HTC’s Diamond2 touches down

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

When HTC launched the Touch Diamond (pictured on the right), just before the iPhone 3G, it was clear that the software was far from polished. The new TouchFlo 3D interface was intended to offer Windows Mobile fans (and Apple haters) the chance to benefit from touch-related delights similar to that of Apple’s iPhone, without having to go out and line Steve Jobs’ pockets.

But, as with so many Windows Mobile-based handsets, while the front end looked nice and the hardware impressed, it just didn’t come together as a coherent whole. The software was sluggish and frustrating to use and, more importantly, just didn’t mask Windows Mobile effectively enough.

It’s good to see, then, that with its latest phones – the Touch HD and now the second generation Touch Diamond2 (on the left in the photo above) – it’s started to focus more on the software than the hardware. So, while the core hardware and specifications remain the same (with just a few cosmetic and practical improvements) TouchFlo 3D has undergone a dramatic overhaul.

(more…)