HTC Touch Diamond surfaces at CompUSA

Oh, snap. Just the other day we were bemoaning the fact that the Touch Diamond sent to us courtesy of HTC lacked both HSDPA 850 / 1900 and GSM 850, but according to the product page at CompUSA, the version it's selling has all of those. Yep, a purported quad-band Touch Diamond is seemingly in stock right now for Americans willing to part with $779.99, but remember, all those bills nets you a 2.8-inch VGA display, HSDPA 7.2, Windows Mobile 6.1 and oodles of sexy. Go on, help HTC get one closer to two million this year.

[Thanks, Tom]

Update: Hey look, UKers can get in too. Just £463.99 including VAT. Thanks Leigh!

Update 2: For shame! HTC just pinged us and said this thing is the same as every other Touch Diamond, meaning that North American 3G is not supported.

[Nando @ Jun 18th 2008 2:10PM]

Oodles of sexy....does it do hardware video acceleration? :)

[Cornelius @ Jun 18th 2008 2:19PM]

Of course!*

*drivers for GPU 2D/3D acceleration not included.

[Nando @ Jun 18th 2008 2:39PM]

You stole my name!!

[Derek @ Jun 18th 2008 2:53PM]

Yes, it does, and yes, it does have the drivers.

[DonatoM3 @ Jun 18th 2008 3:01PM]

It can do 7 million polygons/sec. Is that enough hardware acceleration for you?

[Dave @ Jun 18th 2008 4:49PM]

If you look at the actual usage videos though it's still pretty slow...probably want to wait to see if people on xda-devs can make the response bearable before dropping 780 on it

[Joel @ Jun 18th 2008 6:37PM]

From what I've seen the lagginess has nothing to do with the video drivers; the transitions are smooth and not lacking in frames per second. I think the laginess is coming from some other place in the implementation. The screen output is at the end of the chain of events that occur in the system so it is the "window" through which the lagginess is observed, but probably not the cause.

[Flashpoint @ Jun 18th 2008 2:11PM]

The compUsa's in NYC went out of business because of Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Micro Center and Circuit City.

[Hashbrown Hunter @ Jun 18th 2008 2:31PM]

The CompUSA's almost EVERYWHERE went out of business because of Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Micro Center and Circuit City.

[rock99rock @ Jun 18th 2008 3:03PM]

The ALL went out of business.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/rip-compusa-1984-2008/

Then Tigerdirect purchased what was left of their assets.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/07/systemax-salvages-compusa-brand-website-and-up-to16-stores/

Then they reopened some stores in Florida.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/24/compusa-rises-from-dead-attacks-florida/

They are now, basically, a storefront for Tigerdirect.

[Dave @ Jun 18th 2008 8:01PM]

Which is SOOOO much better than what they once were. I went to one of the retail stores in florida and they had tons of refurb Cisco enterprise network hubs and switches for decent prices! It was sweet. Now if there was only a Micro Center or Fry's within 500 miles of me...

[ZeroCorpse @ Jun 19th 2008 3:51PM]

It really doesn't help their business when the new CompUSA catalogs just look identical to a Tigerdirect catalog, but with the word "COMPUSA" on the cover.

Still all the same cheap crap mixed in with a few things. Still no support for Apple products (which CompUSA at least did do). Still looks like a catalog put together by someone who flunked out of graphic design school.

The name doesn't change the fact that Tigerdirect sucks.

[ZeroCorpse @ Jun 19th 2008 3:51PM]

It really doesn't help their business when the new CompUSA catalogs just look identical to a Tigerdirect catalog, but with the word "COMPUSA" on the cover.

Still all the same cheap crap mixed in with a few things. Still no support for Apple products (which CompUSA at least did do). Still looks like a catalog put together by someone who flunked out of graphic design school.

The name doesn't change the fact that Tigerdirect sucks.

[James Cameron @ Jun 18th 2008 2:12PM]

Not worth it. Better off waiting for the Pro version or even better hold off for the Dream version.

[Hamidxa @ Jun 18th 2008 2:14PM]

Im personally waiting for the Touch Pro version of this phone, which should hopefully be available for Sprint in a months.

Nevertheless, the Diamond is one sexy piece of hardware, and well worth the entry fee, although it would be prudent to get this with a contract for a subsidized price.

[Pete @ Jun 18th 2008 2:13PM]

$779.99 and everybody was griping about the iPhone price. What a bunch of hypocrites!

[Mark @ Jun 18th 2008 2:33PM]

... you do realize that's $779 without a contract right?

[riggs @ Jun 18th 2008 2:34PM]

hey at least the price isnt just to look pretty.

[Derek @ Jun 18th 2008 2:54PM]

Can you at least know what you're talking about when you post a stupid comment? This is WITHOUT A CONTRACT. The iPhone's contract + the price of the iPhone would cost more than this phone.

[Paul @ Jun 18th 2008 3:19PM]

"Can you at least know what you're talking about when you post a stupid comment? This is WITHOUT A CONTRACT. The iPhone's contract + the price of the iPhone would cost more than this phone."

Uhh, really?? I know everyone now is on the bash iPhone people bandwagon, but this is a STUPID statement. Carriers usually subsidize at between $5 and $10 per month of contract. So, lets assume $10. 2 year contract = $240. $199 + $240 = $439. $439 > $779.99??!?!?! NOT! (note that if you are going to retort by saying "I said the value of the CONTRACT" and say that it is something like $70 x 24 then you are even more lost in the head).

Look, I'm not getting an iPhone (not sure what I'm getting next). However, at $779, this is a RIDICULOUSLY overpriced phone, especially comparing this to what you could get from the competition. 3 years ago perhaps this price would have been mainstream for this level of technology (time adjusted), but now it is simply priced out of competition.

[Frankenstein Black @ Jun 18th 2008 3:29PM]

Even if this was a perfect iPhone 3G clone, anyone doubt that at $779.99 the take rate will be much lower than the iPhone? Let’s face it, we are addicted to the subsidy model. No one wants to come outa pocket for this kind a scratch, regardless of how “free to select you service provider” it allows. So stop with the white noise already. At 199/299 (subsidize) the damn thing (iPhone 3G) will sell like “hot cakes”...

PS Oh, yea save the “he’s an apple fanboy” breath. The only product I own from Apple is Quicktime ;^/...

[Phoenix @ Jun 18th 2008 3:29PM]

This is meant for the european model of pricing. It's very different
that's one of the reason the iPhone didn't do nearly as well over here in the UK as Apple expected and wanted

[Jeepers @ Jun 18th 2008 3:32PM]

that's with most phones, but with the iphone, you need the 70 dollars plan. i'd put that number closer to 20 dollars a month for the iphone.

[Paul @ Jun 18th 2008 3:42PM]

"that's with most phones, but with the iphone, you need the 70 dollars plan. i'd put that number closer to 20 dollars a month for the iphone"

Wha? Again, misinformation. AT&T raised the unlimited data plan rate to $30 which just so happens to be exactly the same as it would be for THIS phone and any other smart (or even smartish) phone. It's $39.99 for the plan (minimum) and $30 for the data regardless of the smartphone. All they did was bring the phone up to parity with the others. Note that this is a decrease from the $39.99 they were charging this time last year for unlimited data.

Now if they'd just allow the iPhone to be unlocked (after 90 days like every other AT&T phone) so that I could take it with me to Europe and use prepaid SIM cards, I'd actually consider one...

[OneLove @ Jun 18th 2008 3:49PM]

$779 for the diamond, so the PRO is going to be, what $879 or $979? I would only pay $450 for the PRO...Be honest guys, $779 to way too much, even without contract.

[Zak @ Jun 18th 2008 3:50PM]

The iPhone is $199 with subsidization. It was $399 WITHOUT subsidization. So yes, the iPhone is still about half as expensive as the Diamond.

[Kiff @ Jun 18th 2008 4:13PM]

Big amount of people are ready to buy phones unlocked in Europe so why wouldnt people in state side? You will get much more competition going... thought that might be pretty hard considering that almost all phones are bough from ATT. Example in Finland over 85% of phones are sold unlocked.
I agree that the phone price even unlocked and even to us perfect mobile phone users here in EU area ;D that price is a bit deep.
I do love thought how so many people here dont even understand the difference with contract and unlocked phone...not to even talk about that you can get that sim card out of the phone!

N95 was..what 650€ at the start, but it had features not seen before and was ahead for competiton for a year. So there that price was okish and you could have had that phone for free over a year with 2 years contract.

[Paul @ Jun 18th 2008 5:05PM]

Funny how polarized people are by the iPhone. An obviously incorrect and terribly biased statement (the one I replied to) is "Highest Ranked" while mine (unbiased but defending the price superiority--not technical, price) of the iPhone is "Low Ranked." Illogical, but not surprising I suppose.

@Kiff, the difference here in the states is the lack of standardized bands. An unlocked phone here still locks you into one of two carriers (T-Mobile or AT&T). For Sprint and Verizon (and Alltel for until they are merged with Verizon), there's not even a concept of unlocking (well technically you can get CDMA phone reflashed and activated on another provider). Making matters worse is the contract structure for the carriers--i.e., the fact that you essentially can't get post-paid service without a contract unless you essentially buy out your contract up front (T-Mobile may be different, but AT&T works this way). Now with HSDPA bands getting fragmented, the situation will only continue to get worse. In the states, the FCC chose to let the competition occur at the carrier --> equipment provider level at the expense of competition at the consumer level.

Anyway, unlocked phones (or to be more specific, unsubsidized and contract-free phones) here won't improve competition much. They'll give AT&T and T-Mobile users better options when traveling overseas, but not much else.

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jun 18th 2008 5:50PM]

I'm going to have to give a big 'So What' regarding this being unlocked. While this is definitely a positive, I see nothing about this device that justifies a $700+ price tag. Maybe it has a smaller radar cross-section due to the angular backplate, but that's nothing to write home about.

It's funny that people compound the cost of actually keeping an active service for the phone on top of the price as a negative towards the phone, and completely disregard the value of the service itself. Regardless of it being unlocked, unless you can find a free service to use this $779 device, you'll STILL be paying a good sum each month so that you can use its telephony features. All you're paying for is the extra freedom, but it's just a question of how much is that extra choice worth to you?

[David @ Jun 18th 2008 6:23PM]

As mentioned above, the carrier subsidized version will be much more affordable. But really, this is not even an official US version. I seriously doubt the US version will retail for this much. This is a premium price for ultra early adopters looking for a European import.


Seems nuts to me though, I’d wait for the carrier subsidized version with proper US bands

[warrrennnnn @ Jun 18th 2008 7:31PM]

fight! fight! fight!

[ill trooper @ Jun 19th 2008 1:15AM]

So... The cool new thing on Engadget, Digg, and Gizmodo is calculating out what the price of the iPhone 3G + two years of service will cost, then comparing that to the price of whatever phone _you_ like more, but ignoring the fact that you have to pay for monthly service for THAT device too.

OK.

You have to pay for service, no matter which phone you use. The AT&T plans are right in line with any carrier that has 3G service and data plans... And this thing isn't even 3G in the states, so you better drag out all those complaints you had about Edge on the iPhone, because that's what's up with the Diamond.

This phone is going nowhere beyond a very select niche group at that price, with even Apple starting to use 3G.

[dan2600 @ Jun 18th 2008 2:13PM]

what? compUSA? you meen tigerdirect...right? ­­▌compUSA is gone right?

[Al @ Jun 18th 2008 2:31PM]

Actually, there is compusa store in Florida and Puerto Rico.

[kjb434 @ Jun 18th 2008 3:28PM]

there is still one here in houston

[mikebelair @ Jun 18th 2008 2:15PM]

i have not had one crash on vista ever. maybe im lucky but i wouldnt say macs are anybetter than pc's or pc's are better than a mac. if you think about every point everyone said on engadget in the past year its really even especially if your buying one for a certain reason... gaming(probly a pc) if your a artist(probly a mac) who cares when you cant argue anymore because one is so much better than talk to me.

[Mam00th @ Jun 18th 2008 2:33PM]

And what does this have to do with the article?

[retro77 @ Jun 18th 2008 3:21PM]

fail.

[Rogue_Genius @ Jun 18th 2008 3:26PM]

Well mam00th, perhaps the writer thought that vista was related to windows mobile? And someone mentioned the iPhone so the mac/windows comparison...

no?

Damn. I tried.

[Nicky-Larson @ Jun 18th 2008 2:23PM]

CompUSA? I thought those guys were out of business. Why does it seem like phones a re quickly gearing towards the price of PC's and Notebooks. I don't get it. I would get the phone, but still that price is not justified if you ask me

[kjb434 @ Jun 18th 2008 3:31PM]

Considering these phones are close to the same power of a netbook (or UMPC) but substantially smaller, i can easily see these prices.

They are essentially cramming a laptop into hand held device.

[deyanimay @ Jun 18th 2008 3:42PM]

sure its almost worth it but look at the disadvantage we americans have, in most places there are only 2 major gsm networks to choose from and the diamond doen not support 3g on them anyways. I think we should get a discount of $50 - $100.

[digitallysick @ Jun 18th 2008 2:29PM]

I want this, or the Nokia N95 8gb so bad, its far better than the iphone. But 700 dollars a very insane amount of money for a phone. Bring it down to 500 and we have a deal.

[Homeboy @ Jun 18th 2008 2:46PM]

HTC Touch Diamond is aimed at the European market. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the price. The European cellphone market is different from the American one. We don't pay ridiculous fees for receiving messages and phone calls, so the cast majority of people in Europe walk around with pre-paid card.

Each cellphone on the market is available for purchase without a contract. Priced at $799 the phone is well in line with a high-end top of the line phone goes for here in Europe. For comparison the N95 was priced at around €800 when it came out. So there is nothing outrageous about this price. Here in Europe many people don't like getting tied down with contracts and simply buy an unlocked phone at it's full price.

People need to stop comparing this to the iPhone which comes with a compulsory 2 year contract, and is not available for purchase without a contract. In the long run a subsidized phone with a 2 year contract is more expensive than an unlocked phone with a pre-paid card, especially if you're bad at keeping track of how much you're calling for.

Welcome to Europe!

[Nando @ Jun 18th 2008 2:30PM]

I'm personally waiting on the Experia....

I'm just also afraid that since it IS an HTC device, that it STILL won't have the drivers included...regardless of the panel interface that SE has.

All I can do is sit and wait...impatiently...

[Derek @ Jun 18th 2008 2:56PM]

It has the drivers...

[Phoenix @ Jun 18th 2008 3:28PM]

And so does this.

I'd recommend a Touch Pro, but it's your choice, they're both gonna be great.

[Frankenstein Black @ Jun 18th 2008 2:32PM]

What's a CompUSA?

[Minilap @ Jun 18th 2008 2:56PM]

Double click on "CompUSA", then right click on it, and then click on "Search Google for CompUSA. See how easy it is.

[Frankenstein Black @ Jun 18th 2008 3:11PM]

Oooooh. This CompUSA:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3905608&CatId=1809
I get it now. Thanks...