Hands-on with Sprint's Touch Diamond
by Sean Cooper 
posted Sep 10th 2008 at 3:07PM
You know you love it, new Windows Mobile -- even new carrier is good enough for us -- hardware always gets us all thrilled and chirpy. Sprint's really blown it open today with the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro announcements, so to honor them we got our hands on the Touch diamond. We like this set, Sprint's version in red -- a well chosen, soft and kind red -- is no exception and while a bit husky, we expect it's going to be well accepted and will be finding its way into many pockets come September 14th. Sadly, the Touch Pro was absent at CTIA, but we'll do our best to dig it up before the show closes out. Enjoy the pics.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
CraziestGadgets.com @ Sep 10th 2008 3:20PM
is that fake coverflow i spot??? CoverFaux?
Matt @ Sep 10th 2008 7:51PM
Just coz it looks better than the iPhone UI doesn't mean it's trying to copy it.
SteveoftheDead @ Sep 10th 2008 6:39PM
Uh, die?
Kthxbai.
famm113 @ Sep 10th 2008 3:23PM
Looks pretty real to me
nerdtalker @ Sep 10th 2008 3:26PM
The screen looks sexy, any chance of getting a side-by-side with another screen? HTC Mogul's screen perhaps?
The flush bezel and screen looks really, really nice.
PynkFloydd @ Sep 10th 2008 4:16PM
I've got a Mogul myself... I hope they give us a decent trade-in value to switch to this or the Touch Pro.
StevenGlansburg @ Sep 10th 2008 3:27PM
cool stylus... weak weak weak
tcc3 @ Sep 10th 2008 3:40PM
Are you knocking the stylus? What is with you people? The stylus doesnt hurt anything, and I sure am glad I have it when I need it. There's only so much precision in a pinky nail.
Use of the stylus should not be required - the interface should be robust enough to not *need* it. But it is nice to have for some applications - like highlighting text.
Nal @ Sep 10th 2008 3:29PM
AH. Stupid f*cking Sprint f*cked me over with the Samsung Instinct. Now I can't even switch phones. I want a TouchPro. Hell, I need a TouchPro. How much are they full price without any rebates??
Mike @ Sep 11th 2008 10:43AM
599.99 retail for the pro
549.99 for the diamond
anebg @ Sep 11th 2008 8:34AM
Jeez, watch your language. Don't you care about the kids? This is infecting the young minds faster than bacteria..
Josh @ Sep 12th 2008 12:39AM
You bought it.
Bob @ Sep 10th 2008 3:30PM
Any way to get a side by side with a Touch Pro? I want to see the difference in thickness of the two. If it's not much thicker to add the QWERTY, I'd just wait an extra month to get the Touch Pro.
Nate @ Sep 10th 2008 3:31PM
Does the Touch have a 3.5mm jack?
doubleu606 @ Sep 10th 2008 3:58PM
I know it'll be hard to get an honest answer here, but is there no demand for a 240x320 screen, with a full qwerty keyboard? (i.e. treo pro-like device with a 240x320 screen)? I swear the last one of these devices that existed was the hitachi g1000 (for Sprint I mean.) if you could give me the HTC Touch I have now, and a qwerty keyboard on it, i'd be in heaven! I don't want to turn the thing sideways, pop out the keyboard and wait for the screen to redraw.
enealio @ Sep 10th 2008 4:36PM
from what i've read, no 3.5. just one of those annoying mini-usb slots. but with celine dion playing, be thankful.
chickenator @ Sep 10th 2008 5:28PM
@doubleu606,
wow that's a very long answer. a fine htc fanboy indeed.
PoisonEye @ Sep 10th 2008 3:33PM
A little thicker than I thought it'd be, but not a deal breaker. The red is OK, but I'm hoping at launch there are color choices. I'd like to see a black one. If there are choices, you know pink will be one of them...ugh.
Hellaphunt @ Sep 10th 2008 3:37PM
I hope the Touch Pro won't have that red back-side...
Michael Oryl @ Sep 10th 2008 3:46PM
Live videos just posted:
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35q4g6dZdM8
Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5eO_onCcSY
famm113 @ Sep 10th 2008 5:28PM
Nice post man. It looks pretty responsive compared to some other demos. When he's moving through the phone list and menus I'm not noticing the lag that a few people have been complaining about. Unless that new full screen touch phone announces something soon for sprint I think I'm getting this phone.
DssTrainer @ Sep 10th 2008 3:47PM
I could live with the red... but the thickness kills another one for me. Guess I'll wait for the Touch Opal & Touch HD... tho they both look thicker too.. so maybe its time to go back to a dumbphone... maybe the Moto Q11 will be worthwhile.
boe @ Sep 10th 2008 11:16PM
Couldn't agree more - I wanted the Diamond for about a year now. Sprint is finally going to sell it and the Touch HD is being released in December to other providers. The Touch HD blows the doors off the Diamond. Too bad Sprint can't get their $#!+ together. Dan Hess has mad a troubled company far less stable. Perhaps losing a million customers a quarter while Verizon and ATT each gain a million doesn't show the greatest CEO skill. Hell, I'd take 14 million a year (half his salary) and I bet I wouldn't lose any more than a million customers a quarter either.
Hey, dan@sprint.com - why don't you start selling phones while they aren't obsolete and bring back sero!
Anthony @ Oct 1st 2008 12:11AM
@boe
It's not really sprints fault, HTC is the one releasing it, and a lot of US consumers are praying for the Diamond & Pro to be released ASAP. I'm not really caring for the Touch HD, I currently have the Mogul and want the diamond.
And to all other people, according to this website, they reviewed the Diamond and have fixed a lot of issues with the GSM version and that there's enough power and memory to do a lot of things with solid performance.
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/phones/Sprint-HTC-Touch-Diamond.htm
Munford @ Sep 10th 2008 4:17PM
With my limited experience on a GSM version Diamond, the touchflo interface is kind of slow comparing to iPhone. Screen also feels a little small, although it has a very good resolution. These latest things from HTC should be shipped with magnifying glasses to fully utilize the potential of its insanely high screen resolution.
Eddie @ Sep 10th 2008 4:12PM
They really did muck with the ui. Anyone know how easy it is to change that?
Also, while the red isn't as ugly as I feared, I'm still not a fan. Give me an option of black, hell even blue and I would reconsider.
johnson @ Sep 10th 2008 4:13PM
with only 4GB of integrated memory, it's an absolute deal breaker that this thing has no microSD expansion slot. Could you imagine Apple releasing a 4GB iPod Touch or iPhone now?
Bradley @ Sep 10th 2008 4:17PM
The RED back just kills the appeal of this phone for me. And I was ready to buy it too.
It looks really dated and cheap.
I might go with the PRO if it's all black and sexy like the Touch could have been.
at305 @ Sep 10th 2008 4:18PM
it looks amazing (from the front)
i hate the back whats the point of callign it a "htc diamond"if they take away the diamodn back bullshit sprint!!!!!and on top of alll its has a red back wtf
if they do the same with the touch pro i will cut my balls off!
Jim @ Oct 14th 2008 4:09PM
Something tells me that would be good for all mankind.
Mr. Met @ Sep 10th 2008 4:20PM
After all this wait, it's THICKER than it's Euro/Canadian counterpart..... Doesn't have the Diamond back (yet is still called the "Diamond") and it has a red colored back... I know they're not deal breakers but come on! And it's WinMo, we already knew that, but was hoping the other features could make me over look that. Buuuuut, no.
So, anyone else here waiting for Android?
Chris Are @ Sep 10th 2008 4:25PM
I'd be a lot more excited for this phone if it didn't have WinMo on it.
Chris Are @ Sep 16th 2008 3:40PM
Haha, fuck you guys! Everyone votes me down b I don't like WinMo. It's a shitty platform, and for me the OS is the biggest thing on a phone. Assholes. :-)
russel @ Sep 10th 2008 10:22PM
i can see a huge design flaw. the plastic surface over the camera lens is flush with the back of the phone.. not good.. i should know, i have the tmobile shadow.. the plastic over the camera lens is also flush with the back of that phone.. so when you lay it down, you have the same possibility of scratching that surface over the camera (giving you that scratched ipod back look), thus leaving you really blurry and out of focus shots :(
mikjawn @ Sep 10th 2008 5:01PM
at first i was pissed when i saw the sprint diamond because of how sprint fucked up the shape (hasen't anyone else noticed this? i havent seen any other complaints about it.) of the beautiful phone but i got over it and still followed its coverage. now that sprint totally fucked it up with the shitty red colored, flat, normal back cover there is no way in hell i will be getting this unless sprint offers a different color. sprint even fucked with the touch flow. GODDAMIT that really pisses me off. sprint also fucked up the shape of the touch pro... someone please tell me if you dont like how sprint fucked the shape up.
Tyson Nielsen @ Sep 10th 2008 5:23PM
You do realize you can simply change the skin to the default skin like ALL phones can do with Sprint right?
Man, some of you readers crap their pants over the smallest things :D
Groovdude @ Oct 1st 2008 12:12AM
@tyson
Seriously, with all the gadgets, features and performance...you're going to complain cosmetics...something you're easily going to forget in what... a week?
Plus XDA-Devs have came up with a tool to make custom skins and tons of apps for this phone using the accelerometer... So how about you get over yourself.
mikjawn @ Sep 10th 2008 5:00PM
at first i was pissed when i saw the sprint diamond because of how
sprint fucked up the shape (hasen't anyone else noticed this? i
havent seen any other complaints about it.) of the beautiful phone
but i got over it and still followed its coverage. now that sprint
totally fucked it up with the shitty red colored, flat, normal back
cover there is no way in hell i will be getting this unless sprint
offers a different color. sprint even fucked with the touch flow.
GODDAMIT that really pisses me off. sprint also fucked up the shape
of the touch pro... someone please tell me if you dont like how
sprint fucked the shape up.
famm113 @ Sep 10th 2008 5:11PM
@tcc 3
Thank you man I completely agree with you. When I need the precisely copy a text or link the stylus works perfect. While it would be cool to mostly use your finger to navigate, the stylus is not a drawback in my opinion.
Wii @ Sep 10th 2008 5:18PM
Where is the diamond cut back? this look like a fake diamond to me
cesium @ Sep 10th 2008 5:37PM
It's been known for months that the CDMA versions have a flat back
MasterCKO @ Sep 10th 2008 5:21PM
guys, get a life.
Eddie @ Sep 10th 2008 6:30PM
The whole point of the comments section is to express your feelings about the product.
If you're not interested, don't bother reading the comments.
@MasterCKO @ Sep 10th 2008 7:40PM
Take a chill pill, dumbass. LIke Eddie said, this is a comment section where people can express their opinions about the article. If you don't like it, leave. Nobody's forcing you to stay and read the comments. BTW, speak for yourself, if you think people should "get a life" for submitting comments.
MasterCKO @ Sep 11th 2008 9:30PM
Guess I should have specified that that wasn't aimed at everyone. Just the ones who were actually getting super worked up over how HTC and Sprint have completely failed them with the look of the phone and and it's bringing an end to their world and they can't possibly live without the Diamond being just like such and such RAH RAH RAH. All the ones with the overdone melodrama.
I *am* speaking for myself when I said it and I don't really need to chill as I don't really care one way or another (actually I'm pretty thrilled that the phone is coming out). I just think that if people are expending that much energy (again, see my first paragraph for what I'm talking about), it would be better off used elsewhere, say living their lives.
bob cobb @ Sep 10th 2008 6:03PM
Looks crappy after seing the touch HD
Mark @ Sep 10th 2008 7:17PM
Any idea if this thing will run Windows Mobile 6.1 applications? I have a medical database that I need to run...
Josh @ Sep 10th 2008 8:40PM
This is running Windows Mobile 6.1, so it should run Windows Mobile 6.1 applications. ;)
Cal! @ Sep 10th 2008 7:25PM
Is that an Touch Diamond on those pictures? Isn't the Diamond named that way because of the facets on its back? So what's the difference between the Touch Diamond and Pro?
MastrCake @ Sep 10th 2008 7:27PM
The Pro has a keyboard (like the Mogul, Wing, etc.). The diamond does not (like the old touch, iPhone, etc.).