An early review in the Journal confirms what we long suspected-that HTC's much-anticipated Touch Diamond will arrive in Sprint's lineup "sometime this month." The Journal's verdict on the Diamond, however, is less than sparkling.

 

WSJ reviewer Katherine Boehret complains that the Diamond's smallish touch screen 'felt small and cramped" when it comes to the on-screen QWERTY keyboard, and that the phone's touch UI lacks the iPhone's multitouch features (which, for example, let you "pinch" pictures and Web pages to zoom in and out).

 

Another complaint (and this was the one I was worried about): That the Diamond's super-slick TouchFLO 3D interface can't make up for the tricky, tough-to-use Windows Mobile interface, which rears its ugly head all too often.

 

That's too bad, because in my brief hands-on experience with the Diamond, I was pretty blown away by its razor-sharp, VGA-quality display. I also got a kick out of HTC's TouchFLO interface, which includes a slick messaging preview window, plus a weather widget complete with animated rain and windshield wipers.

 

Unfortunately, as Boehret notes in her review, the Diamond runs primarily on the Pro version of Windows Mobile, which-full-featured though it may be-is devilishly difficult to use, especially if you're on the go. Just try tapping a tiny menu option with the stylus while you're riding the bus and you'll see what I mean.

That said, I'm still looking forward to some quality time with the Diamond, which (interestingly enough) has yet to be formally announced by Sprint-hence, no word on a specific release date or pricing.

 

Also, don't forget the Touch Pro, which is essentially the Diamond plus a slide-out QWERTY keypad-a feature that might make the quirks of Windows Mobile a bit more palatable.

 

Source : HTC

An Overview of the HTC Touch Pro2

The Touch Pro2 will be a "slider", a smartphone with a landscape-oriented sliding QWERTY keyboard. It will also have a 3.6 inch, WVGA (800 by 480 pixel) touchscreen.

It mark the return of the slide-and-tilt screen that was a hallmark of an earlier smartphone from HTC, the AT&T Tilt.

The Touch Pro2 will debut with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1, but make the jump to Windows Mobile 6.5 when this new version is available.

This device will be built around a 528 MHz processor from Qualcomm, 288 MB of RAM, and a microSD card slot. It will also have a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera and a 1500 mAh battery.

It will be 4.6 inches by 2.3 inches by 0.7 inches , and weigh 6.17 ounces with battery.

Even though HTC was willing to unveil these models last week, some details are still missing. The company has not yet revealed anything about their wireless capabilities, for example. Still, GSM and CDMA versions are a safe assumption, with Wi-Fi and wireless broadband.

Via: Engadget

This is one of the monikers that T-Mobile was testing about a month ago, alongside "Genius 3G" or simply "T-Mobile G3".

Since the G1 is currently available in three color versions, it's only natural for the second Android smartphone to have three different appearances as well.

Most important though, a Merlot Mytouch? That's going to be one hell of a color choice! Touchpro2 fans take notice that the above shot features the Touchpro2 name without any attempt to shake up what it will be, just the Touchpro2.

So really nothing else to report other than the fact that once a device is in inventory, we expect the countdown begins to stocked shore shelves.

Via: tmobilenew

Talking about a touch screen mobile phone success, it would still be an understatement.  Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, marked the sale of its 50 millionth full touch screen mobile phone globally this month, confirming its leadership in this fast-growing market segment.

Samsung has sold approximately 40 million full touch screen devices this year through the end of November, compared with around 10 million in 2008. The growth in sales shows the rapid adoption of full touch screen phones by mainstream consumers who enjoy the convenience of the intuitive user interface, powerful multimedia features and sleek designs.

Click here for the full story

Do we need another messenger phone? well Samsung Mobile and U.S. Cellular think so.  Today, both companies together launched the Samsung Messager phone.

The Samsung Messager Touch is equipped with a full 2.6 inch touchscreen display, which features Samsung's unique TouchWiz interface. The TouchWiz interface incorporates specially designed widgets that allow users to customize and personalize their phone, with instant access to their favorite functions.

The slide-out QWERTY keyboard and touch screen on the Messager Touch makes it easy to view and send texts, videos and pictures via text message instantly. Equipped with a 2.0 megapixel camera and camcorder with up to 16GB of MicroSD memory support, users can capture photos and videos and store them instantly.

Key features include:

• · 2.6 inch Touchscreen Display
• · QWERTY Keyboard
• · TouchWiz User Interface
• · 2.0 Megapixel Camera with Camcorder
• · Music and Video Player
• · Text, Picture and Video Messaging
• · easyedgeSM Services: Downloadable Ringtones, Wallpapers, Games and Business Applications
• · Bluetooth Connectivity
• · Voice Recognition Software
• · Standard Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery: Up To 5 Hours
• · Dimensions: 2.12" X 4.13" X .59" Inches
• · Weight: 3.81 Ounces
  

source: Samsung

Personal Communications Devices has released a second ROM update for Verizon version of HTC Touch Pro2, see following for details with a list of changes and improvements.

Full list of changes--Thanks NightRaven!

• ROM: 4.01.605.15/Radio: 2.35.00WV
• Operating system has been upgraded to Windows Mobile®
• 6.5 COM2.5.
• The HTC Sense user interface has been improved.
• Visual Voice Mail (version 1.1.12.11) now comes preloaded on the device.
• GlobalAccess Connect support. For international Internet access, you can tether your smartphone to a notebook.
• Enhanced VZ Navigator® performance.
• Improved auto-configuration of Daylight Saving Time.
• Improved word prediction and autocorrection.
• Enhanced on-screen keyboard layouts.
• New, compact QWERTY keyboard option.
• When composing email or text messages, type the first few letters of the recipient's name in the To field to see a list of possible matches.
• Quick setup of common email account types and an option to set up an email account manually.

Source: HTC Touch Pro2 Forum