, introduced in early 2008.
The Touch Diamond is the latest in a series of increasingly sleek and angular "Touch" devices designed to take on the Apple iPhone. The other models are the original HTC Touch, the Touch Dual and the Touch Cruise. Over three million HTC Touch phones are said to have been sold since its introduction in June of 2007. What makes the new Touch Diamond special is that it is a genuine 3G (short for 3rd gen of mobile telecommunications) design, using the WCDMA standard and theoretically capable of reaching data transmission speeds of over 7Mbps. So what is the HTC Touch Diamond? Take a look at it below.
Apart from 3G network capabilities, what do you get with the HTC Touch Diamond? That would be a very elegant smartphone that beats the iPhone in several areas. It is smaller than it looks in pictures, measuring just 2 x 4 inches and being under half an inch thick. It also weighs less than the iPhone. That means the display is smaller as well, though we can live with 2.8 inches diagonally, especially if that's combined with full 480 x 640 VGA resolution. This makes for an insanely high resolution, about 260 pixels per inch.
The Touch Diamond is elegant as well. It's built around a sturdy stainless steel frame. On the front it's all glossy and angular. On the back -- and this is where the name "Diamond" comes from -- it sports jewel-like facets for a look that's certainly interesting if perhaps a bit busy.
Under the hood the Touch Diamond matches or beats the iPhone in most specs. Both have Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and 802.11b/g WiFi, but the HTC also has GPS. Both have high-res cameras, but the HTC's is 3.2 megapixel and does video, and there's even a secondary VGA camera, presumably for video conferencing though that's not mentioned.
The big deal is 3G capability, of course. As for now, the iPhone is limited to quad-band GSM voice and EDGE data whereas the HTC does tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE or 3G HSDPA/WCDMA. HSDPA will give the Touch Diamond a very significant speed advantage for web browsing where HTC uses a specially adapted version of the Opera browser.
As for operating system environments, the Touch Diamond runs Windows Mobile 6.1 with HTC's TouchFLO 3D interface on a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A processor. TouchFLO sits on top of Windows Mobile and provides a combination of slightly Sony-esque touch button bands and the 3D flipping that's all the rage these days. There's a motion sensor so you can browse and peruse pictures both in portrait and landscape modes. And there is an ultra-snazzy weather application with nifty special effects.
Since this is a WinMo device, there's still RAM (192MB) and ROM (256MB) and then separate internal storage. You get a full 4GB which is a lot, but it's also what Apple quickly dismissed in favor of 8 and 16GB in the iPhone. Depending on how someone uses the Touch Diamond, 4GB is either huge or quickly filled up with music, pictures and video. Those who criticise Apple for not giving the iPhone some sort of expansion slot will miss one on the Touch Diamond as well.
Where and when can you get an HTC Touch Diamond? HTC will start with Europe, Asia and the Middle East around June, with North American versions available in the second half of 2008.
Apple iPhone vs HTC Touch Diamond
|
Apple iPhone |
HTC Touch Diamond |
| OS |
OS X |
Windows Mobile 6.1 with TouchFLO 3D |
| Size/volume |
2.4 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches/5.4 cubic inches |
2.0 x 4.0 x 0.45 inches/3.6 cubic inches |
| Weight |
4.8 ounces |
3.9 ounces |
| Memory |
8 or 16GB built-in |
192MB SDRAM, 256MB ROM, 4GB built-in |
| Bluetooth |
yes (2.0 + EDR) |
yes (2.0 + EDR) |
| WiFi |
yes (802.11b/g) |
yes (802.11b/g) |
| Cellular voice/data |
GSM quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, EDGE |
GSM tri-band 900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS/EDGE |
| 3G |
NA |
HSDPA/WCDMA |
| Display size and resolution |
3.5 inches; 320 x 480 pixel (163 dpi) |
2.8 inches; 480 x 640 pixel (260 dpi) |
| Camera/video |
2 megapixel (1600 x 1200); no video |
3.2 megapixel main with video; VGA CMOS secondary |
| Touch technology |
Projected-capacitive touch with multi-point touch |
unknown |
| Navigation/operation |
Swiping/tapping and control button |
Swiping/tapping, navigation pad, 4 touch buttons |
| Battery |
Integrated Li-Ion rechargeable 1400mAH, 3.7Volt (5.2 watt-hours) |
Integrated Li-Ion rechargeable 900mAH, |
| Battery talk time |
"up to 8 hours" |
"GSM: up to 5.5 hours; WCDMA: up to 4.5 hours" |
| Browser |
Safari |
Opera (special version) |
| GPS |
NA |
GPS and A-GPS ready |
| Price |
US$399/499 with 2-year AT&T service agreement |
unknown |
