Short Take: Sprint HTC Touch Diamond

[Jenna_Ice]

With its ultra sharp stunning VGA screen, sleek construction, fabulous TouchFLO 3D interface and exquisite details, it isn't a wonder so many of us just fell in love with the original HTC Touch Diamond. However, as with many new phones, it didn't do 3G in the U.S. where networks are sadly different from the rest of the world. So while we admired and "managed" the Diamond with T-mobile or AT&T's EDGE network, we really hoped that HTC would release the Diamond in the U.S. Well, all thanks to Sprint (and Best Buy, who is now selling an unlocked 3G GSM Touch Diamond), we can now own this baby and actually use it well! <a href='http://pocketnow.com/index.phpa=portal_detail&t=reviews&id=1102'>Read on</a> for Jenna's take on the Sprint Touch Diamond.

<b>Overall Rating</b>:
<img>http://pocketnow.com/images/rating/4half.jpg</img>

<b>The Good</b>
<li>Great looking phone</li>
<li>TouchFLO 3D is very responsive and fun to use</li>
<li>4GB built-in storage </li>

<b>The Bad</b>
<li>No memory expansion slot</li>
<li>No built in keyboard for those who prefer it</li>
<li>Appearance is noticeably diffused from the original</li>

[Kimosaabi]

Well Jenna you out did yourself again. Not one but two informative videos, I am impressed! I just wanted to say that you are doing a great job. It must be really sweet testing out all these cool gadgets color me green. All your reviews that I have read were great! And as I see I am not the only one that likes the way you write. You seem to cut out all the BS and boring stuff, and replace it with something that everyone can grasp. You definitely have a gift…
Well now since I have read everything I do have a couple of things to ask. Well as you have stated “lasted about the same amount of time it takes me to finish a bag of nacho chips.” What size are we talking about??? Deli size or Jumbo??? And also some people just care more about the box than more what’s inside. “This would say a lot about some people.” In this day and age we all should be a little more greener thinking than we are so kudos to you for stating that.
I do like the dark room approach to showing the features of the phone. Sometimes you really can’t see everything in a video with straight light. Well for me saying that I just love your music review…lol I had a good laugh. And I didn’t know that you were a Hanna Montana fan??? WOW will the surprises ever stop? “I hope not.” And for your iPod thing I have a lot of great stuff to fill it. Well since I have known you I have always seen you as practical strong woman. And yes you do like certain things, like your bling-bling phone. But what the hey ya got to splurge every so often on yourself right?
Hey I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on this new Touch Diamond. But since it’s a Sprint phone I guess, I’m going to have to pass since I Verizon. Oh ya one other thing I have to ask “that is if I decide to switch.” The red rubber back? Is this going to be on all the phones or can you get a black back???
Well thanks for another great read.
~K~

[Felicia]

I purchased the original touch diamond online in August based on the review that was posted here before. I have to agree that it is very pretty. Probably the best looking phone I had in a long time. I understand now that I read your review about the issues the original had. I'm lucky enough to have tmobile that I could just swap my sim card in. But aside from being a great looking phone, I wasn't able to take advantage of the functions it offered. I just put up my phone for sale on ebay today. I do like this phone a lot and I think the sprint version is just as pretty in its own way. Hopefully my phone sells for a good price so I can take that money and sign up for sprint just so I can buy this phone all over again. I will be back.

[Jenna_Ice]

Kimosaabi: Well Jenna you out did yourself again. Not one but two informative videos, I am impressed! I just wanted to say that you are doing a great job. All your reviews that I have read were great! And as I see I am not the only one that likes the way you write. You seem to cut out all the BS and boring stuff, and replace it with something that everyone can grasp. You definitely have a gift…

Thank you for the very kind words. I try my best to bring a good review to all of my fellow consumers who may not need the extra bloat.

Well now since I have read everything I do have a couple of things to ask. Well as you have stated “lasted about the same amount of time it takes me to finish a bag of nacho chips.” What size are we talking about??? Deli size or Jumbo???

More like the mid-size you get at the grocery snack isle combined with a really boring 2 hr dvd

And also some people just care more about the box than more what’s inside. “This would say a lot about some people.” In this day and age we all should be a little more greener thinking than we are so kudos to you for stating that.

You're welcome. I think we should all take on more responsibility in cleaning up and maintaining our planet, in every little way that we can.

red rubber back? Is this going to be on all the phones or can you get a black back??? Well thanks for another great read.

The Sprint version is fairly new on the market, so there are no known battery cover replacements yet. However, I have already seen clear cases and such online specifically for this. So it may only be another month until you can find all sorts of non OEM covers online in all sorts of designs and colors available.

[bluetoof]

The once inward concave D-pad controller now has the outer ring raised. I don't really find any particular purpose for this change other than pure aesthetic, but it feels nice against your thumb.

So it does in fact feel "better" than the original GSM diamond dpad? This is kind of a big deal for me as I do like using the dpad and the GSM version looked horrible. Does it make navigating easer without looking? Different clicks?

[Jenna_Ice]

So it does in fact feel "better" than the original GSM diamond dpad? This is kind of a big deal for me as I do like using the dpad and the GSM version looked horrible. Does it make navigating easer without looking? Different clicks?

A lot of people I spoke to echo your sentiment. Personally speaking from trying this phone out for almost 2 wks, I didn't really feel any need whatsoever to use the dpad other than to expand a page on the browser or rewind/forward on a youtube video. Pretty much all the functions on the device are accessible through the touch screen interface. The clicks are all the same, if I noticed any difference at all...and yes, it does make navigating a bit easier without looking, simply because you can feel the correct placement of your thumb on the dpad. But the way the phone is built, they definitely make it so that you are constantly interacting with the touch flo.

[Brandon Miniman]

I echo that sentiment, too. It was totally silly for HTC to do a flat D-Pad on the original, even though, as you suggest Jenna, you can operate everything from the touchscreen. There are some like bluetoof and I that really appreciate a good D-Pad for one-handed use. Diehard D-Pad fans - unite!

[Compusmurf]

I was one of the first (Consumer type) in the US to "handle" the original Diamond at a conference. It was brought over as a demo unit by our European friends. It was still a DEMO unit for them, pretty much not even a glimmer in the US's eye. I fell in love. Now, I'm a Sprint/CDMA customer and have waited and waited. I want one... BUT. I'm holding out for the Pro. All of the same features, plus exp. memory, flash and keyboard all at the cost of very little additional thickness.

I'm REALLY having a hard time waiting knowing the Diamond is here today and I could have it by tomorrow......

YET.... I keep torturing myself with all the fun reviews........

[LizardKing]

I am so used to the keyboard on my phone but since looking at this phone at the sprint store, I just couldnt resist the urge to buy it. I got to play with it for a half hour. In that time I just fell in love with it. I was going to buy the instinct but this by far kicks everything sprint has to the curb. On one hand I feel like I should have waited for the touch pro. But on the other hand I keep falling more in love with this everytime I use it. 4G by the way is more memory than I had before so I dont see the memory thing being an issue. I think I am happy.....for now. LOL. Great review. Very snappy and real.

[Junkiecam]

I was one of the first (Consumer type) in the US to "handle" the original Diamond at a conference. It was brought over as a demo unit by our European friends. It was still a DEMO unit for them, pretty much not even a glimmer in the US's eye. I fell in love. Now, I'm a Sprint/CDMA customer and have waited and waited. I want one... BUT. I'm holding out for the Pro. All of the same features, plus exp. memory, flash and keyboard all at the cost of very little additional thickness.

I'm REALLY having a hard time waiting knowing the Diamond is here today and I could have it by tomorrow......

YET.... I keep torturing myself with all the fun reviews........

Ah! Yet another tantalyzing review from the gorgeous Jenna. I keep torturing myself as well with all these reviews. Just when I scrapped my ATT iphone 3G for an HTC Tilt. Now I see this touch diamond which does everything my tilt does while keeping the appeal of my iphone. what to do!!! This is one amazing phone.

[Joel]

No doubt a seriously nice phone. Very nice review too. Better than most I read. Got a chance to test it out at the store but I think its worth waiting for the pro to come out before making any decisions. These phones don't come cheap you know.

[bluetoof]

Well I picked up a Sprint Diamond yesterday... Dpad=HORRIBLE. I believe HTC could have engineered it differently. Yes you really don't need to use the dpad but like Brandon mentioned one handed usage is much simpler with a dpad. Thumb stays in one spot and I can navigate everything on the screen as opposed to flipping and sliding and stretching my thumb until I get carpal tunnel. Don't get me wrong I like Touch screens but I also love having the dpad as a alternate method. To me the dpad for navigating is almost unusable. Zooming in and out with Opera is very cool though.

I still am trying it out however as mostly the rest of the phone is very top notch. The VGA screen is buttery smooth and gorgeous. I'm not really into TF3D all that much. I actually prefer the no nonsense Today screen with all the data I want to see on one page. TF3D is cool but for me it just gets in the way of what I ultimately want to accomplish. I don't think I'm going to keep it though because Sprint isn't really offering me better reception then ATT so I might be looking for a signal booster.

[Jenna_Ice]

Bluetoof. I'm glad you thought most of the phone was top notch. And the screen is nice isn't it? Yes, like I said before, the only thing I ever used the dpad for was zooming in and out of opera, which you thought was cool. But other than that, there really wasn't much use for it whatsoever other than looking at how cool the light was when it was plugged in to the charger (a soft white light circles around the dpad endlessly). As cute as the tf3d is, I can see why this wouldn't be the phone for you and some people out there. My secretary is actually one of them. She's so used to the no-nonsense standard today screen on windows mobile, that she didnt particularly care for the fancy touch flo and the the fact that it didn't look at all like a wmdevice. Thanks for your highly informative input.

[Junkiecam]

I dont see why the dpad not being that useable would be an issue at all. The whole phone is meant to be operated on touch. Shouldn't it be just an added bonus that there is even a dpad that actually does stuff? What makes this phone unique is the fact that (as Jenna so clearly points out) it doesn't even look like a windows mobile phone. I know a lot of people out there would appreciate that. It looks like a very solid and great phone, and I like the certain common sense reality that Jenna brings to the review panel.

I do have a question for any of the intelligent editors or guests who may want to answer it. If you had to choose between the TD or the Blackberry Storm, which one would you choose and why?

[GenghisKhent]

...If you had to choose between the TD or the Blackberry Storm, which one would you choose and why?

It may be heresy here, but I might prefer the Storm. Not only because the screen is larger (3.25") but also because it's capacitive and multi-touch. The one thing I do like about my wife's iPhone is the large, capacitive screen. The Storm doesn't have WiFi, but I find that I really don't use WiFi much on my HTC Advantage.

[Al-Cid Margrace]

I just have a question to ask of you Jenna. I have been shopping around for a gift and every time I think I have the perfect gift idea you come out with another great review that changes my mind. I was going to end up purchasing the iPhone for my girlfriend next month for her birthday. And now with the New Touch Diamond I just don’t know what to do? I have seen the original Diamond and thought it was a sweet looking phone, with the facetted back and all. And now I am still on the fence for a gift idea…
She wants the iPhone because of the flick thing and as well as the music thing. But I like the functionality of the diamond a little bit more than the iPhone. And I have Sprint and yes she has AT&T so here is my problem. How would I end up getting her the right gift? Since I do trust your judgment, on this kind of topic. I have read your review on the Diamond and it’s all what I was looking for and then I have read that the 3G supports Microsoft . So what do you think would be a better phone? I just don’t want to screw this up for her birthday, I don’t think she would be too happy if I drop the ball again. Then have to sell whatever on E-bay… I hope this is not going to get you into trouble talking about an Apple product on a Windows app web site? And please don’t do any more reviews until after her birthday, because if I see something else better I think I’m gonna lose it. Ha just kidding… I have always liked all of your reviews and can’t wait to see more. Just do them after Nov. 16…
Thanks for all or any input on this.

[Junkiecam]

It may be heresy here, but I might prefer the Storm. Not only because the screen is larger (3.25") but also because it's capacitive and multi-touch. The one thing I do like about my wife's iPhone is the large, capacitive screen. The Storm doesn't have WiFi, but I find that I really don't use WiFi much on my HTC Advantage.

Thank you for your response Mr. Kent. I have yet to see anyone do a thorough review on the Storm but it loks to me like a good one. Multi-touch eh? Sounds nice. Only thing I don't like is the whole Verizon thing. I never did like that company for their fees. I had the tmobile blackberry pearl for a while last year so I shouldnt be a stranger to the new device. It also looks a lot more masculine. Although I have to say the TD is one beautiful device that I fall in love more and more with every day.

[GenghisKhent]

Thank you for your response Mr. Kent. I have yet to see anyone do a thorough review on the Storm but it loks to me like a good one. Multi-touch eh? Sounds nice. Only thing I don't like is the whole Verizon thing. I never did like that company for their fees. I had the tmobile blackberry pearl for a while last year so I shouldnt be a stranger to the new device. It also looks a lot more masculine. Although I have to say the TD is one beautiful device that I fall in love more and more with every day.

First, please call me Jeff. Mr. Kent makes me feel old. I am old, but I don't want to feel old :)

There's still not a lot of information on the Storm. After all, it's not out yet. I am currently working on an an article on the Storm and the other new Blackberry (the Bold). But again it's not a review because I don't have a Storm to play with :(

I'm not happy either about Verizon having the U.S. exclusive. One angle I'm still investigating in my article is the feasibility of using a non-US (Canadian?) iteration of the Storm to bypass Verizon. However, I'm not sure it is feasible or advisable. Again, I'm still investigating this.

I agree that the TD is a beautiful device. And the larger screen is important to me because my reading vision isn't the sharpest. Not sure it would be so important to someone with good reading vision. Also, while capacitive is nice, even the earlier version of TouchFlo on my HTC Advantage is very nice and almost makes me feel like my screen is capacitive.

Also keep in mind that the Storm is a Blackberry. Different OS. Not better or worse IMO. Just different, with pros and cons vs. Windows Mobile.

Which device is the best fit really depends on the usage scenario. And I'm not so sure you can go seriously wrong either way.

Please let me know if you have any further questions. Jeff

[GenghisKhent]

I just have a question to ask of you Jenna. I have been shopping around for a gift and every time I think I have the perfect gift idea you come out with another great review that changes my mind. I was going to end up purchasing the iPhone for my girlfriend next month for her birthday. And now with the New Touch Diamond I just don’t know what to do? ...

I'm not Jenna. One look at my mug would tell you that. And it's not my intention to preempt Jenna from responding. Rather, I thought I might be able to give you some input as I bought my wife an iPhone 3G and have played with that device a lot.

The TD and the iPhone are both beautiful devices from the standpoint of their appearance and form factor. The TD is smaller. This may be convenient for your GF. However, the TD has a smaller screen. This is unimportant for phone or email or texting. However, if she will use the phone to view the web or videos, more significant. So the decision depends a lot on her usage.

I personally didn't like the iPhone because it is relatively locked down and I wasn't willing to jail break it. However, I'm a techie geek. Unless your GF is also (doubtful), my reasons very likely wouldn't apply.

Frankly, I don't think you could go too wrong either way. I'm also curious to hear what Jenna says, as her point of view likely is more relevant to your decision than mine. But I hope this helps a bit. Please feel free if you have any further questions of me. Jeff

[Junkiecam]

Thank you for that response Mr. Kent er Jeff:) I see your point here about the different OS on both phones. You definitely have me thinking more about this decision now. I may just wait for a solid review on it to come out before doing anything. I also like to get hands on as well. Its all about the way I feel when I have the device on hand. You know, like test driving a car? Good points though. May I say you were very helpful. I appreciate it.

[Jenna_Ice]

I have been shopping around for a gift and every time I think I have the perfect gift idea you come out with another great review that changes my mind. I was going to end up purchasing the iPhone for my girlfriend next month for her birthday. And now with the New Touch Diamond I just don’t know what to do? She wants the iPhone because of the flick thing and as well as the music thing. But I like the functionality of the diamond a little bit more than the iPhone. And I have Sprint and yes she has AT&T so here is my problem. I have read your review on the Diamond and it’s all what I was looking for and then I have read that the 3G supports Microsoft . So what do you think would be a better phone?

I thought Jeff did a pretty good job at helping you decide which one to get. But I think the issue here is that you like the Diamond for yourself :) Call it women's intuition, but you have Sprint, she has ATT. You wouldn't have a problem at all if it weren't for the fact that you want the Diamond. If there's any advice I can give you, it's this: It doesn't matter what a woman needs or what you think she needs. Give her what she wants to make her happy. If she's happy, you're happy. End of story. And because you obviously want the Diamond for yourself, go get it. She'll be happy you got her what she wanted, and you'll be happy too.

[GenghisKhent]

...It doesn't matter what a woman needs or what you think she needs. Give her what she wants to make her happy. If she's happy, you're happy. End of story. And because you obviously want the Diamond for yourself, go get it. She'll be happy you got her what she wanted, and you'll be happy too.
Al-Cid, I think Jenna is picking up on what you said:

"She wants the iPhone because of the flick thing and as well as the music thing. But I like the functionality of the diamond a little bit more than the iPhone."

Much better you follow Jenna's advice on women than mine. At least if you like living. And besides, if your GF is not a techie, another nice thing about the iPhone is its ease of use. Good luck!

[GenghisKhent]

Thank you for that response Mr. Kent er Jeff:) I see your point here about the different OS on both phones. You definitely have me thinking more about this decision now. I may just wait for a solid review on it to come out before doing anything. I also like to get hands on as well. Its all about the way I feel when I have the device on hand. You know, like test driving a car? Good points though. May I say you were very helpful. I appreciate it.
Thank you for your kind words. And I agree about the hands on. If a picture is worth 1000 words, hands on is worth 1000 pictures. My only problem with hands on is I want the device NOW, so I have trouble waiting until the device is available in stores, and instead order from one of my sources that get me the device several weeks early. I know I should be more patient, but ...

[Vilent76]

I thought the bit about saving the planet was real nice. You are right. More people should care more about the item and less about what packaging it comes in. Box is a box right? Your videos were nice too. Cute how you neatly open each part with scissors rather than just tearing it apart like all reviewers do. You really show a lot of class.

So does this phone have multi touch? Not that its a big deal at all since its pretty great as it is. Just asking.

[Felicia]

Well my original touch diamond sold a few hrs ago on ebay for $320. I suppose thats enough for me to go buy the new version for sprint. I know its not as pretty but I really hope it works better than the original like your review says. I cant wait to try it out.

[Voila]

This phone rocks. Every bit worth the money. Nice review.

[Unregistered]

Can you discuss the Opera browser a little more, in particular how it compares to the iPhone's safari browser?
Can you visit any and all websites like you can on your personal computer?

[GenghisKhent]

Can you discuss the Opera browser a little more, in particular how it compares to the iPhone's safari browser? Can you visit any and all websites like you can on your personal computer?
I can answer the second question. On at least a WinMo phone, Opera Mobile will not support Java applets. This is more a WinMo issue than an Opera Mobile issue. OM will support at least some Flash sites depending on whether you are using the official or unofficial beta and (if the latter) Flash Lite. The beta I am using (courtesy of xda-developers) does have JavaScript support though I am noticing it does not work 100% of the time. I suspect that Flash and JavaScript support will improve as OM moves to a release version. I also suspect that Java applets may not be supported until WinMo 7 though it is doable at least to an extent in WinMo now (I've done it through hacks but it isn't pretty). BTW, I believe the Safari browser currently is subject to similar limitations, though I haven't played with it much. Hope this helps.