Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"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.