HTC to ship one millionth Touch Diamond this month

We know how much those suits love to hit wild targets they set without any real understanding of the future, so we're pretty sure at least one or two are getting the kudos of their life with this one. Earlier this year, HTC boldly predicted that it would move a staggering two million Touch Diamond handsets before 2009 dawned, and according to a new report, it'll ship the one millionth unit sometime next week. With Sony Ericsson having all sorts of difficulties moving its mid- to high-end mobiles, one may wonder if HTC really can sell another million before December 31st. But we have all ideas the looming Sprint / Verizon launches will be all the help it needs to call itself a proven prophet.

[Via MoDaCo]

[Nick @ Aug 7th 2008 8:34AM]

I have plans to score one of these soon. HTC is a solid company and I've had great luck with their phones.

[gt-racer @ Aug 7th 2008 9:00AM]

A style. Love the logo. :-)

[ybd @ Aug 7th 2008 9:26AM]

holy crap, your avatar is amazing.

[gagahput3ra @ Aug 7th 2008 9:36AM]

Highest ranked because of one avatar?

[DGT @ Aug 7th 2008 9:39AM]

I love how A-Style is penetrating the rest of the world now....

[Steffen Jobbs @ Aug 7th 2008 11:12AM]

Eyes Wide Shut....

These guys are so screwed and they don't even realize it. HTC had better sell a few at retail price before the impending fire sale. They'll soon be joining the Palm/Motorola/Sony-Ericsson crowd.

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Phones/Industry/K9X6N7B9

[Steffen Jobbs @ Aug 7th 2008 11:19AM]

Oops.... Forgot to add this. HTC, better luck next time, so we're waiting for the Touch Pro.

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Reviews/Phones/S5X7P5X9?page=1

[Hamidxa @ Aug 7th 2008 12:53PM]

Steffen,

If you actually buy into that review, you are as clueless as the guy reviewing the phones himself.

He actually had the gaul to say that the iPhone's GPS (and whatever applications there may be for it) is on par with the Diamond's implementation..

iPhone is years behind in terms of GPS functionality.

If I were doing that review, you can bet it would read something like

Diamond: Tom Tom 7.4 works flawlessly, turn by turn nagivation works great, and satellite reception never fails

iPhone: well, you can ummm, sort of see where you are on Google Maps...

[fusefan @ Aug 7th 2008 7:48PM]

I had several HTC phones in the past. I just remember having to reset them once a day, installed programs crashing, and constant sync issues.

And WinMobile, now there is a brilliant piece of software engineering!

I bought an iPhone a year ago, and just upgraded to the iPhone 3G. I have never once had a sync issue, even when syncing on multiple computers. My new phone has 16G internal memerory, 4 times what the Touch Diamond has, and no WM, which makes it worth it. Every program I have installed (about 20 so far) works flawlessly.

It looks nice, though! Hope the software is more stable than in the past.

[Hamidxa @ Aug 8th 2008 5:26AM]

fusefan,

Consider yourself a lucky iPhone user then, because you are one of the very few who hasnt had it crash on them, lag, freeze, and cause you to manually reset it.

Even that new 2.0.1 version of it manifests those very same problems.

Oh, and I have a Mogul, havent had to reset it in weeks, and the Diamond as well as the Pro bring a lot more to the table than my Mogul, so the experience can only get better.

Oh, and if youre really stuck up on the amount of memory, just purchase the Touch Pro and throw a 32 GB card in there.
Voila, you now have 2x the memory of the iPhone, which you likely wont even see carrying that much memory for at least another year.

[timm @ Aug 7th 2008 8:37AM]

the iPhone did it in two days

:P

[bob @ Aug 7th 2008 8:42AM]

you sure know how to get rated down! lol

[kjb434 @ Aug 7th 2008 9:09AM]

Yes, I don't see HTC spending millions on advertising and Sprint and Verizon pushing it real hard.

The product sells itself!

[switchbitch @ Aug 7th 2008 9:14AM]

And long may the iphone sell more units. The iphone keeps all the students and posers from buying proper smartphones.

As long as the iphone exists, i'll never have the same phone as all the useless blundering idiots.

:P

[haX0r @ Aug 7th 2008 9:20AM]

The iPhone is far from a smart phone.

[g00n @ Aug 7th 2008 9:22AM]

Ya so did Nsynch's second album. Does that mean it's worth a shit? NO

iPhone is a child's toy until the OS and software compatibility matures. You guys are just going to have to deal with that.

VC Partner: IPhone Falls Short As a Business Device
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/08/vc-partner-ipho.html

Flame on Fan Boys, Flame!

[Pdexter @ Aug 7th 2008 9:56AM]

Well Nokia's 1100 sold over 200 million devices in 3-4 years time so i'dd say numbers dont always tell how good the device actually is. ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_1101

or Nokia 6300 that sold 33 million devices in 2 years time.

Thought i have to say that HTC did have a bit of marketing behind diamond. Example HTC haven't ever advertised any of it's phone here in Finland, but for diamond they had one TV ad and front page ad on main newspaper. If the UI had been faster i would have had closer look to it.

I'm not a fan of TS devices, but i have to say that iphones TS and the overall snappines wins all other TS devices out there. It's a other story if you happen to like the ui or the features.

[Hamidxa @ Aug 7th 2008 12:55PM]

The Diamond still hasn't launched in the US for any carrier yet.

And besides, its understandable why more users arent adopting HTC phones en mass...smart phones are not meant for dumb users.

[Phil Perman @ Aug 7th 2008 8:41AM]

Thats a great achievement considering how little press its had (especially in the mainstream news sites and papers) compared to another certain high end phone that we won't mention.

Good old HTC, I remember way back when the Wizard was the it phone to have. Oh those were the days

[Itsuru @ Aug 7th 2008 8:42AM]

If the price plans were a little more competitive they'd have no trouble shipping more in the UK.

[Surur @ Aug 7th 2008 10:38AM]

$70 on a $60 12 month contract with unlimited data from Vodafone UK is not competitive enough? Its why I have one.

[Derek @ Aug 7th 2008 8:42AM]

I do love the HTC Diamond and am seriously looking at it when it launches for sprint, but coming from the HTC Touch, I'm wondering if it would be worth waiting for the Touch Pro for the full qwerty version.

[Nomi @ Aug 7th 2008 9:10AM]

Same situation here and I'm waiting...

[getStringFromObj() @ Aug 7th 2008 10:10AM]

Coming from a touch, you might be fine with the diamond as the pro feels quite a bit larger than what you have today. I switched from a tytn II to the diamond and having a sexy and sleek phone without a keyboard is a real twisted dilemma. Sort of like that really hot girl at the pool who has a face that doesn't match the body, you can't take your eyes off of her but in the back of your mind you think "she would have to wear a ski mask to bed... "

[Hamidxa @ Aug 7th 2008 12:58PM]

Yep, waiting for the Touch Pro as well, which should be coming to Sprint 1 month after the Diamond hits shelves (so hopefully early October).

The Diamond is still one hell of a phone.

[Jim @ Aug 7th 2008 11:42PM]

I was able to get my hands on one of these today, though its battery was dead so no chance to test the touch flo interface. Plus, I'm guessing it was the GSM version since it had the diamond back. Some impressions...

1) This phone is really small. Even if it's a little thicker with the smooth back, it will be the best looking CDMA phone ever. In fact, IMO the added thickness would actually be good for this phone.

2) Somehow, even though it's all black, it didn't feel like quite the fingerprint magnent other touchscreen devices are.

3) The screen is a little small for being a fully touch-driven interface. Again, didn't get to try the interface, but I saw enough that I'll be waiting for the QWERTY keypad...though I'm a heavy e-mail and text user. If you don't do much typing the non-QWERTY version should be fine. I would have liked to see how easy it would be to pull up the keypad and type a letter in the contacts to quick jump to entries.

4) The scroll wheel seemd a bit small and didn't have quite the tactile feel I'm used to from my Treo. Will be interesting to see how well that piece works with the OS running.

Overall, in terms of form factor, this phone is awesome. Even though I love the keypad and controls of my Treo, I will whole heartedly be making the Diamond/Victor or it's Pro/Hermes brother my next device.

[Ike Turner @ Aug 7th 2008 8:54AM]

Good for HTC and MS. But I'm not sure if it's the right time to buy a WM phone (and get yourself stuck in a 2 year contract) given the forthcoming release of WinMo7. No one knows if WM7 will be installable on current high end WM phones (like the Diamond/Omnia) and I would be pissed as hell if I bought one unlocked for nearly 700$ and be stuck with WM 6.1 in a few months. Based on everything that we've been hearing about WM7 I wouldn't bet on it being available for current phones and if it did it would probably run dog slow etc. Qualcomm and nVidia have already announced that WM7 phones will use their next gen chips (Snapdragon & Tegra APX 2500) in Q4 2008/Q1 2008.

[Brad @ Aug 7th 2008 9:04AM]

I really want one of these phones too! I spent hours last night researching it.

• WM 6.1 (not thrilled, but alright mobile OS)
• TouchFLO 3D - WOW!
• Magnetic Stylus
• All kinds of keyboard/input options
• Multi email accounts
• Exchange Support
• Design and Style
• TWO Cameras (3.2Mp and autofocus)
• Voice Dialing
• FM Tuner
• BEST Browser around (check out Opera Mobile 9.5)
• Size and weight

Sure certain fanboys can find shortcomings, but you have to admit, it looks to be a great phone! So much my next phone when it hits the states.

[swingin' dick hero @ Aug 7th 2008 9:40AM]

Good job Brad!
Now I suggest you research the outdoor life.

[bolezhinkov @ Aug 7th 2008 10:49AM]

yeah, every post should have attached woodsman experience listed in detail as well. detailed knot descriptions and shelter specifications based on environment.

[TellarHK @ Aug 7th 2008 11:17AM]

Unfortunately, they pulled the front facing camera from the models that passed FCC here in the US, since none of the carriers want to tackle the challenge of needing to try and support video conferencing. Plus, Sprint's practically begging for a listing on F*cked Company (If it was still around) with the massive churn lately and I'm still more pissed off at Verizon than even the most rabid anti-Apple person here, over the entire damn concept of BREW apps and removing software features from phones so they can charge you $.25 any time you want to get pictures off your phone without plugging it into a computer.

The only phone company I have no problems with is T-Mobile, but they really screwed the pooch on handsets. What's the hottest thing they have? The Sidekick? A BlackBerry that's been out for a year or so?

Meh.

I would have considered sticking with T-Mobile if they'd had the Touch Diamond/Pro with the front-facing camera, or at least 3G support. Instead, they waited to announce 3G in a few markets until a month after the iPhone launched and still haven't announced a "next gen" handset. Way to lose customers, guys.

[Vcize @ Aug 7th 2008 12:04PM]

Telling someone on a tech blog to get a life.

Irony, meet swingin' dick hero.

[Archangelox @ Aug 7th 2008 1:12PM]

I got one of the GSM ones with front facing camera...all is features are awesome...one problem...interface is SOOOO SLOW (even after new flashed firmware update)...compared to iphone which i have also, Diamonds interface seems like im running Windows Vista with 512 ram. If they sped up the interface...it would be better then the iphone.

[Kris @ Aug 7th 2008 9:02AM]

Im toyin with the idea of getting one.

But dunno if I should wait for the I-Phone to luanch here in South Africa and decide between the two. Or just go for the HTC ...

Love the Profile Pic NICK :)

[darkstar @ Aug 7th 2008 9:04AM]

how much is it with Sprint???
i have yet to see pricing for the cdma flavor.
i saw $700 for the gsm one.

[Brian @ Aug 7th 2008 9:15AM]

Those are phenominal numbers for a device that's hardly a household name.

Bravo, HTC! (I bought an HTC Touch / Vogue on it's launch day... this thing is a beast)

By the way, Brad, Opera is a good browser but you should try SkyFire!

[Kris @ Aug 7th 2008 9:35AM]

SkyFire is a private Beta.

Opera Mobile is obviously quite mature already

[agroupofletters @ Aug 8th 2008 12:01AM]

and to be honest, skyfire kinda sucks...

i was severely dissapointed

[Pastry Chef @ Aug 7th 2008 9:20AM]

If it performs anything like my Tilt, there will be a million upset customers.

[Hamidxa @ Aug 7th 2008 1:02PM]

Nah, this one has much more RAM.
A more powerful processor.
And the video drivers have not been purposely disabled.

Also, with the newest firmware/ROM, everyone who has one notes how smoothly it operates.

[DesktopMan @ Aug 7th 2008 7:37PM]

Actually, it has the same amount of ram as Tilt (Tytn II). They only started including the dedicated ram in specs for marketing reasons.

Also, there is no video acceleration of the regular windows mobile interface. It's even slower than qvga devices. Supposedly Touchflo3D is accelerated, but hard to say for sure without disassembling it and seeing what it actually does.

I have one, and it's not fast.

[Hamidxa @ Aug 8th 2008 5:31AM]

No, it DOES NOT have the same amount of RAM as the Tilt.

You clearly have not read the official specs on either the Diamond or the Pro version of it for Sprint.

Whereas Verizon has neutered these phones by cutting the RAM in half, Sprint's version still comes equipped with a total of 288 MB of system RAM.

Here, read the official spec sheets for yourself:

http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/More-information-on-Touch-Diamond-and-Raphael-for-both-Sprint-and-Verizon-article-a_3021.html

I think you owe me an apology now :)

[DesktopMan @ Aug 8th 2008 7:34AM]

Nobody's talking about the Touch Pro, which is listed as having more ram, but who knows. it's not out yet! Neither is the US version of the Diamond.

HTC has shipped a mil Diamonds. I have one of them. It has 128 MB of ram, the same as tilt. Do some research which doesn't include official PR spec sheets, such as, you know, owning one. If you're speculating on future devices not released, go ahead. I'm not.

[Hiro11 @ Aug 7th 2008 9:19AM]

As an owner of a Kaiser, I have mixed feelings about HTC. On the downside, the video driver issue with the Kaiser is slightly infuriating (Apple would never let that happen) and the phone is slightly twitchy in operation. On the upside, it does everything it is supposed to do, is almost entirely user-configurable/hackable and is definitely solidly made. Getting an HTC phone is like building a homemade PC: it's a phone for hobbyists.

That strength is also the issue with the Touch Diamond, IMO. WM is great if you like tinkering and if you like being you're own tech support. It's not as good at being a flashy off-the-shelf user experience with relatively little customization capacity like the iPhone. Anyone who's used an iPhone knows that the Touch Diamond probably can't compete on slickness. That's why, IMO and despite HTC's solid sales, trying to compete with Apple in their own wheelhouse is ultimately a losing battle. Stick with phones for hardcore business users or hobbyists (like the Touch Pro / Raphael) and I think HTC will be better off.

Of course, with Android and WM7 coming, all of this could change.

[Jonny @ Aug 7th 2008 9:34AM]

HTC would sell one more if they'd JUST EFFING SHIP 850/1900 HSDPA DIAMONDS ALREADY. Honestly. If HTC were a man, I'd punch him in the face for this kind of douchebaggery. Just take my money. I'm throwing it at you. For god's sake. What more do I have to do? Okay, I'm cutting myself now. Are you happy? I'm bleeding now.

[Hamidxa @ Aug 7th 2008 3:13PM]

lol

[eveljkov @ Aug 7th 2008 8:25PM]

as someone who has worked in a smartphone support call center...I F'N HATE HATE HATE HATE WM. From 2003 to 6, it blows and not in the good way, but with lots of teeth and cracked dry lips.

I'm stuck with a MotoQ on sprint which doesn't help my WM outlook (pun not intended) but I love the iPhone's mail client.

It setup EAS with no hiccups at all, it's smooth and easy to look through emails and reply to them. I can type faster on the iPhone keyboard than on any of the smartphones/blackberry's that have been released. Contrary to the VC Partner link posted, it takes two actions to delete an email, AS IT DOES ON WM AND BLACKBERRY!

Not a raving apple fanboi, just sick and tired of the bs that is windows mobile.

[Don Corleone @ Aug 7th 2008 10:03AM]

Nice phone, great features, ugly back.

[getStringFromObj() @ Aug 7th 2008 10:13AM]

...and skyfire doesn't work on the diamond (the support email said they do not support vga devices at this time.)

I like the newest opera builds on xda better anyway.

[getStringFromObj() @ Aug 7th 2008 10:16AM]

I hate this comment system. That was reply to the skyfire comment above.


The engadget article I am waiting for:

How would you change the engadget comment system?