|
HTC Touch Diamond Review
So I've been fooling around with The HTC Diamond and here's what I think so far. It's a very handsome looking smartphone with some impressive software (WM6.1). It fits nicely in your hand unless you're a giant and it's nice and solid. Looks great with a suit. The UI is not to bad but the phone is kind of sluggish and the TouchFLO is sticky at times. Performance is much quicker once you shut off the TouchFLO with a hard reset. Then again, that's the very reason to get the phone. I think if and/or when they come out with an update it will perform very well. It has both IE and Opera installed so you get the benefit of full HTML web browsing. Most of the times I find that the Nokia Tablet is faster. Bluetooth pairing was as easy as pie and took me all of 3-5 mins. Sadly as some of you know, there is no SDHC slot but it has 4GB of internal storage. Another thing is that it is a fingerprint magnet. I find myself wiping it all the time. HTC OCD I call it. A very annoying thing is that the screen shuts off after you answer a call and if you get another call you have to power the screen up again. There is a minor hack that will remedy this though. It's 2 CD installation discs are for Windows XP which is pretty lame considering XP is on its way out unfortunately. I found it really easy to sync with my Windows Vista laptop using a Bluetooth connection so getting my Outlook Contacts and Calendar was a breeze. Windows Mobile Device Center let me drag my media into the storage. I've noticed that the back of the phone heats up quite a bit while charging but it cools off quickly after its fully charge which it seems to know. While fooling around with it the average battery life for me is about three hours of constant use. YouTube seems to load up fast and works well for me. The speakers are not the greatest and the headphones are ok. The screen is beautiful and movies look great. On a whole, I think it's a cool little phone that can be great once all the bugs are fixed updated and tweaked a bit.
Reaver..... |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
I wouldn't call WM6.1 impressive :)
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
My bad, let me rephrase that. WM6.1 is better then the WM5 smartphone I had.
Reaver..... |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Well, if WM6.1 is NOT impressive then I don't know what is.
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
I agree with Reever, WM 6.1 is a great upgrade. Also Opera 9.5 browser tops IE and Safari any day. There's a full review of the Diamond at the following address if anyone is interested. I found it to be quite comprehensive...
http://mypocketpcmobile.com/FullRevi...7/Default.aspx |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
WM 6.1 is just plain old WM, TouchFLO 3D is from HTC.
|
WinMobile is the single, huge, and sufficient reason not to buy this phone.
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Quote:
Sliced bread. Peanut Butter. House trained dogs. Pluggable Flex-fuel Hybrid cars. Pizza delivery. Dark chocolate. The list goes on. |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
I disagree.. I used the 770 for a while, and have found winmobile 6.1 to be wayyyy more user friendly and a lot easier to find apps for. Maemo is just too cumbersome to work with for most people.
I've since sold my nokia internet tablet, and use my HTC mogul phone (with full querty keyboard and wifi) all the time now. I use the skyfire and netfront browsers most of the time, GPS enabled google maps, and also have tomtom navigation software installed on the phone too. there are literally thousands of free wm apps out there, and I've loaded my phone up with everything I could possible need on it. I also run a customized ROM built by people in the htc community that adds some features and runs faster than the sprint released ROM. My phone hasn't crashed or frozen in months. something that was almost a daily occurrence with the nokia IT. I love installing apps on this thing. no repositories, no dicking around with command line apps, just click on a .cab file and it installs. The IT is a nice device, but requires a lot more patience and a time to get familiar with the workings of the OS in order to maximize its use. In the end, its still more limited than my HTC phone. I just can't understand why people seem to think maemo is better, other than their hate for M$. |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Yep, 770 can do that to you.
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
I think Nokia released an improved model a while back. I heard that it was better than the 770, didn't have as many problems, was faster, etc. Forget what it was called; anyone know?
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Wait i seem to vaguely remember it.... i think it starts with "N" !!!!
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Quote:
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Trollin'...? That should be the next official olympic sport if anything... ;)
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Well I have since flashed my HTC Diamond 3 times with 3 different ROM's and the latest one I have kicks the hell out of the original ROM. The Diamond is about 5 times more responsive. The syncing is a snap and the phone quality is the best I've had since. Still no 3G Thought I have gotter a G on my phone if that means anything but I know a new Radio ROM is yet to come. All in all it's way better now but I'd NEVER get rid of my N800. My Nokia still rock and I still get way more memory then any phone to date.
Reaver..... |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
wow how is the n770 and the htc diamond any comparison???
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
why am I still here? because I'm still interested in these types of devices, but just not the current nokia ones.
This section of the forum is called "Competitors" the last time I checked, which is about competing products to the ITs. Or am I totally wrong, and is it only for people who swing off nokia's coat tails? I had the 770, and wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. thought about the n800/n810, did lots of research on them, but was able to get something else with more functionality and usability for less money. If stating your opinion is trolling, than so be it. At least I backed up my opinion with reasons why I switched, instead of just stating "nokia sucks" like most other people do when WM is mentioned. I had the 770 for months - updated it, modded it to dual boot, and installed apps on it. It wasn't necessarily a bad device, just limited, and sometimes unstable. Even if I upgraded to a 800 or 810, I'd still be faced with many of the same limitations. plus its another device I'd have to carry around with me. With the mogul I was able get an IT, PIM, GPS, and phone all together in one smaller package that works pretty well. I wanted to like the nokia ITs, but right now, they just fall a bit short. But who knows, maybe I'll own another nokia product when its time to replace the mogul. |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
The HTC mogul looks nice, it has a comparable processor to the N8x0 and everything, but it has a tiny display, and it runs <spit!> Windows Mobile. I would say that it has "different" functionality to the tablets, not "more". And maybe I was looking in the wrong places, but it sure doesn't seem like "less money" than the tablets. It is very similarly priced to the N810, after you sign up for a multi-year contract... I wanted to like it, but it seems to fall a bit short.
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
I got the mogul for $200 with the contract. the 810 was considerably more at the time, and doesn't include the GPS function, which was extra (last time I checked anyway). I got on the sprint sero plan which includes 500 minutes + free nights and weekends + UNLIMITED text and UNLIMITED data, for $30 a month total. So, at that price, it was cheaper than my regular phone plan with ATT, so it was really a no brainer for me. I believe they just revised their qualifications for the sero plan, so its harder to get now, but they still have some pretty good "all-inclusive" type plans. Since the phone isn't limited to wifi (EVDO rev. A), I am able to use it much more often than the IT, since I didn't a data plan on my old phone.
and yes, the nokia IT's screen kicks *** and is way better than the smaller one I get on the mogul. That's one thing I do miss, but its a trade off I had to make for the extra portability of the mogul, and having everything on one device. I'm still watching the IT/MID market develop (nokia was pretty much the first in this arena), and will probably pick up some sort of mini-laptop device sometime in the future, for when I need something more PC-like for traveling. |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Quote:
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
I looked into that, but MM seemed like a glorified version of gps enabled google maps to me. I didn't see a way to look up hotels, ATMs, Gas Stations, etc. and then do turn by turn routing to them.
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Quote:
Quote:
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Quote:
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Oh boy, the thread has descended into this again! I'm new enough to this forum that I'm not bored when this happens.
Having now installed Debian on my N810, I have taken to laughing mercilessly at those who say they have more apps on their devices. My device has more apps than anyone can shake a stick at. My device has apps that aren't even meant for it running happily. (BTW: Epiphany with WebKit under Debian is faster than the built in browser by an order of magnitude. Nokia needs to look into this...) See, you WinMo people can go on all you want about it having lots of applications, but when was the last time you were able to actually put a different operating system (a desktop operating system, at that) on your WM phone? That is where the N810 really shines; it is a freely hackable device. |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
But wait, we don't have MS Word or MS Exchange compatibility, do we?
We do? What's this "OpenOffice"? And isn't Evolution just a theory? ;) |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
I understand the 8xx devices are better than the 770, but in the end, they are still more expensive and more limited than what I paid for the mogul + phone plan.
I'm glad your happy with debian. I have no need for another OS on my phone, since I can get every application I'd ever need on winmo. And I don't want to learn debian, I just want to use the device. I'm not in the IT or computer industry, and I don't have time or care to learn another OS just to get an IT to work better. I understand its great for you, but there are lots of people who don't want to bother with all of the workarounds to get things to work on the IT. I already get everything I need without work arounds - syncing with outlook, MS Office apps, GPS, Phone, camera and video, and a wide array of browsers and apps I can easily install without changing the OS or looking for a repository. Things like seeing youtube or break.com videos stream properly in the browser on the actual website (not the mobile version) was something I could never do with the IT. using the same navigation software that comes on Garmin, TomTom, and I-Go is very nice, and not having to do anything to get it to sync with my calendar, email, etc is also very welcome. And its also my cell phone. And, I don't need to be in a wifi hotspot to go online, I can do that just about anywhere in the world. Even when I was in the Mexican Riviera this summer, I got high speed EVDO service! I understand the nokia is a better device for you, as you have obviously figured out all the work-arounds and OS hacking you need to do to make it work better. That's great. The last six months I've spent with the mogul has completely convinced me that it is a much much better device for me. Ease of use, stability, and availability of applications were all much higher than what I experienced with the 770. and I didn't have to "hack" the OS on my phone to get it. |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Quote:
A full price (unsubsidized) Mogul costs quite a bit. And you didn't pay less for it. You're paying less for it _up_front_. But some of your cell phone bill is subsidizing that up-front cost (yes, even on SERO). The idea that you paid less for your Mogul than I paid for my N810 is nothing short of naive. You paid less up front. I paid less in total. But, that set of factual rebuttal out of the way, Nokia (and the anti-radio faction of IT fans) do need to take notice of a simple fact: Perception is often more important than the facts behind those perceptions. And what's relevant in this thread is that Mike-y is representing that horde of ignorant customers who only pay attention to the up-front cost. Nokia would get better tablet sales, due to better _PERCEIVED_ pricing, if they were subsidized by _someone_. And one of the easiest/best sources of that subsidy is: cell phone carriers. Which means: you have to put a cellular/mobile radio into the device, and get a carrier to distribute it. (and WiMAX doesn't count _right_now_ ... sure, in 3-5 years, when the infrastructure is built out, when it has a big enough customer base for Xohm to be offering subsidized devices, then WiMAX will count; the only things that count right now are: CDMA, EVDO, GSM, and UMTS ... though, I suppose you could count wifi _IF_ you could get one of those "use any wifi hotspot" brokers to carry a NIT under a subsidized deal) |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
you seem to forget that I had been paying for a cell phone ANYWAY. sprints plan was LESS than my current cellphone plan and it gives me online access just about everywhere, not just wifi hotspots. So the mogul actually SAVES me money in the long term - to the tune of roughly $11 a month over my previous cell phone plan.
so the lower upfront cost is still valid, because I (and most other people) already had a monthly expense for a cell phone. I just managed to decrease that expense, and use it to expand the functionality of my device. and I like how qole thinks I'm a troll because I disagree with him. I guess if you are not part of the unanimous agreement that the IT is the best device regardless, you are a troll. Closed minds hamper progress. if anything, I hope the people at nokia are more open to other's opinions and can use that criticism to make a better device. If I am a troll, the qole is like the religious nutjob standing in the back of his pickup truck at the local supermarket so convinced in his belief that he completely blocks out any other alternative view, regardless of its merit or purpose. the IT serves a good purpose, I just think it needs to be better in some areas to to be a great device and a better competitor, and boost sales. |
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
Ahem. Anyway, thank you for your interesting review of the HTC Touch Diamond, Reaver.
|
Re: HTC Touch Diamond Review
see, we CAN agree on something! :-P
Nice review Reaver. make sure to check out the forums on www.xda-developers.com for all your htc modding and "hacking" needs. |
| All times are GMT. The time now is 17:56. |
vBulletin® Version 3.8.8