While HTC's press didn't deliver on our Android dreams -- or electric sheep -- it did land us the new Touch Diamond2. First off, this set is a stunner, build quality and feel in your hand is really a quality affair. The material choices in both metal and plastics used here are really first rate -- we gush because we're rather impressed. The screen is bright, easy to read and the UI overhaul -- and
new features underneath -- are much appreciated. One standout in the new improved UI has to be the start menu which, when clicked, pops you into a full screen shortcut list which is miles better to surf through with a finger. All in all? We're impressed with the
Touch Diamond2 and though it's not a wildly new device, it is worth peeking at if you're lost in the decision making process for a new Windows Mobile phone. Follow on for some video action.
posted Feb 16th 2009 7:33AM
Shame about the poor video quality. Is that TouchFlo 3D running on top of WinMo 6.5 because that Start menu is a lot like the 6.5 Start menu in that it doesn't drop a list anymore?
looks like a nirmal 6.1 to me
also the screen looks 3.2" not 3.6" as reported before
I've read elsewhere that it's 3.2". The original Touch Diamond was too small for me and I think this one is as well. I also think the Touch HD still looks like the nicest phone in HTC's line-up at the moment. Windows Mobile really shines on a large high-res screen.
The camera seems to have decided to focus on the armchairs behind the phone instead of on the phone itself!
It looks like in this version of TouchFlo clicking the Start button calls up the program menu unlike the current list. In 6.5 the Start button calls up the honeycomb interface. Either way it is a finger friendlier option.
Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
Display: 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
I am glad i didn't buy the HTC touch pro and decided to wait. I think now HTC gets it, we want more screen! Just add a keyboard to this and its sold! Touch pro 2 anyone?
The Start menu is actually almost just like the current Programs tab in TouchFLO 3D. I like it. HTC has really shown itself to be a (or, perhaps, the) premier mobile phone manufacturer.
i have 3 of these imported from Europe BRAND NEW BOXED, they arent available anywhere in the US. Email me 3wmtech@gmail.com if interested!!
goodbye iPhone, we had a good run.
iPhone was outclassed a long time ago, in fact the very day that it came out.
Already, there are a plethora of phones out on the market that utterly destroy the iPhone in terms of capabilities, and with TF3D, HTC phones also outdo it in terms of usability.
This takes it one step further even.
I don't own an iphone, but I do have an ipod touch and an HTC touch diamond. Comparing the usability between the 2 devices the ipod touch wins hands down. Maybe its the software maybe its the capacitive touch screen but, it works better. Touchflow is nice very briefly then you realise it is just covering up for windows mobiles inadequacy and doesn't go deep enough. Interested to see how the new versions handle after having played with the Touch HD which is also an improvement on the Touch diamond.
Uber,
That sounds pretty disingenuous.
99% of the time, you will be using TF3D, and that rare 1% of the time where you have to see WinMo's native interface, really isnt that bad.
The only times I can think of when you would need to see WinMo's native interface is when running its native apps, such as calendar and alarm, and even then there are countless finger friendly versions of those that you can also implement and set as default.
Hah anyone that says TouchFlo is better than the iPhone is on crack. In fact, iPhone is much more responsive than this lipstick on a pig that in Windows Mobile.
Yeah right iKurt,
Why does the iPhone lag like nobodies business when trying to type a simple text message on it?
Why does it lag like crazy when you try to scroll through contacts. For that matter, why does it take like 5 seconds for contacts to show up on it?
Anytime I moved through the interface on an iPhone, it always seems to be a step behind my actions.
@Hamidxa
Yeah....my iPhone lag on Contact for several sec. and Text message sometime......
but my WM lag almost everywhere..... ~~~~
did HTC revamp the soft qwerty keyboard and if so is there a shot of it engadget can post?
The Touch Diamond does not have a qwerty; the Touch Pro does. It was slightly revamped, if you search for the Touch Pro 2 you'll find many pics.
...he said SOFT QWERTY keyboard. as in ON SCREEN.
Basic reading comprehension will get you a long way.
As to the question, there's a screenshot of a new soft QWERTY in the "Hands on with WM6.5" article. I think it's the Diamond2s, but it might be a new WM one...
Is the screen capacitive or resistive?
It will be resistive for the stylus and handwriting recognition. This is especially important in HTC's home market.
The old Touch diamond was capacitive, the new one probably will be as well and it looks like it from the pictures.
yeah, I'd like to know if the new devices are capactive or resistive... pretty big issue for me.
All the touch's so far have been resistive. As long as we're on a version of windows mobile that's going to need a stylus we're going to see resistive screens. You would think someone would have made a stylus that could conduct electricty and therefore work with a capacitive screen by now. Once that happens then maybe we'll see capacitive screens on a windows phone before Mobile 7.
thats not a 3.6 screen
looks about 3.2
Processor Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz
Operating System Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
Memory ROM: 512 MB
RAM: 288 MB
Dimensions 107.85 X 53.1 X 13.7 mm (4.25 X 2.09 X 0.54 inches)
Weight 117.5 grams (4.15 ounces) with battery
Display 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
Network HSDPA/WCDMA:
Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
Europe/Asia: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
(Band frequency, HSUPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)
Device Control TouchFLO™ 3D
Zoom bar
GPS Internal GPS antenna
Connectivity Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
Camera Main camera: 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus
Second camera: VGA CMOS color camera
Audio supported formats AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, M4A
Video supported formats WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, AVI
Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Capacity: 1100 mAh
Talk time:
Up to 300 minutes for WCDMA
Up to 340 minutes for GSM
Standby time:
Up to 500 hours for WCDMA
Up to 360 hours for GSM
Video call time: Up to 150 minutes
(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Expansion Slot microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC Adapter Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features FM Radio, G-Sensor
I wonder if this will develop cracks or if it will have build quality issues as well.
*Rolls eyes*
No 3.5 mm jack = no buy. They included it in Touch HD and they made a step backwards. How hard can it be to slap 3.5 mm jack in a phone??
Improvement over Touch Diamond to be sure, but isn't this second class to the TouchHD?
Slightly smaller screen, but still obviously in the same big screen class, and no 3.5 minijack.
I'm just not seeing where this one fits in really.
Unless it's way cheaper, but it wont be ;)
i'll buy that phone if i have enough pocket money lol !
also htc touch pro2 pics and resources -
http://www.techreviews4u.com/2009/02/16/htc-introduces-touch-diamond2/
neat music the play in the htc booth. anybody know what it is?
Really great video here:
They've added alot of new stuff to TouchFlo3D! New calendar, sms, smoother picture viewer etc!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4HQvKVVYi0
me likey!!!1
I can't be the only one thinking that device is think as hell. If it doesn't have a hardware keyboard, or a hard drive, that is far too thick.
13.7mm is thick? There have been other devices with just a touch screen (no qwerty) that are even thicker than this. This looks fine if you ask me. The previous Touch Diamond was thinner but it had a small battery; I'd put money on this having a much more sizable battery.
I didn't look at the specs. It looks like it has a hardware keyboard, and the fact that it doesn't is pretty embarrassing when it looks so thick.
Are you crazy? Any thinner and it'll get crushed by the weight of a cat. For a full-fledged smartphone, its almost too thin.
Not crazy. Watch the video, and tell me that doesn't look slab-thick in the hand
Hopefully they've fixed all the problems with crappy battery life on the CDMA version. I never tried the GSM version but I had the CDMA version from Sprint for 2.5 months before going back to my HTC touch. Even with all the registry tweaks, power mods etc, the battery life with BT always on and push e-mail and NO browsing and 30 minutes of talk time the battery lasted about 6-10 hours before it was completely dead. My Touch with even more push e-mail accounts and a year old battery lasts 1.5 days with an hour of talk time and BT always enabled. The Diamond has problems with radio release, radio connectivity, BT stack and heat dissipation.
holy.. crap!
God that start menu is soooooooo much better. cant wait till someone makes it for my current Diamond!
will i be upgrading? im sorely tempted!
I think i saw one of the diamond2(topaz) versions have a 3.5mm connector from the roadmap 2009 leaked images.
That version had a hardrubber backside instead of plastic. Htc seem to deliver 2 versions of diamond every year like last year with the diamond and victor version
Eeeehhhhh not impressed ill stick to the Touch Pro 2
Still not as responsive as my iPhone 3G. I wonder how many hard resets this will have in a day?
Try 0.
I own several HTC devices and do not have to hard reset any except when I actually want to. Soft resets are also hardly ever necessary when running a stable ROM.
HTC devices are excellent and there are many methods of customization (flashing a custom ROM, etc.) with tons of info @ xda-developers.com. This will no doubt be yet another great device.
Would be great if people would stop touting the iPhone as some godly creation. Take it from me, I've used an iPhone extensively and own an iPod Touch. I like my HTC's better for just about everything. They work exactly the way I want them to without having to go through the headache of "jailbreaking" and all sorts of crap.
The funny thing about your iPhone, is that it has pretty much the same features as a Moto Razr, just paired to a prettier UI and touchscreen. Maybe that's why you like it so much...b/c its so featureless you don't need to think much to use it?
None.
How many times will you troll today is the better question.
With a user like yourself, probably a hard reset everyday. I've had no issues with my touch pro and if you can't use the phone properly then you might want to stick with your sheltered iPhone. Remember, don't put any apps Apple doesn't want you to put on it or else you might have to pay a 2500 dollar fine (if apple actually wins that idiotic court case)!
This phone isn't for kids. Its for people that need to get things done. Go to your app store and play iFart and when you're older and need to keep your appointments and keep track of 200 contacts, then come back.
Mr. Blurrycam learned how to take videos?
"The funny thing about your iPhone, is that it has pretty much the same features as a Moto Razr, just paired to a prettier UI and touchscreen. Maybe that's why you like it so much...b/c its so featureless you don't need to think much to use it?"
ummm excuse me, you cant drink a fake beer, light a fake lighter, or have a pretty lil rave light on a razr.
the reason the iphone will still sell alot is the same reason that "paul blart mall cop" made 110 million dollars, and thats because this country is stupid :)
i cant blame people, alot of people have an iphone and use it more as a toy then an actual phone and thats why they sell... i myself have a touch pro and dont exactly need all the functionality it has, but i love the phone and wouldnt trade it in for anything...
is this the topaz? if it it my next phone is going to be a hella hard decision!
OM NOM NOM NOM NOM. I can't wait. :D