HTC Announces the Touch Diamond, the "iphone killer"

By +Mirumir
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techquilla

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Wow. This thing is beatutiful and hopefully it won't have any problems on launch. or has it already launched? Worldwide launch?

This is probably just a pr launch. According to the press release, it'll hit europe first, in june, and the americas later in the year.

Experienced

duritz

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and how many times am i going to hear "iphone killer, ipod killer". apple cannot be touched with their products. there is a certain "status symbol" issue that goes hand in hand with apple. they win the popularity contest as well as the aesthetics contest by far.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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HTC makes a wonderful device, I look forward to seeing one of these in person. The terms 'iPhone Killer' or 'iPod Killer' have been beaten to death and, what is really funny, yet the iPhone and iPod are still both here. Until a company can match the Apple ease-of-use they will Dominate certain areas. The diamond looks great, however as with many Windows Mobile is the neutering factor sadly.

That being said, if this thing is another traditional HTC device it's going to be VERY nice. :)

Grand Master

redfish

Posted
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I don't like Windows Mobile, I think Mac OS X is one of the iPhone's biggest selling points, the UI works better. I used Windows Mobile and found it frustrating.

Well it depends.

The Windows Mobile UI is a lot older, and less consumer oriented, and hopefully Microsoft will get that fixed in upcoming releases. But in a lot of ways the iPhone is more limited.

The iPhone is essentially a PDA, which is crippled so you have to be signed on to a wireless plan to use it, you can only use programs that are approved by Apple, and you only have one form-factor, the touchscreen.

If I want a PDA and not a plain phone, I'll buy something thats not crippled. I want the option of buying something with a tactile keyboard, so I can rely on it for notetaking, something that can run 3rd party programs like like emulators, and something that isn't locked into a wireless carrier.

I was explaining this to someone who asked, why do I need Microsoft Word on my phone. Well, you don't need Word, but a PDA with a program where you can take notes and read e-mail attachments is nice.

If I just wanted a phone and not a PDA I wouldn't buy a PDA.

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Hurmoth

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^ You talk about it being crippled, but I just don't see that. I've used a Windows Mobile device and a BlackBerry for years and I hated them both. The iPhone is perfect. And considering that there's so much data in the cloud, why would I want a PDA that isn't connected to the wireless plan? That way I can get anything I want from the cloud. And it is unlimited data for a fairly cheap price too.

The only issue with the iPhone IMO is AT&T's network.

Grand Master

zeroday

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Meh, who cares about all these iPhone comparisons. I love the look and I'm hooked. Only thing I don't like is that big ass keyboard, takes up too much room.

I wander if they will sell these contract free.

Also, is there a vid of the accelerometer in action, the engadget vid stopped just as they switch from horizontal to vertical. :(

edit:

The Windows Mobile UI is a lot older, and less consumer oriented, and hopefully Microsoft will get that fixed in upcoming releases.

Engadget had a preview of WM 7, http://www.engadget.com/2005/12/08/photon-...windows-mobile/ , they seem confident it will be good.

Some things about WM is annoying, but hey, it gets the job done for me.

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redfish

Posted
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Engadget had a preview of WM 7, http://www.engadget.com/2005/12/08/photon-...windows-mobile/ , they seem confident it will be good.

Some things about WM is annoying, but hey, it gets the job done for me.

There's a post on InsideMicrosoft with some mockups and descriptions of WM7 taken from an internal document:

http://microsoft.blognewschannel.com/archi...otion-gestures/

Windows Mobile 6.1, coming out soon, will also be a lot better than the current version, though a revolutionary release;

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/6-1...id=wmhome_WM6_1

Grand Master

zeroday

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Excuse me? This thread is about the HTC/Windows Mobile device and the iPhone. :rolleyes: See the thread title.

Ohh, my bad, sorry lol :D I didn't even notice that part in the title, I thought you were trying to just annoy people who use WM by talking about the iPhone. :pinch:

Grand Master

Hurmoth

Posted
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Ohh, my bad, sorry lol :D I didn't even notice that part in the title, I thought you were trying to just annoy people who use WM by talking about the iPhone. :pinch:

No problem. I wouldn't do that intentionally anyway, seeing as that would be flamebait and I am a mod after all :p

Grand Master

+Mirumir Subscriber¹

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Actually, the article wasn't informative enough.

The phone is tri-band, but there are two versions: one for Europe/Asia, the other one for the Americas.

2G Network

GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 for Europe/Asia

GSM 850 / 1800 / 1900 for Americas

3G Network

HSDPA 2100 / 900 for Europe/Asia

HSDPA 850 / 1900 for Americas

Grand Master

zeroday

Posted
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Awesome design, good size.

However, whenever a company labels something as a "___ killer", it makes me take the product way less seriously. I think a lot of people are like that.

AFAIK, HTC didn't mention anything about the iPhone, its other people making the comparison.

Grand Master

obiwong

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It doesn't have the 850 band, so it won't work all that well in more rural parts of the US.

American version will have it (Y)

2G Network 	GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 for Europe/Asia
	  GSM 850 / 1800 / 1900 for Americas
3G Network 	HSDPA 2100 / 900 for Europe/Asia
	  HSDPA 850 / 1900 for Americas

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_touch_diamond-2368.php

Grand Master

Osiris

Posted
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I wouldnt be too wound up on Network bands for North America, the North American launch will not be until Q4/late Q3. Only Europe and Asia are getting this in June. Alot of sites reporting June 16th - if HTC can manage to ship a device on time.

During the live broadcast press conference it was confirmed in Q&A that the Diamond uses Opera Browser. IE6 is not yet ready for implementation in WinMo 6.1 as confirmed by the Microsoft EVP present at the launch.

Gears from www.coolsmartphone.com also asked Orange about their data tarrifs and they eluded to the possibility of a refresh given the data intensity of this hardware and its aims.

No flash memory is a disappointment to some extent but I only have a 2GB card in my current HTC device so 4GB is a bonus. And with WiFI I see no reason why data transferring files to the network or streaming wont be a joy.

Also not the much touted 3D GPU which may actually be the long heralded Nvidia GPU for mobile devices. One would suspect the video driver for this device will well and truly have been corrected given how responsive it appears.

My only gripe, based off real time pics, its a fingerprint magnet like no tomorrow but oh well.

In terms of WinMo devices though its a good year.

Diamond for no keyboard fans

Xperia for slideout keyboard fans.

2008, the year they clicked WinMo could be geared to consumers...

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