(Click for larger view of Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2)As their names imply, HTC's new TouchDiamond2 and Touch Pro2 are replacements for the company's previous flagship Windows phones, the
Touch Diamond and
Touch Pro. This means they have some big shoes to fill: After its May 2008 introduction, the Touch Diamond sold
more than a million copies in just four months, according to Microsoft.
Compared to their predecessors, the TouchDiamond2 and Touch Pro2 retain the same core
Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system -- a "free upgrade" to
Windows Mobile 6.5 will come later, HTC says -- and 528MHz Qualcomm processors, though, as we'll detail below, there have been some incremental hardware improvements. Additionally, HTC appears to have made significant improvements to its homegrown software stack,
TouchFLO 3D.
TouchFLO 3D improvementsTouchFlo 3D was previously touted as offering finger-friendly access to contacts, messages, photos, music, and weather, and bundled with a customized version of the
Opera Mobile 9.5 web browser. According to some reviewers, however, TouchFlo could be sluggish, while the improvements to Windows Mobile were not much more than skin-deep.
HTC says that on its new phones, TouchFLO 3D is "more deeply integrated, delivering more consistency throughout Windows Mobile applications and menus." A "people-centric communication" feature is billed as enhancing a phone's address book application with a unified view of all the e-mails, text messages, or phone calls sent to a particular person. Meanwhile, a "straight talk" feature lets users "transition seamlessly from email to single- or multi-party conference calls," according to the company.
The Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 also include "push Internet" technology, through which websites can be downloaded to the device in advance at pre-selected intervals. HTC touted the feature as providing "immediate" access to favorite sites, but didn't state how much of a phone's storage can be dedicated to it.
Touch Diamond2Like its popular predecessor, HTC's Touch Diamond2 is a touchscreen device featuring a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and an FM radio. This time out, however, the device's screen has grown to 3.2 inches and, similar to the vendor's
Touch HD, now sports WVGA (800 x 480) resolution.
HTC's Touch Diamond2 offers "people-centric communication
(Click to enlarge)According to HTC, there's also a "touch-sensitive zoom bar," touted as offering faster zooming of web pages, e-mails, photos, and other content. The Touch Diamond2 includes a five megapixel main camera with autofocus, plus a secondary VGA-resolution camera for videoconferencing, the company says.
Compared to the Touch Diamond, the Diamond2 offers "50 percent better battery life," HTC claims. The device's 1100mAh battery pack is said to offer up to 340 minutes of talk time, and 500 hours of standby.
Like most other recent smartphones, the Diamond2 has an accelerometer designed to change the orientation of web pages when the device is turned sideways. Also cited by HTC is an ambient light sensor, apparently intended for automatic adjustment of screen brightness.
Features and specifications listed by HTC for the Touch Diamond2 include:
- Processor -- Qualcomm MDM7200A clocked at 528MHz
- Memory -- 288MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage
- Display -- 3.2-inch screen with WVGA resolution (800 x 480 pixels)
- Cameras -- 5 megapixel main camera, and VGA-resolution secondary camera
- Wireless:
- WAN -- Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 900/1200MHz HSDPA
- LAN -- 802.11b/g wireless
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS
- FM radio
- Other I/O:
- HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB connector, also providing headphone output)
- Expansion -- microSD slot
- Battery type/life:
- 1150mAh lithium-ion battery
- Talk time -- up to 340 minutes for GSM, 300 minutes for WCDMA
- Standby time -- up to 360 hours for GSM, 500 hours for WCDMA
- Dimensions -- 4.25 x 2.09 x 0.54 inches (108 x 53.1 x 13.7mm)
- Weight -- 4.15 ounces (111.5g)
Touch Pro2HTC's Touch Pro2 includes most of the same hardware as the Touch Diamond2, but its WVGA screen is 3.6 inches, while its main camera offers 3.2 megapixel resolution. The device includes a QWERTY keyboard that slides out at an angle, making the phone resemble a miniature laptop computer.
HTC Touch Pro2
(Click to enlarge)Compared to the Touch Diamond2, the Touch Pro2 has a larger, 1500mAh battery. As a result, claimed battery life increases to as long as 419 minutes, though at 454 hours, standby times lag behind the Touch Diamond2's.
Features and specifications listed by HTC for the Touch Pro2 include:
- Processor -- Qualcomm MDM7200A clocked at 528MHz
- Memory -- 288MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage
- Display -- 3.6-inch screen with WVGA resolution (800 x 480 pixels)
- Cameras -- 3.2 megapixel main camera, and VGA-resolution secondary camera
- Wireless:
- WAN -- Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 900/1200MHz HSDPA
- LAN -- 802.11b/g wireless
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS
- FM radio
- Other I/O:
- HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB connector, also providing headphone output)
- Expansion -- microSD slot
- Battery type/life:
- 1500mAh lithium-ion battery
- Talk time -- up to 419 minutes for GSM, 270 minutes for WCDMA
- Standby time -- up to 348 hours for GSM, 454 hours for WCDMA
- Dimensions -- 4.57 x 2.33 x 0.68 inches (116 x 59.2 x 17.25mm)
- Weight -- 6.17 ounces (175.5g)
Further informationHTC says the Touch Diamond2 will be available to customers across major European and Asian markets in early Q2 2009, with broader global availability coming later in the year. The Touch Pro2 will be available across major global markets beginning in early summer, the company adds. Pricing was not addressed.
For a story on Microsoft CEO's Mobile World Congress (MWC) address, accompanied by a slideshow picturing HTC's Touch Diamond2 and other "must-have" smartphones, see our sister site
eWEEK.com,
here.
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