AfterDawn: News

HTC announces Microsoft powered iPhone rival

High Tech Computer announced today that they have developed what they feel is a rival to the Apple iPhone. Dubbed the HTC Touch Diamond, its a smartphone running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional affixed with a touchscreen for one-handed operation. This new smartphone is being touted as HTC's next-generation of the last model which sold upwards of 3 million units in just 10 months after its launch. The new Touch Diamond beats Apple in new technology by upgrading the phone to 3G prior to Apple being able to do so for the iPhone.

Last year, the HTC Touch, the first touchscreen smartphone, launched one month ahead of Apple's iPhone. This phone is expected to hit Europe, Asia and the Middle East in June and North and South America by the second half of the year. Apple has only just announced its plans for 3G within the iPhone.



The HTC Touch Diamond works on WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) networks and boasts data rates up to 7.2M bits per second due to a chipset from Qualcomm. HTC's focus on improving touch-screen technology on the Touch Diamond's 2.8-inch, 640 pixel by 480 pixel display shows it could be serious competition for the iPhone. HTC went back to the drawing board and revamped its TouchFlo software to give a 3D effect to screen images. Users will be able to access photos, music, messages, e-mail and more on the touch screen. HTC also upgraded the Web browser, which is built on an engine from Opera Software. The browser fits the screen, and users can zoom and pan Web sites with one hand. Turn the device sideways, and the view automatically rotates as well. The Touch Diamond includes customized applications for watching YouTube videos and using Google Maps for map and traffic data. The handset has a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. The 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus allows video-calling.

The phone's only downfall to the iPhone is its microscopic flash storage. Weighing in at a scant 4Gb, the Touch Diamond comes in far behind the 8Gb and 16Gb offerings from Apple. No price has been announced for the phone as of yet.


Written by: Dave Horvath @ 6 May 2008 13:44

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• 14 comments

• JasonSco

  Still won't beat iPhone. I'm gonna stick with it.

  6.5.2008 14:11 #1

• iluvendo

  "Now for my plans on world domination" as heard from the lips of Billy Gates

  6.5.2008 14:28 #2

• chaos_zzz

  no mather how cool it is, apple fans are close minded

  6.5.2008 14:31 #3

• killaklan

  htc wont make anything better than the iphone, atleast not with the window mobile platform, its too slow and lags horribly
  
  in the future, a linux mobile os might be able to rival the iphone but all of the current ones (access linux, openmoko, android) are all in development...check out some videos they really look promising

  6.5.2008 14:54 #4

• mperagine

  Agreed, my palm has windows mobile on it, and it is just downright pathetic. By far the worst phone/pda I've had. The OS lags, and half the features don't work. I have had it replaced three times, and each time something else on it doesn't work right in the OS. Complete trash. If the iPhone hadn't been so expensive when I bought this I'd have just gotten one, but hindsight is always 20/20 and the extra $200 would have been worth the aggravation this POS has given me. It will be the last thing with windows on it I ever purchase.

  6.5.2008 15:01 #5

• jetyi83

  Originally posted by chaos_zzz: no mather how cool it is, apple fans are close mindedno matter how lame it is, ill still like it better.
  
  because apple haters are also close minded

  6.5.2008 16:45 #6

• cart0181

  I'm going to give this phone the benefit of the doubt. Just because some previous implementations of the Windows Mobile OS have left something to be desired in terms of performance, doesn't mean this device will do the same. Overall, I'm quite happy with my PPC-6700 which runs a 400MHz processor, but this new Diamond has a 528MHz processor and appears to have a separate chip to handle the fancy 3D graphics. I'm thinking this thing won't lag guys, but time will tell. This phone finally has everything I want in a phone except for Consumer InfraRed. The previous HTC Touch lacked a stand-alone GPS chip and the CDMA (Sprint) version also lacked Wi-Fi, which was a real deal-killer for me. I can only hope I will get the chance to be able to use it after T-mobile acquires Sprint (if it happens).
  Now if you want to compare it to the iPhone, I'll admit the iPhone has it's advantages (storage space), especially the new 3G iPhone, but some folks just want to run Windows. There is just plain more 3rd party software for Windows, but I know the iPhone is getting better on that since the SDK was released. Also, I'd prefer a true stand-alone GPS unit to the iPhone's pseudo-GPS. According to the HTC website, the Diamond comes pre-loaded with 3rd party GPS software. Does anyone know what software this is? Tom-Tom perhaps?

  6.5.2008 17:51 #7

• Bladerz05

  Originally posted by chaos_zzz: no mather how cool it is, apple fans are close minded
  true dat, but the same can be said for any fanboy club

  6.5.2008 18:39 #8

• viny1313

  Where's the key pad?
  
  Come on :(
  
  Oh well, N810 it is :)

  6.5.2008 19:39 #9

• bobiroc

  I like the iPhone and I have an iTouch which is similar but without the phone features. I think the main thing the iPhone/iTocuch lacks is a SD Memory slot. If it had that it would be a much better product.
  
  If this HTC touch has 4GB built in I hope it has a SD memory slot that can handle large Memory cards. Those are consistantly coming down in price and it is affordable to get a 16GB one these days.

  6.5.2008 21:06 #10

• plazma247

  2 Be honest this is really htc Third go at the iphone, with the htc touch being first, and then the Touch Dual being the second.
  
  However HTC do a phone which i belive is better... the tytn II
  
  Which gives you:
  
  400mhz arm cpu
  128mb ram, total of 256 with 128 being reserved for system memory
  SDHC Slot, ive got 8gb in mine.
  3G, GPRS, Wap
  WIFI
  GPS (very good and quick gps, tomtom rocks)
  Built in Stereo Jack
  Full Touch Screen
  Tilt Screen, great for watching things and typing
  Full QWERTY Keyboard
  3 megapixel front camera and qvga front sensor for video calls
  
  Battery is easily changed and are around £10/$20 on ebay, which is not the case with the iphone.
  
  Ok theres not 3d chip, however as people have demonstrated time and again with pocketcm and many other iphone knock offs you dont need to.
  
  The only thing that the iphone has that the TYTN II doesnt is a copy of opera that allows you to play flash 8/9 videos like youtube. This is mainly because of the doggy anti competitive agreement on apples part with opera and adobe to greatly delay the roll out of flash lite 3 to the ppc market.
  
  It can be hacked to do it with things like tcpmp.. but still it would be nice to see flash lite 3 out in the wild.
  
  Just going back to the plus's ok it might be windows, but the WM platform has been around for years and the shear number of applications is some where between astonishing to impressive and im not saying with time the iphone platform will see apple with far more user / 3rd party applications. However im still yet to come up with an idea that ive not been able to find an application on the WM platform that filled my requirments.
  
  There are many things that i can list that the iphone V1 is drastically lacking, but presonally i feel that its all down 2:
  
  If your the sort of person that its important for you to look good, or an apple fan boy and possibly the sort of person thats far more conserned for astheics the iphones for you.
  
  However if its super flexibility in the field and a solid business platform and your the sort of more impressed with what it does and what it can do for you, your probably going to be happier with a WM device of some flavour.
  
  LOL the apple adverts:
  
  How long have you gone with out a phone with this in your pocket...
  
  Well the answer Apple is forever and thats how its probably going to stay and the people who I know that fell for the advertising and put that phone in their pocket have all take it back out again and flogged it on in favour of going back to a WM device which wasnt as flashing but gave them the flexibility and functionality they demanded.
  
  Just my two pennys worth...
  
  and cart0181, i much doubt its tomtom, however tomtom will load instead of their software. no problems. All of the WM devices can run tomtom assuming that in those that are lacking you use external GPS where internal is not present. Assuming that use the same GPS device as in the TYTN II it will have quick GPS so if you turn it back on in the same place you turned it off lock on is VERY VERY QUICK, its still pretty quick even if you havnt but quick gps is pretty good normally its like 2 - 10 seconds for full lock on.
  
  PS I read some place a while back the next gen are of htc phones are going to have possibly 1GHz or just under and possibly will have a new generation of CPU that has integrated 3D instead of a hybrid system running ARM with a 3D chip alongside like i belive the diamond will be.
  
  HTC made a proof of concept phone that was half way between micro tablet pc and phone and ran vista last year.. but the size was to big for it to seriously be used as a phone if you were not going to always use a headset or handsfree, however the future is not far away..... i can almost touch it...
  
  To be honest its a miricle of the modern world that ARM has been around for so long.. but newer chip manufacuring techniquies are going to mean that x86 can now be driven at lower enough power levels to take it to onto a phone platform.. however over the next couple of years chip are battery developments should see very many more devices that have pretty 3d and more visually immersive interfaces.
  
  And lastly im pretty sure that when the first projector phones appear on the market everyones going to forget about the iphone quick than you can say... how long have you gone without a phone like this in your pocket and they all get brain washed again... hehe
  
  I guess as an after though when it comes to battery technology that we havnt seen more devices that have a kenteic charging assistance to help to keep the battery alive and the phone last a little longer between charges... its not like i want to have to wank my phone every time i make a call, but it would be nice to make some use of all that imparted and unused kentic energy the phone gets as it gets jostled around in the car, pocket and on calls etc.
  
  Or would that mean that we would all use less electricity....., sorry power companies .. giving bad ideas to people again, my bad!
  
  But maybe I should just keep on dreaming about electric cars which use renewable energy lol ....

  10.5.2008 12:50 #11

• blueroad

  apple sucks though...i mean it has the exporting capabilities with posts all over the world..but to wait so long to release the phone outside the US and a few restricted places..and even now to only like 4 more countries..i mean eventually this phone WILL go world-wide..they may be giving some exclusives to the some phone companies but they knows that they themselves can make much more profit by releasing it worldwide...darn b****es...

  11.5.2008 08:22 #12

• PrinceFX

  da storage part is not true... just with a driver upgrade anyone using wm6 can allow micresd hc cards to run on their device which can reach as much as 32gb

  25.7.2008 11:13 #13

• plazma247

  http://www.pocketpcmag.com/cms/blogs/3/w...compliance_repo
  
  just to confirm the upgrade is possible :)
  
  Anyone intrested should probably head over to xda developers to look for help on flashing roms and places to download them ;)

  25.7.2008 15:36 #14