HTC's Touch Diamond finally arrives

6 May 2008 | 16:09 BST

By Tony Dennis

SO, HTC's much-rumoured Iphone killer, the Touch Diamond, has finally arrived. It will ship in Europe next month (June) but the US version isn't due until Q3-Q4 2008.

This particular smartphone boasts HTC's new '3D' UI which the company is calling Touchflo 3D. The motivation behind Touchflo is clear. It's supposed to enhance web browsing courtesy of the fact that users can pan and zoom using just one hand.
Plus there's motion sensing in that just turning the device will rotate the display around from portrait to landscape mode.

Another facility aimed squarely at increasing its internet credentials is the Touch Diamond's support for high-speed 3G in the form of HSDPA at 7.2 Mbit/s. That speed is currently only available in some UK postcodes from Vodafone.

Curiously,the press blurb claims that this handset also supports high-speed 3G uploads in the shape of a HSUPA capability. The INQ isn't aware of any truly commercial HSUPA services at present. So that's one hell of a claim.

Perhaps Orange has something up its sleeve on the HSUPA front as its Olaf Swantee specifically endorsed the Touch Diamond at its launch.

Despite the INQ attempts to extract further information, an HTC spokesperson refused to confirm or deny whether this announcement is linked to a BT launch set for tomorrow (Wednesday).

That move is supposed to unveil BT's answer to the infamous Crackberry and the supplier of such a device to BT is heavily tipped to be HTC itself.

BT, of course, commissioned the original Windows based mobile in the shape of the XDA from HTC. Shame it didn't protect its IPR, though. µ

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