Camera Phones Plaza

HTC enters the smarpthone's market with a highly praised new device running the Android operating system. Taking a fresh and a stylish design and an innovative graphical user interface, HTC Hero threaten the iPhone smartphones supremacy on the market by its performance. While its specifications are not far above what is currently on the market, how they work make Hero the best device compatible with the Android and, perhaps one of the best smartphones on the market. As things stand, I think HTC Hero is the main rival of iPhone. I avoid making comparisons between high-end phones of the three principal manufacturers claiming to hold supremacy in the market: Nokia N97, iPhone and HTC Hero, because people have different tastes and needs. Instead, I will try to show the qualities and drawbacks of Hero, and some of the strengths that make it better than its main rivals.

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Following closely as the first two devices with Android, HTC Hero presents the same characteristics with the same curved form. This time, however, the forms are more pronounced and highlighted, which is also a technical advantage, since the microphone is closer to the mouth during phone calls. The smartphone is made of a special plastic that is very much like Teflon. Unfortunately, this will fill with prints very quickly, and with the touch screen that will be full of fat very soon after use, those are two of the minor disadvantages of the phone. Of course, a small cloth will temporarily resolve this disadvantage, but the problem remains, as fingerprints will reappear as soon as you start to use your phone again. The same goes for the touch screen that can be controlled only with your finger.

However, the design of the phone should make users forget this disadvantage. There are no external control buttons around the phone, except for the long volume key, which was hidden in the phone casing, on the upper left. On the top of the phone, HTC has placed a 3.5 mm jack port, while on the bottom side, we can observe a miniUSB port. Below the 3.2-inch screen, four keys are arranged symmetrically, from left to right are: Accept calls, Home, Menu and Reject calls (Power on / off). Immediately below these keys in the middle, you will find the well-known trackball. To the right of it, there is a double key, which fulfills two functions: Search and Back.

The search function will open a Google window, allowing users to quickly find the information they need. The photo / video camera of 5 megapixels on the back of the phone has no protective lens; the module is protected by the mere fact that was introduced a little inside of the back cover. The camera lacks the flash function, but you can see a very small speaker near it. Under the cover of the smartphone, you will find the SIM card slot and the microSD memory slot. The microSD is a little hard to find being situated in the upper left corner of the phone, but is hot-swappable, so you will not need to remove the battery to insert your memory card.

HTC Hero is measuring 112 x 56.2 x 14.4 mm and weighs 135g (including the battery), making it a very well balanced device. You will probably wonder how well a phone with such a curved shape falls into a normal pocket, but to my surprise, it had no problems. The phone feels great in the hand, both because of the refined material that is made and because the keys have been placed on the curved bottom, so that it will be easier to access. I think the curved shape of the phone is the main attraction of the smartphone, at first sight. Beyond this, however, HTC Hero design is very elegant and ergonomic thought.

HTC Hero includes a capacitive TFT touchscreen of 3.2 inches, which supports 65K colors and a resolution of 320x480 pixels. Even if the display seems to be the same as that of HTC Magic, it is clearly visible in strong sunlight. Another new feature introduced is the multi-touch input method, which makes your device even easier to control. All because of the embedded technology that removes the need to use a stylus making the finger the only way you can control the smartphone's display.

The accelerometer works perfectly, but only with a low number of applications (including the gallery, the browser). However, image quality is superb, and the change between the landscape mode and the portrait mode is fast and it even includes animations. All you do using the screen seems very natural: touch, drag or move. This proves again that the technology behind these capacitive touch screens is higher than resistive screens. The process of scrolling is even better than the iPhone, while the on-screen keyboard is very easy to use. In fact, I think all these are above the iPhone, because it also benefits of the haptic feedback feature.

The photo / video camera of 5 megapixels on the back of the phone does not have advanced features, instead it benefits from autofocus. The maximum resolution that can be used for taking pictures is 2592 x 1944 pixels. Even if there is no question of making pictures at night, users will continue to take pictures on the daylight more than decent. You will not benefit from features like smile detection and blink detection, but I would say that this camera is almost the same quality with that of Nokia N97.

HTC Hero's camera can not be compared with that of the iPhone, because as we know it has a maximum average quality. The interface of the camera is quite simple, without complex settings and it can be accessed through a simple touch. To take photos you will have to use the trackball. The trackball is a bit weird to use, compared with a dedicated camera key, because it does not present that feature (to half press the button) to trigger the autofocus function. Instead, you simply have to point the camera towards the target to be photographed and just press the trackball. The camera will automatically make autofocus in approximately 1-2 seconds, and the save processing time will take another 1-2 seconds. It can be strange at first, but certainly is much easier to take pictures.

The camera can also record video clips, but to my disappointment, it only records CIF videos at 15fps. It is not a big deal, but this is one function you can use if necessary. In conclusion, I think this 5 megapixel camera takes pictures above average in terms of quality, but remains to think that an upgrade of the module with new advanced features such as Samsung and LG are already required.

HTC Hero includes a slim Li-Ion Battery 1350 mAh, which has an autonomy of 440 hours of standby time (750 hours for 3G) and 8 hours of talk time (7 hours for 3G). Our test unit required a recharge after about 2 days, but it was very used. During the tests, I noticed that you could extend the battery life interrupting the data connection for all widgets that need regular updating and for the email accounts. In fact, you can benefit from an almost double battery life of if you make these changes, which means that you will need only one or two recharges a week. However, HTC Hero has one of the best-optimized energy consumption of all other Android devices.

The sales package comes with:
HTC Hero;
Stereo headset;
2GB microSD memory card;
Li-Ion 1350 mAh battery;
Charger;
USB cable.

The second device that resulted from the partnership between HTC and Google (two big companies) - HTC Magic G2, is suggesting that the new mobile operating system (Android) have a large potential on the smartphones market. Updated to the latest firmware, including Cupcake 1.5, HTC Magic is now overshadowed only by his recently brother, HTC Hero, which includes a new GUI Sense developed by the Taiwanese manufacturer. However, the Magic smartphone users will be happy to know that HTC has officially announced that owners of these devices will be able to update these devices with the new Sense interface. Unfortunately, this upgrade will not be available for those who have purchased the devices through operators such as T-Mobile and Vodafone.

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Announced in February 2009, HTC Magic G2 became available on the market three months later, in May 2009. The device is available in two classic colors: black and white. I suggest buying the unlocked version, so you can enjoy the new graphical interface that was included with the Hero model.

If you feel that Magic looks more like the first HTC smartphone that included the Android operating system, HTC Dream (G1), think again. It seems that lately HTC released devices that have a new look every time, which does not look too much like the previous models. This was not true with two or three years ago, but recently HTC has made us positive surprises in terms of design. HTC Magic looks more elegant than its older brother, HTC G1. There are certainly some similarities between the two phones, but it is almost negligible. Only the small, curved and white trackball was integrated in the new G2, which make it look like G1. The rest is completely new. Even if the material used is a glossy plastic, which attracts fingerprints, you will not be too bothered by this, since the front of the phone is occupied by an impressive touchscreen. The only thing that I was really upset about was the amount of fat left on the screen after each call or use of the screen. The phone is surrounded by a strip of silver plastic, which, in my opinion, it will peel after a while.

Under the 3.2 inch screen, there are four square keys with different functions: Home, Menu, Back and Search. Of course, the keys Accept and Reject calls were included, under the keys that I just mentioned. The trackball, that makes the menu so easy to navigate, was placed in the middle of these keys and is working perfectly. There are no other external keys placed on the sides of the smarpthone, except a long, thin volume key. There is also a miniUSB port (placed at the bottom of the device) that can be used for the headphones, for cable synchronization or to charge the battery of the phone. The case from the back of the phone is glossy, and beneath it are the SIM and the microSD slots. Unfortunately, we feel that the glossy plastic shell will mat in a relatively short time. However, this should take fingerprints away, so there is a positive side.

The 3.2 megapixel photo / video camera on the back of the phone was placed inside (just a little) the cover and surrounded by a thin metal band, for a better protection. There are no other improvements around it, such as the flash or the self-portrait mirror. The back cover can be easily removed if users wish to add a microSD memory card or simply change the SIM card.

The shape of the smartphone is one of the few similarities of HTC Magic G2 with his older brother G1. It can also be seen in the pictures, the curve from the bottom of the device, where the keys were placed. Almost like HTC G1, but the Magic's forms are more attractive. HTC Magic measures 113 x 55 x 13.7 mm and weighs just 118.5 g (including the battery), with almost 40 g lighter and 4 mm thinner than its predecessor HTC G1. Overall, HTC Magic is certainly a good-looking smartphone, even for the most demanding users.

HTC Magic benefits from a capacitive TFT touchscreen of 3.2 inches, that supports 65K colors and a resolution of 320x480 pixels. It seems that this display is the same that equipped the G1 model.  However, I noticed that the screen is not visible in strong sunlight, so you will control the device a little more difficult. Otherwise, due to the embedded technology, it eliminates the need for a stylus and transforms the finger into the only way to control the smartphone. Since the screen was covered with a special material (indium tin oxide), which is able to lead a continuous electrical current across the sensor, the sensor and the body (the finger) are able to achieve the necessary capacitance and are good conductors of electricity. Knowing that the capacitive sensors work based on the proximity and do not need to be directly touched to be triggered, we can understand now why it is so easy to control a device that benefits from this technology.

Unfortunately, HTC Magic G2, like its predecessor (G1), is not able to recognize the multi-touch gestures. The same thing is true for the accelerometer, which was included, although it is limited to some applications. However, the quality of the image is superb, and switching from portrait to landscape mode is very easy. Everything you do on the screen looks very natural, whether the touchscreen is used for touch, pull or move. This proves again that the technology behind those screens (capacitive touch) is superior to what is behind the resistive screens.

The 3.2 megapixel photo / video camera lacks the flash, which eliminates the possibility of taking pictures at night, instead, users will benefit from the auto-focus function. Comparing images taken with HTC G1 and HTC Magic G2, there is certainly an improvement. HTC Magic takes pictures that are more than decent (for a 3 megapixel camera). The maximum resolution that you can use is 2048x1536 pixels. The interface of the camera is a bit more complex than that of G1 and it now benefits from a wider range of settings and options. Users can change the settings like Effect, Contrast, Sharpness, and White Balance.

Because this smartphone lacks a dedicated camera key, you have to use the trackball to take pictures. The saving process takes no more than two to three seconds. The maximum resolution that can be used for recording video clips is 352x288 pixels QVGA at 15fps. The videos can be encoded as H.263 or MPEG4 file types. Unfortunately, the results were below our expectations, which means that HTC will still need to work on this issue.

HTC Magic G2 has a better battery than the G1 - 1340 mAh Li-Ion, which can keep the phone “alive” for 420 hours in standby mode and about 7 hours and 30 minutes in conversation mode. Basically, you will need a daily charging if all the phone functions are used frequently, or four to five charges a week to average use. The autonomy is only acceptable for average use, but for those who use the phone frequently you will need to carry the charger or an extra battery every day.

The box contains:

HTC Magic G2 smartphone;
2GB microSD card;
Li-Ion 1340 mAh;
Charger;
USB cable;
Protective pouch.

A phone that looks cool and has a new operating system is enough to attract the attention of a pro in the latest technology. However, HTC Magic is not something revolutionary, but from this HTC Magic review, you will find out that this phone still promises to be a new experience.

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The formidable G1 / HTC Dream needed all the weight it could get to stand out. With a much lighter weight and a more natural look, HTC Magic wants to play by the conventional rules of a touchscreen. Compact, with a distinctive style, decent functionality and with an open-source operating system, HTC Magic seems to keep up with both the smartphone technology and the telephone part. So how can you call an improved platform and a gadget that looks good and it is quite creative? We can say it is neat, but who knows, might have something Magic.

HTC Magic's box is of medium size and it contains only the strictly necessary accessories. We found a a miniUSB cable, handsfree headphones, a charger and a leather cover. The phone is available in two colors, black and white, and HTC chose the color of the cover depending on the color of the phone. I received a 2GB microSD card with my phone.

The phone falls into the normal size range for a smartphone. It has a length of 113 mm, a width of 55.56 mm and a thickness of only 13.65 mm. The weight does not exceed more than 116 grams. It is very comfortable in your pocket or palm.

The design of the phone is excellent. HTC paid a great attention to details. Even if they only used plastic, it is a quality plastic, solid and pleasant to the touch. The surfaces are glossy, but resist to fingerprints very well. The shapes are rounded, making the phone look so good.

The front of the phone is dominated by the 3.2 inch touchscreen, below which there are six buttons and a trackball used to navigate through the menus. Few phones use a trackball, this "enhancement" was a long time characteristic to BlackBerry models. BlackBerry users are delighted with the ease of navigating through the menus with the trackball. Even if your Magic has a touchscreen, you will certainly use the trackball when you want to choose something from a menu. It is fast and accurate.

HTC Magic uses the Android version 1.5 operating system from Google. Google G1 has the version 1.0 of Android, but 1.5 comes with several improvements. Android looks very well, you can fall in love with it as easily as with the iPhone OS. The menus are very intuitive.

What is Android? It is incredibly good, especially considering it was launched last year. After a week with this phone, I decided it was time to quit using Windows Mobile and to switch to Android. It is so good.

An advantage of the operating system is the way you can customize the display of the phone. You have three desktops (three on Magic, Hero has increased the number to 7), the main screen and another one to the left and another one to the right. Here you can put what shortcuts or widgets you want, downloading them free from Android Market. A widget that will show you the exact amount of battery? No problem (there are even about 10 variants). An on / off button for the WiFi, so you will activate the wireless easier? We have it. Even a toggle between 2G and 3G, for those who do not want surprises in monthly traffic. On the Market you can find free programs for almost any of the searches. For example I wanted (and found) a task manager (Advanced Task Manager), a file browser (Astro), a program to take small notes (Note Everything), a feeds reader that can be sync with Google Reader (NewsRob) , a traffic meter (NetCounter plus Date Counter Widget), a widget that will show you real-time weather (WeatherBug), Yahoo or other IM (Meebo or Palringo), Twitter (Twitdroid).

HTC Magic's agenda allows you to add an unlimited number of contacts. You can set many details for every single one, such as phone numbers, address or email. To find a person in the agenda, you will have to press the search button and write the first characters of the name.

Magic knows to work with all types of messages: SMS, MMS and email. You can use the virtual QWERTY keyboard, both in portrait mode, and in landscape mode. Obviously, the landscape mode is better if you have to write a long message. The copy & paste function is implemented into the software of the phone, so you can send email links or text copied from other applications through the SMS.

The SMS and MMS editor is the same; to send an MMS just add a multimedia file in the message.

The email client is great, it lets you sort and search messages by several criteria. If you have a Gmail account, you can easily configure your email (just write in the user name and the password). Gmail also integrates very well in the software of this phone, so it will announce you as soon as you get a new message.

The photos and video gallery are integrated in one application. Browsing pictures and videos is easy and fun. Obviously, you can see them both in portrait mode, and landscape mode.

The music player recognizes the following audio files: AAC, AAC +, AMR-NB, MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC-LC, MIDI, OGG, meaning all popular formats. The music sounds good, but the big disadvantage is that you have to use the headphones that come in the package. You do not have a 3.5 mm audio jack, so you cannot connect your own headphones. If you expected that Magic would have FM radio, you will be disappointed.

Now, in this HTC Magic review, it is time to discuss about the camera. The camera has 3.2 megapixels and autofocus. It can capture images at a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. As Google's G1, it lacks the flash. That means you cannot take photos in the dark. We have some camera settings: contrast, brightness, etc. The photos have pleasant colors and sharp details.

HTC Magic knows how to record a video, but only at QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels) with 15 fps. From this point of view, it is far behind other smarphones, who know how to film at least with a VGA resolution at 30 fps. The video files can be saved in MP4 or 3GP formats.

HTC Magic is a phone made to stay connected to the Internet. Whether you need WiFi or you need GPRS, EDGE, 3G or HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, the phone has them all.

The web browser is excellent, it moves very fast and it renders the pages excellent. The biggest minus is the lack of the Flash support, but Adobe has confirmed that they are working on a version of Flash for the Android OS. The web browser is based on the same WebKit engine, used by Google Chrome and Safari browser on Symbian S60. You can surf on multiple pages at the same time, and the transition between the pages is easy. You can zoom, so the text written with a small font is not a problem. The browser is optimized for touch usage, so you do not need the stylus.

The conclusion of this HTC Magic review is that it is a phone with a nice design, very suitable for a person among who spends a lot of time on the Internet from the phone or who is often using the Google applications.

HTC Diamond is the first phone that includes Touch Flo 3D, a clever interface meant to make access to the most common features of the phone more easily and, at the same time, giving them a futuristic look. I will let you create your own opinion about this phone by reading this HTC Diamond review.

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The phone is part of the Touch series and is the fourth model after the HTC Touch, HTC Touch Dual and HTC Touch Cruise. Actually, the box in which we find HTC Diamond is the first thing that will surprise you, because, it is probably the smallest phone box made by HTC but still, it hides many surprises. The box shape is not the usual cubic form but a trapezoidal one.

In the phone box, we have the two CDs with applications, a booklet, the HTC Diamond phone framed by the headset and under the phone there is a spare stylus, the charger, the headset, the USB cable (which is used for PC connections and for charging) and the manuals.

Although the plastic and the glass, from which is made, look very good, HTC Diamond is extremely sensitive to fingerprints and requires at least one daily cleaning with a soft piece of cloth.

On the top side, we find the on / off button, a little too fixed in the case and the speaker which has an acceptable quality, but it is not too good, comparing it to other phones like Sony Ericsson or Nokia. On the left side, we find the volume control buttons, which can also be used during a call, and absolutely no button can be found on the right side of the phone. In the bottom right, we find the stylus that falls almost perfectly into the case. Under it, the phone has the soft reset button.

The front side of HTC Diamond "hides" a clear display of 2.8 inches that displays images at a VGA resolution of 480x640 pixels and on the upper front side, one VGA camera, used for video calls or for auto portraits. Bellow the display we find four buttons and a joystick in the middle, which can be rotated. The four buttons are the Home button, which brings the user from any menu into the Today screen menu, the Back button which brings the user to the previous menu and the answer / reject calls keys.

On the bottom side, we find the support for the hand-strap, the mini USB jack for connections between the phone and the PC, and for the headset, and the microphone.

HTC Diamond may be used with one hand. Because of the Touch Flo technology, moving through the HTC Home menu is very easy, although slightly delayed (bug partially corrected by the official updates available from June 19, 2008).

The display's luminosity can be set at different levels or you can decide if the device sets the display's light intensity alone depending on the lighting conditions.

The phonebook is dependent to the available memory and the number of information stored in each contact and it is very easy to use and sync with your PC. On the right side, you can set a mini alphabet, which can be used for finding contacts quicker, which begin with a certain letter or if you hold the joystick button pressed "down", all the alphabet letters appear and you can stop it where you desire, a function very easy to use with one hand. The phone has a SIM Manager application that can be used in moving or copying the contacts from the phone to the SIM card or vice versa.

Calling a contact is a very easy job if you use the dialer menu of the device because of its numbers filter that suggests the numbers and the names of the contacts depending on what you type; and this is also very useful to use with one hand. The calls list has four tabs at the bottom. The first one is filled with all the calls, the second one has only the missed calls, the third one has only the calls you made and the last one is filled with the calls you received.

The SMS and MMS is the same one with the devices that are running Windows Mobile Professional. Writing messages is relatively easy if you have used a device with touch screen, the display is responding well to the commands.

The file manager is the same we find on Windows Mobile devices. The only difference is the lack of an external storage device. The internal memory has only 4 GB. The images are displayed very clearly on HTC Diamond's VGA resolution screen and, due to the accelerometer, are rotated according to the phone's position towards the earth. The multimedia is supported by the Windows Media Player and by the own media player we found in HTC's Home menu. We must admit that the headset has a high quality sound whether you are listening to the radio or to music files from the phone. The camera has 3.2 MP and like the HTC Ty TN II, the image quality is acceptable. The camera behaves very well when focusing on targets that are 5 to 30 cm away from the phone, dependent from the light conditions. In conditions of low light, the photos are below average with color deficiencies. The camcorder has also an average quality.

The internet access part was not neglected at all. HTC Diamond benefits from Internet Explorer Mobile, Opera Mobile 9.5 and YouTube, so browsing is a pleasure on this device. It would be recommended to use the included Opera browser, because pages load relatively faster than with Internet Explorer and has a better zoom function. The YouTube application makes connections to the well-known video streaming site, and generally requires an Active Sync, WiFi or 3G/3G + connection. The application is not indicated in the GPRS / EDGE.

On the connectivity chapter, HTC Diamond is at a high end level:
- Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
-  WiFi 802.11 b / g
- HTC mini USB
- GPS and A-GPS
- upload speed: 384 kbps, download speed: 7.2Mbps
- integrated modem

All these facilities make HTC Diamond a mobile substitute of the PC. The phone has access to the Internet mail through several ways of connections. The Bluetooth is very useful in sending or receiving files, for the headset function, modem, being in this case a mobile internet solution for laptops (if connected via USB cable the connection speed and the download speed are slightly faster than via Bluetooth), or A2DP (Bluetooth stereo headset).

HTC Diamond has an integrated GPS, which assures navigation using additional software. It is a real "friend" when traveling with the A-GPS and GPS Quick functions that help it locate more precisely the integrated GPS receiver.

The organizer part was not neglected either. The device has included the calendar that can synchronize with Microsoft Outlook. The Microsoft Office Mobile application includes Microsoft Word Mobile, Microsoft Excel Mobile, Microsoft PowerPoint Mobile, Microsoft OneNote Mobile and Adobe Reader LE for PDF files. The Word documents, Excel, Power Point and One Note can be created, edited, and eventually sent by e-mail or Bluetooth.

I hope that you really enjoyed reading this HTC Diamond review and you can now say that you know almost everything about this phone.

I will start directly with the conclusion, for those who already know the phone and just want to know my opinion. Yes, HTC Diamond2 is at least as good as the Touch HD. It has the same hardware specifications, is smaller but seems well built and has a more improved version of the TouchFlo 3D interface, under which Windows Mobile 6.1 no longer seems like a pain, and the few disadvantages (pointed below) are minor.

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As HTC Diamond2 is cheaper than a HD, I recommend it to all 'ordinary' smartphone users. The HD (or Touch Pro 2) does not justify the extra money unless you use the mobile phone mainly for internet surfing and writing emails, because a larger screen means more text that is readable and a virtual keyboard with bigger buttons. In addition, for those who listen to music from their mobile, I recommend the HD because it has a standard 3.5 mm jack and can use any headphones, while the HTC Diamond2 uses only the included headphones (which are horrible) or you must buy an adapter from USB to 3.5 mm audio jack. Touch HD comes with an 8 GB microSD card, while Diamond2 does not come with a memory card.

The pack no longer has something special. While the first HTC Diamond came in an elegant box, shaped as a pyramid base, HTC Diamond2 has a standard box, with two compartments. In the small one, we find the books and the CDs, and in the bigger one, we find the phone, the charger, a spare stylus and the handsfree headphones. You will hurt your ears after the first minute of radio listening with Diamond2's headphones, but unfortunately, there is no other solution. As it was not enough, the package does not contain a memory card or any phone cover (HD includes both), so they must be purchased separately.

The 3.2-inch screen is surrounded by a dark gray metal frame, which makes the phone look better. It is a major improvement over the first Diamond, who was frail, and even over the HD, because it seems more solid and the volume and power buttons are easier to press. The 4 buttons at the bottom can be found very easily with your finger on a dark environment and can be press smoothly because they are illuminated. Above them, there is a touch-sensitive area with the role of a "zoom slider". A feature that is missing completely from the HD, and on the first Diamond it was the wheel that had this role. The function is very useful in the browser or in the photo album, where you can zoom quickly and effectively when necessary. In addition, the LED is big and placed near the speakerphone. When you have a missed call or another notification, the LED lights powerfully. This is unlike HD, where the LED is very small and included in the power button.

In the communication chapter, the sound quality is very good during calls. It is a subjective impression confirmed by several tests and then seen on other sites, where Diamond2 is coming out in the top at this chapter. In the network chapter, Diamond2's Wi-Fi is weaker than HD's Wi-Fi Monster. When it comes to 3G, the phone successfully detects networks, usually even on HSDPA.

The 5 megapixel camera is better compared to the 3.2 MP that HTC Diamond has, but it is exactly like the camera we find on HTC HD. It takes photos at a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels. HTC Diamond2's camera quality is good only outside when both the photographer and the subject are not moving. Otherwise you need a steady hand and do not expect miracles. Unfortunately, there is no flash of any kind. The phone can film at a VGA resolution of 640 × 480 pixels, but at only 15 frames per second, which is a big disappointment, especially since there are already mobile phones making videos at a resolution of 1280 × 720 and 30 frames per second.

The battery is not brilliant. It has a bigger capacity than the one we find on Diamond, but the consumption is bigger too, because of the increased screen size and the increased resolution.

The TouchFlo 3D interface, which helps HTC to hide the normal menu (boring and difficult to use with your finger) from Windows Mobile is much enhanced in the generation from which Diamond2 and Touch Pro 2 belong. The first edition of "3D" appeared on the first Diamond, then it was upgraded on HTC HD with multiple menus, and now it has reached version 2, which is slightly more complex and with a lot of new things. I never found delays in the execution of a command and in displaying a new menu or "glitches" as it happens in other versions.

HTC has put a better keyboard for finger pressing, having a similar form to the one found on a computer.

I will repeat my conclusion: I would buy HTC Diamond2 instead of HD, since it is cheaper. I recommend it to those who have a normal mobile phone and want to make the transition to a smartphone. It is well done and you can do whatever you want with it.