| HTC flagships enter U.S. waters |
Sep. 10, 2008
 HTC's premier Windows Mobile phones now have a U.S. carrier, thanks to an announcement today by Sprint. The Touch Diamond and Touch Pro include HTC's TouchFlo 3D user interface, 2.8-inch displays with VGA resolution, 3.2 megapixel cameras, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and EV-DO Rev. A connectivity.
(Click here for a larger view of Sprint's HTC Touch Diamond)
HTC's Touch Diamond and Touch Pro were announced in May and June, respectively, in unlocked versions that included three-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, plus 900/1200MHz HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access). In their Sprint versions, the phones instead feature dual-band (800/1900 MHz) CDMA and support the carrier's EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) Rev. A data network. Data may be downloaded at up to 3.1 Mbps and uploaded at up to 1.8MBps, claims Sprint.
Sprint's Touch Diamond
HTC's Touch Diamond
(Click image for further information) |
Sprint has made a couple of other changes to the Touch Diamond (pictured above in its Sprint version, and at the right in its original version). And, whether to make room for the different radio module and antenna, or for a larger 1340mAH battery claimed good for 4.2 hours of talk time, the Sprint version has grown thicker by a tenth of an inch and heavier by a fifth of an ounce.
The carrier has also linked the device's GPS capabilities into its own Sprint Navigation service, and added Dataviz's Documents To Go, a mobile office software suite that was recently enhanced for touchscreen devices. The phone also includes the Opera Mobile 9.5 web browser. The browser is said to allow zooming in and out of web pages by touching the Touch Diamond's screen or using its scroll wheel. In addition, a gravity sensor automatically rotates the screen from portrait to landscape modes when required, according to Sprint.
As before, the Diamond includes a Qualcomm MSM7201A processor clocked at 528MHz, 192MB of RAM, and 4GB of flash storage. In addition to GPS, its wireless interfaces include an FM radio receiver, Bluetooth 2.0, and 802.11b/g local area networking.
The Touch Diamond device has a 2.8-inch touchscreen with VGA (640 x 480) resolution. It includes a 3.2 megapixel main camera with auto-focus. A secondary camera, intended for videoconferencing, provides VGA resolution.
Features and specifications listed by Sprint for its version of the Touch Diamond include:- Processor -- Qualcomm MDM7201A clocked at 528MHz
- Memory -- 192MB of RAM and 4GB of flash storage
- Display -- 2.8-inch screen with VGA resolution
- Cameras -- 3.2 megapixel main camera, and VGA-resolution secondary camera
- Wireless:
WAN -- Dual-band (800/1900 MHz) CDMA with EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) Rev. A support
- LAN -- 802.11b/g wireless
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS
- FM radio
- Other I/O -- HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
- Battery type/life:
- 1340 mAh lithium-ion battery
- Talk time up to 4.2 hours
- Dimensions -- 4 x 2 x 0.6 inches
- Weight -- 4.1 ounces
Sprint's Touch Pro
 The Touch Pro (right) is essentially the same device as the Touch Diamond, but adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Apart from the slightly greater thickness that results, the only other differences are a TV output and a microSD expansion slot, both lacking on the Touch Diamond.
Since the Touch Pro already came with a 1340mAh battery, Sprint didn't need to make changes in that department. But of course, this phone, too, switches from three-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE to dual-band (800/1900 MHz) CDMA connectivity.
Features and specifications listed by Sprint for its version of the Touch Pro include:- Processor -- Qualcomm MDM7201A clocked at 528MHz
- Memory -- 288MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage
- Display -- 2.8-inch screen with VGA resolution
- Keyboard -- slide-out QWERTY keyboard
- Cameras -- 3.2 megapixel main camera, and VGA-resolution secondary camera
- Wireless:
- WAN -- Dual-band (800/1900 MHz) CDMA with EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) Rev. A support
- LAN -- 802.11b/g wireless
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS
- FM radio
- Other I/O -- HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB connector also provides access to audio and video output)
- Expansion -- microSD slot
- Battery type -- 1340 mAh lithium-ion battery
- Dimensions -- 4 x 2 x 0.7 inches (102 x 51 x 18mm)
- Weight -- 5.8 ounces (165g)
Further information
Sprint says its version of the HTC Touch Diamond will be available later this month. It will cost $249.99 with a two-year contract, after a $100 mail-in rebate. The HTC Touch Pro will be available Oct. 19 for $50 more, the carrier adds.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal has published a review of Sprint's Touch Diamond in its "Mossberg Solution" column. According to reviewer Katherine Boehret, the device is "packed with features" and plays YouTube video well, but "doesn't hide the outdated [Windows Mobile] operating system well enough or often enough for a user to want to buy a whole new mobile device." To read her review, see the newspaper's website, here.
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