what is the Diamond like ? - Touch Diamond, MDA Compact IV General

Hi All,
I am looking at upgrading my phone, and one of the phones being offered is the Diamond, I currently have the Hermes or Vario 2, at the moment, I dont really get a lot out of the phone, apart from the nomal phone, text, GPS and occasional net browsing.
I dont really know much about the Diamond apart from the fact that its half the thickness of the Hermes, any information would be very helpful.
Thanks.

www.HTC.com

well i like it
just take time to read some of the threads on here
just to make sure it will do what you need it too

Its all touchy feely..
Makes you feel fuzzy
This phone is great.
My only gripes are No micro SD and Battery life.
I found it better to use than the omnia.

in my opinion its great little lagy but ok, and for me battery life is ok standard use about 4doays full use about 6h.

djfuego said:
This phone is great.
My only gripes are No micro SD and Battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That about sums it up for me.
If a compact Windows Mobile handset that has integrated GPS, wi-fi, HSDPA and the usual phone features is what you're looking for then the Diamond should definitely be on your short list imo. That was my serious answer
The stupid one was a square turned through 45 degrees

Related

Kaiser from users point of view

Dear all
I had an i-mate JasJam and sold it, then baught myself a HTC Touch but not happy with the performance.
I am thinking of buying a HTC TyTn II.
Reading all the reviews over the web is not good enough to make a good decission.
The best thing is to hear from the actual users.
Please Advice.
Best Regards
This phone is the best there is.
The only problem (What kan be a big problem) is that the screen is very thin.
So watch out while pressing or having it in your pocket.
I have used the I-mate Jasjam and Triniy, and I can tell you one thing Tytn II is better than both of them, only thing that is bugging me is the battery life time.
xmoo said:
This phone is the best there is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Best" can be so subjective to the user’s needs. I will just say, it's the best I've had so far. The ONLY issue I have right now is battery life sux. I have yet to isolate the problem with it. Some report no problems, while MANY others do. The best improvement IMHO so far over the other HTC phones I've had, is the increase in on board memory. The only apps I load to the SD card now are games.
The Kaiser is very good, and you will find 128 Mb ram a godsend after both the Touch and the JasJam.
Re battery life, mine improved immeasurably when I make bluetooth non-discoverable. Of course one should also make sure no GPS software is running in the background.
Surur
TYTN II/Kaiser is a solid in feel and performer. Wen holding the TYTN I and II, I feels very hollow/light and II ha substances, solid. plus the screen tilts so one can read/watch while leaving it on the desk.
surur said:
The Kaiser is very good, and you will find 128 Mb ram a godsend after both the Touch and the JasJam.
Re battery life, mine improved immeasurably when I make bluetooth non-discoverable. Of course one should also make sure no GPS software is running in the background.
Surur
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a replacement for mine when I called support over the battery issue. Before I sent the first one back, I hard reset it, installed nothing, and didn't even put a sim card in it. No wifi or BT on, I put it in hibernation and let it sit overnight. It used 12% of the battery over a 6 hour period (in hibernation). The 8525/TyTn wouldn't even use 1% doing this same thing. So, I believe there is something in the hardware of this phone is a battery hog.
I've got a Tilt and an 8525. Although the Tilt looks the same size, it feels much smaller and more comfortable in the hand. Lighter too. It makes a surprising difference. I like the non-collapsing stylus. The speaker seems tinnier to me, but if using headset, there is a sort of basic equalizer applet (though I haven't used it yet).
It has fewer buttons than the 8525. It doesn't have the two on the top for messages or IE and it doesn't have the button on the for Comm Manager, which I miss quite a lot. I also find the On/off button on the same side to be more recessed and harder to press. This is an annoyance for me because I like to keep the unit off to conserve battery but let it wake for calls, reminders etc.
I won't talk about the joy of the extra storage. The camera's nicer too, not just extra pixels but ease of use and settings. I do very much like the built in GPS. Using it with Google maps or Live Search, you can find a wide variety of local businesses including addresses, map views and directions and add them to contacts. With existing contacts for which you have an address listed, you can also get directions. I find this useful when having to pick up my kids at their school mates homes when I've never been there.
I've only had the Tilt for a couple of days and am still in the process of learning all the additional benefits
After my smartphones, i got some pdaphones : wizard, then trinity, hermes, artemis, and now THE Kaiser.
By order : Kaiser-Artemis-Trinity-Wizard-Hermes.
The Kaiser is the best phone I ever tried, and I'm not sure I'll change for Polaris.
Keyboard is cool, TouchFlo works as well, and Agps rocks. And memory and rom owns !
Kaiser rulezzzz
Battery life is better than the Hermes IMO (compared against 8525 & TyTN). The only thing that's missing is support for Qualcom's hardware video acceleration. Hopefully itnf we'll have that too....
Sleuth255 said:
Battery life is better than the Hermes IMO (compared against 8525 & TyTN). The only thing that's missing is support for Qualcom's hardware video acceleration. Hopefully itnf we'll have that too....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure that battery life is better. Better than my Artemis, sure, but my Hermes, I don't think so.
I too had the Jasjam and the Touch and now the Kaiser (TyTn II).
By far the best specially the ample amount of RAM and ROM is probably the best part for me.
My only complaint is that while using the EDGE network the data speed I get is only half of what I get with the Touch. I have tried this repeatedly by swaping my SIM between the Touch and TyTn II and each time the same result about 100 kbs for the TyTn II versus 200 for the Touch
Kaiser:
1. is a bit heavy
2. does not have vga screen
I think Touch and Kaiser are meant for different purposes. You may want to look into Touch II if performance is your only concern. If you are really into PDA's then Kaiser is the answer.
24hrs with the phone and i love it.. yeah its got a few flaws.. i like my 8525 keyboard more.. these buttons dont seem to pop like the 85s did so it takes some time getting used to.. the phone feels soo much thinner and feels like it weights less when holding up to ur ear. its extremely faster then the treo 750v when using a custom rom (im using duttys 3). the camera is AMAZING for a phone..from what ive seen but then again ive only delt w/ windows phones since my very first phone so.. yeah
RSchris said:
I'm not sure that battery life is better. Better than my Artemis, sure, but my Hermes, I don't think so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with Sleuth255 the battery life in my att tilt BLOWS away the battery life I got with the 8525. and yes, we got it, you dont think so.
camera sucks
I think the camera sucks compared to the 8525. I was able to take some good pics with the 8525, where on the tilt, they are always jaggy, i have to ask someone to sit still for 5 seconds. just my opinion.
ko0ky said:
I think the camera sucks compared to the 8525. I was able to take some good pics with the 8525, where on the tilt, they are always jaggy, i have to ask someone to sit still for 5 seconds. just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are u running a 8925 or a 8125 because the camera is purely just shy of amazing for a camera phone.. it has auto focus so u might have a bad phone
One more tool to increase battery life.
I just ran across a nifty little tool that lets you use just about any Pop email provider and yet get Push email from it WITHOUT using your email client to keep checking if you have mail which saves your battery.
It uses mail forwarding from your provider and sms/text messages to trigger your PPC to go get mail. As a result the battery seems to last a lot longer and you get your mail within seconds of it arriving in your POP email providers servers.
Give this thing a look. It's working just great with GMAIL. And once Google fixes their IMAP problems for PPC this will work even better. Here's the site.
http://www.qorefunctions.com/
Dear All
I would like to thank you to all of you who contributed in this thread, I very much appreciate your personal openions.
Now I have a better and clear view of the Kaiser.
Again thank you very much
Best Regards

What's the Verdict?

Is the Diamond a good device? Should I upgrade from my Kaiser?
Saw a review today that said it had memory leaks and frequent crashes....
upgrade upgrade upgrade...
The Diamond just keeps getting better...
upgrade and ......search/check the other 5-6 threads with the same subject or complete reviews on the subject.
sorry, but you are a senior with hundreds of posts, you are not a noobie so i do expect more.
thank you.
True - it was a quick spur of the moment post after I read the newspaper review today. I search the other threads and find some more reviews
you are so naughty
he told you off
warmkiwi99 said:
Is the Diamond a good device? Should I upgrade from my Kaiser?
Saw a review today that said it had memory leaks and frequent crashes....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U should update ASAP, the gsensor apps are gonna start rolling out (among many other cool apps and hot cooked roms)
Besides its a COOL Phone, sexyest around.
Yes mine still has a memory leak (depsite latest stock ROM) but it has never crashed or frozen on me it is so sexy makes my Kaiser look like a brick - get one!
adesonic said:
Yes mine still has a memory leak (depsite latest stock ROM) but it has never crashed or frozen on me it is so sexy makes my Kaiser look like a brick - get one!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sexy seems to be the key word....how about a sexy dumb blond?!
we try hard to educate her and hope for the best. i have to say that mine is doing great progress
If you are not in the rush, just wait for some time. Some device appear to have hardware faults, and some faults may be caused by software/or hardware (ie accelerometer one). These can be fixed in later batches. Let others be the manufacturer guinea pigs
Diamond is fantastic device, but you cant help get the feeling it was somewhat rushed to release (to be released before iPhone maybe?). Thats why I advise to wait, especially considering you have Kaiser already. Also price will drop somewhat (I doubt much hovewer, but, still).
Dont upgrade! Dont upgrade! At least not yet.
Had a Kaiser this morning; NOW I have a Diamond.
Best phone I've ever had: I even think the camera is better than the Kaiser's and the device is dinky, sexy, crisp and JUST A JOY TO USE. Coreplayer H.264 works; there's REAL video acceleration, power and slickness.
I really couldn't care less about the Touch Pro: it's TOO THICK. In this instance I take sexy over hardware Keyboard, and I don't need more than 4gb. Shame I've got an 8gb card going to waste though.
I've not missed that dreadful Kaiser hardware Keyboard one bit either.
UPGRADE YE.....if you can afford to.
Did I say I quite like this phone?!?!?
Did I say you might run into some disturbances soon Not to mention how hot the device gets. I'll take that sd card off your hands if you don't want it ^_^ I actually can't live with 4gb. I have 2 8gb cards full of music, vids, pics, apps, and assignments. I couldn't live without at least 8gb. It would bother me way too much. But that's just me.
Kraize
Ive been waiting for both devices to come to Sprint. At first I was certain I wanted the Touch Pro, but after seeing the sleek sexy appearance of the Diamond, the thicker, yet more able Touch Pro is starting to look less and less likely as the one I will get. Not sure if im willing to give up the qwerty just yet.
For much ticking I take my laptop.
Modemconnection via bluetooth PAN and HSDPA is really luxurious when traveling At speeds of 150kb/s I can work as if I were at home.
I don't need to type a lot, and SMS is perfect on screen.
I agree, once you start using GPS and Wi-Fi at the same time the Diamond could boil an an egg
After coming from a Tytn 2 which I have owned since Nov 07 I really love the Diamond, plenty of features, and in such a tiny package, amazing how much they packed into it
GPS seem a lot more sensitive compared to my Tytn 2 which averaged 6-7 sats outdoors in with clear skies, the Diamond averages 8-10.
Wi-Fi also seems to have a little better signal range and connects to my router a little faster than my Tytn 2 did.
The screen is stunning so clear and extremely bight, brilliant for web surfing and the included youtube app is really cool to.
The only disappointing thing is the 4gb of storage, I had 6gb on my Tytn 2, used to use it for the TomTom Western and central Europe map and the North America map, which totalled 4gb plus my other apps on top so have had to just stick one map on instead. HTC really should have put 8gb minimum on his phone, 8gb chips these days really are cheap as chips so there was no excuse there
If you loved the Tytn 2/Kaiser and don't mind loosing the keyboard then this is an awesome phone to go for.
I totally mind losing the keyboard. Unless! Unless someone ported WinMo to the iPhone. That would be a winner in my eyes
I haven't run into any heating problems when using GPS or WiFi :S
not noticed an overheating problems here either, and I'm finding texting and composing long passages much easier than on the kaiser despite the lack of hardware keyboard. I really don't imagine I'll miss the kaiser one bit.
mine don't get hot - slightly warm and fuzzy but not hot

HTC Diamond or N95 8GB? HELP!!

Hey guys.
At the moment I've got a HTC Elf. Its an ok phone but i want to go onto a price plan with a network and get a brand new phone along with it. So im now torn between the Diamond and the N95, both great smartphones but I need help! Which one is "better"? Im not too bothered about size (within reason) its more about the features and reliability that im looking for.
Also im moving to Australia in around 12 months time with my girlfriend so preferably I would want one that will work on the networks out there and is fairly easily SIM unlocked.
Any ideas??
All comments appreciated!
Thanks!
HTC Diamond of course .I had the N95 8Gb and didn't impress me much.Look at the specs and you'll see why is better the diamond.If you wait 1 month you can buy yourself the perfect phone ,Htc Pro.
Unlocking for the Diamond is free and you can do it in your home.
i too have had an n95(not 8gb). in reality the n95 camera is better then the diamond..... but i wouldnt count diamonds camera out.... it is just as goood as the n95's 5mpx... mpx doesnt always matter
howzatcookie said:
Hey guys.
At the moment I've got a HTC Elf. Its an ok phone but i want to go onto a price plan with a network and get a brand new phone along with it. So im now torn between the Diamond and the N95, both great smartphones but I need help! Which one is "better"? Im not too bothered about size (within reason) its more about the features and reliability that im looking for.
Also im moving to Australia in around 12 months time with my girlfriend so preferably I would want one that will work on the networks out there and is fairly easily SIM unlocked.
Any ideas??
All comments appreciated!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Difficult decision: regarding photo/video quality, the N95 8GB beats the HTC Diamond EASILY, no comparison possible since the N95 8GB plays in a different league.
Then, the differences start: if you have lots of WM programs you still want to use, go for the HTC Diamond. Otherwise, the N95 8GB also allows installing third party programs, unfortunately most of these(commercial) programs are IMEI "locked", so if you exchange your N95 8GB phone with a different Symbian phone, you usually can't immediately use these programs anymore with the new device.
Video playback capability is also much better with the N95 8GB, the Diamond still has issues I'm afraid.
The decision isn't easy but if you're using the phone mainly for your enjoyment and entertainment, I guess the N95 8GB is the better choice in my opinion.
The Diamond has a better support for exchange servers, etc.
I have just switched from the N95 to the HTC Diamond and don't regret it.
Previously I used the XDAII and XDA Exec when they were released and loved the Windows Mobile experiance and big touch screens. I then switched to Nokia for a bit and tried the N73 then the N95 and I have decided I really don't like the Symbian OS and really missed the Windows Mobile software and apps.
Browsing on the HTC Diamond is a dream! The resolution of the screen means web pages look ace and easy to read. It is easy to zoom in and out with the scroll wheel and navigating the pages with a flick of a finger seems so natural.
The ONLY thing I miss about my N95 is that the Diamond doesn't have audio controls on the headset so you have to change the tracks manually on the phone. Although there is software that with the press of a button you can tell the phone to skip to the next track so I just need to get back into that again.
The only downside I have to the Diamond so far is the lack of expandable memory slot. A 4GB memory stick was enough on my N95 but with so much you can do with Windows Mobile phones it isn't enough for me on the Diamond. I will learn to live with it though.
My only other option before I got the Diamond was the Samsung I900 but although it has a bigger screen, it's lower resolution and the I900 doesn't have a scroll wheel so navigating web pages won't feel as enjoyable and easy. THe plus with the I900 though is 8GB or 16GB internal memory AND an expansion slot.
Sorry for the waffle - Final verdict for me is Diamond all the way. Especially with a community like this available.
Trem
I came from N95 8 gig to diamond. mate go fot it.
The Diamond is simply in a different league altogether.
I have them both. Use the Diamond for fun, experimenting and the N95 8GB for when I need a stable device, which can do almost everything and do itquite well. To me the 8GB is the best device, but it's a bit too large.
I am planning on getting rid of one of them within the next few weeks, but right now I am not sure which...
sbcdk said:
I have them both. Use the Diamond for fun, experimenting and the N95 8GB for when I need a stable device, which can do almost everything and do itquite well. To me the 8GB is the best device, but it's a bit too large.
I am planning on getting rid of one of them within the next few weeks, but right now I am not sure which...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I mean thats what its boiled down to for me at the moment. I love the sleekness of the Diamond and the new TouchFlo 3D stuff with the accelerometer.
However, I followed the Diamond closely ever since it was announced and to be honest I've heard such a range of comments about it and some of the bad stuff said about it gets me worried to some degree. For example I've read alot about the interface being "sluggish" and "un-responsive" and to be honest that ruins the touchscreen feature for me. Although many people say that the reason for the slow speed on some devices is because the people using them are not using them correctly.
As for the N95....I havn't really heard a bad note about it apart from the obvious complaint of its chunkiness and the fact that there isn't a cover for the camera. I also found out that the N95 does actually have a built in accelerometer that was apparently hidden by Nokia. So, to be honest my hand is slowly creeping over to the N95 at the moment for the following reasons:
- 5mp camera (that I've been told is alot more reliable and has more effects)
- 8GB of storage (probably alot more than I will use, but atleast its there if i do need it)
- Quad Band (to be honest I think you only need a Tri Band phone to work in Australia, but its likely I will be doing more travelling)
- Slide out Keypad (I dont dislike the touch keypad on my elf, but I guess I would be able to type quicker with more feedback)
- Chunk (I'll be honest, I'm a clumsy Oaf when it comes to holding anything electrical and small, and I have a bad feeling that perhaps Me and that glossy, shiny finish on the Diamond might not get on well)
- Nokia (frome experience with Nokias you can generally get signal anywhere....however I have yet to find an area where my elf doesnt have signal)
I dont want anyone to think that im casting out the idea of buying the Diamond....trust me im not!
Ahhh God this is gonna take me a while to figure out!
Thanks for your comments so far though guys! (sorry for the long reply here!)
If you want to use phone also for music/radio, then N95 is for you. Diamond as mp3 player is abysmal ( sound quality sucks really hard ), but on other tasks it is better ( except camera ).
8GB of storage really isn't too much, 4GB is too little. I don't trust one single GPS app 100% so I always keep a backup program ready (TT7 + iGO8). 2 x map of europe = most of the 4GB storage is gone. Add a bit of music and that's it.
The 8GB storage on the N95 is nice, but sloooow. Such a relief to be working on the Diamond now, it is much faster.
MP3 on the Diamond has another problem: standby time. It drains the battery almost as fast as movie playback on the N95 8GB. Listen to one hour of music and the battery is almost guaranteed to be dead before you go to bed. HTC really need to take this seriously and do some ROM tweaking to save power, just as Nokia did on the N95.
But the size of the Diamond... If they were the same size, the choice would be easy for me - dump the Diamond. But this is where the Diamond really stands out. Just slide it into your pocket and forget it. No way you can do that with a N95 8GB.
The N95 (8GB) has been on the market for 18 months or so. So many updates, so much better a device now than when it first appeared. The Diamond is still only about one month old. Much can happen during the next few months, especially when it is backed up by a site as great as this. Xda developer is as good a 'feature' as any
I totally know where your all coming from. I guess its so hard to choose between the two because they are so different.
If all the functionality and features of the N95 could be squeezed into the Diamond with TouchFlo 3D over the top, I think we'd have the perfect phone that could shove the iPhone's head up its own ass where it belongs. (no offence to anyone with an iPhone).
However this isn't the case, so I guess were stuck for the moment. I really wanted to make this decision this weekend so I can buy my phone next week, im not sure thats gonna happen now .
I shall Ponder!!
Ok guys so...I had a think about this and while doing some other shopping today I popped into my local T-Mobile shop and got myself a brand new N95 8GB on a £30 price plan.
Now I know some of you...if not all...may be slightly confused with my decision; Why go for a chunky Nokia thats been out for 18 months over a sleek, sexy, new HTC Diamond?
Well to be honest, I did alot of research (in place of Work that I really should have been doing!) and I went around and got some brief hands on use of both handsets, asked friends who have either phone and just found out as much info as I could.
When I got hold of the Diamond for the second time, I was still impressed. It is a fantastic device, end of! But my hand felt empty....a strange use of words but thats how I felt...I couldnt get a half decent grip on the phone either, probably because of its sexy gloss finish.
When I held the N95 8GB (also for the second time) I was overwhelmed, first by its size, and then by just how much it can do. My hand was full, but comfortably. The weight and really stable slider reassured me as I played around with the different stuff available. After playing around for about 20 minutes the sales advisor showed me the quick program menu and told me about the "blue light" at the corner of each program icon that tells you that the program was running....every program had this light (because I used everyone) I was amazed to say the least especially after owning the Elf where you only have to open internet explorer for the phone to begin twitching.
I have to admit that I miss the touch screen a little bit...just being able to physically touch the icon you want is quite satisfying, but (from my experience) slow. On the N95 I fly through different menus in seconds.
Im sorry to be a slight dissapointment to anyone who was certain that I must get the Diamond, but I decided that speed and reliability is what I really want over style and functionality.
I know you guys know your stuff and I will have no shame in reporting any problems I have with the N95 so you can all give a huge "told you so", however I really doubt that situation will ever happen, this phone does basically everything....and does it well!
Ok guys so...I had a think about this and while doing some other shopping today I popped into my local T-Mobile shop and got myself a brand new N95 8GB on a £30 price plan.
Now I know some of you...if not all...may be slightly confused with my decision; Why go for a chunky Nokia thats been out for 18 months over a sleek, sexy, new HTC Diamond?
Well to be honest, I did alot of research (in place of Work that I really should have been doing!) and I went around and got some brief hands on use of both handsets, asked friends who have either phone and just found out as much info as I could.
When I got hold of the Diamond for the second time, I was still impressed. It is a fantastic device, end of! But my hand felt empty....a strange use of words but thats how I felt...I couldnt get a half decent grip on the phone either, probably because of its sexy gloss finish.
When I held the N95 8GB (also for the second time) I was overwhelmed, first by its size, and then by just how much it can do. My hand was full, but comfortably. The weight and really stable slider reassured me as I played around with the different stuff available. After playing around for about 20 minutes the sales advisor showed me the quick program menu and told me about the "blue light" at the corner of each program icon that tells you that the program was running....every program had this light (because I used everyone) I was amazed to say the least especially after owning the Elf where you only have to open internet explorer for the phone to begin twitching.
I have to admit that I miss the touch screen a little bit...just being able to physically touch the icon you want is quite satisfying, but (from my experience) slow. On the N95 I fly through different menus in seconds.
Im sorry to be a slight dissapointment to anyone who was certain that I must get the Diamond, but I decided that speed and reliability is what I really want over style and functionality.
I know you guys know your stuff and I will have no shame in reporting any problems I have with the N95 so you can all give a huge "told you so", however I really doubt that situation will ever happen, this phone does basically everything....and does it well!
I used to own a N95 as well.
I waited for it for months and months before it got released to get it.
for a month or two I worked overtime to be able to buy it as fast as possible.
Finally I had it.
AND I LOVED IT!
I felt the same as you. TONS of stuff it could do, the camera was soooo good. etc etc.
But the reality cought up on me 6 months later and the damn speakers began to get a distorted sound. I had it in for the same problem twice within the next 6 months, and on the third time they switched it ( even though I wanted my money back ) to a new device with a fresh warranty period.
It ran like a charm.
Two months after I got it....same problem. Speakers.
So I went down and started a war against the store I bought it from cause they didn't wanna pay me back.
But I won. Got my money and ran fast to the store on the otherside of the road to buy me an Diamond. And I do NOT regret it. Remember, I LOVED my B95. But even if the camera was a bit better and it played music a TAD better I still don't regret it.
I wanna give you a tip though. If you work or run around in areas with alot of dirt in the air. Like a workshop, put the damn thing in a plastic bag that you can seal, or you will most likely experience the same thing I have.
The hole in the "filter" infron of the side speakers are just to large and that allowes the speaker ( magnet ) to draw particles towards it.
But as far as I am concerned, I will probably never get a Nokia phone again.
Ever since they started with smartphones it has gone down hill imo. Even though N95 and N95 8gig sold pretty well.
Good luck with you new phone though. And Grats.
/Akezzon
May be N95 and Daimond might come close in some features. But what makes daimond to rock is the interface. Its much better than what N95 has to provide. and Ofcourse N95 does not have touch screen. and Daimonds hardware is of cutting edge technology and specs
howzatcookie said:
Yeah, I mean thats what its boiled down to for me at the moment. I love the sleekness of the Diamond and the new TouchFlo 3D stuff with the accelerometer.
However, I followed the Diamond closely ever since it was announced and to be honest I've heard such a range of comments about it and some of the bad stuff said about it gets me worried to some degree. For example I've read alot about the interface being "sluggish" and "un-responsive" and to be honest that ruins the touchscreen feature for me. Although many people say that the reason for the slow speed on some devices is because the people using them are not using them correctly.
As for the N95....I havn't really heard a bad note about it apart from the obvious complaint of its chunkiness and the fact that there isn't a cover for the camera. I also found out that the N95 does actually have a built in accelerometer that was apparently hidden by Nokia. So, to be honest my hand is slowly creeping over to the N95 at the moment for the following reasons:
- 5mp camera (that I've been told is alot more reliable and has more effects)
- 8GB of storage (probably alot more than I will use, but atleast its there if i do need it)
- Quad Band (to be honest I think you only need a Tri Band phone to work in Australia, but its likely I will be doing more travelling)
- Slide out Keypad (I dont dislike the touch keypad on my elf, but I guess I would be able to type quicker with more feedback)
- Chunk (I'll be honest, I'm a clumsy Oaf when it comes to holding anything electrical and small, and I have a bad feeling that perhaps Me and that glossy, shiny finish on the Diamond might not get on well)
- Nokia (frome experience with Nokias you can generally get signal anywhere....however I have yet to find an area where my elf doesnt have signal)
I dont want anyone to think that im casting out the idea of buying the Diamond....trust me im not!
Ahhh God this is gonna take me a while to figure out!
Thanks for your comments so far though guys! (sorry for the long reply here!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After the latest ROM update, i find my Diamond blazing fast, not unresponsive like when i first bought it
Also the diamond is now quad band, Htc magically pulled out the 850mhz band in the phone.
In case you didnt knew, the diamond also has a Tv-out! avaible with a special cable that is soon to come
My stephfather just went from N95 to the new iphone 3g, i told him to check out the diamond touch, but he didnt even take a look at it, guess who will be laughing when he gets the iphone^^
i had it for about a day and sold it on
teemupii said:
If you want to use phone also for music/radio, then N95 is for you. Diamond as mp3 player is abysmal ( sound quality sucks really hard ), but on other tasks it is better ( except camera ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Also add the phone - it's, in general, better (and allows for call recording, which is, as usual, missing from the Diamond.)
That is, if you
- need a phone with call recording,
- need multimedia playback, particularly via the built-in speakers,
- CAMERA (which the Diamond really sucks at)
- need LOTS of storage (another no-go for the Diamond)
go for the N95.
(I'd advise againts the 8GB version. Get the "simple" N95 instead.)
Hi Guys,
Let me join in too. Yes, you might have guessed by now. I am also an ex-N95 user. The N95 is one of those phones that I will have a hard time forgetting. As a matter of fact, I sold my N95 to buy the Diamond. I did regret about it in the earlier days when I first got the Diamond. Common problems like system lags, bugs, hang ups, etc made me wanna sell off my Diamond buy back my N95. But flashing the Diamond to new ROMS (cooked of course), the performance of the Diamond improved 100% ! I am beginning to fall in love with my Diamond again.
Regarding howzatcookie's decision to buy the N95 8GB, I know you will regret. Not because you missed out on the Diamond. It's because you are missing out on a better phone, N96, which is due out worldwide in a couple of months time !
$
Let me give you a different point of view:
- if you want to use the device more as computer then use HTC TD, else N95

Can the Diamond really be recommended?

I cant help, but I am "slowly" getting more and more convinced not to buy a Diamond because of the apparent issues I continue to find.
First I found out about the display issue which is (also officially) said to happen only with too much pressure (what exactly is too much), although some reported them as well and stated to have taken care. Now it seems there is yet one more issue with the backlighting respectively the hardware itself.
Would you say I am exaggerating and those issues are normal ones which happen to some extent on all phones or is my upcoming impression right that the Diamond might be a true beta product - it's not that those issues are exactly minor ones?
Please let me know your true and objective (please no fanboyism in either way ) opinion.
all I can say is these forums get a lot more of
"I have a problem"
then
"my diamond is working fine and i would not change a thing"
happy users
1 never come here
2 try to help others
If you come to a forum where people are seeking help with their phone then unsuprisingly you are gonna find alot of people with phone problems they would like help with.
This is true for all devices from phones to cars, and will always give the impression that the device has many flaws. In the bigger picture far more people are happy with their diamond than reading here will have you think.
i believe that the diamond really is a great smartphone, (no fanboyism) and that it really delivers a great bunch of possibilities, especially when paired with xda developers it migth tend to be a little slow sometimes though. and sometimes even slower... but the first problem you described, ive never heard of before, and i do not believe you will experience this without trying to do it, or if you by accident throws a rock at the display (accident???) the second problem sounded like a flash of a custom rom gone wrong, which doesnt really have anything to do with the phone, but more with the person behind the phone
these 2 problems that you talk about seems like some that only happens if you doesnt take a little care of your phone, and i do not believe that these should make you worry about getting a diamond. but you might want to consider buying a diamond2 instead, since its about to get released
.
Thanks for all your responses so far, of course the argument of complainers being louder is valid, but I suppose I am particularly worried here because the two mentioned issues seem to be quite common - among the complainers at least - and seem to be rather major issues and not like a minor one such as a buggy software.
Hojlind said:
but the first problem you described, ive never heard of before, and i do not believe you will experience this without trying to do it, or if you by accident throws a rock at the display (accident???)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Usually I am not using rocks , but there are also quite a few in the mentioned thread who have stated to never have mistreated the display. Of course its not easy to verify this claim but I have to admit it makes me worry.
Hojlind said:
the second problem sounded like a flash of a custom rom gone wrong, which doesnt really have anything to do with the phone, but more with the person behind the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd have assumed that too, however it doesnt seem to have taken place immediately after flashing but a few days later and a few even mentioned it happened without any flashing at all.
Hojlind said:
these 2 problems that you talk about seems like some that only happens if you doesnt take a little care of your phone, and i do not believe that these should make you worry about getting a diamond. but you might want to consider buying a diamond2 instead, since its about to get released
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What attracts me particularly to the Diamond is its size. It is one of the smallest Windows Mobile phones available. The Diamond 2 is already noticeable larger and so I'd then opt for the HD right away.
I've had so many devices I can't remember how many, from pocket pc's to the diamond I've just been randomly given free, not on upgrade .. just a random gift.
First impressions - after having it for 6 hours:
Looks great, I like the candybar format, after the Vario III it's .. novel.
The screen is a vast improvement over the last generation of screens.
The camera produces usable images, the Vario III didn't. haven't tried video but the new drivers seem to be doing their job.
GPS lag has not been tested on the road but tomtom picked up a signal quickly enough.
I've not yet experienced the dropped call when answering because of the end call nonsense on the screen. If I do there is a workaround.
The Compact IV won't open a full 300mb Memory Map file, I've had to break the maps down into bite size chunks for it.
After using the vario III for a long time I've never used more than 3.5GB, despite having a 6GB card so I won't miss the lack of memory card.
I didn't use the keyboard of the other phones I used to the lack of it is welcome.
On balance, I would recommend this phone but a novice would quickly be frustrated and that's mostly down to interface quirks which you get used to after a while, and here's usually a workaround for most problems, except a duff driver.
Why the people at HTC and t-mobile don't just farm the ROM dev out to xda-dev is beyond me.
The developers here do a better job, quicker and cheaper than the bunch of talentless spods employed by the various co's who make the devices. Although, I might be being too harsh on the spods, they probably do a great job but get stymied by the suits.
Could I recommend the Diamond ? Yes.
Diamond is the best WM device I've ever used...
Mine's been bumping around in my pocket for the last 10 months, dropped a couple of times, lives in a (padded) bumbag when I'm trail riding my pushbike and generally been used rather a lot - but never abused.
In my previous job role I managed 1500 WM devices for an SME (sig...) and I can say with the absolute certainty of someone who has been there for a living that the kind of hardware failures that get reported here are almost unheard of in any WM devices that haven't been physically mistreated or had roms flashed in a hamfisted way.
Sitting down a couple of times with a touchscreen phone in the front pocket of a tight pair of trousers will always flex the device just enough for the display to fail somewhere down the line - usually long after the offender has left our employ and the device has been passed on to the next user...
Mind you I'll probably pick up a Touch Pro 2 when my contract is up for renewal...
I had one for a few months and didnt like it.
I am not remotely clued up on the technical side of things so this is very much a laymans report:
It had lots of features I liked but on the whole the phone was too much hassle and its cons outweighed its pro's. (the poor camera, the "black screen" when on the phone thing, the poor on/off button on the top, the poor lock/unlock system. But i loved the interface of the phone.
Swapped it for a LG Renoir and miss the Diamond, but they both have things the other doesnt. So I am no better off.
When will someone make the perfect phone? lol
The Diamond is excellent if you can handle it meaning you have really get into tweaking. Out of the box I would not recommend it but if you are willing improve it on your own by using the helpful programs of this forum than it's an excellent choice.
I have had several PDA phones: Sansung i700, i730, i760, HTC Mogul. Of those I loved the i760 with it's number keypad (granted it had it's issues also). Hated the Mogul (low memory issue and slow). The Diamond I consider an outstanding phone. My biggest issue is the lack of responsiveness of the screen. Takes some getting use to. I did the registry changes but didn't notice a real difference. Compared to the other PDA phones I mentioned I love the display quality, size, look, feel, and $10 internet with Sprint. Perfect phone for me. The battery life I can deal with. I have a cradle with a spare battery, a car charger and spare charger at work so I'm always prepared. By the way the battery life seems to have gotten better with the latest ROM update. I could recomend it but I always let people know of the battery issue, screen responsiveness and still having problems with time issue here in Arizona (changes by an hour every once in a while for some reason).
eurofan said:
The Diamond is excellent if you can handle it meaning you have really get into tweaking. Out of the box I would not recommend it but if you are willing improve it on your own by using the helpful programs of this forum than it's an excellent choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that!!!
It wasn't great out of the box. But now.... I love tweaking/flashing and would recommend it to anyone.
Although, if your thinking of purchasing a diamond, personally, I would wait till the 'Touch Diamond 2' is released.
I agree with alot of the comments
Basically the HTC Diamond, or it many variants, is an excellent device (and I have had many many many devices).
What it has going for it:
1. Size
2. Weight
3. Fantastic screen
4. Looks nice and cute/good form factor
5. Well made
Issues:
6. Battery should have been bigger - not really an issue for me as I have a charger at work and home. I tend to charge every two days unless I have been using it intensly and then top up on the day (normally I top up if on 2 bars).
7. Shipped firmwares in the UK are mostly pants!
8. No card slot. Now I want to be clear about this, if you are just installing programs and/or data the 4GB storage is absolutely fine, more then enough in fact. It also is good for a small set of videos or music. However, if you want to store large amounts of music or videos then this device is not for you!
Basically, if you upgrade the Diamond after purchase to one of the more excellent ROMs on this site, it will have a beautiful display and quick response.
Also, note that, unlike something like the HTC Touch, this is a premium device. Which means it has nice touches like the stylus is held in magnetically and also, when you pull the stylus out it automatically switches the display on.
In terms of the Diamond 2 issue, that is obviously a better device, but the price will reflect it, and the HTC Diamond is now looking very good value. Personally, I like buying phones at the end of their run, as the firmware and price are the best.
Lastly, the HTC Diamond is a bit of a cult device. Why is this important ? Because it means that the support on xda-developers is much better then the less popular devices. As the HTC Diamond's price goes down, this will just increase.
best rgds
i just seriously love my diamond..the price on ebay is going down at a rapid pace n yeah..i love it bcoz of all the tweakin u can do on it..
man oh man..on which other device can u get a "not yet working" android os as well as some iphone like stuff for unlockin, music etc..n u can just about change everything thats on the phone..
tht may be coz its my first ever windows mobile phone n i was suprised by the remote desktop..use it to play poker on facebook now!! wanna view tv for uefa cup late at night..no problemo..n the autofocus camera with a beautiful vga screen adds as the biggest pro as i snap pics of my college assignments that are readable on its vga screen
i am a little disappointed with the touch screen though..cos when in remote desktop full screen, u cannot reach to the minimize, maximize n close buttons.. though u can use another software but its the touchscreen fault as the 4 corners of the screen are difficult to tap..
but overall im very satisfied n recommend it to all
The diamond rules!!! Buy one!! Buy one now :d
I just bought one cheap,don't like the diamond 2,it has no d-pad and looks a fair bit bigger.
The screen quality (colours and contrast)from what I've seen on youtube against the likes of the HD is what made me keen on it.
I have been using O2 flames for the last 2 years,so the battery life will be something I'm used to.
Hopefully it isn't like the atom life I bought and ended up selling within a week
gerryjoson said:
I just bought one cheap,don't like the diamond 2,it has no d-pad and looks a fair bit bigger.
The screen quality (colours and contrast)from what I've seen on youtube against the likes of the HD is what made me keen on it.
I have been using O2 flames for the last 2 years,so the battery life will be something I'm used to.
Hopefully it isn't like the atom life I bought and ended up selling within a week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good luck! the quality of the diamond is much nicer then the atom.
start off on a good foot with a good rom
had a diamond sinve day 1 of orange uk launch
once flashed........a great phone.
does everything i want and more....so its gets a 10/10 from me...
if thats worth anything to you
^^^ Fanboy...
My opinion is that the Diamond is a nice attractive phone in a good size. Having said that, there are 3 major flaws:
1. Battery life
2. Speed
3. Software
The software one is the most solvable, with the number of tweaks, ROMs and free apps available here. I've supplemented that with a large amount of commercial software in order to get the best possible experience but this is of course very expensive to do properly.
Diamond is very good phone, i think you will never regret if you will buy one.
About problem on screen and presure ( i have that problem ), i think it comes because, when need to open back for sim card or for battery. To open back we need to press screen.
Had a diamond around 9 or 10 months now, considered buying an HD or a few other wannabees but any time I consider buying a new phone I just need to look @ my diamond & I remember why it's so damn good, It's looks haven't been matched or surpassed yet & the so called newer updated htc 1's/ other makes aren't that much better IMHO in performance etc... oh yeah & their all big fat bricks !!!
I'm sticking to my precious DIAMOND for a while yet thx
Oh & BTW that htc update has finally finally fixed it's biggest/ annoying bug, my diamond hasn't skipped an mp3 track since I installed it, I think I'll keep mine forever now hehehehe...

Should I Buy It?

Hey guys, possibly a biased place to be asking this but is it worth me buying this phone? I would get it on Orange for £25 a month when they get it back in stock
Unlimited texts, fair few minutes as well.
What are the APPS like for it? Do the pros outweigh the cons? Easy to type?
Sorry for the noob questions but I really need a new phone and this looks good.
I was originally thinking the LG Renoir but even with custom firmware it still sounds buggy.
Just wanna hear the opinions of people who have had the phone for a while and had to time to play about a bit
Thanks
Jacob
Shoud you buy it?
I had a SPV M700 for a while but it had limited internal ram (50mb useable) which restricted use of 3rd party software so i upgraded to a diamond.
I have been using it for a week and I am not impressed.
Its advertised as 198 / 256 ram depending on the version but actually only has 105mb usable ram.
There is a lot of lag when switching programs and you miss a lot of incoming calls due to lag in the slide to answer function.
It does not have a dedicated camera button. The camera is slow to take a pic as it has to autofocus before the shutter clicks.
My biggest gripe is the navigation pad. It is very low quality and awkward to manouvre that it is almost unusable. The M700 has a high quality precision pad which is a delight to use.
Battery life is particularly poor, lasting about a day and a half.
If you flash it with good cooked ROM Diamon becomes a good device but if you want only Stock SW else it isn't impressive...
"...I would get it on Orange for £25 a month when they get it back in stock
Unlimited texts, fair few minutes as well how you pay now." the question is: How much do I pay now?
D'rath
Well I would flash it with a cooked ROM
Does anyone have a site or thread which explains all about having a phone with Windows Mobile because I have never used the software before and would like to gain a basic understanding of modding the phone.
But still, do the pros outweigh the cons?
If not what would you recomend in the same price range?
Thanks
Jacob
Read XDA forums
WM is hard the first time: you must change a lot of things, registry hack etc... if you won't do that else buy iPhone or a basic cellphone.
D'rath
Well this is one of the best phone to have...
Infact i had HTC TOUCH before...then i got Diamond...this piece of art is so cool and delicate that initially you bound to take utmost care while using it...but in couple of weeks u will fell in love with this device...according to me its one of the best device to own
dont think 2ice go for it
vishalkishnani said:
Well this is one of the best phone to have...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd second that. Having owned one for about 9 months I am still impressed by my HTC Diamond even (or particularly) when comparing to Iphones, Omnias, Palms etc.
Why? Mainly because it is VGA resolution, the SMALLEST Smartphone usable I found and cute.
Main thing is to get a good ROM ( I used the NAKED 2.03 one) and software of your choice and you are done. Costs around 100 Euros for me in terms of software but now it does EVERYTHING I need and want: Calendar Thumbcal, SBP Mobile Shell, G-Alarm, Lingvosoft Dictionaries, AudioTouch, Coreplayer, and Most Importantly: TouchPAL keyboard with Multi language support, plus some freeware tools). On Top TomTOm and you are done.
Battery life is around 3-4 days for me. But the UNIQUE SELLING PROPERTY is definitively the excellent small form factor and its beauty ;-)
Plus, now you should get it quite cheap (got mine for 180 Euros on ebay MINT).
Are you sure you get that much battery life.
Cause i had heard it doesnt last long, maximum a day.
Battery life is my major concern otherwise i am getting this phone.
The best is HD (big display makes diffence!!!)
2 days could be normal but if you call a lot, web, road Nav etc battery run away
On my HD 2 day with normal use
D'rath
In all honesty, I would say do not buy it.
Not because the phone is crap; I love my diamond, there are still parts I dislike but overall it's a keeper. My battery, with normal use, some gps, googlemapping, exchange direct push, 2 other mailboxes, 2 days on battery is certainly doable. The camera sucks though...fps is too low except in the best of lighting conditions. It is certainly NOT what the marketing shows it..
But, they are about to release the update (I thought they already did in europe?)
The new HTC google phones look nice, and will have all the functionality of this phone (including exchange).
The palm pre is nice also..a coworker just bought one..it doesn't have full exchange support yet (security policies). It really does seem like a nice phone..I wish I made more money I'd just buy all the cool phones and try them out. hah
Windows mobile is too outdated...they need to really get on the ball. HTC shouldn't have to create a layer on top to make it functional. And even then..the engine running behind the scenes is too slow, compared to the competition. I really think, unless you need an app that is only on windows mobile, get one of the other 3 phones (gphone, iphone, pre), or wait.
I dont care about the camera(coming from touch), so its still better for me.
Battery life is ma major concern, if it gets 2 days of normal usage than i am getting this phone.
OK its important question, please answer it.
How much time will the battery last if playing FM radio continously????
And is it worth buying used diamond for 200 USD??
Hmm, don't use FM radio much, but a lot of MP3 which should be similar. Though continuously??? probably a cheap radio for 10 $ is more suitable??
Anyway, with about one hour MP3s per day mine lasts 3 or four days depending on WIFI and HPS usage mainly.
Moreover, you can get a 30 Euros Battery which just adds 3mm thickness but 50% more battery which I will buy for sure once mine dies.
Compared to the PRE, I or G Phone, obviously they are nice, just in my opinion TOO BIG since you cannot write a novel anyhow on the device so I prefer one which compoares to very small phones, easily sits in the shirt pocket and is lightweight. Other than that, obviously go for a newer version, you get bit more speed and screen size.
In the end, its all a matter of taste and yes, Windows Mobile is crap but with Mobile Shell and other software, i hardly see it on my device.
Should you buy it?
It all depends on the type of person you are
If you are a gadget geek and like experimenting with new software etc then this is an ideal phone because there is lot of support, free, hacked and commercial software available.
Also
If you use Office software at work and need outllook / excell etc. on the move then buy it. The GPS and wifi functions are brilliant on this phone. The GPS coupled with TOMTOM is mile better than Iphone and for a lot less dollars.
On the other hand if you want a 100% reliable and user friendly phone then go for dedicated phone as this is a jack of all trades and will occasionally let you down.
The best analogy one can give is playing games on a PC and a playstation / xbox. The PC will occasionally freeze and need restarting whereas the PS/xbox will run the games flawlessly everytime BUT that is all they will do.

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