X

Photos: HTC Touch Diamond2 hands-on

We've got our hands on HTC's gorgeous new feature-packed Windows Mobile handset -- the Touch Diamond2. It's got to be one of the most attractive business phones on the planet

Nate Lanxon
p1040082.jpg
1 of 8

Coming to the UK within the next two months, HTC's Touch Diamond2 is, as only grade-A idiots will fail to conclude themselves, the follow-up to the original Touch Diamond -- a business phone that scored a very average 5.9 when we reviewed it last June.

Andrew 'mobile apps are the future' Lim criticised it for running a difficult OS (WinMo 6.1) and for being sluggish to respond to touch. Has HTC fixed these issues?

Well, yes and no. But mostly no. The Diamond2 still runs Windows Mobile 6.1, and it uses the same TouchFLO user interface that hampered the original. But it is "Windows Mobile 6.5-ready," according to an HTC rep, so perhaps expect a 6.5 version towards the end of the year.

It still uses the flexy, resistive breed of touchscreen (which we hate) and comes with a stylus (which all humanity loathes), but it's not quite as flexible a screen as most resistive screens. A capacitive touchscreen would've had us throwing our hands in the air like we all kinds of didn't care.

Other features of this admittedly gorgeous handset include an autofocusing 5-megapixel camera (though still no flash), a super-crisp 81mm (3.2-inch) 800x480-pixel display, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 528MHz CPU, and a poor 512MB of internal memory, expandable with microSD (the first Diamond had 4GB internally).

A useful new feature groups together all texts, emails and data from a specific contact -- say, your girlfriend -- accessible by clicking on a picture of their face. We've got pictures of this overleaf.

In conclusion, the Diamond2 is a sure step up from the first model, but only on a small staircase. It has a snappier interface and even better specs, but if it really wanted to win our approval for being gorgeous on the inside and on the outside, it would need a capacitive touchscreen, more internal memory and Windows Mobile 6.5 faster than you can say 'more pics over the next few pages'.

More pics over the next few pages.

p1040104.jpg
2 of 8
The 'making a call' screen.
p1040109.jpg
3 of 8
Here's your friend April Lin, and here's how you'll see her in your address book.
p1040116.jpg
4 of 8
But here's Ms Lin inside HTC's new contact-information aggregation mode. Notice the links to contact April in a variety of ways, and buttons to find her recent interactions with you. Rest assured you don't need to know April Lin in order to use this feature -- it'll work with your friends too.
p1040117.jpg
5 of 8
Eugh, look at that horrid stylus. Go away, stylus. You're old and nobody likes you. Like Rosie O'Donnell, only even more annoying.
camera.jpg
6 of 8
The camera is around the back of the handset, sans flash.
p1040118.jpg
7 of 8
A 5-megapixel camera on what is essentially a business phone ain't too shabby.
p1040101.jpg
8 of 8
Last and certainly least, here's a USB socket. Look! It's also a headphone socket, so you'll need to use a bundled adaptor. Boo.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos