After the success of the first HTC Touch Diamond, HTC has decided to improve upon the sleek classically designed phone. The HTC Touch Diamond 2 will soon be available in the market, after an impressive unveiling at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Features of the HTC Touch Diamond 2

A rather interesting element of the new handset is the organization of the conversations. A very Google-esque categorization prevails – called the ‘Single Contact View’ – as each email, SMS and telephone call is grouped together not by the method of communication, but the person with whom it is being carried out. Therefore, when a user is talking to one of their friends, for example, telephone calls, short messages, and emails will show up in a timeline, presenting a far more accurate picture of the user’s interaction with that particular friend. This feature is slightly reminiscent of Gmail’s facility of grouping emails together as conversations based on their subjects. 

The screen is actually the largest possible size on this slender phone, bigger than the one on the older model for sure. The amazing part is that the phone retains its original sleek design, with the bevelled edges on the back panel. The beautiful handset has a high resolution 3.2 inch WVGA (480x800) touch screen display, incorporating enhanced TouchFLO 3D technology and moving up from its predecessor’s comparatively modest 2.8 inch screen. 

The handsets will be shipped with Windows Mobile 6.1 initially, and then when the new version of Windows Mobile, 6.5, is out, users will get a free upgrade to that operating system. When the Touch Diamond 1 was released, it was supposed to be shipped with Google Android, however considering that HTC has sold more Windows Mobile devices than any other Microsoft partner, it is unlikely they are going to shift from this particular standpoint. 

Extras and Add-ons

The Touch Diamond 2 features the new HTC Push Internet, which reportedly reduces the download time for web pages. This remains to be seen in the actual handset though. The reduction in download speed is achieved as the phone preempts the user, preloading a few of the user’s favourite sites to expedite the browsing experience. Additionally, there is something called ‘Straight Talk’ which refers to the ability to interact with a contact in any way, by merely picking their name out from an email for instance. 

Miscellaneous upgrades include a new 5 megapixel camera and extended battery life. Unfortunately the internal memory had been slashed from 4GB to an 8th of its size at 512MB. There is a micro-SD card slot takes care of any memory shortfall. There is a definite improvement in the quality of the screen resolution as well, with a smoother-looking finish to the graphics. 

One-handed manipulation of this device is going to prove particular difficult. Also, true to the Windows legacy, loading of various applications takes an inordinately long time. However, despite this trifling flaws, it is a pretty device. 

Check the HTC Touch Diamond 2 here. It will available shortly to European and American markets, and soon thereafter to the global market.