Monthly Archives: April 2009

The Diamond2 started positively in my eyes, and now it is time to look deeper and see what it can really do. I mentioned yesterday that this smartphone attempts to hide the raw Windows Mobile interface more than most, but it appears that extreme measures have been taken to make sure that anyone unfamiliar with Windows Mobile will not accidentally find their way into the naked system. After quite a long time I found the way to reach the normal settings and subsequently to bring back the original OS interface. I did this to test the phone with TouchFLO 3D on and off and not because it is better without it. HTC has done a particularly good job here and it is unlikely than many of you will want to go back to the basic WM interface, although there are some caveats to that statement.

TouchFLO 3D

Let’s face it. TouchFLO has been a disaster in the past as it desperately struggled to move itself on underpowered hardware and in the end became nothing more than a distraction which affected the way the device ran. It is very different this time though and the Diamond2 handles it with ease. From the moment you start up the phone you realise that TouchFLO is all encompassing here and that HTC had provided layer after layer of TouchFLO goodness to play with. The standard set up includes the tabs at the bottom, but the difference here lies in the fact that even adding new calendar entries and viewing the calendar is done wholly within TouchFLO. Click the contacts tab and a gesture based list is show, but there is an ‘All People’ option at the bottom. Tap this and you are presented with HTC’s contacts list, not the standard Windows Mobile setup. When you tap a contact, ALL of your communications with that person are displayed; phone calls, text messages, emails etc. are presented and this sounds rather similar to an upcoming device from Palm to me. No matter how it was born, it is a fantastic inclusion and one that is extremely useful and personalised. SMS and email messages are also presented within TouchFLO and gone are the days of silly little envelopes which look good, but which ultimately make messages difficult to read. We now have silly larger envelopes which show a little more information. For emails, tapping the ‘Inbox’ option at the bottom will bring up the standard WM messaging application which is a shame because everything else looks great in TouchFLO.

I eventually found out how to disable TouchFLO which is to choose the ‘All Settings’ option in settings at which point you are presented with the standard WM settings options. Unticking TouchFLO in the Today settings brings back the rather bland WM Today screen and now we can delve a little deeper. It appears that TouchFLO 3D uses almost 17MB of program memory when activated which is a lot, but it does not appear to harm the physical performance of the device. I would argue that it makes navigation much quicker because of the way it is designed. Of slight concern is the relatively low program memory available which ranged from 80MB to 97MB which no applications running- this is not too bad and it will cope with most activities, but it would be nice to see more in a device that is so complete in other areas.

As I stated earlier, HTC has done everything in its power to mask Windows Mobile and largely succeeded in bringing a complete new interface to this market which does not look disjointed after a couple of stylus taps. All of a sudden Windows Mobile is feeling like a completely different system to me, and one which I like a hell of a lot more on the Diamond2.

Internet

The default browser in the Diamond2 is Opera and this works extremely well with the new zoom gadget below the screen. Simply swipe your finger to zoom in and out and then navigate in a similar way to the iPhone. It takes some getting used to, but once you jump the hurdle it soon becomes a mobile internet experience which is actually enjoyable- a rarity in my experience. The standard Internet Explorer application is of course present, but using it would be like playing a computer game on a Commodore 64 after a session on an Xbox 260.

A YouTube application is also included, and listed below the browser in TouchFLO, and this is one of the best I have seen to date. It is extremely easy to use and plays back videos effortlessly. It may not have the absolute ease of use of the iPhone application, but it is 90% of the way there.

Software Extras

There is not too much in terms of software extras here, but some are worthy of mention. An FM Radio is included which works about as well as most other smartphone FM radios i.e. not to good indoors. JBlend is here to run java applications, RSS hub is a basic RSS news gatherer and MyMobiler is also present which lets you interact with the Diamond2 from your desktop. MyMobiler has many advantages and is well worth checking out if you sit at a desk all day for work. Teeter is the only non-standard game included and it is great fun with full G-sensor support. It would be nice to see more games and extra software included as a means to encourage new users to download and purchase third party software. App stores will not do it on their own.

Tomorrow I will be looking at the hardware features of the Diamond2 such as GPS, the camera, connectivity and all of the other features which have been squeezed into the Diamond2’s small frame.

Available from Clove for £393.30.

All images have been reduced in size from the standard 480×800 pixel resolution.

The original HTC Touch Diamond was a breakthrough unit and one of the first Windows Mobile devices to put design near the top of the feature list. It had its problems though such as only 4GB of internal memory with no memory card slot provided, relatively poor battery life and a sluggish interface derived from the newly formed TouchFLO 3D. However, none of this stopped it from selling extremely well and it heralded a change of direction for HTC who has considered design very seriously in every device since.

The Touch Diamond2 answers the problems mentioned above and now includes a microSD expansion slot, a larger 1100mAh battery (was previously 900mAh) and feels a lot faster out of the blocks. On top of this there is now a 5MP auto-focus camera and a slightly larger screen at 3.2 inches. It is slightly heavier than the original Diamond, by a mere 7.5 grams and slightly larger in every respect, but it would be insane to suggest that it is a large smartphone.

In The Box

In the box you get the HTC Touch Diamond 2, Battery 3.7VDC 1100mAh, USB Cable, Additional Stylus, AC Adapter (UK), Screen Protector, Quick Start Guide, Getting Started CD and a User Manual CD. It is all as expected and is all made as well as the Diamond itself. The screen protector is just about worth having, but the days of cradles and good cases as standard seem to be long gone. This is understandable because price is more important than ever before and the extras never sell a smartphone.

First Impressions

The design is extremely smart and pulls off the trick of being suitable for the consumer and the business person at the same time. From the front the metal look surround adds a touch of expense to the overall look and despite the dominating 3.2 inch screen, the surround and the buttons are what catch the eye.

The back is black plastic which is a slight disappointment, but gone is the silly angled design we saw in the previous Diamond.  It still looks quite cool and most people will prefer this to the blandness of many devices from the back so I guess I should not be complaining too much. As far as the buttons are concerned they are tiny and you would expect problems when trying to use them, but they are strangely exceptionally easy to use and I have not missed anything yet. On top you have the on/off key, the left has side has the volume key and the right side has nothing. Below the screen is a very slim row of 4 buttons; call end/start, back and Windows which are the bare minimum in my opinion. Above these buttons is a strip with two magnifying glasses both ends and a row of lines in the middle. This is the new zoom function which I will discuss in more detail in part two. There is no dedicated camera button and the headphone jack is shared with the sync and charge port which is a shame. Accessories are available to get around this, but the Diamond2 lends itself to entertainment and a 3.5mm jack should not be too much to ask.

When you first fire up the Diamind2 the speed at which Touch Flo works is in complete contrast to what was seen with the original Diamond. It all powers along at a nice pace and the interface has been taken to a new level in its attempts to hide Windows Mobile. I spent a good deal of time trying to find the standard calendar view and am still trying:) Touch Flo dominates the entire space and this is now a huge advantage because it all works so well. The screen does require firm swipes to make the most of the touch interface, but once you get over the natural tendency to be gentle with a new expensive phone; this will help you to really enjoy what is in here.

In the next part, on Monday, I will be looking deeper into the core functions and hope to continue what has been a very positive start.

Available from Clove for £393.30.