How would you change HTC's Touch Diamond / Pro?

HTC's Touch Diamond and QWERTY-packin' Touch Pro have run into some stiff competition here in the US of A, but as Adam Smith would certify, all that competition is only for the best. Now that you've seen what these two can do, not to mention their rivals, we're wondering how you would change whichever handset it is (of these two, obviously) that you own. Implement a Touch HD-style display? Load it up with Android? Round those edges a bit more? Add a bigger battery at the expense of style? Say it loud, say it proud, say it down in comments below.

[superhobo @ Jan 9th 2009 5:09AM]

Would turn it into the HTC 4G, give it a faster processor, and allow multi-boot capabilities.
WinMo, Android, and Symbian all in one.

Silly? So is your face!

[Todd @ Jan 9th 2009 5:09AM]

Android as the only OS.

That is all.

[KR3 @ Jan 9th 2009 6:49AM]

I own one of these 2 it is small and compact. I'd say around the size of normal phone rather than a normal WindowsMobile phone.

The battery life is very bad when using wifi or HSDPA for browsing.
Trying to run more than 3 application at any one time and the phone will be very slow and lag alot.

The best way to fix this phone is replace it with the new Palm Pre OS lol :P

[superhobo @ Jan 9th 2009 6:51AM]

Or maybe a small VM!

[Frank @ Jan 9th 2009 8:49AM]

Turn it into the Palm Pre.

[Fizzl @ Jan 9th 2009 8:53AM]

And a second screen and plays DS games.

Also with hookers! And blackjack!

[superhobo @ Jan 9th 2009 9:00AM]

What with Engadget's commenting system?
Why is it sucking more than usual?

[Jack Storm @ Jan 9th 2009 9:02AM]

A little bigger screen and make the directional pad a little more functional. Up/down is fine but left/right interfere with 4 other buttons. Other than that is one of the best and most useful phones i have ever used.

[000000 @ Jan 9th 2009 9:21AM]

-3.5 jack

-Less pointy more rubber

-Android option

-Louder external speaker

[Satish Mummadi @ Jan 9th 2009 10:11AM]

I know it's friday when engadget posts "How would you change ------ ?

[Dave @ Jan 9th 2009 10:18AM]

I'm running (most of) Android in a dual boot environment on my HTC Touch. The enhanced screen on my HTC Touch Diamond is what is causing the delay for me to be able to run it on there. A quick press of the reset button and I'm out of Android and back into Windows Mobile. But with the HTC Touch Diamond it would take one extra step since I would first need to remove the ugly, Sprint approved, rust colored back just to get at the reset button. What genius decided it was a good idea to hide it under there?

I should also mention that the directional/zoom pad on my first Diamond was shipped defective due to the fact that a portion of it was not flush with the rest of the unit. My replacement is better but still doesn't feel as good as the Touch Pro the store had on display that has probably been monkeyed with a thousand times over when I got my hands on it.

Finally let me take a moment to mention how bad my battery life is. From what I've read it has something to do with the data connection remaining active for 10 minutes after any activity requiring the connection. I've got to believe that this is about the only thing that makes me wish this was an iPhone because within days Apple would have released a download to fix this issue. Did you hear that HTC? We want a fix!

Despite these few things already mentioned I think it's only fair to state that over the years I've owned many Windows Mobile/CE handheld devices and the HTC Touch Diamond is my favorite.

[OneLove @ Jan 9th 2009 11:52AM]

BIGGER SCREEN LIKE THE TOUCH HD!!!!!!!!!!!

[Josh @ Jan 9th 2009 1:10PM]

Take care of the memory glitch that dries the battery out in less than an hour for sure. Replace resistive touch with capacitive ( what year is HTC living in? ). Create a more friendly full size keyboard that comes on the phone ( I am way to freaking lazy to find one on the internet, that isn't my job as a user anyways )

I love mine the majority of the time but hot da*n WinMo 6.1 is DATED. The pretty gui they put on top of it is fantastic but has its quarks (what gui doesn't?) but once you have to delve into the craptacular WM menus the stylus has to come out as does your brain because nothing is as logical as it should be.

I for one think that MS needs to get 6.5 out there ASAP. I love the nearly limitless features of windows mobile but all of that is just crap on the side if you can't execute a GUI properly.

Just my opinion after owning the phone since the day it came out... I am really considering the palm pre, as I absolutely love going back to the modern interface of my iPod touch compared to the dated and flaky one of WM.

[Macbeth @ Jan 10th 2009 3:11AM]

agreed, except for symbian and all that multi-boot nonsense.

- Camera button
- For the love of god, a lot of you must not own this phone, there is NO SCRNLCK/HOLD BUTTON/FEATURE WTF??
- Shoot whoever designed the d-pad, it frequently mis-registers
- A dial or toggle switch (keyboard half, upper-right side in portrait, top-left in landscape) would have been genius.
- Bigger screen
- Better battery, the current one sucks donkey c***
- Assignable buttons are a joke (showstopper, if I had known about this beforehand)

[Mark Anderson @ Jan 9th 2009 7:19AM]

Sure, putting an OS in that is largely untried, missing basic features and without the options of WinMo makes good sense to me.

Or not.

[000000 @ Jan 9th 2009 9:23AM]

-Also better dpad and buttons. More tactile less recessed

[fatso485 @ Jan 9th 2009 10:49AM]

- change CPU to something faster 624-800
-relocate some of the buttons and wheel to the side to make rom for 3.2 WVGA screen without increasing dimentions of the phone. 2.8 is too small these days especially for vga+ resolutions
-use faster flash memory. the new asus devices load prorgams and boot faster
-utilize proper vga drivers.
-improve and optimize touchflo for improved performance and more functions in calander and tasks and more email functions
-fully compatile with wm7 and comes with wm6.5
-fix buggy gps
-3.5 audio jack
-5Mpixel camera with physical button and flash.
-more ram for diamond to handle addtional load+ minimum of 16GB if they cant cram a microSD slot in the new design
-tv-out standard
-need more focus to make the devices frienly for one hand use (bigger lcd+ more buttons
- comes with adtional battery(1300mah minimum) + stand with battery charger (very handy and very cheap). DX it for $4 +$7 for the battery
-stronger magnet on the stylus to allaw it to stick to the back without inserting it in (this is very usful if you teporarly need to use your other hand). the touch HD does this fine.
-metal finish with stronger build quality like their current kovsky(Xperia)

[SimbaDogg @ Jan 9th 2009 1:11PM]

man oh man, i love how so many people like you are saying android, or dump WM. i think that what people like you forget is that some power users like myself require some of the features/available accessories with my phone that PPC offers. theres a reason why WM has some of this universal support as far as accys while android doesn't, and apple never will. dah wells.

[linuxamp @ Jan 12th 2009 4:33AM]

@000000

-Less pointy more rubber - The touch diamond "victor" is more rubbery, less pointy.

-Louder external speaker - Cupping your hand around the speaker hole makes a sort of waveguide which really enhances the sound. A clip on waveguide might be possible.

[h0rk_ @ Jan 9th 2009 5:12AM]

i own a touch diamond. first thing is battery life. yes its thin, but im sure they could fit a bit more juice init, and if not then maybe just add a few mm tothe thickness and have a largebut thin battery or something exciting. if iuse it for a lot of browsingand music listening, i start to need to charge it in the middle of the day. having said that, it does have an always on broadband connection so...

also make the gps actually work! im so glad i didnt get rid of my tom tom and have to rely onthis to get me places, rarely does it get a satelite lock and when it does its only after abut 5 mins of waiting.

with a bigger battery and consistent gps i wouldnt be able to complain about this phone.

[h0rk_ @ Jan 9th 2009 5:15AM]

i should have pressed the spacebar harder. lesson learned

[Nadool @ Jan 9th 2009 5:20AM]

I guess HTC devices have a hard time getting a lock on GPS in general then. I had a Hermes now I have a Kaiser and they both took a long time to connect sometimes. Not all the time but often enough. I like HTC but, like any device, not perfect.

[saccrant @ Jan 9th 2009 8:22PM]

Try using GPS Test.

[Nick8708 @ Jan 9th 2009 6:36AM]

That's strange, I've not had any issue with the GPS in my Pro. Sprint Navigator has worked fine for me so far, but I've only used it a couple times as of yet.

[mymirrorid @ Jan 9th 2009 6:36AM]

Try the AstroGPSLauncher ... Works great for my Mogul (Titan). Of course, Frason's GPS Gate makes a big difference for some apps as well. Live Maps seems to work well on its own

[Chris Anderson @ Jan 9th 2009 9:14AM]

Agreed, i haven't had a SINGLE issue connecting to GPS on my Sprint Touch Pro. Using either Google Maps or the Sprint Navigator, i can acquire satellites in under 15 seconds (even in downtown boston, with all the buildings around me).

The phone is wonderful for the most part. I'd beef up the hardware a bit (MUCH faster proc, more RAM, maybe an SSD storage solution or something similar). I'd also want HTC to refine their interface and gesture system a bit more. I'm not sure if the touchscreen sensor is the limiting factor, or the OS's ability to interpret input from it.

The screen is a beaut, no changes there (other than to make it bigger!). Maybe a dedicated 3.5mm audio jack for you MP3 types, and WinMo 6.5 or 7.

I love this phone though...so even with those misgivings, i'm still a happy camper.

[boe @ Jan 9th 2009 12:51PM]

You are correct that the battery life sucks - but that isn't because it needs a bigger battery (although of course a larger battery would negate the problem).

The unit is designed with several flaws that cause bad battery life-
Bad radio unit - either implemented wrong or the radio firmware is bad - it causes the unit not to find signal when there is plenty of signal, as well as constantly resource as it oscillates between having plenty of signal to no signal while other phones at that same desk don't have the issue.

BAD BT stack - draws far more power than any other BT stack - also causes very poor/static reception on the BT unit

Improper heat transfer - causes battery to heat up in use which causes battery to drain faster

Possibly an antenna design flaw - may contribute to radio issues.

I had the Diamond - ended up going back to the HTC Touch - which has about 3 times the battery life.

[Exstatica @ Jan 9th 2009 5:16AM]

Well of course we'd love to play with android, and while it is possible to run it over WinMo, I'd much rather have the HTC supported native android.

The phone stacks up with some great features and HTC has made TouchFlo work pretty well but i would have loved to have seen multi touch on the screen using opera and other applications for zoom rather than just the dial. From the Sprint side of things I would have loved to have seen voice and data together. With HSDPA thats not an issue.

I would love to have a touch HD with a keyboard. That would be my dream phone (with the possibility of running another os).

I'm not sure at this point that its the phone that is the issue. The WinMo platform is just heavy and clunky. With android and the Iphone they show what software can be made to do without needing the insane hardware. comparing the iphone to any top of the line WinMo phone you can see that the WinMo device has a much bigger processer, lots of memory. I hope that Mobile 7 is a complete rewrite. Its about time they gave some love to us mobile people.

[roflercopterer @ Jan 9th 2009 5:19AM]

Capacitive multi-touch, better battery, hardware camera button

[Brad @ Jan 9th 2009 2:53PM]

I don't get why everyone has such a hard-on for capacitive screens right now. I like being able to use gloves / stylus / fingernail on my Touch Pro. In fact, it has a very nice balance: I can use the face of my finger to scroll up and down, or a fingernail/stylus to select text. It works quite well.

You can buy a bigger / better battery. You just sacrifice size.

As for a hardware camera button, I like all the buttons to be assignable, too. I had a Mogul before this, and having a half-dozen buttons I could assign was wonderful. I even had one assigned to "flashlight".

[darkmax @ Jan 9th 2009 5:20AM]

1. Make the screen much bigger.
2. Make the battery last longer without physically upsizing it.
3. Dump WinMo.
4. Provide a better camera.

5. Instead buy a Samsung Omnia.

[black @ Jan 9th 2009 5:21AM]

How much of a fingerprint magnet it is. The screen is responsive, and the keyboard on the Pro is excellent, but damn, I never though human hands have so much oily filth upon them. Also Android would be an nice addition.

[Wodheila @ Jan 9th 2009 5:28AM]

That was my first thought. I don't have one but a guy we know was talking about his new phone. When he showed it to me I had to ask, "that's new?

[Plothole @ Jan 9th 2009 5:22AM]

Better directional pad. It feels slow and awkward having to press the ring surrounding that rather large central button. Why couldn't they just keep the pad and button integrated like on earlier models?

[Aaron @ Jan 9th 2009 5:52AM]

Not sure what you are talking about, but the d-pad on the touch pro is contained in the area around the ring. You press the empty space on each respective side of the dial and the pad responds accordingly.

[Plothole @ Jan 9th 2009 6:04AM]

Yes, and that is exactly the problem. With my HTC 6800 I can just place my thumb on the center and tilt in whichever direction. There's no need to shuffle around. This is considerably more intuitive IMO.

[suicycle.com @ Jan 9th 2009 9:03AM]

I definitely agree with you. It is actually rather difficult for me to press the left and (especially) the right arrows without the phone interpreting a click of the "hard" buttons.

[thazlett @ Jan 9th 2009 5:25AM]

Instead of a a qwerty sliding out from the left, why not out of the bottom with a more compact qwerty, like a rocker style one from say the sony ericsson m600i/p1i.

better battery, better loudspeaker, no glossy casing and an optical sensor like the omnia.

[ArcticFox @ Jan 9th 2009 5:27AM]

Get rid of the bloody Piano Black shiny plastic casing, im sick of this type of casing being "in", you spend more time wiping it than you do using it.

[Brady @ Jan 9th 2009 5:28AM]

The d-pad on the Diamond and the Pro is definitely an issue for me.

The fake ipod scroll wheel around the dpad was a good idea in theory, but just didn't pan out so well in the end.

I feel like the next revision would benefit from Android. I enjoy WinMo personally, but on a device so touch oriented, WinMo just isn't there and should be put on the back burner until WinMo 7 comes around.

[eggothewaffle @ Jan 9th 2009 5:30AM]

C/modified/P'd from the HWYC the X1:

1) Android
2) Faster CPU/GPU (throw some Tegra on this techhhh for the next iteration)
3) More RAM
4) Flash memory to at least 8 GBs BUT DON'T YOU DARE REMOVE THAT MICROSDHC SLOT
5) Improve the directional pad/button combo
6) Capacitive touchscreen
7) IMPROVE battery life
8) Thinner, oh GOD, please make it thinner; 14 mm is the minimum; if the 4.13" 800x480 Nokia N810 can do it; so can you.
9) Harder
10) Better
11) Faster
12) Stronger
13) If you are going to ignore 8, put an SDXC slot in there plzplzplz
14) 3.5mm jack...Why is this still on my list?

[AlDeezy @ Jan 9th 2009 5:40AM]

I like all your options, except removing windows mobile, I would like a stuation where you could have 2 or more os's on one phone while being able to switch between on the go, yes I know I'm crazy.

[eggothewaffle @ Jan 9th 2009 5:41AM]

Yeah, dual boot is definitely a great idea and I'm all for it, but not with WinMo 6. I think it's just too much for current hardware to use in a responsive manner.

[Josh G @ Jan 9th 2009 9:15AM]

Then you've not used an Omnia my friend.

:)

[CB @ Jan 9th 2009 11:09AM]

Agreed, the only thing I would add is a TILTING SCREEN!!

[jinjin @ Jan 9th 2009 1:54PM]

while they're modifying it to your tastes, I will up it to say it should also cure cancer

[DssTrainer @ Jan 9th 2009 5:31AM]

How would i change engadget?

I would merge the comments from Engadget and Engadget Mobile when duplicating the blog post so both show the same comments

[Esat Dedezade @ Jan 9th 2009 5:58AM]

Not that thats what was asked, but you make a good point :)

[surly @ Jan 9th 2009 7:54AM]

i second that motion to merge comments.

[Finnschi @ Jan 9th 2009 5:34AM]

Put a apple Logo on the back, call it iPhone HD give it Multi Touch.... DONE!