Windows Phone Thoughts: 2 Reviews, 2 Names, 1 Phone: The Sprint HTC Touch Diamond and the O2 Xda Ignito

"The Sprint HTC Touch Diamond is a powerhouse Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional PDA phone with a VGA touch screen, 4 gigs of storage, 528MHz processor, EVDO Rev. A, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera. The Diamond is one of the smaller touch screen Windows Mobile devices on the market, though it's not as thin as the original GSM version ( 0.6" vs. 0.45"). It weighs 4.1 ounces vs. the GSM's 3.88 ounces, but we're not complaining. The added weight and girth allow for a higher capacity 1340 mAh battery-- a definite improvement over the original's 900 mAh battery. It also feels better in the hand thanks to rounded edges, a soft touch red back, and there's just a little more to hold onto. That said, it's a very attractive and modern-looking device, but it's not the head turner that the original diamond-backed model is."

"Last year O2 announced and brought to the marketplace the Orbit 2 which featured: 3Mpixel camera, fast processor, large RAM / ROM, GPS, Quad band, phone, Touch interface, etc. This has now been superceded and replaced with the O2 Xda Ignito which serves to enhance and further the popular Xda range. Again a candy-bar design (no hardware keyboard) the Ignito sports: 3.2MPixel camera, 528Mhz processor, VGA (640 x 480 display), Quad band, large ROM / RAM, A-GPS, 3G phone / video phone, Touch FLO 3D interface, etc...When one removes the Xda Ignito from the box the first impression is of the small size of the machine. Compared to the Orbit 2 or even the Stellar the Ignito is tiny. The second impression is that of weight or density, the Ignito feels much heavier than expected, this is no doubt due to the steel housing or framework that surrounds and support the inner workings of the machine."

Twins separated at birth? In fact, the device is the same, just different branding. First up, MobileTechReview offers a video review of the just-announced Sprint HTC Touch Diamond for the USA market. Before crossing the ocean, the HTC made a stop in the UK and has been released by O2 and rebranded as the Xda Ignito; 4WinMobile has an indepth look. As of this post, the device is already available at O2's online stores with in-store availability coming while the Sprint version is not yet available for purchase, but should be available sometime during September. Though the branding may be different, take a look at both reviews to get a good understanding of what the HTC Touch Diamond has to offer.