Monthly Archives: April 2009

As you may have read yesterday, the software side of the Diamond2 is way above par and there are some useful new features included in this particular model. Today it is time to see if the hardware features match up to the included software-

Screen

The screen is a real beauty and the size works well for viewing complex web pages and busy documents. It is a touch reflective in bright sunlight, but not to the level I have seen on some other devices. Knocking the brightness up and the addition of an anti-glare screen protector would probably negate most of this issue, but it is one to be aware of.

Using gestures works very well if you push hard enough and the screen is more than tough enough to cope with extended finger use. It is a hard screen which may make you not want to push so hard initially, but I can’t see much damage being done if you do.

Camera

The inclusion of a 5.0MP camera is of course a benefit, but in the past many Windows Mobile smartphones have had cameras that simply do not perform to the level the specifications would suggest. I tested this one in a variety of conditions and was generally impressed with the overall results. Even indoor photos came out to a printable level and in good lighting the results were better than I expected. The auto-focus is not the quickest, but it worked every single time for me and I always achieved sharp and well focused results. Video recording is quite good and reproduces colours very well, but I did experience voice slipping when viewing the resultant article on the Diamond2. The video camera has obviously not been brought up to the level of the stills camera, but it is good enough for occasional recordings and easily as good as, for example, the Curve 8900. I am no expert in the realms of photography so tend to look at these things the way most people do- does it produce photos that I want to keep and is the colour reproduction good? Yes to both.

Data Input

The onscreen keyboard is really good and I surprised myself by being able to type on it quicker than I can with the iPhone. The phone is slim so this makes thumb typing quite tricky, but the usual suspects are included which should offer a choice for each individual’s style. There is also a raft of third party data input applications on the market and so with a bit of time take to find what works for you, you will be messaging at a furious rate. I would like to see a navigation button below the screen for eBook reading and the like, but scrolling is not terribly difficult on the screen.

The stylus is quite short and light and a telescopic setup would be preferable. It does the job, but the Diamond2 is designed for finger use so try to ignore it if you can.

Voice Quality

This is another area I tend to approach with trepidation when it comes to Windows Mobile devices. However, the Diamond2 excels in voice quality through the normal speaker and the sound is rich and crisp when held to the ear. The loudspeaker is sadly not in the same league and displays a tinny quality which can be overwhelming in a loud environment such as a moving car. Only Nokia and RIM seem to get both aspects right in the smartphone world…

Connectivity

Being HTC we have everything that could be needed in the connectivity stakes. HSDPA, WCDMA, HSUPA, Quad-band, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, internal GPS and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP are all included so you should not be without anything you need data-wise. The signal strength is slightly above average and I managed to obtain HSDPA in parts of my house, but not in others. The same SIM in an iPhone will never get HSDPA in my house, but the Bold will grab anything thrown at it. Living in my house can be a pain, but it does offer the opportunity to really test new devices in the real world.

The GPS signal surprised me and I was checking Google Maps inside my house, which even my TomTom GO 930 cannot do. The addition of decent navigation software such as Co-Pilot or Navmii would make further use of the larger than average screen.

Wi-Fi connected first time and I could browse and check YouTube a long way from my router, so there are no problems here. The setup and general use is far too fiddly though and even the inclusion of the better than before communications screen does not solve the issue completely. HTC has tried to simplify this area, but other platforms still do it a lot better and manage to take away the technicalities from the user.

When I first inserted my BT Mobile SIM card the Diamond2 set all of the communication settings up for me and a restart brought full connectivity to life. This is the first phone that has dealt with BT Mobile settings automatically and it made for a very positive start.

General Performance

The Diamond2 is not the fastest smartphone on the market, but it is the fastest Windows Mobile Professional unit I have used to date. With or without TouchFLO 3D enabled it all powers along at a steady pace and no matter how many applications I had open, there were never any noticeable delays.  Some of you have asked for benchmarks in the 247 reviews, but there are reasons why these are not done. Firstly, they do not offer much of an indication of what a device is like to use and we are talking differences in the 100ths of seconds between devices. Secondly, I don’t have the time or the inclination to do them:)

Battery

One word sums up the battery- adequate. I pushed it very hard the first 2 days and it required a charge half way through the second day. This was with long periods of Wi-Fi, video and calls so you can be assured of 2 days for normal usage. Like many aspects of this device, it is better than most Windows Mobile devices in this area and it may be a bit harsh to use the ‘adequate’ word, but to be good it would need to last at least 3 days in normal use.

Build Quality

Another word for you- excellent. The Diamond2 feels very solid and the buttons are also well made. With the hard screen completing the line up there is nothing I can pick holes in regarding build quality. It is impossible to tell at this stage if the back would scratch, but I suspect we are looking at a practical design which will live your life and not suffer cosmetically for it.

Conclusion

This is the best Windows Mobile device I have reviewed to date. It is very well built, has all of the features you could possibly need and the extra software touches lift it to a new place in the Windows Mobile world. Physical keyboard lovers may struggle to see the appeal, but for everyone else the Diamond2 is good value for money and a super stylish all-rounder which, at this moment, is just ahead of the rest.

Available from Clove for £393.30.