Database Develop

Kaiser (we've heard the good, now let's hear the bad)

OK..so we are all excited about the Kaiser and some of the lucky ones have it already. We all know the specs and we hear about the fun those lucky ones are having with the devices. Needless to say, with new devices, problems sometimes follow. I know there have been a few minor complaints but, let's use this thread to compile the issues (and hopefully the fixes).
I am thinking of jumping ship from my rather good plan in order to get a Kaiser and hearing both sides of the spectrum can help myself and others make a more educated decision.

I am interested in Kaiser also. One of the most issue that i hope being fix in Kaiser was the screen auto-on issue while changing song when listen MP3 with BT stereo handsfree which happened in D810 and P3600i.

Well, I've had my kaiser since the 7th and I have put it through most of it's paces so far.
The only complaint I can think of is the already known problem where storing pocket IE's cache on the storage card causes it to freeze up. I'm fully confident that someone here will figure it out.
That said it's a really nice upgrade from the Tytn I've been using for over a year. If you consider a different browser, like Opera mini it performs extremely well.

I've had one about a month. Overall very pleased with the purchase. Here are my top nits:
1. Audio clicks or audio cut-out when playing long audio files (>5min). click will happen every 5 min, which might suggest it's reading the file into memory in chunks and having trouble at the transition. I'm hoping a new, faster micro-sd card will fix this.
2. screen doesn't turn off by default, just dims to lowest level. Not that the phone doesn't go into standby when it should, it's just that when you are using it you expect the previous TyTN behavior where the screen goes off after a certain period. Annoying only in certain circumstances; for instance, when you play long audio files at night to go to sleep the screen stays on. Solution is easy: just push the power button. Audio keeps playing. Not a big negative per se, just a new behavior to get used to.
3. Hard to select multiple items (e.g. email) with finger. Used to be you could finger one item and then "drag" down the list, selecting multiple items. Now that causes the email list to scroll. Again not a negative, just a new way of behaving.
4. The camera. Takes forever to actually take the shot. Unless you set it on a stable surface or take long shots in good light, the images are blurry. It's a phone so I don't really care that much...
5. Lack of dedicated button for Comm Manager. You can have a soft button, but whatever... Also I haven't found a way to remap the otherwise useless PTT button.
6. Nobody has uploaded the 'cool' HTC rom. I have to install the HTCHome and Comm Mgr app cabs from the Hermes group. The AT&T roms look boring and are bloated with crapware like Ms PacMan eval version (including the frickin' .cab file) and MP3 files.
7. After hanging up a voice call, d-pad in email stops working. That is, I can use the screen to do actions like select and open an email, but the d-pad and center button don't work. Once the mail is open, I can use the d-pad. Seems like this doesn't happen every time, but it's annoying when it does. I'm sure a software update will fix this.
None of these things would prevent me from buying the product again. I personally find the browser perf about the same as the TyTN - downloading full HTML pages takes a while, but it's a phone so it doesn't bother me like it would if it were a laptop.
M

So how do they handle your #3 issue with the semi-touch flow now? How do you go about selecting multiple items?

I hadn't really thought of it until I wrote this... After some investigation I find that if I hold down my finger on the first selected item, wait, then drag it, it works.

how's the in-call voice quality & signal strength from the kaiser's qualcomm chip, compared to previous htc phones (fo example, ones which featured the TI omap chip)?
and also how's the gps? is it really that much worse than a sirfstar to the point where it would become unusable in a city with many tall buildings?

Here is my very small list of gripes..
1. There is no default hardware button that allows you to change the Sound Volume at any time...like when/if you're somewhere quiet and the phone rings loudly or a reminder pops up loudly. Many devices have Vol Up & Down buttons on the side of the device that will let you do this but with the TyTN II you'll have to either use the default Volume control icon at the top of the screen (which is tough to get to using a finger) or use the HTC Touch panel - assuming you have it enabled in the Task Panel settings. You can however adjust the volume during a call using the thumb wheel--which is nice.
2. For some reason, We can't redirect IE cache, cookies and history to the microSD card. I know there's been discussion about this. When you make the registry change, IE freezes when pulling up sites. When you put it back to the default folder or any folder in main storage memory, all sites work fine. Everything else--email attachments, apps, games, GPS maps, etc. seem to do fine when accessed from the card.
3. No HTC TouchFLO 3D Cube
For some reason, the TyTN II has TouchFLO but without the Cube. I would love to get this iPhone Killer app" working on the TyTN II. I know you guys are working on it!
TEC

I live in the US, and this is the reason why im waiting for the AT&T tilt, i want them to fix all the bugs. When the TyTN came out, the 8525 had less bugs, including the screen alignment thing.

Funny, I had just dumped the VERY unstable GPS enabled HP hw6945 in favor of the then new 8525. I was just about to return the 8525 because it was also pretty buggy and prone to hangs. Then I found XDA, applied the tweaks and eventually new roms and now the 8525 is just about perfect.
I'll have my Kaiser in 2 days and am looking forward to what the XDA wizzards will do with it in the comming months.
But a first release from AT&T is bound to be lacking, and probably bloated with less than usefull widgets.

The good you already know so I wont go into all of that, but after all the hype I'm actually dissapointed with this device.
I am a long time treo user (my last machine being a very stable, but dull treo 680).
Last month I bought the HTC Touch (a FANTASTIC machine, especially with HTC Home). But after the Treo, I still need a keyboard as its basically hard work to enter long messages, even with the SIP keyboard (plus TYTN II has 3G and GPS).
So I got my TYTN II 2 days ago and im not enjoying the exeperience, especially when compared to the Touch which was flawless for me. I find that the machine hangs, isnt that responsive, the sound level is much lower than the Touch (both ear and speaker) and while its supposed to be 2x as fast, it really isnt much faster than the Touch. It does have a better screen than the Touch and many other advantages, but none of these are critical for me. Plus I dont know anyone who uses video calling so I have noone to call with it!!!
But the worst part of the TYTN II is that its a MONSTER in both size and weight. Its like walking around with a brick in my pocket! For example, holding the phone while on a long call is very uncomfortable. I just dont like the form factor (actually I miss my Treos front facing keyboard).
So if you own a Touch, have a BT GPS device, can get by with wifi, and can get the hang of the on-board keyboard then I suggest you upgrade the ROM on the Touch and stick with it. Im sorry i didnt.
That said, now I own this device Im going to try to make it work for me and get used to it, or sell it!

About the size and weight, it should be subjective.
For me, it is perfect, not small, but not too big either.
The thickness is good, less than TyTn but more than Touch.
I have no problem handling and carrying it or making phone, etc.
The device is quite responsive, I dont have problem with it. The built-in keyboard is working fine except that I am not used to it yet, so sometimes I missed the key But, I am working on it (to get used to).
The thing that I dont like:
1. Takes a long time to fully charge from 10% to 100% ! More than 4 hours using USB connection.
2. Need more hardware button to map application I want to be able to switch application by using a hardware button. Well, I can replace one of the button, but ...
3. Camera and video recording sucks on indoor situation (low light), but very good on outdoor.
ekerbuddy said:
The good you already know so I wont go into all of that, but after all the hype I'm actually dissapointed with this device.
I am a long time treo user (my last machine being a very stable, but dull treo 680).
Last month I bought the HTC Touch (a FANTASTIC machine, especially with HTC Home). But after the Treo, I still need a keyboard as its basically hard work to enter long messages, even with the SIP keyboard (plus TYTN II has 3G and GPS).
So I got my TYTN II 2 days ago and im not enjoying the exeperience, especially when compared to the Touch which was flawless for me. I find that the machine hangs, isnt that responsive, the sound level is much lower than the Touch (both ear and speaker) and while its supposed to be 2x as fast, it really isnt much faster than the Touch. It does have a better screen than the Touch and many other advantages, but none of these are critical for me. Plus I dont know anyone who uses video calling so I have noone to call with it!!!
But the worst part of the TYTN II is that its a MONSTER in both size and weight. Its like walking around with a brick in my pocket! For example, holding the phone while on a long call is very uncomfortable. I just dont like the form factor (actually I miss my Treos front facing keyboard).
So if you own a Touch, have a BT GPS device, can get by with wifi, and can get the hang of the on-board keyboard then I suggest you upgrade the ROM on the Touch and stick with it. Im sorry i didnt.
That said, now I own this device Im going to try to make it work for me and get used to it, or sell it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

gogol said:
The thing that I dont like:
1. Takes a long time to fully charge from 10% to 100% ! More than 4 hours using USB connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean USB cable connected to computer - it always was like that. Hermes was not different. If you use wall charger, it will get job done quicker.
3. Camera and video recording sucks on indoor situation (low light), but very good on outdoor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.. what else can you expect? This is a phone, not real camera, it would always suck in low light. But camera is still pretty good, as for phone - while in good light conditions, of course.

demione said:
how's the in-call voice quality & signal strength from the kaiser's qualcomm chip, compared to previous htc phones (fo example, ones which featured the TI omap chip)?
and also how's the gps? is it really that much worse than a sirfstar to the point where it would become unusable in a city with many tall buildings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both are really good. I was impressed by call quality, really. In terms of GPS, IMHO there is also nothing to complain about...

hardware audio control
technillion said:
1. There is no default hardware button that allows you to change the Sound Volume at any time...like when/if you're somewhere quiet and the phone rings loudly or a reminder pops up loudly. Many devices have Vol Up & Down buttons on the side of the device that will let you do this but with the TyTN II you'll have to either use the default Volume control icon at the top of the screen (which is tough to get to using a finger) or use the HTC Touch panel - assuming you have it enabled in the Task Panel settings. You can however adjust the volume during a call using the thumb wheel--which is nice.
TEC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the jog dial on the side defaults to volume control when you are in a call or running (foreground) an app that has volume aspects, like Media Player or HTC Audio Manager. Agreed that there's no general audio control tho. You can install 3rd party apps to give you one-touch scheme changes - check the Hermes forum for apps like O2+ (DiStefano's cab collection is nice).

Problem after phone calls
There seems to be a problem with the Kaiser. After finishing a phone call on the Kaiser the backlight goes off and stays off and I cannot access the Start menu. I can access all other functions but backlight stays off and one still cant get into the Start menu from anywhere on the screen. I have to press the power off button quickly once and then wait a second, press it again to be able to access the start button or the light to come on. This is definitely a bug in the tytn II and I hope HTC is doing something about this.

Reload63 said:
There seems to be a problem with the Kaiser. After finishing a phone call on the Kaiser the backlight goes off and stays off and I cannot access the Start menu. I can access all other functions but backlight stays off and one still cant get into the Start menu from anywhere on the screen. I have to press the power off button quickly once and then wait a second, press it again to be able to access the start button or the light to come on. This is definitely a bug in the tytn II and I hope HTC is doing something about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No such problems with my Kaiser. Maybe some specific application is causing such behavior? Try uninstalling some of them, and check - but the best test would be hard reset and check on 'clean' ROM. If problem still persists - get the warranty replacement.

Hi
No such problems with my Kaiser. Maybe some specific application is causing such behavior? Try uninstalling some of them, and check - but the best test would be hard reset and check on 'clean' ROM. If problem still persists - get the warranty replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has already been reported and confirmed by a few people and happens when you have a password word set on the device. If no device password is set it works okay and you will not be affected. Workaround at the moment is not to set a password or press the power button again after a call to get the device back on.
Regards
Phil

strange, I have a password and do not experience this problem (thru 3 different AT&T roms). I'm happy to test it out on whichever rom exhibits the problem tho.

The problem only seems to exist on the official HTC ROM.

[UPDATED 6 AUG 08] - Diamond - First Impressions of a Power User

These are the first impressions of a power user after a week with the Diamond - I hope they might help others to decide whether to get one.
EDIT: Things have moved on since this post, you might want to look at post #39 too (page 4)
Background
I'm a power user but also a heavy day-to-day user as well. I use my phone for calling people, basic PDA functions, OTA google sync, web access, IMAP mail, GPS and also .NET software development. (I'm the author of 'Touch Settings') I used to have an HTC Touch. Before that, an HTC Prophet. Before that, an HTC MDA Compact.. ..you get the idea. I like HTC devices. I've stuck with them all, put up with their frustrations and watched them steadily improve. But this phone felt like the most exciting release yet. A massive leap forward in terms of specs. I was calling up Orange for about a month to find out the ETA. I actually RAN to the Orange Shop in Oxford Street and managed to get their last one in stock at the weekend!
So, one week in, here we go...
Great things
THE SCREEN
My favourite thing is the VGA screen. I cannot believe the difference it makes to the look of the phone, seriously. I could never go back to QVGA again now, this is a major improvement. Just reading the operator name in a slim, Arial-Narrow type font at the top of the screen and not being able to see the individual pixels, this is a true step forward. Everything, repeat, EVERYTHING looks better.
THE CAMERA
The auto-focus camera is nothing short of brilliant. Still rubbish in low-light levels, still no flash, but this is light-years ahead of the last one! I still get a little smirk of delight on my face when I hear it whirring as it focuses ahead of taking a picture!
A FASTER PROCESSOR
Hooray! FINALLY!... 528MHz ...4 times faster than my HTC Touch!...in theory. See below.
THE NEW ADD-ONS
Having GPS, FM radio, a tilt switch, a light sensor and more is fantastic. Teeter, the game, is awesome and will impress every person you know at a party.
THE SIZE
The Diamond is slightly smaller than the HTC Touch as well - easier to fit in a pocket. And it really does look gorgeous. Well done HTC.
Enough praise. Because then there's all this:
The Not-so-great things:
THE SPEED
Pop Quiz. Take your Windows Mobile phone. Tap the start button. Then tap 'Programs'. Does the window flash onto your screen immediately? No. There's a delay, isn't there? And sometimes you can even see it drawing every individual icon, top-to-bottom. On my HTC Touch, after a day of use, this took about 2 seconds.
On the Diamond, with TouchFlo 3D running, it's worse.
Skip this paragraph if you don't want a rant. Seriously, when are Windows Mobile phones actually going to get responsive enough to be useable? Delays when you press buttons, delays when you bring up menus, switch applications, etc, etc. What the hell is this operating system DOING with those 537 mega cycles per second??? Having patiently waited through my last THREE sloooow devices, I was thrilled at the thought of a phone that actually whizzed along... ...but it's a bit like going from XP on a slow computer to Vista on a fast computer - no noticable increase in speed at all. Such a crushing disappointment. My old Nokia could re-draw a screen faster 3 years ago. In this day and age, and with a processor doing a belting 500+ MHz, this should NOT be happening. Things should appear INSTANTLY and react the VERY MOMENT you touch them. I am running out of patience. The iPhone is looking more attactive every day.
TFL3D - INTERFACE
Fantastic to look at, but surprisngly sluggish to use. The more days that pass, the more it's becoming apparent that this interface is more about form and less about function. It's also often lacking in visual feedback; sometimes a button will move when you drag it (main nav bar at the bottom), sometimes not! You just have to swipe and see! Visual feedback is a very important part of user interface design.
COMMON ACTIONS, E.G. CALLING PEOPLE
I feel that, action-wise, some things have (incredibly) got HARDER since my HTC Touch. For example, I used to be able to call my favourite contacts with a swipe and a tap.. ..now it's a swipe, a complicated side-swipey thing, a painstaking wait for the piccies to flip around, and finally a tap. Er, hello? This is the MAIN THING I USE THE PHONE FOR - CALLING PEOPLE! I can't even position my favourite contacts in memorable places; again, a big factor in user interface design, hence why you remember where your icons are on your PC's desktop.
HOME SCREEN (TFL3D again really)
I can't add any custom home screen items! What the hell happened to being able to view my list of things to do? (tasks) Seriously, this is a shockingly bad step back. I know there are some apps to work around this, but I'm doing a review of the stock phone and software here.
THE JOYPAD
This should be renamed the joy-less pad. It's virtually impossible to click the Left and Right buttons without frequently mis-tapping and hitting the 'Back' or 'Hang Up' keys instead. There are no markings, you just sort of have to 'guess' where abouts on the flat screen to tap. The actual target area isn't big enough and I'm getting sick of quitting out of screens when I just want to move right or left. I've got fairly big hands but I'm no elephant.
The ipod-style 'whiz-around' wheel seems promising but when you try it, it's under-responsive and jerky in its movements. I would suggest that's why they've limited the applications that support it by default.
NO MINI SD CARD SLOT
Another step back - from 8Gb storage on my HTC Touch (with a mini SD card) to a paltry 4Gb now. Not enough to put all my music on the phone plus nav software, and no slot for more storage.
GROSS GREASINESS
As other forum users have pointed out, all that swiping on this shiny black device - it looks like the back of a transit van after a minute or so of use.
CONCLUSION
Owning an HTC Diamond is without doubt a step forward from an HTC Touch, but it's a smaller step than you might think. Be prepared for a mixed bag of emotions. Joy at the look of the thing, disappointment when you realise it's slower than you hoped, shouts of happiness when you first play 'Teeter', cries of frustration when the screen turns off randomly during calls or you miss-hit the joypad button or you can't swipe the tiny bit of the screen you're meant to.
After all that, I might surprise you by saying this. I would still say this phone is the best option on the market for the day-to-day user who wants an ultra-portable device that packs enough power to do that bit more than just making calls.
Just 24 hours into owning the phone I did my first ROM flash, from 1.37...1 to 1.37...3 - and this helped the speed somewhat and fixed a memory leak. I also tweaked the registry as much as I could. This has helped too, but the above problems are all still too evident, nothing has really improved enough to make me retract any of them. Keep watching these forums, though, because future ROM updates have the power to make this device much, much better.
That's about it, I hope these comments have helped, or given you something to debate in the space below. I'm going to stick with the Diamond for now. But I wouldn't mind betting I'll have completely disabled TouchFlo 3D before the week is out...
Carlos

I too wonder how long I will last with TF3D. However, the joypad is no problem. Simply use the centre button as a reference point. If you rest part of your thumb in there and press any side of it, then it is easy to navigate. At least I find it easy anyway. Hope that might help you.

carlosp_uk said:
I was calling up Orange for about a month to find out the ETA. I actually RAN to the Orange Shop in Oxford Street and managed to get their last one in stock at the weekend!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you were really a fan you would have made sure you were the first, and didn't have to run

mcwtrekkie said:
If you were really a fan you would have made sure you were the first, and didn't have to run
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I may well have been Orange's first online order! Could not wait.

evilskanker said:
I think I may well have been Orange's first online order! Could not wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the spirit!

Has anyone managed to add a UK city to the weather forecast page ? I found it almost impossible to scroll down to the last page, it keeps selecting wrong countries, the only way I see - scroll one-by-one using hardware buttons ....

Yes, I added 3. Scroll with finger, well, more of a flick.

evilskanker said:
Yes, I added 3. Scroll with finger, well, more of a flick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I've tried about 20 different ways of scrolling with a finger, always end up with a list of south american cities ... (
Comparing to my old Orbit, I would say I have to press harder for screen to react ..

hertc said:
I think I've tried about 20 different ways of scrolling with a finger, always end up with a list of south american cities ... (
Comparing to my old Orbit, I would say I have to press harder for screen to react ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's at times like these that it would be good to be able to use the wheel for scrolling down.

evilskanker said:
It's at times like these that it would be good to be able to use the wheel for scrolling down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, still remember Sony J7 I had long time ago, all these things were so easy with a wheel ..

hertc said:
Comparing to my old Orbit, I would say I have to press harder for screen to react ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently the Diamond is the first PocketPC device to have a tempered glass screen to make it extra tough. This makes it require a little more pressure than other devices.
But much more resilient to damage, and also nicer on the eye.

wasn't to amazed with the stock rom,
but after some days of usage and flashing the first cooked rom,
i am getting more and more into my new mobile..

Totally agree, using my Diamond for a week after three years on I-mate's.

carlosp_uk said:
CALLING PEOPLE
I feel that, action-wise, some things have (incredibly) got HARDER since my HTC Touch. For example, I used to be able to call my favourite contacts with a swipe and a tap.. ..now it's a swipe, a complicated side-swipey thing, a painstaking wait for the piccies to flip around, and finally a tap. Er, hello? This is the MAIN THING I USE THE PHONE FOR - CALLING PEOPLE! I can't even position my favourite contacts in memorable places;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a suggestion -
Speed Dialing.
you can place at least SOME off your favorites in the positions you want.. and then it will just be one long press.. and it will dial.
Phone - menu - Speed Dial.
and of course.. there is always voice dialing.

Turn off TF3D. Ive heard is does HUGE things for the interface speed, and you'll get your tasks back (first thing Im going to do when I get a sprint diamond on this side of the pond)

I agree on almost every point
Not having used touch before, I really can't say anything bad about the navigation. To me it's a revolution, but it's not quite there yet.
The biggest flaw is the biggest asset. Let me explain.
The biggest asset to this device is the screen. I have never liked the screen on any of the QVGA devices I have used (Wizard and Hermes). The VGA screen on the Diamond is fantastic! Crisp and easy to read, even in direct sunlight. The words by HTC "Not too big, not too small" really sums up my feelings about it. However. Screen size is relative to what you display on it. I'm sure a lot of research, testing and effort went in to decide the size of the elements on the TF3D interface. Personally I would have designed it differently.
The main professional reason I choose to use a WiMo is Active Sync OTA (Over-The-Air). Having direct push of Mail, Calendar and Contacts to my device is critical in my profession. This HAS to work, it has to be easy to use, and easy to read. On the Diamond it works fantastically. Lots better than on the Hermes. It takes some getting used to, when you have never used touchflo before.
The touch interface has to be finger friendly, demanding finger sized icons and buttons. Having a small screen required HTC to use the entire screen. That makes you wish for a larger screen, yet a larger screen would require a larger device and I dont want that. Dilemma.
Like you said, the TF3D interface lacks in visual feedback. This could be replaced by tactile feedback. The same technology used in the game TEETER could be used to give me feedback on my actions.
Being a WiMo certified pro I know that the main obstacle for HTC is WiMo itself, or rather the Windows CE it is built upon. Win CE 5 is nowhere near a realtime OS and the switch to Win CE 6 (afaik it will be the foundation for WiMo 7) will be a major leap. CE6 is not a RTOS either, but it has the means to enable truly great applications. I look forward to what Developers will create for WiMo7.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_CE_6.0)
The only thing I really dislike on my Diamond is the scrollwheel. I clearly does not work like you would expect it to. Unintuitive. And the Up/Down/Left/Right navigation around it is near unusable. Using the touch screen works though so it is not a showstopper for me.
Speed of the interface is good once you have used the cache size tweaks. Not great but good.

I fully agree on the speed comment, 527mhz... but it seems it's different mhz compared to my HTC Herald (P4350).
On my Herald I also have WM6.1, a 200mhz cpu (o'ced to 240 mhz) and everything starts faster!
I've got the 1.37.xxx.3 rom on my Diamond, TF3D disabled and still it's slower.
Very strange indeed.

guys i suggest you all to flash duttythroy's diamond project v2 rom. it increased the usability amazingly.

guys i suggest you all to flash duttythroy's diamond project v2 rom. it increased the usability amazingly. and c'mon guys, our shiny precioussssssss is out some weeks. look what they've done with the kaiser within one year... stay patient and keep being excited for that genius piece of hardware.

carlosp_uk said:
These are the first impressions of a power user after a week with the Diamond - I hope they might help others to decide whether to get one.
Background
I'm a power user but also a heavy day-to-day user as well. I use my phone for calling people, basic PDA functions, OTA google sync, web access, IMAP mail, GPS and also .NET software development. (I'm the author of 'Touch Settings') I used to have an HTC Touch. Before that, an HTC Prophet. Before that, an HTC MDA Compact.. ..you get the idea. I like HTC devices. I've stuck with them all, put up with their frustrations and watched them steadily improve. But this phone felt like the most exciting release yet. A massive leap forward in terms of specs. I was calling up Orange for about a month to find out the ETA. I actually RAN to the Orange Shop in Oxford Street and managed to get their last one in stock at the weekend!
So, one week in, here we go...
Great things
THE SCREEN
My favourite thing is the VGA screen. I cannot believe the difference it makes to the look of the phone, seriously. I could never go back to QVGA again now, this is a major improvement. Just reading the operator name in a slim, Arial-Narrow type font at the top of the screen and not being able to see the individual pixels, this is a true step forward. Everything, repeat, EVERYTHING looks better.
THE CAMERA
The auto-focus camera is nothing short of brilliant. Still rubbish in low-light levels, still no flash, but this is light-years ahead of the last one! I still get a little smirk of delight on my face when I hear it whirring as it focuses ahead of taking a picture!
A FASTER PROCESSOR
Hooray! FINALLY!... 528MHz ...4 times faster than my HTC Touch!...in theory. See below.
THE NEW ADD-ONS
Having GPS, FM radio, a tilt switch, a light sensor and more is fantastic. Teeter, the game, is awesome and will impress every person you know at a party.
THE SIZE
The Diamond is slightly smaller than the HTC Touch as well - easier to fit in a pocket. And it really does look gorgeous. Well done HTC.
Enough praise. Because then there's all this:
The Not-so-great things:
THE SPEED
Pop Quiz. Take your Windows Mobile phone. Tap the start button. Then tap 'Programs'. Does the window flash onto your screen immediately? No. There's a delay, isn't there? And sometimes you can even see it drawing every individual icon, top-to-bottom. On my HTC Touch, after a day of use, this took about 2 seconds.
On the Diamond, with TouchFlo 3D running, it's worse.
Skip this paragraph if you don't want a rant. Seriously, when are Windows Mobile phones actually going to get responsive enough to be useable? Delays when you press buttons, delays when you bring up menus, switch applications, etc, etc. What the hell is this operating system DOING with those 537 mega cycles per second??? Having patiently waited through my last THREE sloooow devices, I was thrilled at the thought of a phone that actually whizzed along... ...but it's a bit like going from XP on a slow computer to Vista on a fast computer - no noticable increase in speed at all. Such a crushing disappointment. My old Nokia could re-draw a screen faster 3 years ago. In this day and age, and with a processor doing a belting 500+ MHz, this should NOT be happening. Things should appear INSTANTLY and react the VERY MOMENT you touch them. I am running out of patience. The iPhone is looking more attactive every day.
TFL3D - INTERFACE
Fantastic to look at, but surprisngly sluggish to use. The more days that pass, the more it's becoming apparent that this interface is more about form and less about function. It's also often lacking in visual feedback; sometimes a button will move when you drag it (main nav bar at the bottom), sometimes not! You just have to swipe and see! Visual feedback is a very important part of user interface design.
COMMON ACTIONS, E.G. CALLING PEOPLE
I feel that, action-wise, some things have (incredibly) got HARDER since my HTC Touch. For example, I used to be able to call my favourite contacts with a swipe and a tap.. ..now it's a swipe, a complicated side-swipey thing, a painstaking wait for the piccies to flip around, and finally a tap. Er, hello? This is the MAIN THING I USE THE PHONE FOR - CALLING PEOPLE! I can't even position my favourite contacts in memorable places; again, a big factor in user interface design, hence why you remember where your icons are on your PC's desktop.
HOME SCREEN (TFL3D again really)
I can't add any custom home screen items! What the hell happened to being able to view my list of things to do? (tasks) Seriously, this is a shockingly bad step back. I know there are some apps to work around this, but I'm doing a review of the stock phone and software here.
THE JOYPAD
This should be renamed the joy-less pad. It's virtually impossible to click the Left and Right buttons without frequently mis-tapping and hitting the 'Back' or 'Hang Up' keys instead. There are no markings, you just sort of have to 'guess' where abouts on the flat screen to tap. The actual target area isn't big enough and I'm getting sick of quitting out of screens when I just want to move right or left. I've got fairly big hands but I'm no elephant.
The ipod-style 'whiz-around' wheel seems promising but when you try it, it's under-responsive and jerky in its movements. I would suggest that's why they've limited the applications that support it by default.
NO MINI SD CARD SLOT
Another step back - from 8Gb storage on my HTC Touch (with a mini SD card) to a paltry 4Gb now. Not enough to put all my music on the phone plus nav software, and no slot for more storage.
GROSS GREASINESS
As other forum users have pointed out, all that swiping on this shiny black device - it looks like the back of a transit van after a minute or so of use.
CONCLUSION
Owning an HTC Diamond is without doubt a step forward from an HTC Touch, but it's a smaller step than you might think. Be prepared for a mixed bag of emotions. Joy at the look of the thing, disappointment when you realise it's slower than you hoped, shouts of happiness when you first play 'Teeter', cries of frustration when the screen turns off randomly during calls or you miss-hit the joypad button or you can't swipe the tiny bit of the screen you're meant to.
After all that, I might surprise you by saying this. I would still say this phone is the best option on the market for the day-to-day user who wants an ultra-portable device that packs enough power to do that bit more than just making calls.
Just 24 hours into owning the phone I did my first ROM flash, from 1.37...1 to 1.37...3 - and this helped the speed somewhat and fixed a memory leak. I also tweaked the registry as much as I could. This has helped too, but the above problems are all still too evident, nothing has really improved enough to make me retract any of them. Keep watching these forums, though, because future ROM updates have the power to make this device much, much better.
That's about it, I hope these comments have helped, or given you something to debate in the space below. I'm going to stick with the Diamond for now. But I wouldn't mind betting I'll have completely disabled TouchFlo 3D before the week is out...
Carlos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what a crap...
THE SPEED
Put one of the new ROMs on it (Dutty, Walshieau), runs like hell. No delay here!
TFL3D - INTERFACE
Simply switch TF3D off if you don't like it.
And use an existing tool for your today (SPB Mobile Shell ect.).
COMMON ACTIONS, E.G. CALLING PEOPLE
Disable the Diamond dialer, you get your traditional dialer back.
HOME SCREEN (TFL3D again really)
Simply switch TF3D off.
Use an existing tool for today (SPB Mobile Shell ect.).
THE JOYPAD
Get used to it, it works perfect after a few weeks.
NO MINI SD CARD SLOT
Ok, maybe you got a point...
On the other hand: do you really need ALL your music all the time. A sync now and then for other music isn't that hard.
GROSS GREASINESS
Ok, the shiny cover gets greasy. But is't so beautiful,,,

Do you regret choosing the HTC Diamond?

How long have you had your Diamond for and do you wish you had opted for something else? I'm just trying to gauge opinions of people who have owned the phone for a few months. Thanks.
I've owned mine for just 3 days so I'm still getting used to it....I think it's a terrible 'out of the box' product but it seems to improve with various add-ons. So far I've downloaded Diamond Tweak and IContacts.
My latest problem with it is that I'm encountering the notorious TomTom 'no maps found' error (Grrrr....this was never an issue on my old HTC device)

The Diamond is my first HTC or WinMo phone, I've owned it for 7 months and I don't regret it.
It's pretty slow at doing things and the battery life if terrible if you actually use the device, rather than leaving it in suspend mode with 3G coverage switched off. However, charge it at least once daily and it's livable with.
TF3D is crap too, get rid of that and it gets much better!

I have just sold my Diamond. I used it for about 6 months and could never get used to it's very slow speeds. Especially out of the box it was a huge dissapointment, although with a custom rom things did improve.
But still, the thing is just too slow in my opinion. Probably all due to the lovely Qualcomm chipset that's inside it. When you look at the specs (memory, mhz etc) it should fly, be awesome. But it just isn't.
I always compare to my old mda compact (qtek s100). When I used to run TomTom on that one it was smooth with good fps. Even on a device like the Diamond, years later, it runs like crap. And that is a bit dissapointing ofcourse.
Don't get me wrong, you get a lot in return. Nicer UI, VGA screen, much better touchscreen and a much much better looking phone. But in the speed department all of my HTC phones have been dissapointing.
(Yet still I buy them, they are too much fun. qtek s100, qtek s200, htc touch, touch cruise, diamond).
But for now, HTC will have to do without me .

I love my Fuze, I hate my Fuze
This article sums my feelings up very well:
http://www.mytodayscreen.com/i-hate-my-fuze-i-love-my-fuze/
I've never had so much fun hacking a device before, but at one and the same time I resent having to hack it into a proper phone in the first place.
I'm not getting rid of my Fuze any time soon, but with anyone shopping for a new phone I steer them away from it. I'm completely up front with them, and admit to them I've spent dozens of hours scouring message boards and web sites for hacks to get the phone to behave in a way in which I'm happy with.
Users should not have to hack a registry to change ANY of the settings I've wanted to tweak!!!
That felt good to get off my chest.

I love my Diamond and the small sleek form factor more htan the Toch HD I had for a week or so.

I do not go anywhere without my trusty diamond in my pocket, I have tried so many other phones/PDA's and this is the best, the smallest for what it can do.
Its also perfect for a walking GPS device with memory map.
Its a running GPS log, my music device, organiser, camera for meetings and quick memories, reading book, comic book, games, even acts as a spirit level, does practically everything I need, oh yes and its a phone too.
Choose the right ROM and the thing is so quick and responsive.
TF3D is brilliant, I am so used to it now I can't get on with anything else.

Simple answer no it just keeps getting better and better.

I regret not!
But it seems like software is always ahead of the hardware. Before I had my branded Diamond I had the GloFiish X500+, so in comparison to that I'm very happy with my MDAIV.
But WinMo does helps to keep me using PPC's, it's a great platform to work with.

no!
and a comparative with old devices is like ... ach no need any words.
dont forgett, the devices are all at first a phone. all other functions wasnt the premiere function. something was good something cant be good.
i.e. old device open a webside with more speed than a new device.
but how you go to internet? by cable or by gms ($).
and if you are finished with scrolling left-to-right and back you have to scroll up and down. the new device uses wlan to go internet or umts and your scroll-action is minimizing by overview the complete internet-side.
but asking other people for feeling if buy or not buy ... hmmm, be carefull, that are only feelings and oppinnions.
i can say, that all devices (htc, nokia, apple) have good and not-good thinks. my buddy have apple. with standars he have no problems, after installation some progs the apple will be slowly and he do resets his devicxe many time like me. YOUR GUT FEELING IS NEEDED!!!

No regrets at all. Like stated above with the right custom rom, tweaks and apps this is everything I need in a phone/ppc.
And whats fun about getting a phone right out of the box that does everything you want? Heck, modding it to your likings is most the fun.

after 2 years of using WinMob my diamond is the first one that people is asking "What is this?". I mean that has the greatest software (WinMob) and the best design.
What do you want more?

Hate it, but use it!
I have had a Diamond for about 6 months now, and only use it because of the size.
I prefer my TyTN II but it is just too bulky
I hate a touch screen keyboard and prefer the slide out of the TyTN II.
I also find the Diamond's volume very soft as compared to the TyTN II
But in any case this will be my last M$ Windows based device, until M$ issues a decent OS.
PS: The motherboard has already been replaced.

i just love my Diamond....

Hi !
I bot love and hate it equally... After six happy months, new ROMs etc... I am forced to send it back, since from the start, when I stay in H or 3G (I am 30 meters away from a big antenna), I don't get any call... One bar of H or 3G in my home... The phone displays bars, one or two, but is totally disconnected from network, and I miss ALL my phonecalls. Sometimes, two days after, I get messages notifications: twenty voicemails, 50 SMS... all sent two days ago but not received by the phone...
If you have any suggestion... I have tried everything, but I'm forced to leave it on "G" only (GSM/GPRS) which is a serious drawback as I'm always using it to surf the web, mail, TV on phone etc... with my all inclusive plan (French network SFR).
When I go to downtown (one km from my home, so I am downtown!) I have none of the issues stated above.
This phone is probably the worst receiver in the history of mobile phones... All y previous phones gave me five constant bars of H or 3G, this one only one or less... All my friends with cheaper devices have five bars in my place...

I really love my Diamond. Being my first WinMo phone I have to say sites like this here really help improve the phone. Coming from the iPhone I miss the multi-touch and easy surfing on Safari (but I found that Iris is an awesome browser.)
I love the size of my phone, that is what I did not like about the iPhone (too big for me)
In case you are wondering I have had it since it first launched in Canada (Dec 4, 2008)

i wont say that i regret buying my diamond but i am for sure going to buy the new touch pro2 as soon as it comes to denmark. the diamond is good but it aint the best... ive always have a lot of problem with the speed of the diamiond jsut like everyone else but after getting rid of tf3d it has improved a bit. but all in all im not disappointed with the phone.
Cornwall are you sure its because of the device? i dont know anyone who ever had that problem. it might not be the phone but the provider of the net. if that isnt the problem i sure would go to the place i bought the phone and demand to get a new one cause it might be that single phone that is screwed up.

I like the Diamond especially for its size. I have a clip-on pouch that is designed especially for Diamond. I don't like the ROM that came with my operator Telstra but I have since then upgraded to CT6.4 HD Lite ROM. It is fast, lite and stable and good battery. I also like the onscreen keyboard where I can hold the key and it types numbers instead of letters. Very handy.
One feature I wish it had was the TV-OUT capability, like that in Touch Pro.
Anyway, for the keyboardless phone, Diamond is the best for me so far. For phone with keyboard, I think Touch Pro 2 is the one to beat.

My Diamond is now 8 months old and the more I use it, the more I love it. But, I surely have plans to upgrade to TOUCH HD. Reason? I want a bigger screen to actually use those pixels. Cramming VGA display into a 2.8" does not bring any huge practical advantage as only Opera Mobile uses those pixels effectively.
Touch Diamond-2 has bigger screen, but it is 3.2" and crams WVGA resolution. Scene won't change much for me. I do not want a hardware keyboard and that rules out TP-2

I've just bought a Nokia E51 to replace my Diamond. The Diamond was my second HTC phone, the Touch was my first. I thought that the diamond would be a massive step up and for the first six months it was. The screen is much better, the touch sensitivity was better and it was loads quicker. However, once the honeymoon period is over the overall usability of the phone starts to show and for me it wasn't good.
The main negative is the battery life. You have to consciously manage the Diamond to make the battery last. Why cant I just put it in my pocket and have one less worry on life! After normal usage I could unplug the Diamond from the wall charger at 07:30 and by 18:00 it was showing critical battery level warnings. By comparison, with the same usage I unplugged my Nokia E51 over 24 hours ago and the battery is still almost full. One less worry!
Travelling abroad quite a lot I use Skype often, with the diamond I had to ensure I carried my handsfree kit with me so I could make a private call and not through the speaker phone. On top of that I had to keep pressing a button on the phone to stop it going into standby so the wifi doesn't go to sleep - A pain in the ass at best. With the E51 I can access the same wifi hotspot, load up fring and instantly use skype (or MSN) to phone home with the luxury of holding the handset to my ear - what a novelty! also knowing that the battery can cope.
Another big thing was the bluetooth integration to my car stereo. I have a Kenwood stereo and granted I could get into my car and turn the stereo on and that was it, I was connected to the handsfree. However it took 3 minutes or so do download the address book and when I finished a call it would disconnect forcing me to turn off the stereo and turn it back on again to initiate a handshake. The E51 establishes automatically, downloads the phone book in about 15 seconds and never disconnects, pretty much everything you would expect (oh, also it connects the audio automatically so I can play music from the phone through the car with no further faffing about)!
I've come to realise that the Diamond and Windows Mobile is a complete pain in the ass taking up far to much of my time to do things that should just happen. I cant believe how good the nokia E51 is in comparison. It does everything better according to my usual usage of a mobile phone.
It's going to be a few years before I go back to windows mobile, probably after WM 7 has been well established. Untill then I've got my Diamond in a draw as my spare phone.

I have owned my Diamond since June 2008.
The greatest thing about it is it's small size. I like my phones small, and would never consider a phone with a 3.5 inch screen.
I leave the Diamond in 2G mode, and only switch to 3G when I want to use data. My battery life easily lasts more than one day - usually 2 days, although I tend to recharge it every day anyway, so that I don't have to worry about the battery life.
I still use the stock ROM. Best thing you can do, is disable TouchFlo 3D and install the finger friendly SPB Mobile Shell. It is just so much faster, and above all, so much more practical to use, than TouchFlo 3D. I have introduced 3 colleagues with Diamonds to Mobile Shell, and each have promptly switched to Mobile Shell and haven't looked back.
No regrets about getting the Diamond. It was (and still is) really special when it first came out. Now however, I would recommend waiting for the Diamond 2 rather than the Diamond. The microSD card slot will come in handy. It is slightly larger than the Diamond, but not too big, with a bigger screen.

After 24hrs - things I like and don't vs TD1

Hi all,
So, I've had my TD2 for 24 hours now - enough time to get to know it. Overall it is a step forwards over the TD1 but there are certainly things I'll miss...
Things I like or are better compared to the TD1:
- MUCH better/faster TF3D
- The tighter integration into WinMo
- The higher pixel count
- The camera quality
- Very good 'wizards' when setting up email, etc. Of all the WinMo phones, I've never been into the MS settings less than on this one
- the on screen keyboard with haptic feedback
- the speaker seems to handle volume better
- the battery tells you how long you got on the last full charge - genius!
- back to coloured lights for charging, charged etc. The white circle was cool, but not as easily read
Things I am not so keen on or miss compared to the TD1:
- The screen seems set deeper into the device, was odd for the first few hours, used to it now
- The screen seems less vibrant and white
- It's bigger
- No funky diamond back cover (I know, but I liked it)
- Device feels lighter and as such less 'quality', the TD1 feels more solid
- No D-Pad means things like moving up/down unopened email is tricky
Things I think they could change with the TD2
- deliver it with a case!
- deliver it with the snap in for the desktop stand
- Silly thing, but I loved the diamond box of the TD1 and the way it was presented, this one just didn't feel as special unpacking it
- make the pick up button green, and the hang up red
Just my $0.02.
Rich

All in all I agree with you, some remarks in red...
rakh1 said:
Things I like or are better compared to the TD1:
- The higher pixel count In my opinion NO better screen. When I put the devices side by side, quality seems about the same. When I had to choose one screen, I'd choose the TD1...
Things I am not so keen on or miss compared to the TD1:
- Device feels lighter and as such less 'quality', the TD1 feels more solid
In fact the TD2 is heavier than the TD1. Also I certainly think build quality of the TD2 is much better, less plastic, with the metal bursted frontcover.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My extra 2 cents...

rakh1 said:
- No funky diamond back cover (I know, but I liked it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't be surprised if third party diamond covers came out.

Agree...
Yes, the integration with WinMo is far deeper and polished.
But I agree the Diamond1 feels and looks a far more premium product and seems better finished.
The Diamond2 case is quite plain and already after 1 week I'm noticing some wear on the front of the case at the bottom...
Another thing I liked on the Diamond was the back of the phone case had the 4 corner edges removed. Such a small thing but you notice it on this phone in your suit pants pockets - especially as it is a bigger footprint overall.
The phone screen is recessed further into the phone and this drove me nuts at first and thought it looked quite poor - but of course you get used to it. Figure this is done to cater for the more responsive touch screen which is a joy to use.
I think also the TouchFlo3D menus and some of the screens are 'stretched' on this longer version of the screen. For example the envelope graphics in TouchFlo mail almost look like they are a lower resolution as they are stretched longer for the longer screen length. Might be just me...
But my biggest problem on this phone is the change that HTC have made to the lock button by doing a long press End/Hang-Up key. When this is pressed, instead of dimming the screen, locking the keys and showing the Today screen - it instantly shows the Password logon screen (rendering the Today screen useless and obsolete). My company has Exchange Group policy enforced that a password must be entered into the phone after 15mins of inactivity. That's fine - except HTC have changed it so that as soon as you use the Device Lock - it does a total lock (and not just a Key lock). I've been arguing with HTC support on this for days and they just say this is a 'Feature'. Well it's a crap feature and one that wasn't apparent on my HTC Touch Cruise or my HTC Touch Diamond1. I've tried many button remapping programs but if I map any other key to 'Device Lock' the same thing happens. To me it's a bug as it renders the display of the Today screen obsolete as soon as you lock the phone keys.

^Hmm might be a chance of a registy hack there.... but IDK much about that.

madstyle69 said:
Yes, the integration with WinMo is far deeper and polished.
But I agree the Diamond1 feels and looks a far more premium product and seems better finished.
The Diamond2 case is quite plain and already after 1 week I'm noticing some wear on the front of the case at the bottom...
Another thing I liked on the Diamond was the back of the phone case had the 4 corner edges removed. Such a small thing but you notice it on this phone in your suit pants pockets - especially as it is a bigger footprint overall.
The phone screen is recessed further into the phone and this drove me nuts at first and thought it looked quite poor - but of course you get used to it. Figure this is done to cater for the more responsive touch screen which is a joy to use.
I think also the TouchFlo3D menus and some of the screens are 'stretched' on this longer version of the screen. For example the envelope graphics in TouchFlo mail almost look like they are a lower resolution as they are stretched longer for the longer screen length. Might be just me...
But my biggest problem on this phone is the change that HTC have made to the lock button by doing a long press End/Hang-Up key. When this is pressed, instead of dimming the screen, locking the keys and showing the Today screen - it instantly shows the Password logon screen (rendering the Today screen useless and obsolete). My company has Exchange Group policy enforced that a password must be entered into the phone after 15mins of inactivity. That's fine - except HTC have changed it so that as soon as you use the Device Lock - it does a total lock (and not just a Key lock). I've been arguing with HTC support on this for days and they just say this is a 'Feature'. Well it's a crap feature and one that wasn't apparent on my HTC Touch Cruise or my HTC Touch Diamond1. I've tried many button remapping programs but if I map any other key to 'Device Lock' the same thing happens. To me it's a bug as it renders the display of the Today screen obsolete as soon as you lock the phone keys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are you actually saying that you like the TD1 more than the TD2?
Besides the TD2 I still have my TD1, shall we trade???

Basically, if I could get the TD2 software and features in the TD1 form factor I'd take it!
R

rakh1 said:
Basically, if I could get the TD2 software and features in the TD1 form factor I'd take it!
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no you wouldn't

3 big factors that makes TD2 a better choice than TD1 for me:
- microSD, while Diamond have 4GB fixed and no expansion. This was not mentioned in the list, but is imho the fatal flaw of the TD1: 4GB is much much too small for this kind of phone, no way I would buy a smartphone with only 4GB nowadays. microSD is also expandable, so if you have a 8 GB now you can buy 16 or 32 GB later if needed. I will buy a 16 GB, I do not expect to go to 32 GB before changing the phone ;-)
-larger screen, with larger resolution: it means more info on the screen, with the same DPI as the TD1 (if your eyes are good enough to use every pixel on the TD1, so they are for the TD2, and you have more pixels ;-) )
-larger battery (although I would have expected at least a 1300 mAh): 1 day of intensive usage is a must, because a phone is useful on the move, where you can at most charge every night. 2 days would be better, just by security, but less than 1 day means that you can not use your phone to the fullest...or need to cary a spare battery, or a safety simple phone: emergency calls should be possible all the time, if only for security reason (dirtbiking alone for example...)

andyturner said:
I wouldn't be surprised if third party diamond covers came out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i hope this will happen, and then i'll get one. indeed, this "piano black" back cover is something i don't really like. i prefer the cover of the touch HD.

gkai said:
3 big factors that makes TD2 a better choice than TD1 for me:
-larger battery (although I would have expected at least a 1300 mAh): 1 day of intensive usage is a must, because a phone is useful on the move, where you can at most charge every night. 2 days would be better, just by security, but less than 1 day means that you can not use your phone to the fullest...or need to cary a spare battery, or a safety simple phone: emergency calls should be possible all the time, if only for security reason (dirtbiking alone for example...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far, I'm only getting half a day's worth of battery life. I have to keep it on charging when I'm in the car, or I wouldn't last the day.
I suspect it's because I'm getting extremely poor reception, so it's taking a lot more power finding the right towers. Unless I got a dud set or battery, in which case, I'd have to get an exchange ASAP.

dlui1 said:
So far, I'm only getting half a day's worth of battery life. I have to keep it on charging when I'm in the car, or I wouldn't last the day.
I suspect it's because I'm getting extremely poor reception, so it's taking a lot more power finding the right towers. Unless I got a dud set or battery, in which case, I'd have to get an exchange ASAP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's much worse than the TD1. What happen if you go to airplane mode? Does it increase the battery life tremendously? If not, a defective TD2 for sure....If yes, not so certain about poor reception, it could also be a defective radio system...
I would try to get the exchange, 1/2 day makes the phone almost useless for me, and I am sure it is at least hugely annoying for you ;-)

gkai said:
That's much worse than the TD1. What happen if you go to airplane mode? Does it increase the battery life tremendously? If not, a defective TD2 for sure....If yes, not so certain about poor reception, it could also be a defective radio system...
I would try to get the exchange, 1/2 day makes the phone almost useless for me, and I am sure it is at least hugely annoying for you ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have good reception but my battery doesn't last much longer than half a day either...

Something odd here, I get poor reception where I live and work but am getting 2 days out of the battery resonably comfortably

Thanks for the offer of a swap, but I've still got my TD1 sitting on the charger at home and haven't fully let go yet...
Yes, agree with the comments that the bigger battery is an improvement, and the bigger screen an improvement and the ability to dump a 16GB MicroSD makes the world of difference.
But I'm still stuck on this Password screen that pops up as soon as you lock the phone as it's killing me at the moment and denying me the joy of owning this phone.
A question: do any other TD2 owners have Group Policy and Simple PIN enforced with their company exchange configuration? If so does the Device Lock with long press End key show the Password key immediately? I've not yet confirmed whether any other TD2 owners are having this problem...?

I don't use Exchange or have any policies in force on my TD2, however I can confirm that if I set the phone up with a lock password and set it to activate after say 15 minutes, then when you longpress the hangup button to lock the screen, it does immediately come up with the password input screen, completely ignoring the 15 minute timeout. For this reason I have had to disable the password lock, thus compromising the security of my phone in favour of usability.

pietrucci said:
I have good reception but my battery doesn't last much longer than half a day either...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat too
battery is crap. I guess we use it more than the other people...it's the only explanation
to the people with the Pin problem
Does it really make your life worth ending just because you have to type your pin in? It's really not that much of a problem. Deal with it

pietrucci said:
I have good reception but my battery doesn't last much longer than half a day either...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really???
I have to say from my own experience I am getting a good day and a half out of it with push mail... although I haven't been using much else on these days. Standby time is a huge improvement also... with the TD1 I could leave it un plugged over night as it would be dead in the morning, whereas this only loses a bar.
All in all I agree with gkai post above.... 3 big factors that makes TD2 a better choice than TD1 for me 1.microSD 2.larger screen 3.larger battery.....plus no D Pad (I never used it!!!)

Jim Coleman said:
I don't use Exchange or have any policies in force on my TD2, however I can confirm that if I set the phone up with a lock password and set it to activate after say 15 minutes, then when you longpress the hangup button to lock the screen, it does immediately come up with the password input screen, completely ignoring the 15 minute timeout. For this reason I have had to disable the password lock, thus compromising the security of my phone in favour of usability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, thanks for confirming. I'm going to have another crack at HTC and see what happens.
I realise that when WinMo 6.5 is released this problem probably won't be apparent as the lock screen provides new ways of checking status without fully enabling the phone.
Otherwise until then I'll see who's cooking new ROMs and if they resolve this problem HTC has made.

Barff1984 said:
I'm in the same boat too
battery is crap. I guess we use it more than the other people...it's the only explanation
to the people with the Pin problem
Does it really make your life worth ending just because you have to type your pin in? It's really not that much of a problem. Deal with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're missing the point here - the Today screen doesn't appear when you use the lock.
With typical use of your phone you'll pull it out of your pocket, push the power button to enable the display and check the Today screen to look at the upcoming appointments, see if Emails have been received or any missed calls. This is not possible if Group Policy password is enabled. To do *anything* on the phone when it's locked you need to put in your PIN.

Considering phone upgrade - Diamond? Or Diamond 2?

Hi all,
I've been a very happy camper with my htc Touch (ELFin) running dsixda's Onyx ROM. Though not especially powerful, the ELFin has been a great package doing most of the stuffs I expect from a smartphone, but I couldn't be happier with it.
But then, as I'm sure most of you know, there comes the itch for a new toy, and the fact ELFin only has a QVGA screen and not VGA/WVGA seems to get on my nerve, and the fact it doesn't have built-in GPS also gets pretty annoying.
So I've been thinking of an upgrade, and right now the Diamond and Diamond 2 are on top of my list.
I am looking for a smartphone phone that does email, lite web surfing, the usual PDA, GPS device (I use tomtom right now on the ELFin) ... I also read plenty of ebook on my smartphone.
What I'm NOT looking for, is a multi-media player. I rarely listen to music off my phone, and almost never watch video's on it.
The Diamond and Diamond 2 both seem to fit the bill. I've been satisfied with the 201Mhz processor on the ELFin, so I don't think I'll have a problem with either phone's power.
I like the D2, because it has a longer screen, which I presume is better for web surfing and ebook reading. And the screen seems to be the biggest difference between the 2 phones.
The D2 does cost quite a bit more than the Diamond though ... I can get Diamond for about half the price of a D2 (~CDN$300 vs $600)
I also heard D2 that I can get my hands on are from overseas and somehow 3G doesn't work on them with my service provider (Rogers). I can easily get a Rogers branded Diamond though and get 3G.
What's your 2 cents? Have any of you used both the Diamond and D2? How do you compare them?
Thanks!

You may find the screen on the D1 a little small for comfortable ebook reading (depending on how good your eyesight is). I guess it comes down to price and 3G availability, I would probably wait for a 3G version of the D2 suitable for your region to be released and go for that.

If you want hardware arrows choose D1 and if you will use mostly like a phone.
If you want internet or read documents take the D2.

I recently made the same choice when I upgraded from an Artemis, and I went for the D2.
There were two main things put me off the Diamond - fixed 4GB of memory with no SD slot, and a lower capacity battery that lots of people complain about (though there are extended versions available).
I use Mobipocket reader a lot for e-books and one thing that is a pain on the D2 is the lack of a D Pad which means you can't change the autoscroll speed (at least I can't work out how to do it).
Another nigle is that the only programmable key is a long press of the "Call" key. I have that programmed to toggle autoscroll, but on my Artemis, I had another key programmed to switch to full screen. If I want full screen on the D2 I have to go through the menu, so I don't usually bother. The screen is much better than the Artemis (QVGA) anyway.
Other ebook readers might be better, but I haven't had much of a chance to look around yet.

Thanks for your 2 cents.
I am concerned about paying the premium and then finding out my 3G phone is limited to EDGE because it's not a carrier-branded phone ... that would REALLY suck. I have to confirm on that before I make the jump.
I also agree - lack of d-pad and hardware buttons may become a problem. Right now, on the Touch, I use AE Buttons to customize more functions to the hard buttons on the phone so that might help a bit. Still, I see your point slateblue.
I have also heard about the battery issue on the D1 ... friend of mine uses the D1 and he said he does have to charge his phone everyday with moderate use. How's the battery life on the D2?

slateblue said:
I recently made the same choice when I upgraded from an Artemis, and I went for the D2.
There were two main things put me off the Diamond - fixed 4GB of memory with no SD slot, and a lower capacity battery that lots of people complain about (though there are extended versions available).
I use Mobipocket reader a lot for e-books and one thing that is a pain on the D2 is the lack of a D Pad which means you can't change the autoscroll speed (at least I can't work out how to do it).
Another nigle is that the only programmable key is a long press of the "Call" key. I have that programmed to toggle autoscroll, but on my Artemis, I had another key programmed to switch to full screen. If I want full screen on the D2 I have to go through the menu, so I don't usually bother. The screen is much better than the Artemis (QVGA) anyway.
Other ebook readers might be better, but I haven't had much of a chance to look around yet.
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I use a fantastic program called AE Button Plus whic lets you reconfigure most of your topaz buttons. You can assign buttons to launch programs etc and have options of hold down, one press, two presses and three presses.
I use mobipocket reader by pressing the volume down to next page and volume up to go to previous page. I have assigned the volume keys as up down direction keys and to change volume by holding down for a long press. It's a great program, which is not freeware but I would be lost without it to be honest.

number16 said:
How's the battery life on the D2?
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Worse than my Artemis. I used to charge that every 2-3 days with light use.
I seem to be charging the TD2 every day, but I don't like to let it get below 50% so maybe I am just over-cautious. Not sure I'd trust it to last two full days.
The worst culprit seems to be the 3G radio. If I leave it overnight, the battery can drop 20-30%, but if I turn the radio off (airplane mode) it loses less than 10% in the same period.
Thanks both of you for the heads up on AEButton Plus. I've just downloaded the trial, and mapped volume to up and down arrows, and it makes a number of things easier. Not free as you say but pretty cheap at $8. Save me looking at alternative ebook software which is good as I really like Mobipocket.

I do want to ask about the 3G connection.
I heard all D2's in North America are designed for Europe / Asian markets, and their 3G antenna doesn't work with North American service providers, so you are limited to EDGE and cannot get 3G.
Is that a hardware thing? Or is it a firmware / software thing that can be fixed via ROM flash?
slateblue, you mentioned you can get 3G connection to your D2 ... how did you do that?
If a ROM flash fixes it I don't mind, but otherwise if 3G doesn't work on this phone in North America, it's a deal breaker.

Sorry, don't know to much about 3G. I'm in the UK and my TD2 supports 900/2100 MHz HSDPA/WCDMA according to the box. Not sure what frequencies are used elsewhere in the world. I'd have thought that it would need different hardware in much the same way as North American/European GSM phones used to to be different (and incompatible) until quad band handsets became common.