Who: Nevash Nair (News reporter – Klang Bureau)
What: HTC Diamond 2 (Recommended retail price: RM2,599)
Why: Apart from the fact that MACC has yet to return his laptop and hand phone, Nevash also happens to be the classic phone snob – it’s got to work for him, if not, bother. So who better to review a smartphone touted as the “perfect companion” than a reporter who’s picky about phones?
First Impressions?
Elegant is how I would describe the HTC Diamond 2 in one word. The combination of a metal front case and a plastic back cover actually works well and unlike its predecessor, there is no diamond faceted backing.
Possibly due to the negative feedback received for the uneven design on HTC Diamond, but changing it to a black plastic piece may not have been the smartest move either.
What did you love about it?
A big screen on a small phone? That’s definitely got my vote – the huge 3.2’’ screen with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, slightly bigger than the previous Diamond model which makes viewing videos, pictures, reading mail or text messages and browsing the web a whole lot more entertaining.
Taking excellent pictures won’t be a problem with the autofocus 5-megapixel camera.
The only downside to the camera is the absence of a ‘flash’ feature, making it tough for those of you fond of going to clubs and spending hours taking pictures of yourself to quickly upload on Facebook the very next day.
While many aren’t fans of the Windows 6.1 mode and its ‘slackish’ ways (i.e. the icons cannot be rearranged), the enhanced TouchFLO 3D saves the day, allowing program navigation via some finger sliding fun. Navigating through programs, flicking through contacts and browsing through photos has never been easier.
Located just below the screen is the useful zoom slider (directly above the ‘Start’, ‘End’, ‘Back’ and ‘Windows’
button), which is the touch-screen panel allowing users to zoom in and out of pictures, web pages and the oh-so-handy Google Maps.
What did you hate about it?
Firstly, it would be the back piece, which is supposedly covered with a black plastic piece, but all I can see are my fingerprints. It's covered with it! This is either a clever anti-theft idea HTC came up with or an engineering blunder.
Stop searching for that dedicated camera button, because there simply isn’t one. Yes, after all that balancing and stabilising, you still have to press the virtual capture button in the middle of the screen.
This, along with the lack of an LED flash shows that the HTC Diamond 2 is only useful with proper lighting conditions and steady hands. The picture quality may be impressive, but I wish the same could be said about the video with merely average quality and a below average fixed frame rate of 15fps.
Even an average user like me will find the battery life span to be rather disappointing.
A day spent only using the phone for calls and text messages left it gasping for air and sadly, it died on me just short of one full day of usage.
Proving that diamonds may not after all, be forever… Okay, not even two days for that matter.
Ever had one of those cold, wet days where you wish you had some sort of heat-releasing device to keep you warm and fuzzy? Well, this phone oddly seems to fit that frame.
After continuous usage of 10 minutes or so, the phone starts heating up, contributing to sweaty palms (which in turn, ruined my date) and enough heat to melt my favorite candy bar.
Final verdict?
My time spent with the HTC Diamond 2 was a bittersweet experience; while I loved its smooth web browsing,
picture perfect camera during the day, the TouchFLO 3D feature and the eye-catching weather application – the constant need to charge this device, time my usage and carry a small piece of cloth around to wipe off my fingerprints is just too much of a hassle.
If you’re one who can swipe away the petty (and sweaty) problems, then the HTC Diamond 2 will put a grin on your face but if you’re a picky user like I am, go on and give your patience a test with it.
Technical Specifications
HT Diamond
● Operating System – Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
● Processor – Qualcomm MSM7200A, 528 MHz
● Memory – RAM – 288 MB/ROM – 512 MB
● Display – 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
● Connectivity – Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
● GPS – Internal GPS antenna
● Expansion – microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
● Other- FM Radio, G-Sensor
● Camera – Main camera: 5.0 megapixel colour camera with auto focus. Second camera: VGA CMOS colour camera
● Battery – Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery 1100 mAh
● Dimensions – 107.85 X 53.1 X 13.7mm (4.25 X 2.09 X 0.54 inches)
● Weight – 117.5grams with battery
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