HTC Touch Diamond Phone - Is It Worth It?
The HTC Touch Diamond phone got introduced today in London. It’s a pretty device but I have some serious doubts about how well it will do in the marketplace vs. the popular Apple iPhone, particularly in the US market. The press info for it said that here in the US we wouldn’t see this device until late 2008, if by then. Some European and Asian markets will have it available by next month.
It uses the Windows Mobile 6.1 and sports a 2.8 inch VGA screen that can rotate between landscape and portrait modes. The screen also has one touch navigation including dialing and browsing. Of course, they demo’ed all the dazzling options like playing YouTube videos and pulling up web news and weather site videos and animations.
But, here’s the kicker, they aren’t giving out pricing info yet. I think there is a reason for this once you start examining the news reports about it. You’re going to pay through the nose for the privilege of owning one then your wallet will be pounded to death by extra fees.
I don’t know how things like this work in Europe and Asia but here in the US mobile phone providers charge quite a fee for wireless Internet access in most areas. Who wants to pay $5 to watch a 1 minute video on YouTube on their Touch Diamond. Maybe, eventually, as the number of these devices enter the market the price will become roughly even with home broadband service but now it’s too expensive, at least here in the US.
Secondly, I can see that they’re probably going to be limiting users of the Touch Diamond access to putting things like music, games and other applications, wallpapers and ringtones onto their phones. Expect to pay and pay and pay for the simple pleasure of loading a favorite song or picture onto your phone. Great for those marketing those services but not so great for the end user.
Lastly, I don’t think the HTC Touch Diamond Phone will be worth it because it appears that they plan to make a lot of it proprietary. Word has it that the unit doesn’t have a standard headphone jack so if you buy one you’re stuck with whatever they decide to offer. No quality headphones for you.
What do you think? Do you think the Touch Diamond is going to be worth the price or should you just wait and see?
The HTC Touch Diamond phone looks rather impressive, but I still like my Wizard (Imate K-Jam) with it’s slide out keyboard. I make use of the PDA functions a lot more than the phone functions. I’m vaguely anti-social.
Hi Robert,
I’m holding out for a holographic screen, like in Minority Report and Red Planet.
As for what I use now, I go with older refurbished phones that I can use on my pay-as-you-go plan rather than having the latest and greatest now and being locked into a 2 to 3 year contract.
I’ve got my HTC Trinity at the minute (an Orange SPV M700 in the UK).
I’m holding out for the HTC Touch cruise I think at the minute, the HTC touch dual might have done it for me if hit had the GPS system!
Hi Keiron,
Orange is the company that’s going to be providing the HTC Touch Diamond in the UK from what I’ve read. No word yet who’s going to be marketing it in the US but I suspect it will be Verizon or Sprint since AT&T is doing the iPhone.
GPS is an interesting addition. However, I’m always skeptical of cramming every possible function into a handheld device. I’m a big fan of Don Norman.