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HTC Shows Off Its Latest Jewel, The Diamond

Today in London, HTC chiseled out its latest Windows Mobile smartphone, the Diamond. This stylish and powerful touch-screen device is super thin, carries HSPA, and a custom YouTube application for the video hungry. It will be available on most carriers later this year.

If there's one thing to say about HTC's smartphones, it is that they are capable Windows Mobile devices. To date, HTC's one weak point lays perhaps in the design department. None of its smartphones will turn you on. Function reigns over form. The aptly-named Diamond changes that.

The Diamond's exterior shell is an evolution of the Shadow, which was launched on T-Mobile's network last year. The Diamond forgoes the Shadow's slider design, however. No standard keypad included. That leaves the Diamond to be the offspring of the Shadow and the Touch (also launched last year). The back of this sleek handset is covered with -- you guessed it -- a diamond pattern. Adding strength to the design is a stainless steel frame.

But the Diamond isn't all about looks. It brings some serious power to the Windows Mobile family. First, it is based on WinMo 6.1, and comes with the hallmark HTC TouchFLO user interface. This means quick access to all your favorite information and applications. HTC said in a prepared statement, "Your contacts, favorite music, videos, and photos are no longer an uninspired line of text. With TouchFLO 3-D, album artwork, video stills, and snapshots of your friends' and family's faces are brought to life for you to interact, play, and launch at your fingertips."

The Diamond is no slacker in the specs department, either. It packs HSDPA/HSUPA radios. That's 3.5G, folks. The one major bummer is that it is a tri-band GSM/EDGE device, and its 3G bands are 900/2100. That means it won't be offered up in the United States. It has a huge 2.8-inch, 640 by 480 high-resolution screen. It loads a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, and comes with 4 GB of on-board memory to store all those high-quality photos, music, and, er, work files, too. Of course, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are standard. Lastly, it has integrated GPS, so you'll never get lost.

My compliments to HTC. It has added some sparkle to its lineup.

(No word on pricing, or on exactly which network operators will carry the device.)

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