtube app, latest opera browser, GPS app, G-sensor, accelerometer, nice and origianl cover flow concept when viewing images or music . Basically, it really pushes Windows Mobile to its limits. HTC had announced the Diamond officially in my country, two months later after the announcement with still no accessories can be found in stores.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Looks good, Feels Good smartphone
by mrwolvie on July 9, 2008
Pros: Design is sleek and classic, Interactive
Cons: Tends to Lag at times
Summary: I have been waiting for the release of HTC Touch Diamond for quite sometimes. Compared to other smartphones, it is the best you can find all packed in its small '...
Summary: I have been waiting for the release of HTC Touch Diamond for quite sometimes. Compared to other smartphones, it is the best you can find all packed in its small 'shell'. I have done up a blog on it - www.htc-resource.blogspot.com
For those who wants to download its manual, you can do so at www.lostmymanual.org1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A Diamond in the rough: great features yet much to go
by Nanashisama on September 25, 2008
Pros: Great design. Light weight, VGA resolution touch-screen. 3G/WiFi capability, Built-in GPS/aGPS. 3.5 megapixel camera. Great interface (TouchFLO 3D). Customizible apps.
Cons: Virtual qwerty keyboard support (Asian ROM). Call quality. Volume quality. Battery life. Overheat issue. Sluggish control ( outdated WinMo underneath). Expension slot (none). 4GB storage. No GPS navigation program. 2.8' resistive touch-screen.
Summary: The buttom-line is: I like hTC Touch Diamond.
This is one of the better looking WinMo smartphone in recent years and I especially like its trendy design and slim weight. ...Summary: The buttom-line is: I like hTC Touch Diamond.
This is one of the better looking WinMo smartphone in recent years and I especially like its trendy design and slim weight. It's a petit device but still feel very nicely in your hands.
People are surely to be impressed with its glossy finish and overall compact design at first view and then by its well-designed TouchFLO 3D interface. IT's simple and elegant to use. It either runs on its own customized version of WinMo features or linked to WinMo features. Combined with the VGA resolution screen, webpages, pictures and text appear very crisp and sharp.
Speaking of internet, this device caters my need of mobile internet connectivity. It has 3G broadband internet as well as WiFi connection. You are able to stay connected and surf the web everywhere as long as you have receptions (and nevermind the 3G data fee). Similarly, browsing photos, listening to music and texting has been a pleasure to use with the VGA screen. Its GPS capability combined with camera is able to produce geolocatng phtos and it allows me to share where I have been instantly with friends and co-workers alike via online-services.
Unfortunately although the Touch Diamond packs a lot of features but it is not without its flaws. To begin with, the 2.8' screen may seem small when one has used other touch-screen devices, namely the iPhone. It would appear even more cramped when using its virtual keyboard. For Asian ROM-installed Diamond, its keyboard is very difficult to use when using pinyin. It's something hTC should address with a new ROM in the near future. Also, resistive screen also makes mis-answering the machine while searching it in your bag or pockets. The input screen also takes up half of the screen when texting which can be annoy thus making text messenging less pleasurable. The controls are not very responsive and a slight lag time can be quite noticible. Although TouchFLO is quite simple to use, but it makes me feel that it is still WinMo beneath the flashy interface. There's no backlight to assist taking photos in dim-light environment as well. Call quality is average and the sound quality is subpar when compared to many other phones. Although it comes with a 4GB internal drive, but there's noexpension slot. This may frustrate some media enthusiatists but for daily uses it should be adequate. No GPS navigation programs were installed, which is a big downside for such a wonderful GPS device. Lastly, the battery life is very short. Be sure to charge it every morning if you use it intensively with all of its features.
I like the Diamond, even if I have just used it for a few weeks. This is my first try on WinMo smartphones and I find the platform leaves me much desired. hTC could have programed the diamond to be more streamlized with WinMo 6.1 and provide us with an even better user experience. On that note, I also have to praise WinMo community for its lively and robust application programing. This makes Diamond easily customizible and cater to everyone's desire. Experienced can easily tweeks Diamond (also any WinMo devices) into their personal gem. Touch Diamond also comes unlocked (Asia) which is more than I can say for other devices.
All in all, Diamond is a truly impressive attempt by hTC and I hope hTC will take in from their Diamond experience and make other interesint gadgets in the future. -
Like my ex, looks incredible but too many quirks
by 3candine on August 30, 2008
Pros: The size, the screen, the logic of how its SUPPOSE to work are all very, very good. If i was 20, this phone would be my choice for sheer sex appeal.
Cons: touch screen too sensitive and takes you away from where you are. backlight freezes in on position and unknowingly drains battery ...I reset three times a day. will NOT sync on two computers.
Summary: After my treo/windows experience, I was hoping for something good (Cnet reviews told me to stay away from the 700 but I thought I knew better .. wrong). This phone ...
Summary: After my treo/windows experience, I was hoping for something good (Cnet reviews told me to stay away from the 700 but I thought I knew better .. wrong). This phone looks incredible and most early reviews were quite positive. If you press the phone ever so lightly on your ear or upper cheek, it will navigate away to a completely different program. Very annoying. same as the 700. the backlight freezes up and will not shut off unless you reset the phone, which I do 3 times a day. If you don't, the battery drfains quickly. Now the best part. Windows 6.1 WILL NOT sync on more than one computer. After troubleshooting with my provider and HTC, its a windows issue which they still have not resolved. I am returning this phone (unfortunately) and going with a blackberry as I need a pda that actually works. Approach with caution and read the latest reviews as they come in.
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Performs very well!
by LairdofScotland on August 14, 2008
Pros: Nice menus, excellent picture quality, great features for the internet, including Youtube built in, enjoy the GPS also.
Cons: Haven' discovered anything yet!
Summary: It's everything I expect a phone to be, especially with the WM 6.1 features!
Summary: It's everything I expect a phone to be, especially with the WM 6.1 features!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HTC America Inc.
- Part number: Diamond
- Description: Re-defining the perception of advanced mobile phones, the HTC Touch Diamond signals a giant leap forward in combining hi-tech prowess with intuitive usability and exhilarating design. Featuring a sharp 2.8-inch touch screen housed within a stunning formation of brushed steel and flawless faceted edges, the HTC Touch Diamond is as beautiful to behold as it is to use. With HTC's vibrant touch-responsive user interface, TouchFLO 3D, and ultra-fast HSDPA internet connectivity, the HTC Touch Diamond offers a rich online experience to rival a notebook computer, allowing you to interact with Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia as freely as you would with a broadband connection. Your contacts, favorite music, videos and photos are no longer an uninspired line of text. With TouchFLO 3D, album artwork, video stills and snapshots of your friends' and family's faces are brought to life for you to interact, play and launch at your fingertips. A 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera will help you capture the perfect moment in style and with a massive 4GB of internal storage you can keep all the files you need. The integrated ultra-sensitive GPS will help you find your destination as quickly and efficiently as a dedicated satellite navigation unit. Style and substance in a phone are no longer mutually exclusive. The HTC Touch Diamond has arrived.
Telecom
- Data services E-Mail, SMS, MMS
- Modem Integrated Wireless cellular modem
- Cellular enhancement protocol EDGE, UMTS, GPRS, GSM, HSDPA
General
- Built-in devices Camera
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 2 in x 0.4 in x 4 in
- Band / mode GSM 900/1800/1900
- Weight 3.9 oz
- Packaged contents Stereo headset
- Standby time Up to 396 h
- Combined with With digital camera
Operating System / Software
- OS provided Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Memory
- Installed RAM 192 MB
- RAM technology DDR SDRAM
- Installed ROM 256 MB Flash
- Flash memory installed 4 GB
Phone
- Call features Video call
Processor
- Processor QUALCOMM 528 MHzMSM7201A
Input Device
- Input device type TouchFLO 3D touch-screen, 4-way navigation button
PDA Features
- Flash memory installed 4 GB
- Flash memory form factor Integrated
Audio
- Digital audio standards supported WMA, MIDI, WAV, AAC +, MP3, AMR, AAC
- Audio input type Microphone
- Audio output type Speaker(s)
Display
- Display type 2.8 in TFT active matrix
- Max resolution 640 x 480
Power
- Battery installed ( max ) 1 Lithium ion
- Max supported batteries 1
- Talk time Up to 330 min
- Power supply device Power adapter
- Power device type Power adapter
Expansion / Connectivity
- Wireless connectivity IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
- Port / Connector Type:Interface 1USB / audio
- Connector Provided 11 pin HTC ExtUSB
Physical Characteristics
- Width 2 in
- Depth 0.4 in
- Height 4 in
GPS
- GPS System / GPS Navigation GPS receiver
Product series
-
Manufacturer: HTC America Inc.
Specs: Up to 300 min
-
Manufacturer: HTC America Inc.
Specs: GSM 900/1800/1900 / UMTS 2100, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional, Up to 300 min, 128 MB
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Manufacturer: HTC America Inc.
Specs: GSM 900/1800/1900, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional, Up to 240 min, 128 MB