This past week at Mobiles.co.uk, we have been in the enviable position of putting the new HTC Touch Diamond2 through its paces, over a month before it’s officially due to launch. Following on from the original Touch Diamond as well as the hugely successful HTC Touch HD, the Diamond2 certainly has some big shoes to fill. So can it possibly live up to its predecessors and clinch the title as the current cream of the Windows Mobile crop? Read on for our thoughts on the year’s next top smartphone…
In terms of the design, the Diamond2 takes the best bits of the Diamond and the Touch HD. Gone is the angled diamond styling of the original and in comes a metallic case surrounding the side of the phone and a lip at the bottom of the phone, matt black on
the back and high gloss finish surrounding the screen. The display is beefed up to 3.2 inches from 2.8 meaning the front of the phone is dominated by the touchscreen which, in my opinion, is definitely a positive move. Just beneath the screen we find another new addition in the form of the zoom bar which does exactly as it says and allows you to zoom in when in specific application such as the photo gallery or when web browsing. This works incredibly well allowing you to simply swipe your finger across the panel without any delay. Beneath this we find four metallic soft keys on the metallic plate; call answer, end, home and back. Rounding off the design, on the right side, the stylus tucks nicely into the body of the phone and on the reverse we find a stylish slice of brushed metal surrounding the camera lens.
One of the main features that will make or break the HTC Diamond2 is the touchscreen so without further ado, let’s see how the phone handles. The Diamond2 features a 3.2 inch TFT touchscreen which is bigger than the original yet some what smaller than the Touch 
HD. With a resolution of 400 x 800 pixels, the screen HTC have pulled off a fantastic display with bright, vivid colours and an excellent level of clarity and sharpness. The new Diamond runs on an updated version of HTC’s TouchFLO 3D navigation software and having used it for the past 5 days I’m completely hooked! The home screen offers up calendar and call logs and then presents you with a fixed bar at the bottom with different applications such as photos, music, weather which you then draw your finger along to access. Though not new to TouchFLO 3D, this latest version sees an all new level of responsiveness. Icons stick to your finger like glue which makes navigating through menus a lot less pain staking. The same goes for when in an application such as the photo gallery; flicking through photos is fast and fluid and not once did I find myself jabbing at the screen to get past a specific image (something that I found occurred frequently with the original Diamond). As with any touchscreen, the question people will undoubtedly ask is how it compares to the iPhone 3G. Well from my time with the Diamond2, it’
s been more than a match for Apple’s offering.
While TouchFLO 3D offers a quick and intuitive navigation method, Windows Mobile 6.1 professional provides the brains of the operation. Clicking on the Windows icon in the top right corner of the screen opens up the start menu with familiar faces such as Word and Excel available in pocket form. Tapping the top right corner opens up the task manager which displays applications currently running and lets you exit things your finished with; ideal for conserving battery life. Windows Mobile really is like running a pocketable version of your home PC or Laptop; search for files, manage data, browse the web with Internet Explorer, even the music player works like a condensed version of Windows Media player.
The HTC Touch Diamond2 features HSDPA reaching speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps plus Wi-Fi connectivity so when you’re in a hot spot or if you have a wireless network at work or home, you can use this for web access and avoid any hefty data charges. Finding and accessing wireless networks is easy and once you’re connected, web browsing is kept simple thanks to the addition of Internet Explorer which offers an excellent user experience. The Touch Diamond2 also includes a built in GPS receiver for satellite navigation. Getting a lock on to a satellite is quick and easy and the built in navigation software serves up excellent mapping and route planning applications. As a Windows Mobile device, you can also install third party SatNav software and turn the Diamond2 into a powerful SatNav device.
The Touch Diamond2 features an impressive 5.0 Megapixel camera similar to that seen on the Touch HD. Though unfortunately lacking a flash, the Diamond2’s Autofocus feature should compensate for even the shakiest of hands. In terms of operating the camera, the large display is the prefect view finder for lining up that perfect shot. The new Diamond dispenses with physical camera buttons, instead we get an on screen capture button on the right while the zoom bar is more than capable of controlling the zoom feature for close ups. Though not quite ready to take on dedicated camera phones, the addition of a 5.0 Megapixel camera is a welcome one, No more compromising in the camera department when choosing a Windows Mobile device.
The improved screen also boosts the Diamond2’s multimedia credentials over its predecessor. Watching movies on the phone is a joy while music is handled via a Windows Media player style interface for a slick and user friendly experience. A host of equaliser options help to improve the audio quality and though the Diamond2 lacks a 3.5mm output jack, the headphones supplied with the phone are more than up to the task. Transferring files from your PC is a simple drag and drop affair and storage isn’t a problem thanks to expandable memory supporting up to 16GB microSD memory cards. In terms of battery life, one of the major gripes with the original Diamond, the Diamond2 promises nearly
double the amount of standby time over its predecessor. From my time using the Diamond2, starting with a full charge on Friday and with frequent use (web browsing/ music/ camera/ the excellent bubble burst game!), the next time the phone needed charging was on Tuesday and even then this was more of a top up rather than the battery running on empty. A marked improvement over the original!
The new HTC Touch Diamond2 easily surpasses its predecessor thanks to a larger and higher resolution screen, better camera and nicer design. The other obvious comparison for the Diamond2 will be its bigger brother, the Touch HD. Though the features included in both phones are almost identical, the Diamond2 does serve up as a worthy alternative for those who want a more pocket friendly Windows Mo
bile device over the larger Touch HD whilst the updated TouchFLO 3D interface offers an improved, more fluid method of operating the phone. As a broader comparison, but one which is seemingly unavoidable, the Touch Diamond2 offers enough to act as a worthy competitor to the excellent iPhone 3G. While the camera blows the iPhone’s 2.0 Megapixel away, the tweaked Touch FLO 3D puts the Diamond2 on a level playing field in terms of user interface and Windows Mobile offers far more in the way of customisation.
Set to launch in April, the HTC Touch Diamond2 is an excellent new addition to HTC’s roster and more than holds its own in a world of great touchscreen phones. Click here to sign up for updates on the new Diamond and be sure to keep an eye on Mobiles.co.uk.
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[Source: The UK Mobile Phone Blog]
