I've had my HTC Touch Diamond for a few days now, and I think it's time to finally share some of my findings. It should be noted that this review is aimed at correcting false information found elsewhere on the internet and adding information that other reviews don't seem to have. I'll cover the the areas that I'm going to cover in a series of points. If I think of any other points, I might edit this post or comment on it.

It should be noted that, overall, I am more pleased with the Touch Diamond than I've been with any other piece of technology. I'm not just saying that because I have one, and you don't - the device is undoubtedly stylish, and you can do basically anything you want with it using the included software, in a stylish and efficient manner. I have never wanted to use the stylus, and I have never found myself frustrated by not being able to do something or by not being able to do something quickly enough. The device is both nice to admire, and quick when there's time pressure.

1. Battery
The biggest issue for a lot of people is the battery, which is rather small (900mAh) in order to keep the size of the phone down. For me, the battery has actually been amazing - it has never fallen below 71%, despite the many tests I've managed to put it through. The biggest test, I think, was today, when I listened to the radio for an hour, listened to Windows Media Audio files for half an hour, spent about an hour on the internet via wifi (checking the score of this, checking my email, refreshing my RSS feeds and synchronising Windows Live Messenger contact data), sent and recieved some text messages, showed off the device a bit, and spent about 40 minutes using the camera (10 minutes fiddling and 30 minutes taking photos and capturing videos). After all of that (which happened over the course of an entire day), the 76% of the battery power was left. However, after synchronising the device via bluetooth and copying all of my photos and videos via bluetooth, only 71% of the battery was left. While that's nowhere near the most stressful day for the phone's battery that I could imagine, less than a third of the battery power was used. I'd say that's pretty good - my older devices would certainly have struggled to perform that well.

However, there is one battery problem that I can confirm. The battery heats up a lot when you try to charge it from a computer via USB. It seems strange that this happens, especially when you see how similar the other charging method is (the USB cable plugs directly into a mains plug).

In conclusion, the battery life is reasonable, but avoid charging the device using a computer.

2. TouchFLO 3D
Another big issue that people seem to have is lag in TouchFLO 3D. I have experienced very little lag (it would be impossible for there not to be some lag, but I think HTC has minimised it very well). I would therefore come to the conclusion that people have amazingly unrealistic expectations, or that the people who complained about TouchFLO 3D were using devices from Hong Kong with the old ROM (UK versions have a new ROM).

It should be noted that TouchFLO 3D is amazingly comprehensive compared to TouchFLO - I can see myself literally never seeing a standard Windows Mobile interface for weeks. The gestures with which you can manipulate it are very natural too - I've never found myself trying to learn any. I just do what feels natural, and it works. Also, everything has been thought of - I particularly like the feature which makes the icons in the top right-hand corner easy to select.

However, I have encountered a bug with TouchFLO 3D. Today, when I started it up, it seemed to be under the impression that the device was searching for a wifi connection, despite the fact that wifi wasn't on. Interestingly, I encountered another bug with wifi a few days ago - I turned in on in the comm manager, but it didn't actually turn on. Both problems were solved by changing the on/off status of wifi twice.

3. The (main) Camera
The camera is quite good. Obviously it does suffer in dim conditions from a lack of flash, but I still got respectable photos from the Turkish party in Palmers Green on Friday night. None of them were unacceptable.

Nobody seems to remark upon how handy the accelerometer is for taking photos. The device seemed to automatically recognise when I took portrait photos, so the photo was saved the right way up. I'm not sure if that applied to videos too...

4. Screen
The screen is another area that doesn't seem to get the attention it deserves. Having such a high resolution packed into the screen means it has amazing detail. Also, it seems to be more sensitive than previous HTC touchscreens (making it easier to use). I actually haven't had any moments when I've wanted to pull out the stylus to increase efficiency (which may say as much about TouchFLO 3D and the included keyboards as it does about the screen). The automatic brightness adjustment works very well too.

5. Speakers
The speaker quality seems to be average, but what I'd like the point out here is that the external speaker is on top of the phone. This may seem like a weird place for a speaker, but it actually makes any noises that the phone makes, easy to hear, if the phone is in a pocket. With other phones I sometimes only notice that they're ringing when they're halfway through their ringtone, but so far I've heard the Touch Diamond every time it has made a noise. Best of all, due to the position of the speaker and general design of pockets, most of the sound is carried to the owner of the pocket. This means that you can hear your device without others being disturbed - even those who you may be conversing with.

This also seems a relevant section in which to say that the deafult ringtone is quite nice. If you've seen any of the Touch Diamond promotional videos, you'll recognise it.

6. FM Radio
Just a bried note on the FM radio - the reception os great. It outperforms all other radios I've had (yes, all types - not just phones with radios). I don't really know how it manages to do that though...

7. Opera
Again, another brief note. I noticed that the 'secure connection' icon was skinned like the rest of the browser, but it didn't quite match the other components. A small unimportant error, but it shows that the UI isn't perfect. Also, it should be noted that the text re-flow only works when you double tap a column and then try to zoom in further - don't expect to have the text re-flow if you randomly zoom in. However, having said that, the browser is far easier to use than Internet Explorer or Deepfish. After a few moments of getting used to it, I think that you'll agree with me when I say that it's the most efficient and easy-to-use PPC browser available.

8. Buttons
Another brief note. Despite what people say, I found the assignment of the buttons below the screen quite logical and useful - there's a home button, which will always return you to the 'Home' tab of TouchFLO 3D, and there's a back button, which will generally take you back to whatever was on the screen before.

9. Picture!
Finally, here is a picture of my HTC Touch Diamond:

It's so thin, that it can't actually be seen when I have it in a pocket.
Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:31 WEST | Category: Technology
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Comments:

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Any information regarding vibrate, does it have it, and is it efficient.
Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:24 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
It does vibrate, and the occasions when you want the vibrator to be used can be managed in the 'Sounds and Notifications' section of the settings just like most other Windows Mobile devices.

The best and most innovative use of the vibrator, in my opinion, is in the 'Teeter' game. The object of the 'Teeter' game is basically for you to move a small ball past lots of holes (which swallow up your ball and force you to start the level again) and walls, to a green hole. The ball is moved by tilting the phone, and the phone uses the vibrator motor brilliantly when the ball hits walls to give you a sort of haptic feedback. There are 32 levels in the game, and later levels are made harder by the surface on which the ball must be moved being angular, like the back of the phone. Overall, I'd say that 'Teeter' is very entertaining, flawless, and a very innovative use of the accelerometer and vibrator.

Now...vibration efficiency? I don't really know how to compare the vibration efficiency of phones. I can say that the vibrator does vibrate the phone sufficiently for it to be noticed (as long as it's in a reasonable place, such as a pocket or on a table), but not so much as to make it difficult to use while vibrating.

I hope that helps.
Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:43 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
hi, first thanks for all those information,
i need help .
how can i find GPS GARMİN. and how can i install to diamond???
i found only sis. is it true??
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:46 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
As this is my first device with GPS, I'd recommend that you look or ask for information on GPS software on here. Once I decide to install some proper navigation software, that's where I'll start looking for help.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:44 WEST

Per M
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Could you please post some sample pictures taken with the diamond mobile camera? Nice review
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:04 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Thanks.
Click here to download some photos I've taken with the Touch Diamond so far. All of them were taken with the default settings, and the range of photos is a bit limited (no outdoor photos during the day, for example). Once I've got a decent range of photos, I'll upload them and do a post about them. I'll also upload some videos from the HTC Touch Diamond when I'm doing that post...
Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:07 WEST

David B
HTC Touch Diamond review...
How is the screen when viewed in direct sunlight? Very useful review.
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:28 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
The screen is great, whatever light it is viewed in. The HTC Touch Diamond has a light detector, which senses how bright it is, and adjusts the backlight brightness accordingly. I've never had to change the backlight settings - it's never too hard to see, or too bright.
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:18 WEST

Mark Hogan
Touch Diamond camera samples
The Touch Diamond camera samples I promised, will appear here in a few moments.
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:33 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Hey Mark, nice, comprehensive review .

I currently have a MDA Compact III with my T Mob contract soon to end. I've been having real difficulty choosing which phone to purchase. As mentioned, I'm with t mob and have a 1/2 price tariff... for life (Friends & Family ;O)) so was keen not to go to O2 even for the forthcoming iPhone 3G (although bloody tempting!)

My MDA III does have its faults and not sure whether to get the Diamond. Now that you've had it for slightly longer are you still keen on it or are you noticing more issues the more / longer you use it that might deter you from referring it to others?
Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:28 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
I'd like to be able to say that I have had new significant problems (just to make this comment interesting)...but I haven't had any. The device does exactly what it's meant to do. However, you should note the fact that I haven't yet tested any 3G services (for various reasons, like very old SIM cards, and now being in Ireland).

Small problems that I've noticed are things like the 'Tasks' application needs to be closed and opened again after adding a task, if you want to add another task (i.e. if you want to add more than one task in a row). I have no idea why, but it's not much of a problem for me - the ROMs on XDA-Developers will undoubtedly have fixed that anyway.

Also, on rare occasions (only twice so far), texts arrive on the Touch Diamond up to 30 minutes after they were sent - I'm not sure if that's a network problem, a SIM problem, or a device problem.

In conclusion, there are probably some problems (no device is perfect), but the problems that the Diamond has (so far) are so small that they don't significantly impede me when I use the device.

By the way, I would strongly recommend investigating getting the Touch Diamond from Vodafone. Their business brochure is advertising the 'handset only' price as £230 (I don't think anyone knows how or why it's supposedly £200 cheaper than the unlocked version). Unlocking it and using it on T-Mobile (or any other network) should be possible (yeah, being stuck in Ireland means that I'm not completely up-to-date with developments like that any more).
Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:20 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Hi Mark, great job. Couple of questions -
I have played with the iphone and its web browser is awesum easily driven by finger power. Whats you view of the browser and do you need the stylus to drive it ?
Staying with the iphone the texting was a real pain due to small non rotatable on screen keyboard. Whats your view of sms'ing on the touch. I have searched Youtube and not found any videos showing either of the above in operation.
Many thanks.. Charlie..
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:29 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
As I've already said, I haven't used the stylus once yet - the browser is easily usable with fingers. The browser on the Touch Diamond has all of the features that the browser on the iPhone has, and it works better in my opinion and the opinions of reviewers (smoother and easier to use zoom, mainly). Also, Opera (the browser on the Touch Diamond) is the most compliant browser with the vast array of web standards. The resistive touchscreen makes browsing easier, to an extent as it's easier to make a sustained press with your finger that the phone doesn't interpret as you trying to move around the page.

I find that the keyboard works slightly better than the iPhone's keyboard (better key arrangement, larger keys relative to the size of the screen, and innovative time-saving features in the symbol mode, etc.). I've been using the QWERTY keyboard on the Touch Diamond, but there is also a compact QWERTY and a phone keypad. Best of all, as the device runs Windows mobile, there are loads of other interesting keyboards out there - I found Flexslide good on my Touch, but I'm not sure if there's a VGA version (the QVGA version would mess up on the Touch Diamond). The keyboard on the Touch Diamond does rotate, although not in the messaging application - it rotates in applications that rotate (Opera (the browser), YouTube, etc.). Due to the fact that SMS is threaded in Windows Mobile 6.1, the Messaging application would not benefit from rotation. Personally, I've had no trouble texting one-handed while walking down the street, but I am better with my fingers than most people...

I might produce videos to demonstrate those features if I have time, but I think it's more likely that I won't. Good videos will appear on YouTube eventually.
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:29 WEST

Delboy
HTC Diamond better than iphone
Hi Mark

Great review on the HTC Diamond, which is the phone am considering over the Apple Ipone... yes, Ipone and not Apple Iphone because it lacks cut and paste, GPS is assisted with no point by point directions, 3G is only 3.6 Mb/s, cannot forward text messages, can only send sms to 2 contacts in one go and probably a whole host of other stuff !!)

Peace !
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:36 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Wow...I didn't know about some of that stuff. That's really bad.
Anyway, today, thousands of victims of mimetic desire, blanket marketing, fanboyism, sheer idiocy and many more crimes, either now have an iPhone 3G or are crying.
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:14 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
fucking hell had to have a go didnt you.
its an amazing consumer phone, but a shit business phone. one of my favourite magazines, t3 claimed it was gona overtake the blackberry series as the ebst business phone
but lmfao
its not a business phone
now, stopping the flaming, i think its a great phone, and so is the diamond
which is why im bidding on a diamond right now
Rory

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:17 WEST

Delboy
HTC Diamond slower than iphone
...even a consumer needs to be able to cut and paste and more likely to take video... rather than Mr Suit n'Boot...The Apple iphone...touted as the phone of the year (and agreeably too in setting the bar for next generation phones)...is launched at the heart of when video is massive (youchoob, etc) without the ability to take any video...? ..and now for the conspiracy theory... Apple are fully technologically capable of producing a phone with a 3+ MP camera, with flash, and with the ability to take video, and all the mod cons of 'today' mobiles... but they want ALL the Apple Fans to shell out for a v1, v2 and ultimately also upgrade to v3, v4... ipones !!

Having said all this and further to my post above... the iphone 3g is a nice phone.. apparently mass text messaging and forwarding have been addressed in v2.0 software... cut n'paste is in development and will likely be released in next software update, web pages render faster than on other phones (N95, C910) despite only being 3.6 Mb/s, A-GPS... well apparently tomtom are producing a software for it which will improve the functionality. With all this in mind, the iphone may have the edge on my final decision for one thing... the HTC Diamond is slow and 'laggy'.... This video review on shiny tech tv, demonstrates the HTC Diamond taking 8 seconds to get to the Inbox... 8 seconds...? ...c'est terrible :(

In fact, i think the iphone 3G is better as a business phone... with Exchange Server and push email and a shi**y camera to ensure Mr Suit n'Boot concentrates on work... although youchoob vids will decrease productivity !!

Peace !
Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:20 WEST

Mark Hogan
Diamond faster than iPhone...
Nobody seems to acknowledge the fact that Windows Mobile has had push email and exchange server capabilities for ages. The better camera, as well as the YouTube application (which plays videos at a higher resolution than the iPhone's YouTube application), puts the Diamond ahead in the criteria discussed in the last paragraph.

And that video review is retarded. She talks about the problems of having an MP3 player and a HTC Touch Diamond. Why not just sell your MP3 player? The HTC Touch Diamond can not only replace any MP3 player, but it can do it with style (by having that nice album art thing). Also, she talks about using the stylus to use the keyboard, which is another retarded thing to do. The keyboard on the Diamond works better, and is faster than, the keyboard on the iPhone.

I have never seen a HTC Touch Diamond function as slowly has hers, so one can only wonder about what CPU-raping software she has running in the background. Even so, the '8 second' fact that she comes up with is proved wrong in the video. Also, she fails to notice that a considerable amount of the 6 seconds (rather than 8) is actually wasted by her not pressing 'Inbox' (the device spends two seconds waiting for her to do something) and, also, by the fancy animation, which shouldn't be counted as loading time.

Now, anything to do with TomTom is extremely debatable. It does seem to be a fact that they're making software for the iPhone, but the licence for the SDK says that it must not be used to produce real-time navigational software. That probably means that TomTom has signed some sort of deal, and you'll be stuck with their software if you have an iPhone.

Cut and paste may be in development, but there are two problems with that. Firstly, you're waiting for software once again. Secondly, as it's still in developlent, you don't know if it's implemented in an intuitive way.

How fast the iPhone renders web pages relative to the N95 and other phones is irrelevant, because they're very different devices. The Touch Diamond renders web pages faster than the HTC Touch or Sendo M550, but you don't hear me going on about that. In fact, because the Touch Diamond has Opera, it renders pages faster than virtually any other Windows Mobile device.

And the iPhone didn't set the bar for the next generation of phones. The original is a copy of the HTC Touch, and the new version simply implements features that Windows Mobile devices have had for ages. In my opinion, Apple and Microsoft have reversed roles in the mobile world - Microsoft is the innovator, and Apple is the copycat which effectively forces its products on consumers.

The fact that you've talked about two pieces of unreleased software and iPhone v3 and v4 says it all. Despite the improvements, the iPhone is not a complete device - Apple want to extort money from people. The Touch Diamond is complete - people are just afraid and/or stupid to think for themselves.

Finally, just to agree with Rory, I'm not saying that the iPhone 3G is not a great device. It definitely deserves to be up there with the Touch Diamond and N95. But the way that some people assume that it's better than anything that has come before it, or anything else available at the moment, is ridiculous. I wouldn't dismiss it as a business phone though, Rory. If the Touch Diamond does well as a business phone, in what way is the iPhone significantly worse?
Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:50 WEST

Delboy
HTC Diamond wins over iphone..
Well.. i was in town today, feeling and checking out the new ipone 3G...and was only a little impressed. its nice but felt it was just a tad too limited for now and would take a lot of sacrifice and getting used to.

Further, yes, i would be stuck with it for 1.5 years it in the HOPE of cut n'paste, SMS forwarding (confirmed still not possible in v2.0), and other features being released in a software update. Not having video would probably annoy me. Also without exchange server, you have to use Mobile Me to push eel mail... at a cost of �£59 per year... nay hanks laddie !!

Synchronising with Outlook must happen via itunes... frankly am not a major fan of itunes...which also apparently has limitations in mp3 usage. Also cannot set your own mp3 as a ringtone ??? nor can you set your own sound files for SMS, voicemail alerts, etc... The standard alarm for a calendar reminder was just a beep beep.. and not changeable... naff !!!

No support for Flash with unlikely update = also naff. Actually, I remember thinking "..that's naff..", a few times while the Apple guy was chatting...

btw.. did not know that the HTC concept was the original, which suggests Apple just throw their fans money back at them in marketing to keep them smiling for purchasing a naff product.

Back to the point of the HTC and lag.. Although I did not get to see a HTC Diamond in action (all out of stock), I spoke to many staff, of different shops, experienced with using the HTC, and they all stated that it was not as slow as I mentioned... and I guess you are right... she (the 8 second gal) is probably unaware of a CPU hog behind the scenes.

Have decided that I cannot waste time waiting for Apple to sort out the issues over the next year(s).. while the HTC Diamond has it all now ('cept for camera flash)... so i just gorra do it.

Watch out for the Blackberry Thunder, which I reckon is gonna kick some bootay...

Android, Linux Open Source mobile platform, should also be trés interesant.

safesweetsound !

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:22 WEST

Daniel
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Hey Mark,

Where did you pick up your Diamond? I'm looking for the cheapest place to source it from. I'm living in Dublin, so it'll be UK, Ebay I think.
Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:13 WEST

Anonymous
JDI
do it, do it !!
Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:43 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
I don't know why that last comment is here, but it's funny.

OK, advice for people in Dublin (coincidentally, that's where I am now). DO NOT BUY FROM EXPANSYS. They're in big trouble for selling grey imports. No, that doesn't mean they're selling grey Touch Diamonds. It means that they were importing devices from Hong Kong and selling them in the UK before the release date. The UK models were called back for a ROM update, so the software the grey imports are running is out of date. Therefore you should not buy from Expansys. Also, HTC are doing all sorts of things to Expansys, so just don't go near that website.

eBay would probably be the cheapest place. However, keep an eye on Vodafone in the UK (no HTC devices are sold in Ireland by anyone - Ireland is not even in the list of regional versions of the HTC website). A recent Vodafone business magazine caused a shock by announcing that the Touch Diamond would cost £230, handset only - most other places are selling it for between 400 and 500 pounds. Rory is planning to investigate that option.

If you come over to London occasionally (the Dublin-London route is the busiest plane route in the world), I would recommend INKINO. The people there are nice and very knowledgeable (unlike most of the people in phone shops). They also have a good relationship with HTC, which means that they can get speedy repairs and stuff. They're not the cheapest though, as they do have to maintain premises in central London. Delivery of something like that to Ireland is expensive too (£55).

In conclusion, eBay is the cheapest at the moment, although Vodafone may be cheaper, and INKINO will offer the best service. While you're waiting for your Touch Diamond to arrive, I suggest you go into your local O2, Vodafone, 3 and Meteor shops, and ask why they're not selling any HTC devices (or, if they don't understand that, ask about XDAs at O2, VDAs at Vodafone, and pat the people at 3 and Meteor on the head, in pity).
Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:01 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Hi, The Touch Diamond is £399 delivered from Play.com
and possible quidco as well. Seems a good deal compared to ebay prices I have seen.
Charlie
Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:57 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Obviously does'nt like the pound sign -
399 pounds delivered play.com.
Charlie
Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:59 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Oh yeah, I forgot about play.com. I was considering them when I was deciding where to get mine. I think they do free postage within the UK too.

Sorry about that pound sign glitch. I'll look into it again at some point, but last time I investigated it, I couldn't work it out. The pound sign is converted into "£", as it should be. However, somehow, a dud character gets in there. I've been removing them manually so far, and I'll fix your pound sign too.
Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:32 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
I've just noticed this. Play.com don't deliver mobile phones outside of the UK. That's no good to Daniel of Dublin. :(
Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:50 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Hi
I have a HTC Touch Diamond since few days and it seems I can't manage it to well. So, if anyone can tell me how to get back to the initial settings I would really appreciate it I went to settings->personal->today and I choose some settings for today and now I can't go back to the original one.
Thank you

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:04 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
To get back your initial settings, you need to perform a hard reset. However, you could try going back to Settings > Personal > Today > Items and unselecting everything apart from TouchFLO 3D. If that doesn't work, here are the official instructions for a hard reset (from the manual):

To perform a hard reset
1. Pull out the stylus.
2. With the device turned on, press and hold the VOLUME DOWN and ENTER buttons, then press the RESET button with the stylus tip.
3. Release the RESET button, but continue pressing the VOLUME DOWN and ENTER buttons until you see this message on the screen:
This operation will delete all your personal data, and reset all settings to manufacturer default. Press VolUp to restore manufacturer default, or press other keys to cancel.
4. Release the VOLUME DOWN and ENTER buttons, then press the VOLUME UP button to perform the hard reset, or press any other button to cancel the reset.
Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:18 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
I am using the HTC Diamond and am very frustrated with the outcome. The phone had such wonderful reviews I suspect that HTC must have bribed a few people.
The phone is an absolute dissaster, I am particularly disappointed by the fact that you can't forward sms, you would think HTC have never made a mobile phone before. The battery doesn't last a day, I always keep it in the charger whenever I'm not using it.

The TouchFLO3D is great but the fact that you can't have your own backround(picture) with the FLO is a let down.
Now I miss my Sony Erricson M600i :(
I am waiting for the Experia X1 phone from Sony Erricson.

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:57 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond user manual
Hi there. Thanks for the review on the HTC Diamond - very useful.

Quick question: When you received your phone, did you get a paper user manual in the box, or did you only have the CD User Manual with a PDF of the user manual?
Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:20 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
OK. Here's my response to the first of those two comments:
1. You can forward SMS - and, also, that has nothing to do with HTC. Microsoft made the operating system. To forward SMS, you need to turn threaded SMS off - try this registry edit. Also, there's probably third-party software available that will enhance your SMS experience by letting you have threaded, forwardable, SMS and by having other handy features. Also, you could just copy and paste the message easily. Why would you want to forward text messages anyway?
2. The battery lasts for at least two days for me, with every feature being used moderately. I've never managed to get my battery below 50% - you can't complain about the reviews because I think they've been unnecessarily harsh on the battery. I can't understand how some people have awful problems with the battery, and yet some find that it performs really well.
3. You can have your own background picture on the home tab of TouchFLO 3D. It also may be possible, in the near future, for you to completely restyle TouchFLO 3D (O2, Vodafone, T-Mobile, etc. have managed to do it). TouchFLO 3D is far more customisable than TouchFLO was, so I'm happy...
4. Hahahahaha...The SE XPERIA X1 was designed and manufactured by HTC too. Before you mention them, so were most of the O2 XDAs, T-Mobile MDAs and Vodafone VDAs.

Here's my response to the second of those two comments:
No, I didn't get a paper manual - the manual is a PDF on the "Application Disc" (which didn't actually contain applications for me, which is a shame because I like and need SPB GPRS monitor). However, you do get physical copies of these similar items:
1. HTC Customer Care leaflet (gives custome care phone numbers and times).
2. Quick Start Guide booklet (basically the basics fro the manual).
3. Accessories leaflet (lists accessories - although not all of the available accessories).
4. TouchFLO 3D leaflet (basically shows you the different tabs in TouchFLO 3D and how to use them).
5. Warranty Card (booklet).
Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:13 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Hi.
I'm considering to buy the Diamond. But still have a few doubts.
How fast does it send sms?
Can I just use my finger, or do I have to have a htc pen?

Fantastic review... Got lots of answers reading your review and answers...


Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:55 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
It sends SMS virtually instantaneously. You really don't have to worry about that at all - HTC has even disabled the popup thing Windows Mobile produces to tell you when an SMS is sent (if it's sent straight away, what's the point in telling you?).

You can use your finger(s) for anything and everything. TouchFLO 3D is so useful that you'll find yourself not seeing the Windows Mobile interface for weeks. AND, when you do see the Windows Mobile interface, HTC has changed it so that it's more finger friendly (for example, items in lists are bigger). The touchscreen is very sensitive for a resistive touchscreen too. I've had my Touch Diamond since the day it was launched in the UK (well over a month ago now), and I haven't used my stylus yet - nor have I felt the need to. Fingers are more efficient than anything else, in my opinion, on the HTC Touch Diamond.


Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:53 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
i have a htc diamond - when i am in the middle of a call, the screen goes off, and i have to press the top power button to turn on the screen again, but it only goes on for 2 or 3 seconds... is there anyway to disable this or extend the time to maybe 10 seconds or more? If you have any ideas... that'd be grand.
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:32 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
I can do better than ideas - click here to see a list of tweaks for the HTC Touch Diamond, and the registry edits required to implement them. The relevant tweak for you is number 8, although you may want to check out some of the other tweaks there...
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:43 WEST

Anonymous
Laavly Jaably
Cheers for that. Any ideas how to get the MAC address of the Wifi Adaptor on the HTCTD ?


Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:23 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
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Comment stylishly written on and submitted from my HTC Touch Diamond.
Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:10 WEST

Anonymous
HTC Touch Diamond review...
Hi Mark, blogs been quiet lately, I understand a new rom is available which significantly speeds up the touch and also gives better battery life. Any feedback? Charlie
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:37 WEST

Mark Hogan
New ROM for Touch Diamond...
Indeed, I have been exceedingly busy for a while. I've been aware of the new ROM for ages - I have the ROM Upgrade Utility downloaded already. Unfortunately, though, I'm reluctant to upgrade the ROM while the device is working well enough anyway, and also while I have all of the software and files I need set up on it. I know that upgrading is a quick job though - I'm planning to upgrade the ROM as well as update other software on the device around the 19th of September - I should be able to give feedback shortly after that date. Today I switched to a pay monthly thing (one of the many things that I've been busy with recently) with unlimited mobile internet, so I should be able to test the battery drain caused by constant HSDPA use, more effectively too.
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:26 WEST

Mark Hogan
New ROM for Touch Diamond...
I shouldn't have been so pessimistic. I upgraded my ROM today, and I've noticed these differences so far:
- The X and OK buttons in the top right-hand corner of the screen have changed (I think). They match the rest of the bar at the top better now.
- There is a new error when the phone starts up - when the Windows Mobile screen appears, an extremely broken version of the black bar at the top appears too early. However, when the Windows Mobile screen disappears and the Today screen appears, the bar at the top works straight away. Before, it used to show completely random stuff for about 10 seconds before working properly (for example, it might show a half empty battery despite being fully charged, and it might show that I have a 3G signal despite the fact that I am on Meteor at the moment, which doesn't have a public 3G network).
- Previously, also when the Today screen sppeared, a big HTC logo used to appear with 'Tap to launch TouchFLO 3D' beneath it. Now, there is no 'Tap to launch...' or HTC logo. Instead, there's a large expanse of blackness before 'Launching TouchFLO 3D' appears briefly, and TouchFLO 3D launches. The old version of TouchFLO 3D used to crash, occasionally, while starting up. I think this change has addressed the issue.
- TouchFLO 3D itself is generally slightly faster. I didn't find the old version particularly slow, but I've heard that it was really slow for other people.
- Now, when switching between TouchFLO 3D tabs by swiping sideways or by tapping a tab, the sideways 3D exit and entry animations for the contents of the tab are gone - instead the contents of the new tab fades in rapidly. The animated switching between the tabs, below, has gone too - instead, the new tab is instantly selected. These changes are all designed to speed up TouchFLO 3D. It should be noted that the animations when you scroll through the tabs remain the same.
- While a few errors have gone and things have been speeded up a lot, I have already encountered a new error (only once though, so it may have been a one-off). I was asked, by Windows Mobile, to report error with Shell32.exe, shortly after starting up. Also, at the same time (and I think they're the same problem), I noticed that the buttons at the very bottom of the screen were not labelled. Changing tabs in TouchFLO 3D restored the labels (because changing tabs changes the labels). I think that error was to do with the faster startup time...

Overall, if you want more speed, try the new ROM. I'm not completely happy with it, as I liked the old TouchFLO 3D animations, but at least HTC has gone back to what it' best at - TouchFLO 3D is undoubtedly faster and more efficient than the iPhone's UI. The UI isn't quite as fancy as it was now, but the speed gains outweigh the visual losses.

I can't comment much about improved battery life yet, though. The gains are probably more noticeable if you're using HSDPA (which I'm not because, as I've said, I'm on Meteor at the moment), so I may not notice any improvements - even if there are some.
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:00 WEST

Dovi
HTC Touch Diamond review...
I have a Tytn II right now, and video playback is really bad. Did they fix this problem in the Touch Diamond...ie Can you watch a full length movie without any hiccups?

Thanks for the great review!
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:10 WEST

Mark Hogan
HTC Touch Diamond review...
I certainly haven't had any trouble watching stuff, but I can't remember what videos on the TyTN II were like (Rory had one a while ago), so if you're unhappy with the TyTN II, I wouldn't be able to say whether or not the Diamond is better. However, it is worth noting that as the Diamond has a VGA screen, the detail is amazing. Also, as TouchFLO 3D is so graphics-intensive and works so well, I'd doubt that you'd be dissatified with the Diamond - as I said, I've had no video hiccups.

However, I have encountered hiccups, that happen about every 10 minutes and last for a split-second, with the audio. As always, with HTC, getting rid of one old problem generally leads to another...

(Comment written on my Touch Diamond )
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:14 WEST

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