Telus' HTC Touch Diamond gets video review

While Sprint and Verizon consider final monikers for the HTC Touch Diamond, some North Americans are already enjoying the thing up in the Great North. The ecstatic folks over at Mobile Syrup were able to snap up Telus' version of the WinMo 6.1-packin' handset, and of course, they put together a video review for us Americans to drool over. The 7:15 clip includes a few comparison angles with other mobiles and a full walk-through of the user interface. Reviewers found the web browsing on Opera Mobile to be a real treat, and of course, they couldn't deny the awesomeness of the 640 x 480 resolution display. You can check the review in full just after the jump, but if you're easily made envious, we'd suggest you not.

[matthew @ Aug 18th 2008 1:51AM]

jackass

[NoAndThen @ Aug 18th 2008 1:32AM]

I've been waiting for a solid review of this, hopefully this is it. I've been leaning between waiting for this or buying my friend's 1st gen iPhone..

[aptmunich @ Aug 18th 2008 2:27AM]

Hmm, not a big fan of the delays when swiping through pictures though....

[Saad Rabia @ Aug 18th 2008 2:48AM]

@ aptmunich: beats the delays in push mail services and contacts' load!

[sip @ Aug 18th 2008 2:50AM]

It's Oprah!!

[Techie @ Aug 18th 2008 9:17AM]

The HTC Touch Diamond is pretty great considering that I actually have one but I just sold it over eBay. The reason why I decided to sell my HTC Touch Diamond was because the speaker on the HTC Touch Diamond is horrible compare to the Samsungs and Sony Ericsson phones or PDA. Whenever you start recording videos on the HTC Touch Diamond, things tend to get blurry all the time. I was also disappointed in HTC for not adding a LED light bulb flash or flash light on the device so that was sort of a disappointment. The Skype app didn’t work on my HTC Touch Diamond when I try to start it, I don’t know if it was just my HTC Touch Diamond but it didn’t work. Aside from the cons there are some pros to the device. The screen is amazing, it’s pretty quick, plus the games you will find on your HTC is just amazing (HTC Touch Diamond games uses the moving sensors to tilt your picture into the game so your senor plays as your control key), there’s GPS and heck there’s an extra stylus in the box. If you want the HTC Touch Diamond than go ahead, it’s just not for everyone but it is awesome. I would probably give it a 4 out of 5 rating.

[Aaron @ Aug 18th 2008 1:32AM]

That thing still looks lovely. If only the Touch Pro was as thin!

(nice new commenting system here, btw.)

[matthew @ Aug 18th 2008 1:53AM]

ok... wasn 't calling you a jackass. replied to a jackass whose post disappeared so now i'm the jackass

[Saad Rabia @ Aug 18th 2008 4:05AM]

"Aron: (nice new commenting system here, btw.)"

Oh, noh, it isn't... Check out matthew's comment times; can't get any crappier.

[Striker @ Aug 18th 2008 1:59AM]

Why is the Telus Touch Diamond have rounded edges when the standard Touch Diamond and Touch Pros have straight edges? WTF?

[Demo @ Aug 18th 2008 2:03AM]

Did this review completely ignore how to type on this phone? Just wondering, I kinda skimmed through it.

[Crooky @ Aug 18th 2008 3:56AM]

Yes, he did gloss over the fact that text input in WM 6.x sucks big, fat, hairy Johnson.
I did a review of the Touch (Elf) vs. the BlackBerry vs. the iPhone from the perspective of a business device last month and that was my biggest complaint about the Touch was the fact that the text input makes it almost useless as a Blackberry replacement.

http://friuch.com/wordpress/smartphone-showdown-iphone-vs-blackberry-vs-windows-mobile

If anyone tells you they can input text faster on an HTC Touch than a BlackBerry, they're a liar.
I'm looking to get rid of my Touch ASAP. It's a piece of junk.

This review also neglects to mention how often the software crashes, often cutting you off in the middle of a call.

Ps. Telus sucks.

[BDWN @ Aug 18th 2008 6:50AM]

I really can't say much about the Touch because I've never used one but the Diamond's text input works relatively fast. As long as you don't use the full qwerty keyboard, which is just too small for a 2.8'' screen, but the 'Compact QWERTY' and the 'Phone Keypad' (using T9), you're good.

But then of course, the Touch Diamond isn't really aimed at busy businessmen who need to type things fast/are looking for a blackberry replacement, that's where the Touch Pro comes in.

[BDWN @ Aug 18th 2008 6:53AM]

Oh and in the 1.5 years I've been using WinMo devices I've honestly never had a crash during a call, so I don't know what that's all about.

[bjsguess @ Aug 18th 2008 12:29PM]

There are tons of keyboard options out there. The Touch has about 6 to choose from out the box. You can also download the free PCMKeyboard app. Other keyboards can be purchased.

I don't think that you will find anyone claiming that this device is faster to type on than a BB. However, for a touch screen device it works just as good, if not better, than an iPhone.

Finally, I am on my 3rd WM device. In all those years I have not had the device crash once during a call. The devices have crashed or locked up - but not while I was speaking to someone.

[Abuzar Baloach @ Aug 18th 2008 5:42PM]

Crooky, I'll buy it.

[Einhanderkiller @ Aug 18th 2008 2:07AM]

I think he likes it.

[Ray @ Aug 18th 2008 2:08AM]

After watching this review, i now know that the touch diamond is "just beautiful..."

Seriously, he says it like a million times. This isnt really a review as hes just slobbing htc for making a phone hes competent with (wow, teh mp3 player has repeat!)

... still, im happy for the post. Ive been saturating my brain with any news about these devices, i want the touch pro soooo badly.

[DonatoM3 @ Aug 18th 2008 2:19AM]

I stopped counting after he said "just beautiful" for the 1,500th time. Thanks for counting the rest.

[derX @ Aug 18th 2008 2:54AM]

I don't see why you guys are complaining.

The review was just beautiful.


-----

Of ALL the times he said beautiful, none was more appropriate than at 2:02 and, of course, he didn't say it.

-2:39 scared the hell out of me.

-2:56 I ended it.

[Cal @ Aug 18th 2008 2:13AM]

video quality is pretty bad, does anyone know if its a standard usb connector or that weird one with one corner notched like on some of the other htc devices?

[inlwatkins @ Aug 18th 2008 2:38AM]

That doesn't really matter cuz a standard mini usb fits into their funky notched corner slot.

[kjb434 @ Aug 18th 2008 9:17AM]

No notched corner is just for the headset USB connector. A regular one still works for data transfer and recharging

[inlwatkins @ Aug 18th 2008 2:26AM]

Thats the GAYEST(how the hell do you spell that) review ever! and I quote, "just beautiful....beautiful...just beautiful...". BUY THAT DUDE A THESAURUS!!!!! He told us nothing. We know all that mess and more 3 months ago. How does he like the onscreen KB? Battery life? Is the GUI more responsive than the GSM version? And why can't HTC Photo Album slide to the next picture in realtime? ok maybe no one knows that last one but at least NOW we know the Diamond is BEAUTIFUL!

[inlwatkins @ Aug 18th 2008 2:29AM]

we knew, I know....wish this system had edit.

[holla06 @ Aug 18th 2008 2:17PM]

this guy is a pervert for technology LMAO. he soundes very creepy.

[Dev @ Aug 18th 2008 2:31AM]

how many times does he say 'beautiful'?

[Jubei @ Aug 18th 2008 2:39AM]

The reviewer trying to subliminally convince viewer that the product is worthy of being an iPhone competitor. In reality it is not. It's an utter failure, and another product to add the the growing list of "me too" products riding on the coattails of the iPhones massive success.

[Mikeo @ Aug 18th 2008 11:04PM]

You're an utter failure at trolling.

[Andrew @ Aug 18th 2008 2:39AM]

The iPhone is still quite a bit ahead in my book from this review, The iPhone's system is much more responsive and better looking. Compare the photo app, everytime he swipes there is a delay unlike iphone, and on the web this thing copied the "double tap to zoom thing, but can't do the pinch like the iphone, you have to scroll on this. But i will give this thing credit for a good camera with VIDEO (C-MON APPLE!!!)

[Hamidxa @ Aug 18th 2008 3:49AM]

Delay and iPhone are synonymous, you're not fooling anyone here.

At least it doesn't take 10-15 seconds for the contacts list to become responsive, nor does it freeze and crash anytime you try to multitask.

[Hamidxa @ Aug 18th 2008 3:50AM]

Oh, and for the record the "double tap to zoom thing" has been a feature of Opera Mobile long before the iPhone came rolling along, so nice try but no cigar...

[jindc248 @ Aug 18th 2008 2:40AM]

Reply

[grull27 @ Aug 18th 2008 2:55AM]

Been looking forward to this phone, but I already bought an iPhone 3G.

[Daniel @ Aug 18th 2008 3:03AM]

wow it's beautiful

[heshmati4 @ Aug 18th 2008 3:03AM]

I agree...

The Touch Diamond is "beautiful", but I think the design of the iphone is a little more sleeker....

[Ten @ Aug 19th 2008 4:44AM]

sleeker, what are you talking about. Ive had both a touch diamond and an iphone side by side and compared to the touch, an iphone looks like an overweight, obviously diseased hooker standing on the corner waiting for some drunk bastard to pay her $2
ok maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but only slight

[Johan S @ Aug 18th 2008 3:11AM]

I'd be willing to bet that lag in the photo album is due to it running WM 6.1.

If I had any hand in designing that phone's hardware I'd be pissed at Microsoft.

Not a big deal I suppose, but I hope they fix it via a firmware update or something.

I just tested the photo album on my iphone there is simply no lag.

[Ray @ Aug 18th 2008 3:31AM]

TBH, i think the photo app does not support one to one motion, as in when you swipe it moves. Instead of making it a real touch application, i think it waits on a down or up gesture and then registers it as previous or next picture.

This is just lazy coding on htc's part, check out this image viewer for ppc that has one to one swiping, not to mention it runs >30fps!

http://www.pocketcm.com/imageviewer.php

[BDWN @ Aug 18th 2008 6:38AM]

Exactly, and that is the case with every swipe-able app on the Touch Diamond. Of course there is a small lag but what most people regard as 'the' lag is that it the menu/photo/whatever doesn't move unless you make the full swipe first.

Also I must say that with a custom rom and some tweaks my Touch Diamond is pretty snappy.

[JerryA @ Aug 18th 2008 10:58AM]

The thing a lot of people seem to miss is that it is a gesture-based interface like SPB Mobile Shell or any of the many 3rd party photo albums (S2V, etc) out for WinMo. Rather than the kinetic, flick interface on the iphone, it's like a swipe is a command and once the swipe is complete, it executes the command. Not quite as flashy as the way the iphone has set it up but it is ultimately not a huge deal. I use s2v on my old winmo phone and it does the same thing. Functionally there isn't much difference except for a split second's worth of speed I guess.

[trekkie604 @ Aug 18th 2008 4:03AM]

This dude says 'beautiful' more times than Steve Jobs says 'boom' in his keynotes. I thought that was impossible.

[Evan W @ Aug 18th 2008 5:00AM]

This is the only thing that gives me hope having Sprint...

[Vimal @ Aug 18th 2008 5:02AM]

SALSAAAA!!!

[Jeremy @ Aug 18th 2008 5:16AM]

For the love of all that is holy. Release the Touch Pro already! There is no reason for the delay....other than exactly that - the delay.

[gadjitfreek @ Aug 18th 2008 7:38AM]

I have been using a Palm Garnet Treo device for the last four years. While it's nice, it is seriously limited in what it can do. The iPhone is not an option...it can't even display Java-rendered radar loops on noaa.gov, so it is useless to me. My Treo 700p has no trouble with that. The Touch Pro is my best hope for breaking out of the dead end that is Palm OS. The i760 is a nice enough phone, but I can't see dropping from 300X300 res to 320X240. I need a keyboard and a touch screen. The Blackberry looks interesting, but I have not found it to fit my needs. The Touch Pro might be my best option.

Now, if they made a phone with the design specs of the Nokia N810, I would be all over it in an instant. I don't need multitouch. I have an iPod Touch, and it is nice, but not the be-all and end-all of mobile computing. The N810 has its quirks, but its design is magnificent, with a screen large enough to truly enjoy the WVGA resolution. MY only fear with the HTC Touch Pro is that the screen will render sharply, but the text will be uselessly small when pages are rendered natively. The zoom feature might save that.

[TagsxA @ Aug 18th 2008 9:54AM]

I must be spoiled with my iPhone's screen size, cause that screen looks hella-small. Not sure if I could go back to something like that. I had a Samsuntg SCH-i730 prior to my iPhone and it was great. Now that I have an iPhone, however, I'm not sure how I managed on such a small screen.

I laughed hardest during this presentation when he showed the "optional" stylus. Sorry, but there's no way I'd buy another phone that necessitates a stylus. For me, it's one of the most annoying things about most smart phones.

[famm113 @ Aug 18th 2008 10:18AM]

While the guy does overdo his "beautiful" comments I still think this is looking to be a pretty nice phone. I wish all the iphone lovers would stick to the many iphone articles to comment on instead of always trying to bash a competitor. This just in, NOT EVERYONE WANTS AN IPHONE! Rumor has it Sprint is going for an Aug 28th release date instead of the Sept 2. If only one could believe rumors.

[Aaron @ Aug 18th 2008 10:23AM]

Did anybody stop to think that maybe one reason it's not as fast at going through photos as your iPhone is because its pictures are 3.2MP? Maybe its photo album isn't quite as great as an iPhone, but I'll be damned if it doesn't take better pictures with its improved sensor and autofocus.

[iloveravi @ Aug 18th 2008 10:52AM]

I have been using the HTC Touch for the last few months and I can honestly say that it is the worst gadget I have ever had.


unless HTC has completely reinvented the wheel here, I'd stay away from this phone. The touch screen on my touch is a pathetic joke. The picture delay is awful. In fact nothing works on the phone the way it should.

Like I said, unless they completely reinvented everything from the touch (wich it appears they have not) then you'd be paying 400 bucks for a phone that looks awesome but doesn't work worth shit.