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"Some older phones get some fresh colors. For those of you who don't want to upgrade to the LG Renoir but want to spice things up, you can grab yourself an LG Viewty in white. You will have to hit up your favorite importer as the snow white Viewty is only available in Korea. If white is not your style, then you can check out the HTC Touch Diamond in a rainbow of colors spotted at Phone & Phone's website. Hit the jump to catch a glimpse of the colorful Diamonds that the French seem to fancy."

With a splash of fall color, the HTC Touch Diamond and the LG Viewty have added options. Beyond the basic black, HTC recently added white to the lineup, and now Rose, Mocca, Blue, Purple, Red and Yellow join the list at French retailer Phone&Phone. While not a new phone, the LG Viewty adds a white color option (Model LG-SH210/KH2100) for those who live in Korea. The original press release page in Korean offers a video news report and pics.

"Third time's a charm. This is the third version of HTC's groundbreaking Touch Diamond we've looked at. The first was the unlocked overseas GSM Diamond that had Euro but not US 3G, then the Sprint version with EVDO and now the unlocked GSM US 3G version. We expect the US unlocked Touch Diamond to be available from Best Buy by early October (according to their web site), and some online retailers and import phone specialists will have it sooner. We've already seen it online from several of the usual suspects at a variety of price points. Best Buy lists it for $699, and places like ImportGSM.com sell it for less, while Expansys lists it for considerably more as of this writing."

We've posted on the HTC Touch Diamond, or at least the GSM and Sprint EV-DO versions. Now, MobileTechReview compares these versions to the US UNLOCKED Touch Diamond which will soon be available at Best Buy, and is already available for pre-order. While pretty similar, there are apparently more differences than just a name plate.

"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.

"You know you love it, new Windows Mobile -- even new carrier is good enough for us -- hardware always gets us all thrilled and chirpy. Sprint's really blown it open today with the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro announcements, so to honor them we got our hands on the Touch diamond. We like this set, Sprint's version in red -- a well chosen, soft and kind red -- is no exception and while a bit husky, we expect it's going to be well accepted and will be finding its way into many pockets come September 14th. Sadly, the Touch Pro was absent at CTIA, but we'll do our best to dig it up before the show closes out. Enjoy the pics."

Yesterday, Sprint made the announcement about the coming HTC Touch Diamond and the HTC Touch Pro phones. Today, Engadget Mobile has lots of shots of both devices so you can get a closer look. One interesting observation Sean Cooper makes in the writeup about the Touch Pro: "The Diamond murders the Pro for total pocketability, sex appeal, and feel in the hand -- so you've really got to ask yourself just how badly you need that keyboard before you pull the trigger one way or another." Interesting question. I think my first reaction would be to go for the keyboard, but the included 4gb memory and smaller size make the Diamond an interesting consideration. Check out the pictures for the Touch Diamond here. If you had to choose between the two, which one would you lean toward?

"Combining HTC's captivating 3D touch-screen experience, the broad functionality of Windows Mobile 6.1 and the largest mobile broadband network in the United States, Sprint will soon add two devices to its robust portfolio of Windows Mobile devices - HTC Touch Diamond and HTC Touch Pro. Sprint will be the first U.S. wireless carrier to offer both devices. HTC Touch Diamond and HTC Touch Pro set a new benchmark for mobile sophistication, introducing TouchFLO(TM) 3D, an unparalleled touch experience that puts live television, weather, email, photos, contacts, music and more at your fingertips."

The HTC Touch Diamond [pdf] offers Windows Mobile 6.1, 4 GB of internal storage, a 2.8-inch VGA display, Opera browser, 3.2 MP camera/camcorder, and stereo Bluetooth. While Verizon may also be offering versions of both phones, Sprint is claiming first dibs at bringing both the Touch Diamond and the Touch Pro to the US market. Both devices will include the TouchFLO (tm) 3D interface. Sprint will also offer exclusive multimedia content, including over-the-air song downloads and live and on-demand TV channels on it's fast EV-DO Rev. A network. Sprint will offer the HTC Touch Diamond for $249.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate beginning this month.

The HTC Touch Pro [pdf] is rumored to have both GSM and CDMA versions, so it may be showing up at lots of carrier parties this fall. The Touch Pro distinguishes itself from the Touch Diamond by offering a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It adds a microSD slot for expansion, but drops the included 4GB. The phone also comes with Windows Mobile 6.1, and the built-in 3.2 MP camera/camcorder includes special Business Card Scanner software to capture and convert business card information into contacts. HTC Touch Pro will be available October 19th for $299.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. You can sign up at Sprint to be notified when these phones are available for purchase.

"The HTC Touch Diamond is the most consumer-friendly Windows Mobile smartphone yet. It's both powerful and easy to use. People looking to step up from a regular phone to a much more feature-rich one should seriously consider this device. HTC has clearly put many hours of thought into how to make a smartphone more intuitive, and this device shows it. I predict big things for this product, with sales in the millions."



We have yet another review of the Touch Diamond, this time by Ed Hardy from Brighthand, and much like the others he likes it quite a bit. There aren't many negatives to point out, apart from the stylus and a so-so camera - but those are hardly new gripes with Windows Mobile phones over the last couple of years. TouchFLO 3D appears to be as good as advertised, and the rest of the device shows how much effort HTC has put into building on Windows Mobile for something that would appeal to consumers. Read the review for more.

"We love the small size and gorgeous design, though this is a phone Adrian Monk would loathe given its propensity to collect stubborn fingerprints. TouchFLO 3D is definitely fun and interesting, though it doesn't always translate into a more efficient and expedient UI. We wish you didn't have to read the manual to learn the in's and out's of finger navigation (isn't the point of touch phones that they should operate nearly transparently), though first time WinMo users will likely find the visual presentation easier to figure out than standard WinMo. However, in terms of price and features the Diamond is a high-end power user's phone, and those generally attract veteran users who may grow frustrated with the visuals when wanting to accomplish tasks quickly."



I have to admit, I wasn't that excited when the pre-production models first started appearing on the Web. That hard square shape and the faceted backplate didn't seem very appealing compared to the Xperia or even the 1st gen iPhone. Ok, I still think the diamond backing is gimmicky, but it appears that HTC have put a lot of thought and effort into making the Touch Diamond a very appealing device for the power user. I'm particularly impressed at the improvements made to the camera - a decent onboard camera is something I've missed since making the transition to a WinMo phone. Maybe they've benefited by being the manufacturers of the Xperia? Sony Ericsson certainly have the chops for that. Read on the rest of the review for more - just bear in mind, Mobile Tech Review has the European version of the Touch Diamond which doesn't have the more important cellular bands for the US, so you'll probably want to hold off any purchase decision until HTC releases a US version.

"It’s safe to say that HTC has once again managed to shake up the market big time. And while they were on the modest side last year, this time around the HTC Touch Diamond is not only a revolutionary product, but also the proving ground for the maker’s new platform, which it will be running with in the near future."



Contrary to what Engadget Mobile says, Mobile-review.com hasn't done a review of the Touch Diamond just yet - that's still to come. If you've ever seen one of Mobil-review's actual reviews, you'll know how extensive those can be. The device they have in hand is a pre-production sample, and they've touched (if you'll pardon the pun) lightly on the device's looks and capabilities. In that sense, this a nice preview for those who are itching to see what the Diamond is all about.