HTC Touch Diamond
Manufacturer: HTC 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: $387.57 - $614.99
- 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.18 out of 20 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, 20086 out of 6 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.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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WORST PHONE EVER! DON'T BUY IT ! RETURNING IT TODAY!
by tc282 on December 1, 2008
Pros: Looks cool and has a great camera (if you can figure out how to get to it). I carried the 755p trio for 18 months prior to this device.
Cons: 1. Battery is woofully inadaquet. 2. It is VERY sluggish. 3. It isn't intuitive AT ALL. 4. TOO complicated doing simple tasks. 5. it beeps and chimes all the time (calendar) and I can't figure out how to turn it off. more on the bottom line
Summary: For starters, it was hard to find the actual phone on this ?phone?. Every program you open stays open (hidden) and it burns both memory and battery. When you "X" ...
Summary: For starters, it was hard to find the actual phone on this ?phone?. Every program you open stays open (hidden) and it burns both memory and battery. When you "X" a program, it doesn't close it, just makes it go away. The program remains open until you go into a "hidden" screen to properly close it. The phone is ALWAYS getting turned on in my pocket. I find myself trying to navigate it and the wrong program opens. The contour of the key board doesn't give your fingers enough feedback to tell the keys apart. Using the touch screen to locate your contacts is cumbersome and tiny. Navigating the touch screen in mail is WAY too sensitive. When trying to slide up or down, a pop-up menu will continue to appear with a menu of options when all I want is to scroll.
Navigating the web is great on this phone. However, you can?t adjust the zoom very well. It is tiny and larger with no in-between.
The screen should be larger. Everything is cramped in a too small area. It makes it difficult to navigate through programs.
Bottom line - If you: 1. Don't care about money 2. You don't want to use your phone after 5pm (battery is dead) and 3. You love to be frustrated, this is the phone for you. If there is someone that you don't like and have to buy a Christmas present for, buy them this phone.6 out of 8 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.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The stupidest "smart" phone
by eklektro on February 23, 2009
Pros: Rev A connectivity with Sprint
Cons: Bogus battery life, VERY weak (unusable) speakerphone! There are MANY bugs with the user interface, some of which won't allow you to answer calls, and others which mess with user settings, keyboard preferences, etc. The worst phone i've ever owned.
Summary: The slick look of the phone and the fast Rev A connectivity are STILL not worth dealing with its many shortcoming and bugs with the user interface. I wish i ...
Summary: The slick look of the phone and the fast Rev A connectivity are STILL not worth dealing with its many shortcoming and bugs with the user interface. I wish i never bought this phone, and wasted my time trying to work with it! And i hope that my review will save other people the hassle involved in owning a Touch Diamond!
3 out of 3 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.
3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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WORST SMART PHONE SO FAR
by mempey on March 27, 2009
Pros: About the only positive I can give this phone is the capabilities and programs it is supposed to have.
Cons: The phone is continually freezing, it is the furthest thing I have ever seen for User friendly Smart Phones ( I personally have had 7 smart phones before this one). Memory Failures, Bad sound quality if you use it to your ear.
Summary: Simply put this is the worse smart phone I have ever had the displeasure of trying. From personal research I have found that ONE of many common problems with this ...
Summary: Simply put this is the worse smart phone I have ever had the displeasure of trying. From personal research I have found that ONE of many common problems with this phone is a memory failure. If you try and hold it to your ear like a phone the sound is terrible. The phone constantly freezes up. Hyperlinks almost never work properly. It does not have a memory card (SD Slot) for extra storage either.
This phone has potential but simply put HTC released it way to early and there is still way to many problems with it. The one I have now is my 3rd in 7 weeks as they keep breaking down. First was a hardware failure of some sort and it would no longer turn on. Second was a critical memory failure and it would not save anything, the third one being replaced is because it has locked up in the password screen and it will not power off or anything now.
I would recommend walking by the Touch Diamond or Touch Pro right now, but also let you know to realize that these models have the potential to be great in a year or 2 when HTC sorts out their array of problems.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good phone, but battery life is horrible
by Joe Ch. on March 20, 2009
Pros: Great looking phone, some great features. As many features as my friend's iPhone. Call quality is at least as good as my last phone (Motorola KRAZR).
Cons: Horrible battery life. Not very intuitive menus...typical Microsoft OS.
Summary: I really like this phone, but I'm a gadget junkie. Not sure of any features I would ever need that this phone doesn't have. Battery life sucks, though. ...
Summary: I really like this phone, but I'm a gadget junkie. Not sure of any features I would ever need that this phone doesn't have. Battery life sucks, though. Badly.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very, VERY bad phone
by twarr1 on March 4, 2009
Pros: Not a lot of good to say about this phone; it's pretty and, um, that's it.
Cons: Everything else
Summary: The user interface is so convoluted and non-intuitive it almost seems like there is artificial intelligence at work trying to make you throw the phone at the nearest hard surface. ...
Summary: The user interface is so convoluted and non-intuitive it almost seems like there is artificial intelligence at work trying to make you throw the phone at the nearest hard surface. The touch screen works less than half the time, even with the stylus. The screen flow is unpredictable and almost always not the most logical. For example, when adding a new contact, you are asked to type in an existing contact. If the number is for an entirely new name, the thread just stops and you must start from scratch. What's the point?
If you use the phone for more than a very calls per day, plan on charging it at least twice per day. This will get worse, no doubt, as the battery ages. No use in trying to conserve power because at any given time there are always unwanted programs running in the background draining the battery. Charge time in my experience is 2-3 hours.
I did give this phone one star because it does make phone calls, as a matter of fact, many times it calls a random number on it's own. Also, I should point out, my experiences are based on keeping the phone on my desk. I haven't dared trying to put it in a pocket or anything radical like that.
Don't be fooled by the reviews talking about how "sexy" or "cool" this phone is, in reality it is worse than utterly useless. Also, don't hope for a software upgrade "fix". This phone is beyond repair.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HTC
- 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.
General
- Product Type Smartphone
- Service Provider Not specified
- Width 2 in
- Depth 0.4 in
- Height 4 in
- Weight 3.9 oz
Cellular
- Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
- Band WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 900/1800/1900
- Phone Design Candy bar
- Phone Navigation Buttons Navigation button
- Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
- Additional Features TouchFLO 3D touch-screen
Communicator Features
- Operating System Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
- User Memory 4 GB
Messaging & Data Services
- Mobile Email Yes
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes
- EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates For Global Evolution) Yes
- HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) Yes
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 3.2 megapixels, this camera phone will give you higher quality pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 3.2 megapixels
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
GPS System
- GPS Navigation GPS receiver
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 640 x 480 pixels
- Diagonal Size 2.8 in
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, AMR, MP3, WAV, WMA, MIDI, AAC +
Memory
- Flash Memory 4 GB
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Data port - 11 pin HTC ExtUSB
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Stereo headset
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Capacity 900 mAh
- Talk Time Up to 330 min
- Standby Time Up to 396 h
Product series
-
Manufacturer: HTC
Specs: GSM 900/1800/1900, Up to 300 min, With digital camera, 0.3 lbs
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Manufacturer: HTC
Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 900/1800/1900, Up to 300 min, 4.2 oz
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Manufacturer: HTC
Specs: GSM 900/1800/1900 (Tri-Band), Up to 240 min, 4 oz
-
Manufacturer: HTC
Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 900/1800/1900, Up to 330 min, 3.9 oz
-
Manufacturer: HTC
Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Up to 420 min, 4.6 oz
Manufacturer info
- HTC
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HTC products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.htc.com/
- Address:
13920 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98005 - Phone: (425) 861-9174
- Email: info@htcamerica.net
- Fax: (425) 861-1715
