HTC Touch Diamond

I just 'had to have' the shiny new diamond and impatiently ordered it from an overseas buyer. Sadly, all that glitter is just good for one thing- making non-diamond owners envious! The touch screen was unresponsive and always at the most critical moment. Could not answer incoming calls as when I took phone out of the case as soon as i touched the screen the call dropped or went to voicemail. Maybe user error, but I was not amused and my boss was definately not impressed. Also sound was inferior, both on receiving calls and playing music. Fingerprint magnet? I'm not even a fastidious person and the constant smudging was getting to me. Beautiful to look at, just dont touch it. Battery life also was disappointing. I can get 12-14 hours of use with my Ipaq and barely got 6 from the Diamond.

I have always used the HP ipaq messenger series for my work phone, and the diamond was a miserable replacement for my dying hw6945. After 3 weeks on the road with it I finally bundled it back into its box and resold it. I purchased the Ipaq 910c business messenger. For my needs, this is the real workhorse. I have windows mobile 6.1, gps, full internet, and touch screen that works. I mainly use a stylus as I take a lot of notes on the run, and the Ipaq is extremely reliable for me.

Hi

i want to upgrade my HTC Touch Diamond.
please help me. i do not know how. Please teach me step by step.
here's my device information:

ROM version: 1.37.707.1 WWE
ROM date: 06/10/08
Radio Version: 1.00.25.03
Protocol version: 52.26a.25.09H

Thank you very much.

just got it a few days ago

I have a htc diamond for 3 days. It is very nice BUT;
Sending SMS is horrible. Can somebody give URL to download a classic software able to write email.
So navigation is very very slow, how to boost it ?
Really desapointed to change my Iphone for Htc diamond !!! nicer but....

it is now the fllagship model, of course they are going to add US 3g on it. in the old document chart they showed the touch being replaced with the diamond and the touch pro replaces the "tilt" tytnII

According to GSM Arena the America's version of the Diamond will not only have Quad band GSM, but also Dual band HSDPA for AT&T 3G coverage:

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_touch_diamond-2368.php

Yep, it's true. Looks like HTC finally threw in the towel. You can find full details and a link for the download here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2439494

Good news for North American early-adopters.

Quad band is nice but don't count on US 3G.

I read on Yahoo news today that HTC released an update that makes it Quad Band with the 850. This is huge news can anyone confirm this,its a brand new news report. If anyone knows if this is true or false please post cuz if its Quad Band I WANT ONE!!!!

jehlinger,

Thats cool! I was afraid what was being reported was that the Diamond was indicating a 850MHz connection without there actually being one; we've seen that before! There was only one Faraday cage test post in the XDA thread, which though positive, was a little suspicious. Looks like current NA Diamond owners have some positive news going into the weekend!

I'm currently using the upgraded quad-band radio. It works on AT&T EDGE 850mhz band. I have no degradation in GPS performance, in fact if anything it gets a fix much quicker with this radio (1.00.25.5). Together with the current cooked ROMs available on XDA, the response is much better no lag at all, and battery life is also improved.

Well, for all of you that still cares, there's a very active thread going on over at XDA Developers about hacked firmware that gives the Diamond quad-band capability, though not 3G capability. There's lots of cross claims going on at the moment beyond the 850MHz promise: that the upgrade kills GPS, doubles battery life, etc., so it's hard to tell what's fact and what's fiction.

As I said before, there's fundamentally no difference between the chip sets in the 900MHz and 850MHz Diamonds. HTC can make the phone one or the other, or quad band for that matter, simply by how it hooks the chip set to the antenna multiplexer. Or, as the geeks at XDA might have discovered, HTC could have made the phone quad-band in hardware all along and crippled it in firmware. If true, good for XDA and all current sate-side Diamond owners, bad for HTC.

If I was Sprint or any other U.S. carrier right now considering carrying the Diamond, either GSM or CDMA, this would give me pause.

Jennifer, did you pay for the Diamond with a credit card? If so, I reccommend calling your CC issuer and asking for their help with a merchant dispute. Many cards have useful perks such as return protection, which allows you to return an item to Visa/Mastercard/Amex/etc and allow them to argue with the merchant. Even if your card doesn't have a feature like that, you might be able to dispute the charge on the basis that the phone is not compatible with US carriers, so it was deceptive of the store to sell it to you for that purpose.

I purchased Touch Diamond day before yesterday. I have some doubts. Please help.

1) I want to add personal folders and transfer sms to that folder. When I go to Menu>Tools, the "Manage Folder" option is not highligted and hence I am not able to add a personal folder. How do I solve this problem?

2) Is there way to display the messages in the In Box not as threads but in the conventional way where you see only the messages you have received? Also when we go to the 'Thread', I don't get dates in that, I get only time. Is there a way to solve this?

3) Is there a way to send bulk message? What I mean is to go to contacts, select the names of people to whom you want to send the message, type out the message and send to ALL of them, instead of selecting and adding the names one by one.

4) When I go to settings>Today>Items and select items by checking them and click ok, these items get de-selected. Don't know how to solve this.

Please some one help me. I love this phone and want to continue using it. But these problems.......

update from me i called them when they opened and the person working said they had none left at the store ....and more on the way....again i asked him if he was sure its a quadband us 3g phone and he said yes....my personal feeling is that he doesnt know what hes talking about but ill try again monday

martyotaku:

I checked the site last night; interesting, but it still lists the Diamond as tri-band with no 850MHz band. With HTC pushing the CDMA version stateside soon, I wonder if will ever see a 850MHz unit here.

All:

GSMArena just published the mother of all Diamond reviews in their Diamond vs. i900 smackdown:

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_touch_diamond_vs_samsung_i900_omnia-review-262p1.php

Real benchmarks galore! The Diamond they used was outfitted with the latest Asian firmware release from HTC. I won't tell you their conclusions about this latest firmware but I'm beginning to think the lag may not be due to software but may be endemic to the resistive technology used in HTC touch screens.

The one thing I didn't like about the GSMArena artical was that they bagged it at the end by not declaring a winner. Maybe Mobility today could do better...

(P.S. No knockout, but I thought the i900 was the winner on points.)

exoticphone.com says they have the quadband version in stock......i emailed and phoned them a couple times just to make sure its not the triband version but they keep saying its quadband...they r located in nyc and i am headed to them to tomorrow to find out for sure...just a heads up

I guess they keep increasing that File/Glyphe Cache! :)

Just saw on another news site that there is a new offical release rom for the Diamond available for download on the HTC-Club section of HTC's website. Also found the following link to the rom if you can't get it from HTC's website.

As per HTC's website, updates in this rom include:

Connection Wizard
EnlargeStartMenu
TouchFlo 3D
Volume Control
XT9
YouTube
Other minor tweaks

eventually there will be a release of the Diamond but it will be in the form of the Touch Pro which is the same as the Diamond with a added slide out keyboard. The Diamond was a device to see what the consumers liked and disliked about and they plan to address these things in the new ROM's and in the Touch Pro.

Jennifer,

Tweaks2k is a "interface" that allows people who aren't familiar with changing the registry to do so without actually touching it. When you make a change in Tweaks, it makes the appropriate registry change for you. That is why 95% of the time after a change is made, when you quit Tweaks, it asks to do a soft reset.

Here is a listing of Diamond tweaks that involved registry hacks and some using a free app called Advanced Config (found on XDA).

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=398265

Hello,
Well, I breifly looked at the supposed Diamond USA for Comp USA on the Engadget site. It pretty much looked like a buncy of hype and ultamately a letdown and disappointment. My question is, is a US ver of the Diamond actually going to be released? Also, I want to know will we ever be able to get 3G on these pieces of crap that we have? That is a big let down if we won't. As you probabally know that means no video calling (when it finally is on a larger scale and more standard. Also, I want to know is there any way I can fix the sound quality of calls (especially on the receiving end of a Diamond call) or will we be stuck with this discrasefull, incomprehensible sound quality we are left to deal with now? Well, I hope there is a fix to all of this madness. Anything has to be better than what we have now. Thanks.


Jennifer

Hello Again,
Actually you know what I think, although I could be wrong and please correct me if I am. However, I think that with the Tweaks2k2 program it is not really a registry editor. I think it just offers a variety of pre-installed hacks that you can choose from. Here are some of them. USE CLEARTYPE AS SYSTEM FONT, ITALIC SYSTEM FONT, BOLD SYSTEM FONT, SELECT A SYSTEM FONT FROM FONTS INSTALLED IN YOUR DEVICE, ANIMATED WINDOWS, SPEED UP THE DISPLAY, CARD BATTERY WARNING, LOW WMP BACKGROUND QUALITY, START MENU ANIMATION, ADMIN PASSWORD, SHOW NETWORK FOLDER, BATTERY WARNING SETTINGS, DATE AND TIME IN THE TOP BAR, TRANSPARENT, CHANGE THE LONG DATE FORMAT IN TODAY'S SCREEN, CHANGE THE WAKE UP POWER OFF TIME TO 60SEC, CHANGE THE SYSTEM FONT SIZE, IDENTIFY PIE AS IE 6.0, USE CLEARTYPE IN PIE, MOVE PIE TEMP FILES TO ANY OF YOUR STORAGE CARDS, MAX TCP WINDOWS SIZE, LETTER RECOGNIZER AS DEFAULT, BLOCK RECOGNIZER AS DEFAULT, WORDLOGIC AS DEFAULT, SHOW LETTER RECOGNIZER IN THE LIST OF INPUT METHODS, SHOW BLOCK ORECOGNIZER IN THE LIST OF INPUT METHODS, SHOW PENPOWER IN THE LIST OF INPUT METHODS, CHANG THE COLOR OF TODAY LINES, CHANGE THE COLOR OF TODAY FONT, CHANGE THE COLOR OF THE FONT IN THE TOP BAR, CHANGE THE COLOR OF THE BOTTOM BAR, CHANGE THE COLOR OF TOP BAR (LEFT), CHANGE THE COLOR OF TOP BAR (RIGHT), CHANGE THE START MENU FONT COLOR, CHANGE THE TAP AND HOLD DOTS COLOR, CHANGE THE IDENTITY NETFRONT 3.X FROM WWW.ACCESS.CO.JP TO MSIE 6.0, CHANGE THE START TIME OF THE WORKING DAY IN THE CLAENDAR, CHANGE THE END TIME OF THE WORKING DAY IN THE CALENDAR, CHANGE THE FREE DAYS IN THE WEEK, NANOPAD AS DEFAULT INPUT METHOD, CREATES A WIRELESS ETHERNET ICON IN SETTINGSCONNECTIONS (ONLY FOR WM2K3), HIDE ADMIN PASSWORD, HIDE ABOUT ICON, HIDE OWNER ICON, HIDE BUTTONS ICON, HIDE MENUS ICON, HIDE TODAY ICON, HIDE PASSWORD ICON, HIDE CONNECTIONS ICON, HIDE BEAM ICON, TENGO AS DEFAULT INPUT METHOD, DOWNLOAD UP TO 8 FILES SIMULTANEOUSLY, 6 SUGGESTED WORKS IN SIO, CACHING SSL PAGES, RESET SOFT RESET COUNTER TO 0, ALARM FIX FOR WINDOWS MOBILE 2003, WAKE UP PPC IN FULL POWER MODE, CHANGE THE IDENTITY OF NETFRONT 3.X TO MS POCKET INTERNET EXPLORER, SAVE THE EMAILS AND ATTACHMENTS IN THE SELECTED STORAGE CARD, ENABLE CLEARTYPE IN LANDSCAPE, TURN OFF ACTIVE X CONTROLS, TURN OFF SCRIPTING, SHOW SCRIPTS ERRORS, FORCE SSL OFF IN INDBOX, ENABLE/DISABLE ZERO CONFIGURATION, CHANGE THE DEFAULT KEYBOARD SKIN IN WM2003 SPANISH AND ENGLISH ROM, DOUBLE PIXELING DEACTIVATION FOR INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS IN VGA DEVICES, ALLOWS YOU TO MOVEDLLS FROM WINDOES TO ANY STORAGE DEVICE, ALLOWS HX7400USERS TO SELECT ANY FOLDER TO KEEP DOCKWARE PICTURES, DISABLE ATI BITMAP CACHE,

Those are just some of the many hacks that the program offers. Many of which I believe are offered on the phone itself or are just plain rediculus. Right now I could care less about changing the color and style of font and instead change the sound quality so it sounds like a completely new and quality sounding phone (as it should be). As well as to change the DAMB screen from going black everytime a call is made. I think I need an actual registry editor or hacker and I need to know how to use it and where to make the changes. I am at my whits end, please can someone help me.


Jennifer

Hello,
Thank you to everyone for all your help. Sorry, it took me so long to get back, I've been kind of busy lately. I am now really in desperate need of help. Ok, I have downloaded and installed the Tweaks 2k2 you told me to which I was under the impression was free. However, it was only a trial version and has apperently expired and is telling me I need to purschase it in order to continue to use it. I am currently trying to find the price. My next concern is that when I tried to use it, it did not look like the registry on a computer and I was not sure how to use it. I am going need some help and would greatly appreaciate if you would. Also, right now I am extremely aggravated by the screen going black everytime I make a call. I have been given a fix from anoter site (which I can get for you if you like). However, my problem is that I do not know how to apply it. At this point I am so fed up with the phone and especially right now with the screen going black on calls that I just want to fix it immediately until I figure out what I am going to do with the piece of crap. I just read on here about an adapted US ver being sold at Best Buy. What do u make of that? Is it something worth looking into? I know nothing about it and am not sure if it is something worth looking into or getting. Thank you all again for everything I really appreaciate all your help.

Jennifer

That would certainly be good news, but I think caution is in order. HTC, has a habit of tweaking aspects of the UI, not addressing performance in general. Tweaking TF will not improve video playback or the UI performance of third-party applications. Wait and see...

Performance has been addressed on the latest ROMS:

http://www.theunwired.net/?item=snappiness-htc-fine-tune-touchflo-3d-for-better-performance

Actually it's not Best Buy, it's TigerDirect (new owners of CompUSA). This showed up on HoFo last week; apparently the quad-band spec is inaccurate.

Dave apparently HTC is offering the Diamond at Best Buy that has U.S. bands, the pains of an early adopter.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/18/htc-touch-diamond-surfaces-at-compusa-with-quad-band-connecti/

Jennifer,

Have you installed the registry editor and are able to navigate the various tree structures just like you do on your PC? If so, I will repost some of the hacks that will make Touch Flo a bit more responsive. Keep in mind however, there is not a hack for every item that you have issues with. Some of the hacks like the one for keeping the backlight on during a call that worked for the Cruise doesn't seem to work for the Diamond.

This awful company only has a 7 day period. I asked them if I could even exchange it for a different model phone and they said it was very unlikely. In the absolutely worst case scnario it goes on e-bay. In the meantime I would really appreaciate it if someone could tell me how to change the registry so I can fix some of the problems. I was finally able to download and install a trial of a regestry however, I am having trouble figuring out how to use it I would greatly appreaciate someones help in this matter. Thank you all.


Jennifer

Tell them you don't get a signal. Tell them you found out you live and work in an area that is predominantly 850mhz and the Diamond does not have that particular band. I can't believe if you are in the first 30 days of ownership and the phone doesn't work where you live, they would deny a refund.

Hello,
Thank you everyone for all of your help and advice. I am now unfortunately experiencing a new problem. It seems the company where I bought the phone from will not do much for me by way of either exchanging (for another model) or allowing me to return my phone completely. They told me I can fill out some exchange form they have on their site explaining all the problems I am having with the phone. Then they will e-mail me some RMA code which I will have to use to send them back the phone. After they receive the phone they will test it to see if it is defective, or what the problem actually is. Their findings will determine what they will do for me. If they find the phone to be devective they will repair it if they can and send it back. If they cannot repair it they will replace it with another Diamond. They told me that only in a rare exception will they exchange the phone for another model. It is EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY unlikely I will be able to get a refund. At this point I am at my whits end. I am extremely aggravated and I at a loss as to what I should do. I anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate anything anyone can do for me. Thank you all.


Sincerely,
Jennifer

Ok, thank you for all your help, I am sorry to keep bothering you. I have just downloaded and installed the Tweaks program you gave me the link to. So, it is on my phone properly from everything I can see. Unfortunately now I am having trouble figuring out how to use it can you please help me (tell me how I can use to make a change for a fix I have to one of the many problems)? Again thank you very much for everything.


Jennifer

Jennifer,

For beginner and expert alike, many of the registry settings can be modified using an applicaton called Tweaks2k, which provides a simple interface to apply many reg hacks. You can find it here:

http://www.tweaks2k2.com/portal/staticpages/index.php?page=20050224182009983

As for other registry hacks, you will need a registry editor. As I mentioned you can find a free registry editor here:

http://freewareppc.com/download/utilities/phmregistryeditor.shtml

I recommend taking a look at Resco .net (Resco Explorer) which includes a great file explorer (better than the stock one MS gives you, and includes a registry editor also).

http://resco.net/pocketpc/explorer/default.asp.

Follow the directions provided by each site to install the software. Any provider that gives you a download with a .exe extension is meant to install from your local PC (not a Mac) and requires you to have a active Activesync connection to you device when you install. If you receive a .cab file (or zip file that has a .cab file inside it), those files are meant to be physically copied to the mobile device. Once on your mobile device, you navigate to the .cab file (using a file explorer) and double click to launch the .cab. The cab file will then automatically install the file to the proper area (you have the choice of installing to storage card or main memory).

HTH!

Hello,
I definitly intend to change the phone for something else just as soon as possible. I am not interested in the pro, I want a full touch screen phone without a hard keyboard. Until I change the phone in I want to figure out how to change the regestry can someone please tell me how to get, use, and install the software to do so. Also, the backup software am I able to get that free or will I have to pay to get it. Thank you.

Jennifer

JN has given you some sage advise Jennifer, return the Diamond. The Cruise should satisfy your needs for now, but the Diamond Pro will blow it out of the water for you.

Hello thanks for your help. From what I understand I need to get one of the programs you have mentioned. I am sorry however I still seem to be a little confused about how to go about doing it (where to get the software, how to download and install it, and finally how to use it). Please can you explain in exact steps and detail how to do so. I need to make some adjustments to fix some things ASP. I really appreaciate all your help.


Sincerely,
Jennifer

Jennifer,

Return the Diamond. Period, no "and's if's or but's". If you absolutely want a touch WM device, go get yourself a Touch Cruise (if you want wifi and GPS) or a Touch Dual (with a dial-pad and sure-type keyboard. You can certainly wait for a US Diamond, but alot really has to happen for it to be a 'killer' device, and given HTC's past regarding improving products, you'd be best served by passing on the Diamond.

As for the registry, yes, it is exactly like modifying the registry on the PC. You need a dedicated reg editor (there are some free-ware apps out there), or a robust file explore like Resco, which includes a registry plug in. For newbs and experts alike, I always recommend making a full backup of a device using Sbp Backup or Sprite before making and applying registry changes.

HTH!

Hello,
Sorry I might not be quit as tech savvy as some of you on here. Can someone please explain to me how, where, & what you are referring to when you talk about making changes to the registry, such as in the post where you are say to change the registry in order to fix the screen from going off while you are on a car. I understand you are saying to go into the system registry. However, I have no idea where that is or how to find it in order to make that change. On a traditional computer I would go to the system registry (regedit; via the run command (the DOS prompt)). I would appreaciate any help. Thank you.


Jennifer

Hello,
Thanks for your reply. What I am wondering is what I should do next. Do you think I should try and trade the phone in for the Cruise if possible or should I wait for the Diamond US? I am unsure of what I should do. Thanks for your help.


Jennifer

Jennifer,

The Cruise is a quad-band phone with tri-band 3g so it will work anywhere in the world.

See my review here:

http://mobilitytoday.com/articles/htc_touchcruise_impressions.html

Well, I see I am not the only one having problems with my $748 USD piece of crap, as I so affectionately call it. I heard mention of a fix for the screen turning off during calls, however I didn't see the fix. Does it actually work? I read it doesn't. Also is there a fix for why my backlite battery saver keeps reverting to the 10 sec default setting. For the life of me I cannot find one. I don't know why they didn't bother to add an external memory card! Anyone who thinks 4GB is enough memory must not be technologically savvy or something. Also, I do not see the need for any of the buttons located on the phone. They should have just made the screen larger replacing the keys and instead have them on the screen. I definitly concur not impressed at all, one of the worst phones I have ever used. I sencerely hope that the problem is that we are using a European device on American networks and it is not really made to do so. Systems are different. My phone although I bought it online from a company located within the Continental US came from the UK, it came with a UK not European Charger. I really really hope that the US version will fix all these problems and the phone will work & be great. Oh and does anyone know the official release date for the US? I have heard/read conflicting information. Thank you.


Jennifer

On the Diamond I find it quite difficult to NOT use the stylus most actions and imputs other than the keypad are quite small and I find it much easier to use the stylus. Also I have difficulty with the touch flow, besides it being sluggish and freezing. It often instead of doing the action I am trying to do (such as scroll) will active a program as if I have selected/clicked on it. I find this very aggravating.

Jennifer

mr atl, you have a Cruise? Isn't that also a European phone? What do you think of it, how does it work and do you like it better than the Diamond. I am ready to give my Diamond back either for the Cruise or wait for the Amer Diamond. I don't like that the Diamond is not quad band or does not have an external memory card. Thanks for you thoughts.


Jennifer

To mr atl, I am sorry for your greif I completely understand everything you are going through. I guess I should consider myself "slightly" luckier than you, with emphasis on the slightly. See I only sound like "Donald Duck under water" to people I call, on my end things do not sound half bad actually they sound pretty good. Though I myself have never been on the receiving end of a Diamond call (neither my own or any other). Do we think it is worth waiting for a US version release or what? Good luck to you, I hope things go better for you whatever you decide. Please keep me posted. Thank for your thoughts.


Jennifer

Hello,
Thank you guys for all your feed back, it really helps me. I have been wanting a touch phone(technology like that of the iphone) but not the iphone. I had been looking for a long time when I found the touch. I thought it was the perfect choice and had wanted one since I first came across it. Then I saw the Touch Cruise and decided I was going to buy that instead. That was until I came across the Diamond and immediatly became disillusioned with it. I recently purchased it unaware probabally of my own doing of some key facts. First being that I was unaware that it was a European phone and not yet released in the USA, as well as the fact that unlike the cruise (which is supposed to be a downgraded moded to the Diamond) it didn't have a external memory card slot and it is only a tri-band phone. I have ATT with full 3G coverage (as The_Cleaver) as my service provider and currently have the phone in the US & am using it on their network. While it does work to some extent, as other people who have poseted on here have said I am having many of the same issues as well as others. The phone is quite often sluggish (where if I try to navigate it I have to go in the opposite direction to get it to move) or just frozen all together. Where I will have to either turn it off and restart it (which does not always work) or do a soft reset. The screen as another person posted does go black when on a call and is not just a matter of touching the screen to get it back on, instead you must hit the power key and then if you need the keypad up you have to access it and it takes a few. Another problem I am experiencing which I do not know if anyone else has is that in the setting for the backlight to go out (in order to save the battery)under the battery settings where it asks you how long you would like before the screen goes off, I changed the setting from the default 10 secs to 2 minutes however eventually it always resets to the default 10 secs which I have no idea how to stop or fix. This presents a problem especially if you are calling a someplace that you need to use the key pad (such as voicemail) by the time I get the screen back on and keypad up my alloted time has usually run out. Also, I do not believe I am able to access the 3G network which means I am unable to use video calling. Oh and a major problem I am having besides the fact that US tech support cannot really offer much help or support (besides doing either a soft or hard (factory) reset) as of yet is the soud quality on the receiving end of the phone. As for the calling end it usually sounds quite good. However, as for the receiving end as I have not yet been on the receiving end of any Diamond phone (neither my own or any other) I do not know from first hand experience however, everyone I have talked to said quality is not only bad it is awful. It has been described as very staticy and hard to hear where they had to press their fingure against their ear to hear and even then it was not good. I have also been told it sounds like Donald Duck under water and it is the worst phone they have ever heard me talk on and can't I take it back. As well as what good is the phone if you can't understand you. And battery life, let's not even go there. I was thinking it might be possible to go in and change some of the settings however, I am not sure if this is even possible. This is just completely unacceptable for a phone of this price or calabur. Yet, these are just some of the many issues & problems I am expreiencing with this $748 piece of crap as I call it. I do however think some of these problems are phone problems and others might be a networking problem (it being a European phone on an American network (and that it is only a tri-band phone)). At this point I am not sure what my options are or what I should do. I don't really have another phone to use and I definitly want a touch pocket pc phone (though not the iphone). I was thinking about trying to trade it in for the Cruise though, I have heard that it is also a European phone. I am also interested in the US version of the Diamond, however I have many questions and concerns about it. When will it actually be released in the US? I was told by HTC US tech support that they have been told the 4th quarter of 08 (which is around the end of the year), however, I read on a site on the net sometime this coming August (how reliable, I do not know). Aug is not too bad to wait, but end of the year is quit a ways off. Also, I am wondering will it be a quad band phone when released in the US and will it still have the front camera? Which carriers will it be available with and or can you get it unlocked? Will it have an external memory card slot? I doubt it! Will the 3G networks now work? However, most importantly of all will the problems be resolved with now having a US verison of the phone? I am thinking if I am allowed the option of trading it in for a US model when they become available doing that. However, I don't know if anyone will even allow me that option. Please can anyone offer me any help, advice, support, options, whatever you can offer. I would greatly appreaciate anything that anyone can offer me. Everyone, thank you.


Sincerely,
Jennifer

@the_cleaver,

This version of the Diamond was not made to support US carriers. The phone might work (in areas where ATT uses 1900 - where you might even get an EDGE connection), but you will certainly be missing any ability to use 3G.

so it just doesnt work for some unknown reason. i have full coverage of 3G network in my area, so even then it wont?? Im on AT&T.

To "mr atl" I seriously doubt that you will be able to get a hack to make the phone work on a 3g band (but I could be wrong, which is why I say "doubt" instead of "know"). In short I think you are pretty much screwed for the moment. Put it on ebay with an emphatic disclaimer. MAKE SURE THE BUYER KNOWS IT IS NOT MADE FOR THE US BAND. If you don't get rid of this thing before one is available with a proper US band then I don't think you ever will. If you try to sell it once the US version is available then you won't be able to get as high of a price. I think one of the host said this in a pod cast, but you might want to restrict potential buyers to those outside the US that actually live in a country in which the phone will work. The typical consumer may not understand the concept of bands and feel you pulled a fast one. If you do sell it to a US buyer I would suggest selling it under the description of a pocket PC, not a phone, as using the description "phone" would imply that it is suitable for making calls under the implied warranty of merchantability and based on the description of your experience this may not be the case for US buyers.

i really got busted sleep at the wheel on this one (diamond uk version). First of all the sound is crappy, there is a buz in the ear piece that is drivin me crazy. when i use my att card, i only get a g, when i use my tmob card i get the E, but i sound crappy to other people, my friend tells me to put it in the draw a wait it out, he says when the new rom comes out it will have a better radio, that will fix the sound, an he heard there was a hack to make it work on 3g. oh yea there have been times when i had to do a soft reset, an the touch screen would not activate. should put this phone on ebay or wait it out like my friend say i should do. i have a touch cruze, an i am fightin to see how the diamond is better.

dear JNGold thanks for the info

Emo,

If you need 850 coverage, wait until the US version is released. Where Dave lives, he cannot even get EDGE coverage on ATT since ATT uses 850 for EDGE in that area. There are areas in the US that use 1900 for EDGE. Nevermind 3g since it's not compatible with any US bands.

Now, if you are using the device outside the US, I would suggest waiting until the UK version is released. The variation of the Diamond Dave received was part of a shipment that was meant for the Asian market. HTC has officially delayed their shipments of the Diamond to later this month.

As far as which one is better? In the small time I used the device, I was NOT impressed. You might want to wait to see how the X1 or Samsung compares.

dear dave

you didnt reply my question

also i was comparing between htc diamond,touch pro,new Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 and Samsung i900 Omnia

i am a little bit confused which one is better

hope to get a reply

thanks

Dave,

Refresh my memory...the scroll wheel (area) on the d-pad only works for selected applications, correct? Can it be used to scroll emails, messages, and such?

there is a tweak for the 3d touch flow speed over at XDA, check it out. It makes things much faster.

hello dave,

i just want to know if there any difference if i got the htc diamond from US or from dubai

thanks
hope to get the reply soon

Dave,

Re your suggestion above to resolve the issue with the screen turning off in a call and then if you need access to the keypad you need to press the power button. I have made the registry change and it did not make any difference. Also is anybody having intermittent issues with TouchFlo no starting if you reset your device. I usually have to reboot a few time before it kicks into life. I did my Diamond from Expansys and they seem to be the only ones in the UK with stock so maybe they have a pre-release version...

Lets see what comes from HTC in the next few weeks but i am fairly happy with the device so long as they can improve speed of Flo and also the scrolling of the bar

Thanks for your answer. Much better than "That's the reason they call it a "touch". :-)

LOL

I have a Touch Cruise and the only time I take the stylus out is to play Solitaire. :) The Touch family of devices have screens that are more sensitive to different types of finger presses which make them better suited to using the stock WM interface.

The answer to your question is you can certainly use a stylus, but it is not a requirement, even when navigating basic WM.

Well the video shows that changing the gsm band settings requires a stylus. My understanding is that the HT touchlo 3d layer on top does not require a stylus while the WinMo layers underneath do. Am I missing something here?

"Is it possible to use all the functions on this device without the stylus?"

That's the reason they call it a "touch".

Is it possible to use all the functions on this device without the stylus?

Dave, does the Opera Browser support Flash Lite and java?

No

Is there any apps included for the GPS besides Quick GPS such as Garwin or Tom Tom?

Trial...Totom


Thanks.

Dave, does the Opera Browser support Flash Lite and java? Is there any apps included for the GPS besides Quick GPS such as Garwin or Tom Tom? Thanks.

I am so disappointed with the Diamond, I thought it might bring me back away from the iPhone but after seeing this no way. The lag is what frustrates the hell out of me with windows mobile, and its still there, the fluidity of the iPhone UI is streets ahead still.

What a let down. I was hoping HTC was finally gonna get things right with the video drivers. I wonder if the priority with HTC was getting a device out before the 3G iphone instead of a quality device.

Blue unfortunately it has!!! And it is extremely annoying. Jerry and I met for lunch and he couldn't believe his eyes with the lag. It is a shame to put it lightly. The more I use the Diamond the more I love my Dual

On the Stylus question no it has no magnets on the stylus but from metal on the stylus.

I just got done with meeting Dave and playing with the Diamond. Yes, it is indeed THAT bad (in terms of how it performs).

Here are my impressions:

Pros:

1. Size
2. Metal sides protect device
3. Screen (VGA) and can be seen in direct sunlight (not as well as the iPhone, but certainly better than past HTC offerings).

Cons:

1. Performance - bringing up the homescreen whether it be powering on the device or moving from an app to home is ABOMINABLE.
2. D-pad - wtf? Plainly, it blows. Sure, it works nicely by allowing circular motion around the circumference of the d-pad in apps like Opera, but otherwise it is probably the worst implementation of a d-pad short of Samsung's touch sensor I have seen.
3. Fingerprint magnet - the plastic back of the device is disgusting. Should have been soft-touch.
4. No Touch Flow - I really got used to the touch flo way of swiping, more of a "preference" rather than a con.
5. Home screen navigator and screen movement via touch - everything just seemed slow and the device suffered from the same issue as the new TyTn II rom update - where the finger press sensitivity would mistake a press from a press and swipe. I think a reg hack can help this.

Overall, not impressed. HTC and MS have ALOT of work to do. In many ways, the Quad Dual and the TC are much better performing devices.

Dave,

A good initial review. Thanks!

The frequency support was as advertised by HTC. I wish this put an end to all the discussions about hidden frequencies that can be turned on by a software hack, but it probably won't.

The power plug is not an issue, the North American version will have a slider for use here.

The most troubling Diamond aspect of your review is the video lag. Has the Diamond inherited the MSM7xxxx family video performance issues?

BTW: Is it the tip or the base of the stylus that is magnetic? If it is the tip, then will a non-magnetic stylus also work?

When you are outdoors how long does it take for the device to get a GPS fix?

Is there any way to monitor what processes are consuming the most CPU bandwidth when ever you experience those pauses? I can't help but wonder if the device is actually busy doing something when those pauses occur.

Some have said that maybe, just maybe you got a device with a pre-prod ROM. It's happend before with HTC and the Advantage. Maybe it reared its ugly head again?

I agree with Jerry. Both he and I are meeting for lunch today so I can give him a first look and he can see what I am talking about. I am shocked this is final release ROM!!!

Mick,

I think there's more of an issue with usability than connectivity! :)

Great review as always, interesting to hear the issues with connectivity. Guess we need to wait for a US version before really jumping in.

Wow the slider menu bar in touch 3D just looks AWFUL to use. Every time you try to select something you go past it then back, then forward again. Would you agree the slider is really badly designed?

Also, overall what do you think of Touch 3D. It looks clunky and gimmicky. Did you end up turning it off?

Dave,

For the issue of the screen turning off while you are on a call, see if the following reg change corrects the issue:

HKLM\Drivers\BuiltIn\RIL\EnableFastDormantDisplayDuringCall

Change the value from 1 to 0 then soft-reset

As for the rest of the review, I am very dissapointed in the apparent "pregant pauses" that affect the Diamond. Both tuning on the device and navigation back to the home screen as shown in your vids is unacceptable in a device with a blazing processor and supposed use of graphic support drivers. Once again, it might just come down to our old cliche around here regarding WM...."putting a silk dress on a pig."

For all the bashing the Cruise has taken (by you guys especially), it is by far a better performing device even with the apparent lack of drivers in common operations. No such pregnant pauses affect the Cruise. Of course, HTC has really piled-it-on with the new implementation of TouchFlo 3D.