HTC Announces the Touch Diamond

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.htc.com/uk/product.aspx?id=46038' target='_blank'>http://www.htc.com/uk/product.aspx?id=46038</a><br /><br /></div><em>&quot;Re-defining the perception of advanced mobile phones&hellip; the HTC Touch Diamond&trade; 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&rsquo;s vibrant touch-responsive user interface, TouchFLO&trade; 3D, and ultra-fast HSDPA internet connectivity&hellip; 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, favourite music, videos and photos are no longer an uninspired line of text. With TouchFLO 3D, album artwork, video stills and snapshots of your friends&rsquo; and family&rsquo;s faces are brought to life for you to interact, play and launch at your fingertips.&quot;<br /><br /></em><img alt="" src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/500/zt/auto/1210079017.usr2.jpg" /><br /><br />As widely speculated, HTC unveiled the <a href="http://www.htc.com/uk/product.aspx?id=46038" target="_blank">Touch Diamond</a> today at a press event in London, and you have to hand it to the company - they sure know how to craft a kick-ass UI. I'm not going to comment on whether it knocks the socks off the iPhone's, since each and every one of you will have your own opinion, but suffice to say, it's definitely a huge step forward toward making Windows Mobile look and feel impressive.<br /><br />Of course, this Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device isn't all just eye candy. Inside, you'll find a Qualcomm MSM7201A 528MHz processor, 192MB RAM (yes, that ought to make a few of you happy), 256MB ROM, 4GB of internal storage, a 2.8&quot; VGA touch screen, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, A-GPS support, an FM tuner with RDS, an accelerometer, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a secondary VGA camera for video telephony.<br /><MORE /><br /><br /><br />But wait, there has to be a catch or two, right? Sure. We know the device's 900mAh battery has already started to raise a few eyebrows, although HTC claims that the Touch Diamond actually offers a substantial improvement in battery life. Okay, we'll keep our eye on that one. And then there's the support for tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band (900/2100MHz) HSDPA/W-CDMA. Not exactly a plentiful supply of bands there, but we'll leave it to you to decide whether it's that big a deal.<br /><br />Expect the Touch Diamond to make an appearance in Europe sometime next month, and then the rest of the world later this year.<br /><br /><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/500/zt/auto/1210079035.usr2.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br /><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/500/zt/auto/1210079028.usr2.jpg" alt="" />

[indiekiduk]

It seems you guys have missed out the 3D GPU in your spec list! Any idea what it is?

Coz it says "all vividly displayed as photos and artwork powered by the 3D graphics processor." here:
http://www.htc.com/uk/product.aspx?id=46038

My first thoughts on the new UI is its just another HTC gimmick you probably will turn off so you can have access to the hundreds of home screen plugins available. If HTC want to improve the WM UI they need to open up their API for the controls they use in their fancy home screen so devs can use them in other apps. WM's biggest problem is lack of consistency across apps, especially when you are using your finger to launch an app then have to wip out the stylus to click on tiny menus in Pocket IE. As long as we have this consistency problem there is no chance of competing with the iPhone.

[virain]

Looks like HTC doesn't have any plans to introduce it to US market. This thing is design with Europe/Asia in mind. And why not? Dollar is weak and getting weaker every day, Major investment houses recommend to buy Russian Ruble. Isn't that ironic?

[netboy]

Looks like HTC doesn't have any plans to introduce it to US market. This thing is design with Europe/Asia in mind. And why not? Dollar is weak and getting weaker every day, Major investment houses recommend to buy Russian Ruble. Isn't that ironic?

who cares if they have plan for USA! i'm going with Sony X1 with 3" WVGA at 800x480 compare to this diamond at 2.8 VGA at 640x480!

[Phillip Dyson]

tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band (900/2100MHz)

ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[onlydarksets]

I wouldn't worry about quad-band for this announcement. The USA version would have to add quad-band and full data support, and that is expected later in the year.
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/9310.html

[Phillip Dyson]

I wouldn't worry about quad-band for this announcement. The USA version would have to add quad-band and full data support, and that is expected later in the year.
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/9310.html

I think what frustrates me is that there is nothing out for me now. I'm increasingly disappointed in my ETEN x800 and I desperately want to replace it. The Diamond seem to be just what I was waiting for (admittedly no price has been announced), but there is always something.

I mean, when was the last time HTC put out a triband phone?

[onlydarksets]

I think what frustrates me is that there is nothing out for me now. I'm increasingly disappointed in my ETEN x800 and I desperately want to replace it. The Diamond seem to be just what I was waiting for (admittedly no price has been announced), but there is always something.

I mean, when was the last time HTC put out a triband phone?

That's very true. I wonder if the iPhone 3G announcement in July is going to be "You can buy it now" or 6 months like the original iPhone announcement (which was due to FCC compliance issues). If it's the latter, then I think these are two compelling entrants into the market.

[PdaAddict]

Did anyone notice the 900 mAh Battery? Is this a joke? I have 1500 on my Mogul and it barely lasts 2 hours when I use BT and GPS.

[whydidnt]

I too am surprised by the tri-band decision. Even if it's not yet offered for sale via a US carrier, there is still a market in the US for the latest and greatest phones, isn't there? I wonder if the carriers are flexing their muscle here and forcing HTC to release a Euro only model until the time the US carriers get done with their "certification".

I'm also a little curious about the 192 Mb of RAM. I have a couple of devices with 128 MB today and don't every see need for more than that. It seems to me the processor bogs down when you get a lot loaded into RAM anyway (Or maybe the RAM is just slow?). HTC must have some sort of battery voodoo working, because the additional RAM just adds to the amount of power required.

I'm a little dubious about the viability of their new interface as well. In the past their TouchFlo and Today Plugins haven't talked nicely with third party PIM replacements such as Pocket Informant or Agenda One, which means they have very limited use for me.

I'd like to be more excited by the announcement, but I really don't see much ground-breaking here. The VGA screen is a nice upgrade, but I still wonder how much real world benefit we'll see on a 2.8" screen. The additional memory is nice, but still not as much as we find in some Nokia or Apple phones. The overall usefulness of the add-on interface is somewhat in question, since eventually you'll need to use a non-HTC application. I fear HTC has fallen into the trap of worrying about selling "features" (3D interface, lots of memory, etc) while forgetting that it's benefits (ease of use, convenience) that will win the minds of the general public.

[Phillip Dyson]

I too am surprised by the tri-band decision. Even if it's not yet offered for sale via a US carrier, there is still a market in the US for the latest and greatest phones, isn't there? I wonder if the carriers are flexing their muscle here and forcing HTC to release a Euro only model until the time the US carriers get done with their "certification".



I guess I would think the opposite.

Get the phone out at an unlocked premium. Get the buzz going. Get reviews out there. Then spring in with the Carrier subsidy. Its an instant non-flammatory price drop. Everybody wins.

Especially me who wants one now.

[whydidnt]

I guess I would think the opposite.

Get the phone out at an unlocked premium. Get the buzz going. Get reviews out there. Then spring in with the Carrier subsidy. Its an instant non-flammatory price drop. Everybody wins.


Except the carrier doesn't get a 2 year commitment from you, which is what they really want and why they subsidize in the first place.

I'm just making an educated guess, but it seems odd that HTC is releasing like this. There has to be a business decision somewhere that applies -- either there was a cost/technology issue with this specific device and quad band usage or they were asked by one of their partners to hold off releasing it. Who knows, maybe they are trying an Apple and are going to ask for some sort of revenue share from the carrier on this device.:confused:

[alese]

I like it, it looks nice it has good interface and excelent specs, OK so the battery and apparent lack of expasion slot is not so great, but overall it looks excelent.
Of course the question is how will it perform in real world, will the battery be a problem or not and how stable the new interface is. I'll still wait to see how will Experia and iPhone2 turn out...

[JKingGrim]

Did anyone notice the 900 mAh Battery? Is this a joke? I have 1500 on my Mogul and it barely lasts 2 hours when I use BT and GPS.But notice 4.5 hours of talk time.. The reason? The Qualcomm 7201 uses 65nm technology which significantly improves battery life. HTC to one path: The device is less power hungry, so lets shrink the battery so that it still only has mediocre battery life. Sony Ericsson took the other path. The X1 also uses the MSM7201, but has a 1500mah battery! Assuming the devices consume about the same amount of power (reasonable; the X1 has a larger screen but less RAM) and accepting HTC's battery life estimate, the X1 should get 7.5 hours of usage per charge! I can't wait for the X1!

[Birdsoft]

Wow, that interface looks pretty awesome!!

"I love all the blah blah blah copy iPhone.. blah innovate blah blah imitate" type fanboy stuff going around from all of the iPhone guys(not here obviously). "It still has Windows Mobile... what does Microsoft think of someone trying so hard to cover up their 'clunky OS'.."

I believe Microsoft is actually jumping up and down at the idea that a device manufacturer actually did what they have been encouraging them to do all along. Take it up a notch.

Its an OS, a good flexible OS, but they built everything to be coded(offered today plugin development and 3rd party apps and beyond since day 1).

Cripes Microrosft built the Shadow's Today Plugin to change the WM UI for T-Mobile. You dont think this was what they wanted.

Fortunately the manufacturers are just finally getting pushed this way and figuring it out. They all had the impression that they were supposed to be able to license WM and serve it uncooked out fo the box with very few changes... WHY??

Its a UI, it doesnt necessarily have to be Microsoft's job to move it ahead. Thanks Palm for starting to add some goods and thanks to HTC to finally take it to the next level!! Just hide as much or all of the core stuff as you want, as long as you can get down to it to run the 3rd party applications. Oh and please offer up some APIs so we can advance it too...

This phone looks good!!

[Rob Alexander]

It looks nice. I wonder if the weather app will cover more than 50 cities this time.

[kanzlr]

I think what frustrates me is that there is nothing out for me now. I'm increasingly disappointed in my ETEN x800 and I desperately want to replace it. The Diamond seem to be just what I was waiting for (admittedly no price has been announced), but there is always something.

I mean, when was the last time HTC put out a triband phone?



hm. what do you expect the diamond to offer that the ETEN doesn't?

it has more RAM and a flush screen. thats it, basically. 3D acceleration is nice, but not needed if you dont' play games or use the new TouchFLO.

[JKingGrim]

hm. what do you expect the diamond to offer that the ETEN doesn't?

it has more RAM and a flush screen. thats it, basically. 3D acceleration is nice, but not needed if you dont' play games or use the new TouchFLO.Trust me. The RAM is enough.

[Phillip Dyson]

Trust me. The RAM is enough.

That was going to be my response exactly.

1. Fewer device lockups.
2. The ETEN is not comfortable against the ear.
3. Smoother UI.
4. 4GB built in.
5. etc...

[kanzlr]

Trust me. The RAM is enough.

the 64MB the E-TEN offers aren't
but this is the only real problem.

i know that 128MB are enough, as i never had a problem with that when i used HTC devices.
but on the e-ten i sometimes run out of ram when i surf big webpages with netfront or opera.

but he said that he is disappointed with the E-TEN and hopes for the Diamond to solve his issues; I just wanted to know what his issues are with the X800.

In day to day work the diamond won't be faster than the e-ten, as the latter is already plenty fast with a clean installed ROM and the touchscreen fix.
The only advantages of the diamond are: more RAM (important, of course), flush screen (nice to have, liked it a lot on my touch dual) and size (if you don't need 3d acceleration).

edit2:

add Phillip:
1. wonder why you have problems with this. What ROM do you use?
2. ok, thats personal and i have to agree to an extend, but its not really an issue for me
3. The UI on the E-TENs suffers from the installed crap and from a buggy Touchscreendriver. Install the FISH_TOUCH_FIX2 and do a clean rom install and you will see that its indeed fast, just as fast as my HTC touch dual.
4. 4 GB built in is nice, but the Diamond has no microSD slot. I currently have an 8 GByte card in my M800 and it was just € 42,--

all in all, while the device looks nice and the specs are good, i think there needs to be more for me to upgrade. maybe the raphael or X1 :)

[Phillip Dyson]

the 64MB the E-TEN offers aren't
but this is the only real problem.

i know that 128MB are enough, as i never had a problem with that when i used HTC devices.
but on the e-ten i sometimes run out of ram when i surf big webpages with netfront or opera.

but he said that he is disappointed with the E-TEN and hopes for the Diamond to solve his issues; I just wanted to know what his issues are with the X800.

In day to day work the diamond won't be faster than the e-ten, as the latter is already plenty fast with a clean installed ROM and the touchscreen fix.
The only advantages of the diamond are: more RAM (important, of course), flush screen (nice to have, liked it a lot on my touch dual) and size (if you don't need 3d acceleration).

edit2:

add Phillip:
1. wonder why you have problems with this. What ROM do you use?
2. ok, thats personal and i have to agree to an extend, but its not really an issue for me
3. The UI on the E-TENs suffers from the installed crap and from a buggy Touchscreendriver. Install the FISH_TOUCH_FIX2 and do a clean rom install and you will see that its indeed fast, just as fast as my HTC touch dual.
4. 4 GB built in is nice, but the Diamond has no microSD slot. I currently have an 8 GByte card in my M800 and it was just € 42,--

all in all, while the device looks nice and the specs are good, i think there needs to be more for me to upgrade. maybe the raphael or X1 :)

Just to be clear, I am generally dissatisfied with the x800 and am looking for the replacement. I was not necessarily comparing the Diamond and x800 line by line, but I hoped the Diamond would be my next phone. I'm considering the Velocity 103, and perhaps the XPERIA. But I'm not falling for all the hype until I see them in action (no pre-production excuses to hide behind.)

64mb is not enough memory and probably never was. I suspect the Diamonds large amount of memory was more for all that fancy UI, then it is for Window Mobile in general.

Spead is not my problem with the x800, its the memory. I can't even run Netfront on some pages before I run out.

I am disappointed in the lack of expansion slot, but I've seldom filled up my 4GB card. Plus with it all external, I don't have to muck around with encryption solutions for security purposes. I'm not defending the lack... just thinking out loud.

[whydidnt]

Just to add another thought to this thread. It's been a day and 1/2 since this was announced and there are only 21 posts prior to this one discussing this announcement. There doesn't seem to be a lot of excitement, at least in this community (and where else would it be?) for this device. That is not a good sign for a device that was announced with all of this hype. Maybe that's a good thing, and it will spur HTC or another Microsoft partner to up the ante and deliver a more exciting device. However, it will take more than a pretty skin on the home page to get me excited, and that seems to be the best HTC can offer right now.

[ionen]

This is said to be the best challenger to the iPhone - that is, before Apple will release the second generation of their stylish phone.
The Diamond is a great mobile device, with wonderful specs and interface - it's a pity though that they hadn't make it available worldwide. Nevertheless kudos to HTC, this seems to be one great piece of technology!

[rooster_au]

This is said to be the best challenger to the iPhone - that is, before Apple will release the second generation of their stylish phone.
The Diamond is a great mobile device, with wonderful specs and interface - it's a pity though that they hadn't make it available worldwide. Nevertheless kudos to HTC, this seems to be one great piece of technology!

Touch Diamond is certainly stylish, but I would not agree its specs are wonderful. Its connectivity is limited with only a dual-band UMTS. With a EU version UMTS 900/2100, it does not support the Australia Telstra NextG network which gives the largest coverage. While the US version 850/1900 will miss out all the 3G networks in Australia.

Maybe the current version is just testing water by HTC. HTC may release something more useful in the next few years.