HTC Touch Diamond CDMA Review

Introduction:

We first got our hands on the Touch Diamond back in June and came away rather impressed. It offered just about everything we could want in a device, including the slick TouchFLO 3D interface. While the GSM version we reviewed has yet to find its way to the States, short of importers such as Decho Wireless, Sprint has taken the lead and is the first carrier to offer the Diamond. As you might expect there are a few notable differences between the GSM and CDMA variants, but for the most part Sprint and HTC have wisely kept true to the original.

Included in the box you will find:
• 1340mAh Li-Ion battery
• Stereo headphones
• Extra stylus
• AC Charger with USB port
• USB data cable
• 4 in 1 adapter (miniUSB to 3.5mm, 2.5mm, miniUSB headphone, miniUSB charging/data)
• Leather Velcro pouch

Design:

The CDMA Touch Diamond softens the sharp lines of the original. Gone is the hard plastic faceted back, replaced with a soft touch, deep burgundy version of the battery door found on the Taiwanese Victor. Telus Canada has chosen to go for a black version, but honestly we like the red. It looks much better in person than in press shots, and it gives the Diamond some personality. It is 2.5mm thicker than the GSM version, but that is because the CDMA Diamond ships with a beefed up 1350mAh battery.



You can compare the HTC Touch Diamond CDMA with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The GSM Diamond is very angular, with sharp corners and straight lines throughout. The CDMA version has a soft rounding to it, both at the top and bottom as well as the line that separates the controls from the screen. The bottom buttons are still flush but clickable, and the slightly tweaked d-pad is a jack of all trades. It can be clicked in the traditional 5 ways, but the center is also proximity sensing and the outer edge can be used for touch scrolling. The four buttons (Home, Back, Send and End) as well as the d-pad ring light up a cool white when being used, or simply by bringing your finger near the center pad.

The resistive touchscreen appears to be the same gorgeous 2.8” VGA panel we loved the first time around. It is bright, vivid and auto-adjusts to the current lighting condition. It has only 65K colors, as compared to the 16M colors found on the iPhone, but images and videos look great nevertheless. It is very smooth responsive to touch, and most of the device can be navigated without using the stylus, which is tucked away in the back right corner. We had no issues viewing it in direct sunlight, provided the screen was wiped clean of fingerprints and whatnot.

The stainless steel frame is dark black, and the only buttons on the side are the volume rocker on the top left side and power button to the left of center on the top. The keys are flat and the travel shallow, but easy to press. “HTC Innovation” remains printed on the left, but the “4GB Internal Storage” originally found on the right side is now gone. The frame has gone seamless and smooth for the CDMA version.

To the right of the power button, in the center of the top, is the Diamond’s single speaker. Despite not being stereo it is surprisingly good, with plenty volume and good highs. It’s somewhat thin and lacks bass, but as it’s not a high-end music device we aren’t expecting a high-end listening experience.

The back is very simple, and while some argue that faceted back is a defining feature of the Diamond we are happy to see the cleaner Victor battery door. The 3.2 megapixel camera sits near the top, and black housing that runs a strip halfway down the phone encases it. Soft touch paint gives a more reassuring feel, and we think that we prefer the added thickness as well; it is still plenty thin and the original was so tiny it almost felt fragile. The stylus is still held in magnetically, and removing it will wake up a sleeping Diamond.


We loved the Diamond the first time around, but the CDMA makeover is a much better product. Color preference aside, the newer Diamond feels better in the hand and is more overall pleasing to the eye. It’s still a tiny device and enhances the understated elegance of the original with the softer lines and smooth edges. We don’t know that there is a better designed phone overall than the CDMA Diamond; it may not be perfect but it balances fashion, feel and function wonderfully.

Interface:

We really loved TouchFLO 3D (TF3D) when we saw it on the original, and it has only been improved on the CDMA variant.  The “homescreen” is an interface in itself, and users will rarely have to venture outside of its environment.  Of course the device is powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, so once you get outside of TF3D the user will find the familiar WM interface of devices past, but like we said there is often little reason to ever leave TF3D.

Along the bottom of TF3D are several tabs.  The most noticeable difference between the original and Sprint’s version is that the interface is more colorful and shinier.  The stock background is a dark blue, as opposed to black, and the icons at the bottom are now color when selected.  While you can just tap to select a tab, they do not all fit on the screen at once, so you will actually place your finger on the bar and slide right or left.  The selected tab becomes larger and there is a transparent icon and text over the display to tell you what tab you are on as you glide across through the tab bar.  It is very intuitive and slick, and works as advertised.  The dedicated Home key on the pad will return you to the main tab whenever you wish.

The tabs have been rearranged, and a new one added for Sprint TV.  In order they run: Home, People, Messaging, Mail, Sprint Music, Pictures and Videos, Sprint TV, Internet, Weather, Settings, Programs.  As you are swiping between the tabs the full screen animation is now in color, and each tab has a unique one.


The home tab has undergone the biggest makeover, though the overall layout is pretty much the same.  Gone is the flip clock, which we weren’t crazy about to begin with, replaced with a more traditional digital clock on a translucent background.  The date has been moved from the top bar to underneath the clock, and instead of the simple carrier text you have a Sprint logo so vivid it almost appears printed on the screen.

The People tab lets the user set visual speed dials for their contact list.  The contact’s assigned picture shows up and the user can flip through them with a swipe down or up on the screen.  Messages displays SMS and MMS messages, while Mail displays email accounts.  Email messages are previewed as a letter coming out of an envelope, and again the user can scroll through different messages by flicking up and down on the letter. 

The Sprint Music tab is nearly identical to the original, but there is a link up top to the Sprint Music Store which allows users to download tracks over the air.  The user can play music directly from the tab, and album art is displayed.  When playing an entire album the art for each track is no longer displayed, just one, which was one of our complaints the first time around.  Unlike all other iterations of the Music Store, it is web-based on the Diamond.  We actually prefer this latest incarnation, and the store is easy to navigate, preview and download from.

Pictures and Videos allow the user to scroll through their albums directly from the main screen.  Flicking up and down moves the user through their images and movies, and tapping on one will bring it into full screen mode.   When in full-screen the user can rotate the device and pictures will change orientation.  Swiping your finger around the d-pad will zoom in and out, and the same gesture onscreen will produce the same results.  From this tab the camera and camcorder can also be launched.

The new tab is Sprint TV, which allows the user to launch that, Sprint Radio and SEE, Sprint’s made-for-mobile content.

Internet launches the browser, but also displays the YouTube application and any user-defined favorites for quick, one touch access.  The Weather tab is very cool.  It allows users to add up to 10 cities worldwide and has some slick animations for the current conditions.  For instance, when it’s raining the screen will appear to get drops on it before a windshield wiper cleans them off.  Flicking up and down through the cities plays different animations related to the current conditions.  You can also pull the five day forecast for the location.  If you want even more information it will launch the browser and take you to AccuWeather’s homepage.

The settings tab is in essence a skinned, watered down version of the standard WM settings screen.  Settings available are Sync Data, Sound, Wallpaper, Communications (Comm Manager,) Data (to manage weather download options) and About.  The user can also launch All Settings, which takes them to the WM settings menu with all the options.  The last tab, Programs, is a simple launcher that allows the user to set up to 18 shortcuts to programs.  It shows 9 per screen, to access the second screen the user simply flicks their thumb upward.  The user can also launch All Programs, which is a skinned version of the WM Programs menu.

We found TF3D to be incredibly smooth on our GSM unit, but the CDMA version feels faster.  HTC has issued performance updates for the original, and we’d assume these improvements were implemented in the CDMA software.  It also helps that this version has more memory and a beefier processer, more on that later.  While in the TF3D environment everything runs smoothly; animations, transparences and kinetic scrolling all work flawlessly.  We still feel that TF3D is our favorite user interface, even though it’s really a skin rather than a proper UI.  We still encourage HTC to expand it and take as much Windows out of Windows Mobile as possible.

Phonebook:

Outside of the People tab, the phonebook on the Touch Diamond is standard Windows Mobile fare.  From that tab the user can launch the full phonebook, which is identical to what we have seen on past HTC WM devices, such as the Touch.  The contacts are listed alphabetically by last name, though the list can be sorted by company as well.  Along the right hand side is HTC’s Random Access plug-in, which displays the alphabet top down and the user can run their finger along it to select a certain letter and jump through the contact list.  From the phone screen, as you begin to type a number it will match it with your contacts both numerically and alphabetically.  For instance, if you type in 866 it will match any 866 numbers but also bring up anybody with a form of Tom in their name.

Contact storage is limited only by system memory, so for all intents and purposes it is limitless.  Each contact can store a wealth of information, such as company, job title, picture ID, several different numbers and addresses, multiple emails and IM names, assistant and manager information, customer ID and account numbers, birthdays, anniversaries, spouse and children.  And if that’s not enough, you can always add notes.  In fact, if you’re on a call with a contact and you pull the stylus out the Diamond will automatically launch the notepad and associate the note taken with that contact.

HTC has created custom screens for incoming and outgoing calls.  The outgoing screen displays the contact name and phone number at the top, and to the left of that is the Picture ID (if one is not assigned a default silhouette is used.)  There is a grouping of six buttons in the middle- two rows of three- which includes Call History, Calendar, Note, Mute, Speaker, and Contacts. At the bottom is a large red End Call button.  The incoming screen is a bit plainer; the Picture ID is centered at the top, and below is the contact name and number.  A large green Answer and red Ignore button sit below that, and finally is a Mute Call option along the bottom.  The Picture ID is not quite as small as a standard Windows Mobile ID is, but it’s still not large.  It is larger on the incoming than outgoing screen, and with the VGA resolution the size isn’t really an issue.

Of course this all syncs neatly with Outlook, making contact management that much easier.  If the user is connected to an Exchange server two-way Outlook sync can be done over the air.

Voice dialing is handled by Cyberon Voice commander.  It is very similar to VoiceSignal, but adds some advanced features such as controlling music playback, checking upcoming appointments and launching applications.

Organizer:

Again, the PIM functionality of the Diamond is the same as other Windows Mobile devices.  The calendar is launched from the Home tab.  It can be viewed in several ways; Agenda, Day, Week, Month and Year.  Adding an appointment is simple, though not exactly finger friendly.  Since we’re dealing with the standard Windows Mobile interface here it is best to pull out the stylus to add events.

It is a very advanced calendar, offering everything a user would need and expect including recurrences, reminders, category grouping, sensitivity settings and much more.  Notes can also be added to an event, for instance the user can set an appointment for a meeting, then take notes for that meeting within the appointment.  That way, the user can simply go back to that calendar event to find the corresponding notes.

The Diamond offers other essential PIM elements such as Tasks, Notes, Voice Recorder and a calculator.  These programs are more basic and all work as you would expect them to.  There are a few options available for Tasks, for instance setting priorities, reminders, recurrences and categories.  Notes can be handwritten or entered via the various keypads.  Other than that it and the rest are barebones, which is just how simple programs should be.

We love TF3D, and wish HTC had paid some more attention to the core PIM elements of the Diamond as well.  Finger-friendly programs like One Touch Organizer and PocketCM Contacts have made life much easier on WM devices in the past, but with the Diamond’s VGA resolution they do not work properly.  Hopefully the WM developer community will again rise up and offer some solutions to this problem.

Messaging:

Messaging is simple and pretty enough on the Touch Diamond.  It supports SMS and MMS, and users can set up personal and corporate email accounts.  There are separate Messaging (SMS/MMS) and Mail (email) tabs on the TF3D interface, but the user can view all of their mailboxes in one place on the Windows Mobile messaging screen. 

The Messaging screen allows users to view the full message onscreen in TF3D.  Flicking up and down moves between messages, and tapping a message brings up the threaded conversation in the WM environment, a new feature of WM 6.1.  For MMS the media shows up as an attachment, which is launched by its respective application.

On the Mail screen the user sees a different envelope for each email account they have set up.  The envelope is open, and the emails appear as letters coming out of the envelope.  The user only gets a snippet of the message here, but tapping on it will bring up the full message in the WM environment from which the user can reply.

New SMS, MMS and emails can be initiated from the TF3D interface, but are typed out in the normal WM environment.  Email setup is quick and easy; the Diamond supports POP3, IMAP, SMTP and Lotus Domino formats and can utilize Microsoft Direct Push when associated with an Exchange server, allowing for instantaneous mail delivery.  Personal account setup is fairly simple; settings are automatically obtained for many common accounts like Gmail and Yahoo and if they cannot be obtained the user will be taken through step-by-step to input the proper servers.   If not connected to an Exchange server the user can select a pull interval from every 5 minutes to once a day, or just pull manually.

MMS is of note, because even though this standard was supported on the original this is the first time a Sprint smartphone has included the service.  Unlike previous Windows Mobile, BlackBerry or Palm devices, the Diamond has a Picture Mail option in messaging which allows the user to send messages directly to a phone number instead of using an email address.  Like SMS, the interface is threaded and we’re impressed to see Sprint finally address this issue.


The onscreen keyboard remains the biggest sticking point for critics, but HTC has revamped their offerings from the original Touch.  The 12 and 20 key keypads still remain (like a standard phone and SureType-esque, respectively) but have been reworked a bit.  The 12 key T9 keypad, or “Phone Keypad” as HTC is now calling it, has been especially improved.  There are now four columns instead of 3, meaning the dialing buttons are smaller, but the space key has been enlarged (our biggest gripe with the Touch) and the buttons are still plenty big for typing.  Another large improvement is that users can now select the Full QWERTY HTC keyboard.  On the Touch this only appeared when in a password field, but now users can choose it whenever.  Despite the small keys it is surprisingly accurate and we were typing error-free right away.  The SureType-like “Compact QWERTY” keypad remains unchanged, save for the re-skinning.  One thing we did notice that is either new, or we missed the first time around, is that pressing and holding a key will bring up the alternate option (for example, in QWERTY mode holding the Q will produce a 1,) which makes typing faster since you don’t have to switch modes.  Other keyboard options are the small Microsoft QWERTY pad, Block Recognizer, Letter Recognizer, Transcriber and of course third-party alternatives like SPB and TouchPal.  We still wish HTC offered haptic feedback for their keypads, but at least they are easier to use.

Connectivity and Data:

The Diamond features EVDO Rev. A for high speed cellular data, as well as Wi-Fi b/g.  It also has internal GPS, and HTC includes a nice QuickGPS program that downloads satellite information for quicker locks.  Lastly, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR is supported.

One of the standouts of the Touch Diamond is the browser, powered by Opera.  It is a customized version of Opera Mobile 9.5, and unlike Opera Mobile 8.x it is powered by Opera Mini’s Presto engine.  Browsing is, in short, fantastic.  Complex HTML pages are rendered flawlessly, panning and zooming is fluid and simple, full-screen mode is automatic and it supports tabbed browsing.  Pages are loaded as an overview and the user can easily drag the page to pan around.  A double tap zooms in on the selected area and another double tap zooms back out.  The user can fine tune the zoom level by swiping their finger around the d-pad.  When zoomed in the browser renders text to fit the view, eliminating the need to constantly drag back and forth to read a paragraph.  Rotate the device 900 in either direction and the page moves to landscape view nearly instantaneously.



When not in full-screen mode there is a menu bar at the bottom with Back, Favorites, Tabs, Home and Menu.  At the top of the page is the address bar and stop button, as well as a close tab button.  Unfortunately it does not support Flash and there is no zoom pinching like in Safari, but Opera has the ability to copy and paste text as well as download files.  In the triumvirate of mobile browsing is Mobile Safari, Skyfire (which currently does not support the Diamond’s VGA resolution) and Opera Mini 9.5, not necessarily in that order. 

Pocket Internet Explorer is of course available as well, but we fail to see why it would ever be used.

The phone syncs with a PC via ActiveSync (Windows XP) or Mobile Device Center (Vista.)  Users can choose to sync any number of items, such as contacts, calendar, tasks, favorites, notes, media and more.  We tested it with ActiveSync and had no issues syncing with our existing Outlook database.  Officially there is no Mac support, but programs such as Missing Sync can remedy this.  The phone also gives you a Disk Drive mode option when you connect, enabling faster file transfers.

Some users are reporting issues with the 4GB storage disk disappearing or being corrupted, it seems the current work-around is to perform a hard reset, connect to the PC, right click on and format the drive before opening it and everything works as it should.  We would expect HTC to quickly respond to glitches like this, and not all users (including us) are experiencing this.

Camera:

The Diamond features a 3.2 megapixel main camera with autofocus, which appears to be the same as the original.  It performed well, with good color representation and crisp lines.  There was a bit of blurring at times, but it’s very possible that can be chalked up to shaky hands as other pictures turned out clear.


The autofocus is triggered by bringing your finger near the d-pad center button; the camera will focus and pressing the button snaps the shot.  There are 5 resolution steps, a two and ten second self timer and the user can choose from predefined white balance settings and adjust the brightness.  The camera can shoot with grayscale, sepia or negative effects and there are user preference options such as where to save the files, review duration, etc.




One cool new feature is panoramic mode, which allows the user to snap sequential pictures and stitch them together giving the effect of a wide-angle lens.  It is achieved by taking the first shot, then lining up cues of a ghost of that image on the screen with the new image being taken.  Three shots in all are taken, leaving the picture with an overall resolution of 1408x480.  Results weren’t perfect, but we were impressed by what we were able to achieve.


Videos can be record in MPEG4 or H.263 formats and can be shot in Small, Medium or CIF (352x288) resolutions.  The camcorder utilizes the autofocus features as well, but as expected the overall quality was not on par with the camera.  For a cell phone it was above average, there was some pixilation which got worse as you pan around, but it was plenty good for YouTube and general web use.  The user can again change white balance settings, adjust the brightness, change the effect and set a few preferences, but overall the settings are minimal.

Multimedia:

HTC offers a custom music player and album viewer that is integrated within TF3D, but when media files are opened through the File Explorer Microsoft Picture Viewer and Windows Media Player serve as the default players.  HTC Album (the picture/video player) is very good, but the music player has some shortcomings.

HTC Album allows users to view pictures and video full screen.  Turn the Diamond on its side and the picture follows suit- gone is drawing stupid circles to get the picture to rotate!- and you can scroll through your media with the flick of your thumb.  The video player is very similar to the iPhone.  Videos play in full-screen landscape mode and tapping the video brings up transparent controls.  Even YouTube videos look amazing on the crisp, VGA screen.

The music player looks nice enough, but isn’t the simplest program to use.  From the Music tab on the homescreen you can control your music.  The interface is still a bit awkward, though HTC has made some improvements.   In the past art for each track was queued behind the playing track, but if it was from the same album obviously it would be the same art.  Now only different art is queued, but it’s more confusing than it should be.  For example, if there are four songs from Sgt. Pepper’s followed by two tracks from Abbey Road followed by a track from Revolver the user will see one instance of art from Sgt. Pepper’s, one from Abbey Road and one from Revolver, but when playing the first Sgt. Pepper’s track the same art will be displayed for the next three songs, with no indication that there are three other songs before you get to Abbey Road.  In our opinion HTC needs to just ditch this queued wannabe Cover Flow altogether and just display larger art of the current track.

The library works like TF3D, with tabs along the bottom.  In the library you can sort by artist, album, song, genre and composer.  You can create playlists, but otherwise you can either play all the songs at once or a single album at a time.  When you play all songs they are sorted alphabetically regardless of album.  We prefer Windows Media Player and its library, which allow you to play all albums in alphabetical order while staying true to the original track lists.


The MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, and AMR-NB audio codecs are supported.  There is no 3.5mm jack so the user is restricted to miniUSB headphones, a set of which is included in the package.  The quality isn’t bad, on par with included iPod headphones, but they will most likely be uncomfortable to those with medium and smaller ears.  There is a miniUSB to 3.5mm adapter, but we’re not a fan of adapters and their added bulk.

One very nice feature of the Diamond is the YouTube player.  It is a stand-alone program nearly identical to the one found on the iPhone.  There are four tabs: All Videos, Bookmarks, History and Search.  All Videos is further broken down into Most Viewed, Top Rated and Featured.  Videos launch in full-screen mode, and like the iPhone tapping the screen brings up transparent controls.  The scroll wheel around the d-pad is active here as well, though it’s not as smooth as we’d like.  The video quality was surprisingly excellent; videos looked superb on the VGA screen and audio was good and in-sync.

Teeter is maybe our favorite feature of the phone, and really shows off the accelerometer.  It is a Labyrinth-style game, where you have a ball that you need to tilt through a maze and avoid the holes to get to the end.  Not only is it a fun game, but it really showcases the phones abilities.  For instance, when you hit a wall there is a dull thud you feel that truly seems as if you’re hitting the wall with a metal ball.  We imagine it’s done though haptic feedback, but it sure feels like a solid thump and not a vibration.  (Yes we are aware there is a version of this for Jailbroken iPhones, but Teeter is better. ) Eventually you begin to play not on a flat surface, but on a 3D rendering of the original Diamond’s faceted battery cover!

Software:

The CDMA Diamond has 256MB ROM and bumps up to 288MB DDR SDRAM, with 4GB of internal storage in lieu of a microSD slot.  Windows outside of TF3D actually seems to run smoother this time around.  Out of the box memory usage was as high as 65% with the GSM version, but our CDMA unit is only using 35% of system resources which would explain the increased overall performance.  We hoped that HTC would address this issue, and it appears that they did.

Preloaded programs include Adobe Reader, Sprint’s Instant Messaging and the Office Mobile suite, among others.  There are loads of programs available for Windows Mobile, though many of them will not work with the Diamond due to its VGA display.  It is usually a simple fix by the writer, but lots of programs (such as the aforementioned and beloved One Touch Organizer) are not supported anymore.  The Diamond is not the first WM VGA device however, and as VGA becomes increasingly popular you will see more and more programs pop up.   No Java emulator is included, but of course users can load a third-party offering.

The Diamond features GPS, and Sprint Navigation is bundled and included with the required data plan.  It’s the best GPS program of the carrier offerings, along with AT&T as both are just rebranded Telenav.  Unfortunately the graphics are from a QVGA display, so they look a bit pixilated on the VGA screen, but it’s not as bad as it sounds and hopefully Sprint will update it soon.  The GPS on the Sprint version is unlocked (we’d expect the Verizon version to be locked down upon release) which means that programs like Live Search, Google Maps and other third party offerings are able to access  it as well.

Performance:

Overall sound quality was very good on both ends.  It wasn’t quite as outstanding as the original, but callers said we sounded good though a little distant.  On our end we felt the same, the callers sounded a bit distant but voice reproduction was accurate and the caller was crystal clear.  Reception does not appear to be an issue with the CDMA version as it was with the GSM unit we tested.  We were able to place and hold calls without incident.

Battery life is rated at just over four hours of talk time, and in our testing we fell only a few minutes short of this.  HTC claims 350 hours of standby time, but keep in mind that, as with any smartphone, standby time is considerably affected by what all is going on in the background.  For instance, email push or pull will have a significant impact on battery life.  Except for the first few days, when we were heavily using apps, video and just generally groping the phone frequently we have been able to get through the day with normal use.  HTC made a wise move in beefing up the battery, but heavy users will undoubtedly upgrade to an even bigger one.

We compared our SPB Benchmark results with the ones of the HTC Touch Diamond and HTC Touch CDMA.

Conclusion:

The HTC Touch Diamond is the best CDMA phone we’ve ever used.  That’s not to say it’s perfect, but its darn near close.  The size, weight and feel are phenomenal.  The VGA screen keeps us drooling, and TouchFLO 3D is an amazingly intuitive and useful interface.  Performance boosts have made even Windows Mobile run smoothly, and the OS allows infinite customization possibilities.  It’s powerful enough for the most hardcore business and techie users, but friendly enough that just about anyone can pick it up and go.  The music player is our biggest gripe, but the beauty of WinMo is that we can simply load another player we prefer more.  We’re extremely happy to see Sprint remained relatively hands-off with the software, and the few changes they made we approve of.   This is the phone we’ve been waiting for, and it doesn’t disappoint.