Official HTC Touch Diamond ROM with 850 GSM Band Support Released

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/07/24/first-official-htc-touch-diamond-rom-with-gsm-850-support-releas/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/...support-releas/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"...HTC's made it possible to have your cake and eat it too with a new firmware update posted to its Asian site that proclaims the addition of GSM 850 support among several other changes and fixes -- some ten in total. After working through some confusion over the appearance (or lack thereof) of 850 in the band selection screen after updating, it looks like this does actually work for a variety of Touch Diamonds floating around out there, so let us know how you fare if you decide to give it a shot."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/spt/auto/1216943187.usr1.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If you're a Touch Diamond owner living in North America, take note: this ROM update will enable the 850 GSM band in your phone, allowing you to gain greater coverage. This update does <em>not</em> add the missing North American 3G band, however, so you'll still be stuck to rocking on EDGE. Right now the update is only officially available from HTC Asia, but it should be making it's way to HTC USA and HTC Europe's sites fairly soon. I tried my HTC user login on the HTC Asia site, but it didn't work.</p>

[efjay]

So much for HTC saying there wasnt enough space to fit a quad-band radio. Is there no integrity left in corporations today or is everything negotiable in the search for profits?

[Duncan]

Curiously the official specs sheet for the Touch Pro (not actually out yet) now states it is quad band from the off - http://www.htc.com/europe/product.aspx?id=49926

[Duncan]

So much for HTC saying there wasnt enough space to fit a quad-band radio. Is there no integrity left in corporations today or is everything negotiable in the search for profits?

It is *possible* that they actually meant there was no room for a tri-band WCDMA radio (for HSDPA) and so didn't think there was any point in enabling the 850 GSM band. Perhaps they only did so on discovering a demand for it?

[efjay]

It is *possible* that they actually meant there was no room for a tri-band WCDMA radio (for HSDPA) and so didn't think there was any point in enabling the 850 GSM band. Perhaps they only did so on discovering a demand for it?

No, that is not what they said:

http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/686564-post1.html

[Duncan]

No, that is not what they said:

http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/686564-post1.html

Actually - it kinda looks like it was:

These models do not feature 850/1900/2100 3G as on many of our previous flagship models as European partners have now begun operating 3G on a second band – 900 MHz, and it is difficult to optimize for 4 bands of 3G as well as multiple 2G bands.

It's a little ambiguous but the suggestion is that it is a matter of 'optimising' being 'difficult' when they now have to accommodate an extra European WCDMA band - it doesn't say that it is impossible, won't ever happen or that there isn't enough space.

[efjay]

Actually - it kinda looks like it was:



It's a little ambiguous but the suggestion is that it is a matter of 'optimising' being 'difficult' when they now have to accommodate an extra European WCDMA band - it doesn't say that it is impossible, won't ever happen or that there isn't enough space.

I guess you want to believe HTC for whatever reason but as the Diamond only has dual-band 3G I dont see how that is relevant. The fact is they claimed there wasnt enough space and that was why the Diamond was not quad-band GSM which is now officially a lie as they themselves have released a rom that enables it. If the hardware was there all along why not just enable it from the start instead of hiding it?

[Duncan]

I guess you want to believe HTC for whatever reason

It has nothing to do with 'wanting to believe' anyone. :rolleyes: Wanting to be fair, looking at what they actually said and not assuming a lie for no good reason, is not simply naivety or a desire to believe you know.

but as the Diamond only has dual-band 3G I don't see how that is relevant.

From the quote it seems probable that the radio they used is designed to be software upgradable to the third European WCDMA band. That's why it's relevant.

The fact is they claimed there wasn't enough space and that was why the Diamond was not quad-band GSM which is now officially a lie as they themselves have released a ROM that enables it. If the hardware was there all along why not just enable it from the start instead of hiding it?

I'm at a loss. Where in what they told Jason do they say there wasn't enough space for for quad-band GSM or that quad-band GSM is impossible? At most they suggest that to cover *all* possible bands, GSM and 3G, would need a bigger device or no GPS for the radio/radios. However, that is not the same as saying that the current radio can't the job of providing quad-band, or even US 3G (in place of the new 900 Mhz European band), for that matter.

Here's what they say:

1) 'The initial models of Touch Diamond and Touch Pro have been optimized for European / Asian bands because HTC is launching with partners in those countries first.' There's that word optimised. Nothing about quad-band GSM being impossible there.

2) 'These models do not feature 850/1900/2100 3G as on many of our previous flagship models as European partners have now begun operating 3G on a second band – 900 MHz'. Entirely about why there is not tri-band 3G - suggesting they are saving the capability for a third European band, 900 Mhz.

3) 'it is difficult to optimize for 4 bands of 3G as well as multiple 2G bands'. The word they use is 'difficult'. Not impossible. Especially as they have only gone as far as to enable quad-band GSM, not 4 bands of 3G.

Now certainly the suggestion they make is that if they didn't include GPS then they would have the space to include a radio or radios in order to 'optimize for 4 bands of 3G as well as multiple 2G bands', but there is *nothing* in what they say that says they can't optimise for quad-band GSM without more space.

Now - if they'd actually lied, I'd agree with you about the lack of integrity. The simple fact is, however, they didn't. Or at least nothing in what they said looks like a lie.

Even if they then go and add quad-band 3G, that still won't mean they lied. They say optimising for that is 'difficult', not impossible. Meanwhile you've levied an accusation of lying based on your reading something in their words that wasn't there. By all means tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm not am I?

[latinware]

I did update the ROM on my HTC Diamond and it's really a great upgrade. Now I can connect with the 850mhz freq (Comcel) in the outskirts mountains near Bogota, Colombia where I live. Before I only had connection using the 900mhz freq in the city. Using another cel provider like Tigo which functions in the 1900mhz freq ther is not problem whatsoever. Still 3G it'll be impossible for some time since in Colombia there is only 850 and 1900mhz use.