Not Everyone Is Wowed By The Diamond

[JesterMania]

Like others said, the extUSB doesn't bother me as unlike most other proprietary standards, it does have some benefits. I am very interested to see real-world performance from the 900mAH battery, WiFi and 3G usage being my primary interests.

The 4GB flash memory does bother me somewhat. I was expecting about 8GB being reasonable. This amount of storage space may well tip the scale in favor of the iPhone. Also, as the device has GPS, a larger flash memory would be handy for storing multiple maps - especially if you travel between various countries and require several GPS programs/mapsets. I generally like to have space for installation .cab files, GPS maps, 1-2GB music, and another 2GB of music videos so 4GB may not be enough.

I also hope the built-in flash memory is fast. One of the main complaints of the Nokia N95 8GB was slow flash, making many stick with the MicroSD N95 variant.

[JesterMania]

Like others said, the extUSB doesn't bother me as unlike most other proprietary standards, it does have some benefits. I am very interested to see real-world performance from the 900mAH battery, WiFi and 3G usage being my primary interests.

The 4GB flash memory does bother me somewhat. I was expecting about 8GB being reasonable. This amount of storage space may well tip the scale in favor of the iPhone. Also, as the device has GPS, a larger flash memory would be handy for storing multiple maps - especially if you travel between various countries and require several GPS programs/mapsets. I generally like to have space for installation .cab files, GPS maps, 1-2GB music, and another 2GB of music videos so 4GB may not be enough.

I also hope the built-in flash memory is fast. One of the main complaints of the Nokia N95 8GB was slow flash, making many stick with the MicroSD N95 variant.

[PdaAddict]

Originally Posted by netboy

HTC used to be a leader, now they just a FOLLOWER!

***long quote trimmed by mod JD***

My sentiments exactly! After owning countless HTC devices I am really frustrated and ready to abandon WM and HTC ship. I am still considering Treo 800w. The sad part is that HTC will still make a killing on Diamond and all the other "cutting edge" devices they will introduce later this year.

[chrisspera]

One of the biggest problems that I'm seeing right now is that everyone is trying to one-up the iPhone. the iPhone is successful because it went back to the beginning to figure out what needs, wants and desires weren't being met, and then provided a solution to them. For Windows Mobile to be as successful, we're going to have to go back just as far and design a device AND interface/OS that meets those needs, wants and desires.

We might have to think outside the box a bit, and perhaps redesign the WM paradigm to get it right, but it is definitely possible. I'd love to see it happen!

[Frankie1]

Originally Posted by netboy

if u going to make something as a iphone clone or iphone killer! the least u can do is put in 3.5" screen like the iphone! or put in 3" WVGA like X1 but with 2.8" VGA? i'm been using 2.8" VGA pdaphone for half a year now!

***long quote trimmed by mod JD***

I agree
The most innovative thing that HTC has develped, to me, would be that glass ceiling of making devices with displays no larger than 2.8"

I MEAN C'MON ALREADY, WHY ARE THEY limited TO 2.8" DISPLAYS, SHOW SOME HTC INNOVATION.

I've (momentarily) given up on HTC: XDA Flame with WM6.1

[wmm]

The only real issue for me with the Diamond is one that hasn't been mentioned here: there's no flash for the camera. I have an 8525, which does have an LED flash, and have just started using Evernote; I find that the Evernote OCR works better on documents I photograph with the flash (faster shutter = less blur).

That said, however, I'm almost certainly going to get a Diamond if AT&T offers it with a reasonable subsidy for extending my contract. I'm not a heavy multimedia user and always have my PC nearby for a refresh, so 4GB is more than enough for me, and everything else sounds really ideal: VGA, small, fast, lots of RAM, spiffy UI, better browser, GPS, etc.

A note on the audio connector: as far as I'm concerned, that's a wash, neither better nor worse than a standard phone plug. My problem with the phone plugs is that after a year or so of plugging and unplugging, oxidation sets in and I have to jiggle the plug to make a good connection, and eventually no amount of jiggling will help. I'm beginning to experience the same thing with my 8525, so it's no better, and having to use the adapter is only a tiny inconvenience, so it's not really worse.

[bearxor]

Originally Posted by moaske

That's mighty interesting ... If i'm not mistaken that halfhearted attempt at a WinMo device with it's horrible square screen is being manufactured by..... HTC ...

As pointed out, HTC does the manufacturing and probably the hardware design for both the Treo's and the X1,but the software is done by Palm and Sony.

About your 'half-hearted' comment... Have you used a WM Treo for a significant period of time? The ease of use and speed of the device surpasses any WM device currently available in the NA market and the device itself is over two years old.

You'll get no disagreement from me that it's old, ugly and lacking some significant features in todays market, like WiFi and GPS. The 800w will rectify the situation. I think the fact that Palm has been able to lean on the 700wx for so long shows just how great a phone it is.

I felt the same about it initially - Why would I want a Palm WinMo device? HTC makes great phones. Then I got the 6700 replaced from my 6600. What a piece of crap. I called Sprint and they switched me out for a 700wx and I couldn't have been happier. I also bought (and returned after a couple of weeks of use) the Mogul when it came out. I've also used a Tilt for a couple of weeks. The 700wx is still better than them, even with it's square screen and 240x240 resolution.

[jgrnt1]

I hate the usb adapter for audio. I have an AT&T 8525 (TyTN). In my car, I have an installed powered Proclip (Brodit) cradle. To run sound from the phone, I can't charge it or even leave it in the cradle. Because of this, I have a separate mp3 player. If I could have a WM phone which would handle a 32GB SD card, and which had a 3.5mm jack, I wouldn't carry an mp3 player at all (I have about 38GB of music, in mp3 and wma formats).

[stmcgill]

It has 900mAh battery. That has to be a concern with a VGA display...

[gregh]

Originally Posted by chrisspera

the iPhone is successful because it went back to the beginning to figure out what needs, wants and desires weren't being met, and then provided a solution to them.

***long quote trimmed by mod JD***

Absolutely spot on. HTC are taking Windows Mobile and trying to engineer a new interface on top of it, it's never going to be good as designing it into the base OS & hardware from day one....

[indiekiduk]

Wait, what?? You mean people actually listen to music on watch video on a windows mobile? Personally I don't have a spare week for the time it takes to copy a media file over active sync.