The Diamond2 isn't just a nip and tuck update of the original HTC Touch Diamond – it has some significant improvements which make it worth your attention.
We liked
Chief among these is its glorious new larger touch screen which takes up almost the full face of the phone. Video viewing may not be quite so breathtaking as the Touch HD but it's not far off – pictures and video look great on it and the new zoom bar allows you to get deep into your pics onscreen.
Email is as effective and easy to set up as ever, and the web browser is a dream, with that zoom bar every bit as effective as the iPhone's pinch feature.
Other improvements include the improved casing – it feels much sturdier now than the original Diamond which, though lightweight, did feel cheaper and more plasticky than its impressive spec would suggest it should.
Memory has also been beefed up, with the onboard capacity doubled to 512MB and the ability to accept up to 16GB microSD cards, though none is supplied. Battery life is better too, and we managed three days of moderate use before we had to recharge.
Special mention must go, as it always does with HTC's Windows Mobile handsets, to the very lovely TouchFLO 3D interface, which has always been good, but now has a few extra eye-catching animations to lift it well above the underlying Windows Mobile 6.1 OS, which, fortunately, you'll have little cause to use.
We didn't like
The 5 megapixel camera is an improvement on the original Diamond's snapper, though it still lacks the clarity, depth, colour and sharpness of other 5 megapixel camera phones such as the Nokia N79 or the Sony Ericsson C902.
Verdict
To sum it up, the Diamond2 is the do-it-all jewel in HTC's crown, and the most creditable alternative to the iPhone available anywhere at the present time
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rovingrowe
November 4th
1. I bought my phone from Handtec in May. The screen is fantastic and I rarely have to reset it - a big improvement over older phones. Video streaming works a treat and the built in YouTube app is great. Sound quality is fine and it is handy to be able to pull the micro SD storage card in and out without resetting the phone. So far, I haven't had a problem with software running off the storage card locking up after the phone has been in standby mode - a big irritation with WM5.
A few gripes and 1 major ISSUE:
- Touch Flo looks great but irritates as it takes more steps to get to all the detail of a contact, diary, etc. I end up working around Touch Flo rather than using it much
- The HTC browser looks great but doesn't seem to work that well. Big delays and oversensitive zoom slider. I end up using Internet Explorer - much better than earlier versions but still nothing like as good as iphone browser
- Touchflo has a nice feature on contacts where commonly used contacts can be selected and listed on the top Contacts screen. Unfortunately the PC sync software regularly loses its mind and does a complete re-sync, overwriting these selections on the phone. Looks nice but I have lost patience reinstating them every couple of weeks and now just ignore it.
- The headphone socket is combined with the mini USB sync/charge socket is a HTC variation of the mini USB plug. You need to use HTC headphones or buy an adapter - cheap on Ebay but a little annoying
- The casing and screen are very sensitive to finger prints – I end up wiping it constantly. The screen is pretty useless in sunlight.
- MAJOR WATCHOUT: The reset button is under the back cover. Right next to this is a recessed casing screw with an anti-tamper 'void' sticker. It is very easy to stick the stylus into the screw instead of the button by mistake. I found out the very expensive consequence (£70) when the touch screen developed a fault after only a few weeks. I then spend many more weeks arguing with Handtec and HTC to no avail - I had to pay up. HTC even emailed a photo of the damaged 'void' sticker which had pretty clearly never had a screwdriver in it. There is very little clearance inside the casing to put tape over the screw hole and if you block the hole with something you would again risk damaging the sticker in some way. All this would be avoided if the 'void' sticker were simply put on a different screw. If I were cynical I might think this was deliberate to avoid paying out for warranty claims!
- The phone Handtec provided is apparently an Eastern European model. I found this out when I tried to download the Win 6.5 upgrade and was refused. A support call to HTC clarified why. Apparently the E European version will be released later in Nov.
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