Photos: HTC Touch Diamond to rival iPhone?

With all eyes on the Australian iPhone release, HTC has stolen some of the limelight with the release of the Touch Diamond. Coming in glossy black, with a large touch screen and an array of features, everything about it screams iPhone rival.

Next »

With the iPhone still setting the standard for touchscreen phones, challengers to the throne all seem to be trying to out-elegance one another — witness the new Samsung Armani, for instance. Now along comes the HTC Touch Diamond, "a new benchmark for phone sophistication," the company crows.

Central to the phone is the company's TouchFlo 3D interface, which HTC says provides "animated access" to people (by calling, we presume), messaging, e-mail, photos, and more. There's also a touch pad alongside the screen. Under the hood is the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system.

Credit: HTC

Prev Next

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• Related stories

• Alerts

Add your opinion

1. Form and Function combined BChau -- 07/05/08

   The user interface is very appealing. Combined with the full functionalities of WM 6.1, Best of both worlds. I like it very much. This or the HTC Rapheal could well be my next phone.

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

2. Windows calamity Anonymous -- 07/05/08

   Windows mobile is a clumsy power hingy pig of an OS, it has a very long way to go to catch up with apple.

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

   1. Not really Lord Watchdog -- 07/05/08

      I own a HP iPaq which is made by HTC and it is a great device. Windows and Office work well, as does IE, contact list, the whole shebang. After almost two years of power-usage I've had no stability problems with Windows and no hardware problems with the phone itself.
      
      Many recent Apple creations have suffered severe hardware shortcomings and software is useless without reliable hardware. Magnetic power plugs exploding, cracked screens on iPods, batteries overheating, etc.
      
      The iPaq has one slight shortcoming - the bell isn't loud enough. Maybe they've improved that for this new model.
      
      On an unrelated note, I've recently tried out a Telstra Country Phone - big mistake. Before I had the chance to road-test its claimed long distance data and voice capability it shat itself after a mere two months' use.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   2. sorry pal Anonymous -- 07/05/08

      Doesnt sound like you own an apple device, lord farquar. I have used both, and may others from other manufacturers.
      And besides, let the product speak for itself, and I am afriad WM is world renown for being expensive, eating batteries, heavy foot print and abysmal performance unless you throw major hardware at it. I'll stick with my nokia smartphone, I get 10 days standby out of it... I get about 36 hrs at best from a windows 'calamity' mobile, als long as it doesnt lock up on me first.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   3. Don't agree BChau -- 07/05/08

      Sorry pal, doesn't sound like you own a WM device either. I have an imate JASJAM running WM6 and it has been rock solid. No lock up for as long as I can remember. As for battery, it depends on how I use my phone, I suppose. I don't know really as I do a lot of desktop syncing and it also charges the phone over USB. As a result, I never notice if there is any battery problem.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   4. Sorry Pal, Buddy, Chum... Lord Watchdog -- 07/05/08

      I own an Apple iMac. I do believe Apple made the machine?
      
      As for my iPaq, I am still using the original battery and I get lots of standby time. Either your appraisal of Windows Mobile is a little inaccurate or you don't look after your belongings.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   5. both wrong sickko -- 08/05/08

      the whole point is the touch flo - I've had win mob 5, 6 and played with mac-lock-in stuff... htc kicks both... yes, runs on windows mobile, but the similarity ends there, they've built a new interface on top. I have an HTC Touch - came out *before* iBrick and i think the only thing(s) missing from my life are 3G and GPS... Diamond does both - everyone who sees the "old" touch interface is blown away... this new one looks compelling. Lets face it, the iBrick isn't *actually* innovative... is expensive and ... well... is associated with $teve Job$

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   6. windows mobile - never again Anonymous -- 09/05/08

      I had an imate smart phone. What an unreliable piece of crud it was. Had to reboot every now and then not just because WM ate all the memory and slowed down, but it would also forget about the network and not ring!
      
      Never, ever again.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   7. again, sorry pal Anonymous -- 14/05/08

      I have been exposed to support operations with WM devices, and I am afraid they are the bottom of the pile when it comes to reliability, battery life...
      The iphone regardless of how you look at it stands out from the rest, by miles. That is innovation.
      Still, i'll stick with Nokia, they know how to make phones and make mobile operating systems. $MS knows how to... um... not sure if they are good at anything anymore..?

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   8. Windows calamity tony roanbld -- 25/06/08

      Apple SUX
      Steve Jobs SUX
      Apple SUX

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

3. iphone rival? Eric Wolfe -- 07/05/08

   eh, no.

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

   1. iphone rival? Anonymous -- 20/05/08

      umm, no.
      
      more like iphone KILLER!!

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

4. Javascript enabled? Anonymous -- 13/05/08

   Nice phone but does anyone know if it handle Javascript, flash etc on sites like the N810?

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

   1. Java YES!!! Anonymous -- 31/05/08

      Built in customized Opera mobile browser. Youtube client the same as iphone, so flash YES. Accelerometer YES.
      
      I do not own an iphone so I'm not going to be a smart a** here( have ipod touch). but the main feature differences are,
      
      WM6.1 VS MAC: WM is more expandable and popular to be mistreated despite minor bugs.
      
      touch keyboard a little difficult to handle than apple's.
      
      diamond senses which side up the phone is and changes itself to silent mode.
      
      3.2 MP with mechanical autofocus.
      
      Smaller screen but higher resolution.
      
      I'm not sure if iphone has HSDPA.
      
      cutting edge GPS hardware.
      
      with Diamond is also easier to manage file transfers, with WM device center, than with itunes.
      
      WM can be rigged with third party media players to play more video formats than OS X. You don't need to encode those 700mb divx's.
      
      BUT the diamond lacks the standard earphone jack, so you probably can't use your favorites.
      
      There is a sensor where the stylus goes, so when you pull it out it turns the display on and goes to the notepad.
      
      shorter battery life is to be expected.
      
      Separate Graphic processing unit.
      
      Proximity sensing buttons, very useful when taking pictures.
      
      In conclusion I'd already purchased the diamond.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   2. HSDPA Anonymous -- 03/06/08

      Just to confirm, HTC Touch Diamond is 7.2Mbps HSDPA.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

5. But one things missing chikanos! Anonymous -- 15/06/08

   the htc diamond has only internal memory og 4 gb and no expandable sd card... al though its quite the "IT" phone to beat apple...

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

   1. The perfect phone... Anonymous -- 07/07/08

      The HTC Touch Diamond Pro is the perfect phone in my opinion. Totally expandable, upgradable and all the bells'n'whistles anyone would want.
      
      As the HTC Touch Diamond is a consumer only product thus it comes with 4GB while the HTC Touch Diamond Pro has a microSD slot that allows you to use up to 32GB memory cards to store your music/video/photos,etc on it.
      
      The "Pro" version has a real slide out keyboard.
      
      The HTC Touch Diamond (and Pro) also has built-in GPS (like their previous phones over the last few years) and it supports HSUPA (8+mbps) internet access... although there is no network in Australia at present that does this yet.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   2. Pro sounds good Anonymous -- 09/07/08

      Thanks for the info on the pro, that sounds like a good option, as the lack of expandable memory had played on my mind.
      
      As far as HSUPA goes, maybe you missed the big hype train for Telstra NextG which most certainly does use HSDPA as well as HSUPA with compatible devices (alot of the early ones didn't support HSUPA) so another point to the bad guys.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   3. The 'perfect' phone? Anonymous -- 21/07/08

      Oh dear. Lame, unreliable Win mobile? battery life? Far from perfect.
      Also, it wont draw a crowd like an apple product - because there is no way that anything Microsoft will draw heart strings.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

   4. htc diamond Anonymous -- 25/08/08

      I just got this device - how does it sync with Outlook calendar and contacts? I hooked it up to my laptop and wasn't able to install it.

      • Reply to comment
      • Report offensive content

6. bunch of girls funny funny -- 09/07/08

   oh my god....you sound like a bunch of girls arguing over who has the best lover... funny

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

7. Forsale: HTC Pro,HTC Diamond,Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 micheal tan -- 15/07/08

   THIS ITEMS ARE FOR SALES AND THEY ARE BRAND NEW, UNLOCKED WITH ALL THE COMPLETE ACCESSORIES IN THE ORIGINAL BOX, INTERESTED BUYER SHOULD CONTACT US THROUGH EMAIL AT: PCGREENLTD@HOTMAIL.COM
   
   HTC PRO for $450usd
   HTC TyTN II for $400usd
   NOKIA 8800 SAPPHIRE ART for $700
   NOKIA N96 for $350usd
   Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 for $400usd
   16GB Apple iPhone for $350usd
   HTC TyTN II for $400usd
   AND MORE
   
   HTC PRO SPECS:
   
   Processor Qualcomm® MSM7201A™ 528 MHz
   Operating System Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
   Memory ROM: 512 MB
   RAM: 288MB
   Dimensions 102 mm (L) X 51 mm (W) X 18.05 mm (T)
   Weight 165 g (with battery)
   Display 2.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with VGA resolution
   Network HSDPA/WCDMA:
   
   Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
   
   Up to 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
   
   Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
   
   Europe/Asia: 900/1800/1900 MHz
   
   (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)
   Device Control TouchFLOâ„¢ 3D
   Touch-sensitive navigation control
   Keyboard Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
   GPS GPS and A-GPS ready
   Connectivity Bluetooth® 2.0 with EDR
   Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
   HTC ExtUSBâ„¢ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0, audio jack, and TV Out* in one)
   Camera
   
   Main camera: 3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus and flash light
   Second camera: VGA CMOS color camera
   Audio Built-in microphone, speaker and FM radio with RDS
   Ring tone supported formats:
   
   MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, and AMR-NB
   
   40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
   
   Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion or Lithium-ion polymer battery
   Capacity: 1340 mAh
   
   Talk time:
   
   Up to 397 minutes for WCDMA
   
   Up to 485 minutes for GSM
   
   Standby time:
   
   Up to 503 hours for WCDMA
   Up to 406 hours for GSM
   
   Video call time: Up to 201 minutes for WCDMA
   (The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
   Expansion Slot microSDâ„¢ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
   AC Adapter Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
   DC output: 5V and 1A
   
   Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 SPECS:
   
   2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
   3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 / 1700
   Dimensions 110 x 53 x 16.7 mm
   Display Type TFT touchscreen, 65K colors
   GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
   Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels
   Size 800 x 480 pixels, 3 inches
   WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
   - Full QWERTY keyboard
   - Optical joystick navigation
   Card slot microSD (TransFlash)
   - 400 MB internal memory
   - 128MB RAM, 256MB storage memory
   - Qualcomm MSM7200 528MHz processor
   Battery Standard battery, Li-Po, 1500 mAh
   
   EMAIL US IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING.
   CONTACT EMAIL: PCGREENLTD@HOTMAIL.COM
   
   THANKS.

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

8. Reasons for sending back Anonymous -- 31/07/08

   The Diamond went back after at first falling in love with it. I loved the size, the interface and all the funky apps like weather report and games.
   
   My problem came after using like a 'normal' person: When on a call the, the screen cuts out (to save juice I guess), which annoying when your calling an automated service. You have to take phone from ear, click the on/off button, call up the keypad then select the key you want. Repeat half a dozen times depending on length of call. Next was the fact it's nigh on impossible to forward an SMS easily (much more screen prodding) and lastly, getting music on it. The alarm was a pain to switch off in the morning (much more screen prodding) and the headphones are terrible (no adapter for standard 3.5mm jack). Now I will say at this point i'm Mac based and should really have opted for an iPhone but the HTC was so much smaller, but syncing with a friends PC nearly lost me the will to live. After starting the very slow process of actually getting music on it, it proceeded to upload every music, video and photo file on my friends computer as it tried to sync everything (without asking). I then tried to remove everything from the phone, and although I removed all the mp3's, it kept all the tags and playlists which were impossible to remove from the TouchFlow interface.
   
   I know i'm not PC versed and someone with some technical ability with PC's could have sorted this, but life's too short to have this sort of drama. So a big sorry to Apple, i've learned my lesson and will be down for an iPhone in the morning.

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

9. Large screen? Anonymous -- 02/08/08

   Are you insane?
   
   The iPhone has a 3.5" screen which is much better than the "large" 2.8" screen on this steaming pile.

   • Reply to comment
   • Reply to story
   • Report offensive content

• Just In

• Most Popular

• Most Discussed

Hot Spot - What's Important

Driving Business Growth Through Enterprise IT Management
Dig deeper by clicking here »

Achieve continuous availability with high performance NonStop blade technology

Looking to buy a printer? Our superguide rates the latest printers and shines a light into the industry.

When chief information officers and other technology managers talk about their priorities, security is always high on the list.

Principles for a successful business

Reader Services

Popular Topics

Essentials