Cellphone Reviews Blog

T Mobile Shadow Phone Sage T Mobile

Despite being a feature-rich, Windows Mobile 6-powered smartphone, the T-Mobile Shadow is designed to reduce the complexity often associated with many smartphones while maintaining all the powerful calling, messaging and picture sharing capabilities you expect. The Shadow’s enhanced user-interface is based on the Windows Mobile 6 operating system, which enables you to view and edit Word and Excel documents as well as view emails in their original HTML format and enjoy quick access to contacts with the ability to search a call history and contacts database.

This slider phone offers a large, brightly colorful 2.6-inch LCD screen and spinning scroll wheel for easy navigatoin. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for handsfree communication and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion (up to 4 GB), built-in Wi-Fi networking, quad-band GSM connectivity with EDGE data services, and up to 5 hours of talk time. The copper version of the Shadow comes with an extra extended life battery for even more talk time.

The easy-to-use T-Mobile Shadow smartphone provides access to personal email and IM buddies, ability to edit Microsoft Office documents, and quick connection to your Fave 5.

T-Mobile Service
The Shadow operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via T-Mobile’s EDGE network (which stands for “Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution”). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.

It’s compatible with T-Mobile’s myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts–on any network, even landlines–without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.

Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today’s hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email.

With T-Mobile Contacts (formerly T-Mobile Address Book), you can store your phonebook on T-Mobile’s network so even if you lose your phone, you don’t lose your contacts. Contacts lets you import entries from Microsoft Outlook, .vcf files, or use .csv files to import from Yahoo!, Gmail, etc.; back up your phone’s address book on our server with enhanced safety features; and store additional contacts on the server.

The Shadow also features a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, and MicroSD expansion.

Phone Features
Teaming with manufacturer HTC, T-Mobile’s Shadow offers an innovative design and simple user interface that strips out the complexity of traditional multi-function phones for a quick learning curve to all of this smartphone’s communication and organization features. The 2.6-inch LCD screen has a 240 x 320-pixel resolution and support for a 65K color depth. The phone’s face has a scrolling navigator button–which you can spin for faster scrolling through applications and contacts–complemented by send/end, home, back, and two soft keys for navigation. It smoothly slides up to reveal the alpha-numeric keypad that uses Blackberry’s SureType keyboard layout, which places two letters per key.

The phone has an internal 140 MB memory, which can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 4 GB in size). The internal phonebook is only limited by the available memory, and it offers multiple fields for phone numbers, and email/IM addresses. A special myFaves feature is integrated into the shadow, where a lighted navigation wheel gets you to your Fave 5 quickly and easily, enabling you to call, text, email, or IM with a single touch. You can customize your Fave 5 witha photo and icons you create or purchase from T-Mobile, as well as choose a distinct ringtone for each Fave.

Access six email accounts–five personal and one work account–including Microsoft Hotmail, Yahoo!, Gmail, Comcast, and AOL. Receive email the instant your computer does–no delay–and view attachments in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint plus Adobe PDFs.

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity with EDR (enhanced data rate), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and audio/video remote control. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking–surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server.

The 2-megapixel camera provides a range of five resolutions and four quality settings, and it features white balance and brightness settings, and several shooting modes. It will also capture video clips for as long as you have available memory.

The phone is compatible with text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messaging, as well as POP3 personal email accounts. It includes XT9 predictive text entry (the new version of the T9), with such features as a word prediction list and spelling correction that spots transposed letters and missed keys, as well as instant integration into all applications on the device.

Other features include:

• Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) for fast web surfing on home/corporate networks and hotspots (not compatible with T-Mobile’s Hotspot @Home service)
• Music playback: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV
• Stay in synch with your Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks in Microsoft Outlook
• Send and receive instant messages with Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, or ICQ
• Reminder feature, so you never forget another friend’s or family member’s birthday or anniversary
• An array of lights and sounds that differentiate one function from another, whether you’re receiving an e-mail, picture message or calendar appointment notification
• Speakerphone
• Voice-activated dialing enables you to make a call with simple voice commands when your hands are busy
• Processor: Texas Instruments OMAP 850, 200 MHz
• Memory: 128 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM (140 MB user accessible)

Vital Statistics
The T-Mobile Shadow weighs 5.3 ounces and measures 2.1 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches. Its 920 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 144 hours (6 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.

Powered by Windows Mobile 6
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6 updates the Windows Mobile 5 platform with a number of handy features that make searching through email, editing Microsoft Office documents, and staying on top of your most important communications even easier. Emails can now be viewed in their original rich HTML format and now offer the ability to visit embedded links. It also includes Windows Live for Windows Mobile, which provides a full set of Windows Live services, such as the Windows Live Messenger IM application, which now enables you to chat with more than one person at one time or send a file.

With Windows Mobile 6, your phone will finally be able to emulate the power and features of your PC’s Microsoft Office suite. You’ll be able to neatly view, navigate and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets in their original formatting–without affecting tables, images or text–as well as view PowerPoint presentations.

• Microsoft Office Word Mobile features include spell-check, Find and Replace commands, bulleted lists, text formatting, and support for tables for the first time.
• With Excel Mobile, you’re not just confined to editing charts: with the new Chart Wizard you can create charts quickly and easily.
• PowerPoint Mobile allows you to view the full presentation, rehearse timings, check the order and any live links you may have in your presentation. You can then email comments back to the team or communicate via MSN Messenger for an immediate response.
• After creating or editing a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, you can synchronize it with your PC and it will automatically be converted to the PC version.

All Windows Mobile 6 powered devices include Direct Push Technology for up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server. It also offers a set of important device security and management features that include the capability to remotely wipe all data from a device should it be lost or stolen, helping ensure that confidential information remains that way.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Piece of garbage
When I first received this phone for a birthday gift, I thought “WOW what a great gift/awesome phone etc.” It worked fine initially…fast forward to the present and 4 phones later…I am about to get my 5th phone as the fourth phone stopped working.

I put up with the terrible battery life and all the other cons. I even loved it in spite of them. However, going on to my fifth phone…I have to say, I will never buy another HTC product again.

Let’s list the problems with my last phones (keep in mind I have never dropped them, spilled anything on them and I treat them with the utmost care) [I work customer service at a tech place so I know about hardware]:

- Buttons mysteriously stop working….permanently

- It stops being able to make phone calls….permanently

- The screen goes black and you cannot get out of this

- After some error, you cannot exit a call by hanging up…only restarting the phone (really now)

- It can no longer locate “signal” despite the fact I have not gone anywhere…it claims the sim card does not work (works just fine tried it on another phone)

- AND MORE!

I am so fed up with this phone that I would have literally run it over with my care by now if T-Mobile did not need me to send it back to get a replacement.

What a piece of crap. F you HTC.

4 Stars Best Phone I’ve Had Yet
So, yes other customers are right. It has a slow processor but trust me, it’s not THAT slow! It is slower than most phones, but is expected since it is a smartphone. Considering how many applications it’s holding, it isn’t a surprise. The best features for me have to be the Windows applications on this phone. Now I can travel with my documents from my PC and not worry. The battery life is another thing that’s a little sketchy. It does NOT have a horrible battery, like the Samsung Blast, but it could be better, in which case the Shadow’s battery lasts about a day and a half. Another idea is, if your not using your wifi, turn it off! It will save your battery. The formats on the phones applications highly make up for it, in which case they are quite amazing. The slider itself is quite durable and I’m confident that if I dropped it, it wouldn’t be shattered all over the floor. I haven’t had any problems hearing anyone on the other line, and there isn’t 7 buttons that send a text (i.e. Samsung Trace). Overall it is the best phone I’ve owned, and smartphone wise it’s a good deal (especially if you get it from Cartoys and not T-mobile itself).

4 Stars Very Slick Phone
t-Mobile Shadow

I have had my t-mobile shadow now for 4 months. I absolutely love this phone in spite of its shortcomings (which are significant). Let me give you the simple break down.

Pros:

-Form factor rocks! I have yet to find a smart phone on the market that comes even close to being as comfortable to use and easy to function with one or two handed operation. The size, look, and feel of this phone rocks in every way. It also seems like it is holding up fairly well considering how hard I am on equipment.

-Screen brightness and readability are superior to any phone I have used before.

-Phone Call Clarity is very nice on this phone. I have no complaints about volume or audio quality, and the phone seems to get fairly good reception.

-The custom interface that t-mobile has included for the MyFav’s is nice but I disabled it since I prefer the standard Windows Mobile interface and I don’t use my favs.

-MicroSDHC support. The phone uses the MicroSD cards and supports the HC cards so I currently have a 4gb card that works great. I haven’t tried the 8gb cards yet.

-Qwerty Keyboard is awesome. I have had not problem at all with the fact that there are two characters per key. The recognition system is awesome and after a week of use I am actually faster on this keyboard than I was on the full Qwerty keyboard on my BlackBerry.

Cons:

-Battery Life is my single largest complaint about this phone. If you plan on using a phone for two days or more without charging then this is not the phone for you. I use my phone to check email about 20 times a day and I make about 15 phone calls per day, I send about 10-15 text messages per day and that pretty much burns the entire battery by Midnight each day. For how much I use the phone I can expect about 18 hours of use before a recharge is required.

-Scroll wheel. The scroll wheel seems like it would be a nice addition but you have to turn it almost half a rotation to get it to scroll one position, so it is faster just to use it like a d-pad than a scroll wheel. I am hoping that a firmware update someday will fix this.

-Slightly slower performance. I have noticed that the phone does not handle some of the bigger applications I use as well. I use terminal services to remote manage some Microsoft servers that I have and it doesn’t work very well on the phone. Most of the standard mobile apps work just fine though.

I hope this was helpful. Good Luck!

4 Stars Not that slow really, good feature set, battery life not great though
Windows Mobile 6 has a lot of improvements over 5, but it still takes some navigation to get to some things. Recently upgraded the ROM to 1.11 via T-Mobile support, which had some tweaks that improved battery life a bit. Still can’t get it to sync with Exchange Server over GPRS, though it works fine over WiFi (server issue, maybe?), but everything else is good..nice keyboard, not a bad camera, large contact and calendar capabilites, good web browsing for a phone, ActiveSync mostly works very well, syncs with Exchange fine (except for the DirectPush issue, which I think will get solved), and more…T-Mobile does indeed have good customer support, probably the best in the cell phone biz that I know of, and I’ve worked with a lot of them. So even they can’t help me solve the GPRS/Exchange sync issue I don’t think I’ll have a problem getting a credit for the GPRS fees I’ve run up, not that they amount to much.

1 Star Horrible phone
This is a terrible phone. The sound was very low on the internal speaker. Well it was very low, it stopped working after about a month. So now I’m speaker phone only; or my bluetooth headset. Which is why I didn’t take it right back while it was still under warranty, because I use my bluetooth headset all the time anyway. Still it’s a hassle using speakerphone for every call when I’m at work where I can’t wear the headset.

Now they’ve updated the firmware and now the bluetooth doesn’t see any devices. So of the two of three ways you can listen to a call I’m now down to one way; speaker phone only.

The battery life is slow, and it’s not helped by the horrible OS where when you close a program, you’re not really closing the program you’re just putting it in the background. To really close a program you have to go to the task manager and close it there. And that just gives a small bump in battery life.

Or how about the time ActiveSync synced my blank pc outlook address book to my smartphone and erased all my contacts. That was clever. Didn’t these geniuses at M$ ever hear of a concept called “union” as in the union of two sets? Too bad apple does the same thing with their ipods as M$ does. The new version of ActiveSync now at least asks which way you want the data to go. I guess I had an older version, I never imagined sync means some thing else entirely than what I thought it meant.

And you see those pictures of your ‘friends’ in the circle in the product picture? You think, oh well that’ll be kind of cool, use the wheel to wheel around to whoever you want to call. I can’t review if that’s cool or not because with tmobile; that’s extra. I know this much, it ain’t 4 bucks a month cool.

I’m so sick of these mobile phones with all their locked out or charge extra features.

Buy/More Info

HTC Touch PRO Phone Black Sprint

Get down to business and stay close to all your most important contacts and documents while on the go with the HTC Touch Pro Smartphone for Sprint, which combines a slide-out QWERTY keyboard paired with HTC’s intuitive, graphic-rich TouchFLO 3D touchscreen user interface. The TouchFLO 3D user interface responds perfectly to your finger gestures when scrolling through contacts, browsing the web, and launching media–all vividly displayed as photos and artwork on the 2.8-inch screen powered by the 3D graphics processor. And with the power of the updated Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, you’ll stay easily connected to your business and personal data on the go with support for a wide variety of email accounts as well as the ability to edit Microsoft Office documents.

With the TouchFLO 3D interface, album artwork, calendar items and snapshots are brought to life for you to interact, play and launch at your fingertips.

The HTC Touch Pro for Sprint provides a mobile Internet experience that uses the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (EV-DO Rev. A). You’ll also enjoy GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service as well as access to Sprint TV’s video-on-demand with full-motion video and vivid sound. Other features include built-in Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, and up to 4 hours of talk time. Compatible with MicroSD memory cards for expansion up to 16 GB, this package includes a 1 GB MicroSD card to give you the room you need for larger work files, presentations, reports, documents or fun files like photos and music.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO Rev. A high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO Rev. A connectivity provides peak network download data rates of up to 3.1 Mbps and peak upload data rates of up to 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds range from 600 kbps to 1.4 mbps and average uplink speeds range from 350 to 500 kbps.

With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive service allows you to access your favorite channels and networks within seconds to watch live TV or video-on-demand with full-motion video. Choose from more than 50 live television channels and watch programs such as CNN mobile, FOX sports and E! Entertainment; access NFL Network and special programming via Sprint Exclusive Entertainment.

Sprint brings you closer to this season’s NFL action with NFL Mobile Live, which enables you to listen to the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by carrying a live radio broadcast for each game, including pregame and postgame reports in most instances. NFL Mobile Live also allows NFL.com fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in real time directly from their phone. Key information for individual players will be easily accessible, including real-time game and season cumulative stats, rankings, player profiles and photos. NFL Mobile Live is free of charge to Sprint data subscribers.

The slide-out, backlit QWERTY keyboard makes sending email and editing documents fast and familiar.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

The Sprint Mobile Sync service enables you to store and manage up to 5,000 contacts in your Sprint Mobile Sync address book, including phone numbers, addresses, notes and other fields. After your phone is activated, every change you make to your address book will be automatically saved on the Sprint network and every change you make online will be updated on your phone. Create and manage personal Group Connect groups to instantly reach up to 20 other users, at the same time, via Nextel Direct Connect or texting. Import contact fields to your address book or synchronize them with your Microsoft Outlook contacts.

Phone Features
With the TouchFLO 3D interface, HTC has taken a great leap forward in touchscreen innovation. It’s designed for one-hand operation using simple, gesture-based navigation, allowing you to simply touch, hold and slide along the screen tabs. A quick slide on the home screen quickly activates the most used features such as e-mail, text messaging, music player and camera. This instinctive interface extends to the powerful Web browser, where a useful “zoom in, zoom out” feature makes it especially easy to access the Web via the included Opera browser, which provides for desktop-like Web page renderings and user interactions. An integrated accelerometer senses when you change the position of the phone from portrait to landscape viewing, and it auto-rotates the screen’s orientation.

The HTC Touch Pro features a sharp, 262K-color 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen (480 x 640 pixels) for touch-sensitive navigation control, complete with three-dimensional animated transitions. For email, messaging and other data input, the HTC Touch Pro also comes equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the smartphone’s side.

Business users can choose from several popular platforms to access your corporate e-mail. The Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional platform offers seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook information including email, contacts, calendar and to-do lists. You can access and edit email attachments using mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint.

In addition, the HTC Touch Pro supports scores of industry-specific applications as well as Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM), an enterprise-grade mobile device management solution that also provides security, mobile Virtual Private Network (VPN) and software distribution for Windows Mobile devices enabled for Windows Mobile 6.1. For maximum flexibility, customers can choose to use either the classic Windows Mobile interface or HTC’s acclaimed TouchFLO 3D graphical interface, which makes popular applications easily available at the swipe of a finger.

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity with EDR (enhanced data rate), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and audio/video remote control. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You’ll also be able to access open Wi-Fi networks in offices and hotspots via the integrated 802.11b/g wireless connectivity.

Other features include:

• 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus; video capture up to CIF resolution (352 x 288 pixels)
• Windows Media Player compatible with MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV file formats
• 512 MB of ROM, 288 MB of RAM
• Compatible with ActiveSync 4.5 and Windows Mobile Device Center
• Support for polyphonic ringtones as well as real-music ringers
• Voice command capable.
• MicroSD memory card expansion (up to 16 GB capacities)
• WorldCard Mobile business card reader
• USB 2.0 connectivity with mass storage capabilities
• Bluetooth version 2.0+EDR with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), HID (support for mice or joysticks), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PAN (personal area networking), PBA (transfer contacts)
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3

Vital Statistics
The HTC Touch Pro weighs 4.94 ounces and measures 4.17 x 2.04 x 0.71 inches. Its 1340 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.0 hours of talk time, and up to 350 hours (14.6 days) of standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 frequencies as well as Sprint’s EV-DO Rev. A data network.

Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 offers a number of handy features that make searching through email, editing Microsoft Office documents, and staying on top of your most important communications even easier. Emails can now be viewed in their original rich HTML format and now offer the ability to visit embedded links. It also includes Windows Live for Windows Mobile, which provides a full set of Windows Live services, such as the Windows Live Messenger IM application, which now enables you to chat with more than one person at one time or send a file.

With Windows Mobile 6.1, your phone will finally be able to emulate the power and features of your PC’s Microsoft Office suite. You’ll be able to neatly view, navigate and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets in their original formatting–without affecting tables, images or text–as well as view PowerPoint presentations.

• Microsoft Office Word Mobile features include spell-check, Find and Replace commands, bulleted lists, text formatting, and support for tables for the first time.
• With Excel Mobile, you’re not just confined to editing charts: with the new Chart Wizard you can create charts quickly and easily.
• PowerPoint Mobile allows you to view the full presentation, rehearse timings, check the order and any live links you may have in your presentation. You can then email comments back to the team or communicate via MSN Messenger for an immediate response.
• After creating or editing a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, you can synchronize it with your PC and it will automatically be converted to the PC version.

All Windows Mobile 6.1 powered devices include Direct Push Technology for up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server. It also offers a set of important device security and management features that include the capability to remotely wipe all data from a device should it be lost or stolen, helping ensure that confidential information remains that way.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Best phone
Ok I have gotten into the world of PPC’s with a real old model,

This is by far the best phone, and the wife loved it so much she had to get it. Now for thoose not used to a ppc it might feel a bit clunky with the interface, but do to all it can do it will.

I will say battery life could be better, although there are registry tweaks and such that greatly help ([...]). There are certain programs to help with the TF3D feel. Overall I highly recomend this to someone with the need and use for a powerfull phone, and business use.

Dave

1 Star Amazon Customer Service
Amazon customer service is terrible. If THEY have a problem, they just simply cancel your order without notification and tell you “if you really want the product, you just have re-order online because there is nothing else we can do”.

It is a shame because Amazon’s price is great for this phone. If I ever get this phone, because this will be the 4th time I’m ordering it, I’ll rate the actual phone in another review.

But shame on Amazon!!! Their customer service is weak.

3 Stars Noob perspective – it’s a computer not a phone
I recently switched from a traditional cell phone to this phone because of the reportedly good web experience. It does have a good web expereince, but alas I miss having a phone. This is a warning to all you “phone only” users wanting to transcend to a higher plain…this might not be the one for you.

Pro: fast internet and good browser experience

Cons: weak battery and clumbsy phone interface.

Short story: this device is less of a phone and more of a very small computer. Still bleeding edge in IMHO.

1 Star Flashy, but……
I must concur with fellow reviewer Neil Brown. The interface of this phone is an inconsistent mess. Coming from the Palm OS, I was always presented with a consistent user interface, just one example: the save and cancel key buttons always in the same place, regardless of the feature. The HTC buttons change functionality and position with each program; even the basic buttons work differently. The OK and cancel buttons (tiny! keep your fingernails long) appear almost randomly on the top and bottom of the screen. The back arrow sometimes takes you back to the previous screen and sometimes it doesn’t. Furthermore, the same program will act differently with the pull out keyboard than with the phone in the vertical position. The TouchFlo feature is useless because of the delayed inconsistent screen feedback. Unfortunately, the HTC was chosen by my company as THE phone for us to use.

5 Stars Best phone on the market
For people who want a device that is a computer in their pocket this is the right device for you. For those of you who aren’t comfortable with computers and there make-up and don’t know how to customize things to your liking on a windows mobile device than this device is not for you. The great thing about windows mobile is there are so many customizable options you have out there and the programs you can install are limitless. If you don’t like how a certain program functions install a different one. There are tons of custom rom’s (operating systems) You can install to turn this machine into a beast that cannot be touched by any other phone out there today.

Buy/More Info

HTC Touch Phone Sprint

Melding the power of Windows Mobile 6 with an innovative touchscreen navigation interface, HTC’s Touch is a deceptively small and stylish mobile phone that brings together email and other essential business applications with Sprint’s exclusive multimedia content including over-the-air music downloads, live TV and more. Leveraging the broad functionality of Windows Mobile 6 Professional (for touchscreens), the HTC Touch includes Outlook Mobile, Office Mobile and the capabilities to run thousands of third-party applications. It also allows you to surf the web with Internet Explorer, send and receive emails, chat on Messenger, and send files to your own web space through Windows Live. Nicely compact at just 0.6 inches thin and 4 ounces, the HTC Touch also features a 2.0-megapixel camera/camcorder, fast Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR with stereo music streaming profile, MicroSD expansion, digital audio and video player, and speedy downloads via Sprint’s EV-DO network.

The stylish HTC Touch brings together email and other essential business applications with Sprint’s exclusive multimedia content including over-the-air music downloads, live TV and more.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, this phone is fully compatible with Sprint’s Power Vision service (additional charges applicable). With Power Vision, you can download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Enjoy full-color video clips or live TV of the latest news, sports, and entertainment from brands you know, like CNN, Fox, The Weather Channel, NFL Mobile, and more. Power Vision also serves as a portal for enhanced games. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you.

With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including the NFL Network, ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

The Sprint Software Store, powered by Handmark, offers a wide selection of software, games, ringtones, graphics and other Windows Mobile applications to purchase and download right to your phone.

With an upward swipe of your finger, use the TouchFLO 3D cube navigation to access entertainment, communication tools, and a “top 9 dial-by-picture” screen.

Phone Features
With a nearly 3-inch display, the HTC Touch’s navigation is powered by TouchFLO technology–new underlying touch screen technology developed by HTC–which provides smooth navigation through menus with a finger swipe. Simply sweep your finger up the display to launch an animated, three-dimensional interface comprising three screens: Contacts, Media and Applications. In addition, the innovative TouchFLO cube brings a 3D cube interface allowing quick access to entertainment, communication tools and a “dial-by-picture” photo caller ID screen. It is intelligent enough to distinguish between finger and input via the included stylus and then respond accordingly. The new HTC-designed home screen provides one-touch access to emails, text messages, calendar appointments and contacts, as well as current weather conditions and forecasts for hundreds of cities around the world. Since you’ll be accessing most functions via the touchscreen, it includes only buttons for a cursor pad, send and end, camera, and volume rocker.

In addition to real-time synchronization with Microsoft Exchange via Windows Mobile’s Direct Push Technology, the HTC Touch also supports Sprint Mobile Email for access to up to three email accounts. It’s also loaded with instant messaging capabilities for AIM, Yahoo, and Windows Live. The Touch also enables sending of SMS and MMS messages, and it includes XT9 predictive text entry (the new version of the T9), with Key features including a word prediction list and spelling correction which spots transposed letters and missed keys, as well as instant integration into all applications on the device. The phone’s contact list is limited only by available memory, and you can store up to 12 numbers per entry as well as home/work addresses, email, IM name, birthday, and more.

You can load up your MP3 files on optional MicroSD cards (up to 4 GB in size) via a USB connection from your PC, or download music from the Sprint Music Store. The integrated Windows Media Player Mobile allows you to play your favorite music, videos and more while you’re on the go, and it synchs music seamlessly with Windows Media Player on a Windows-based computer.

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 + EDR (enhanced data rate) wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, object push, file transfer, audio/video remote control, and basic printing. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking–surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server. Send contacts, calendar events, and pictures/videos/voice memos wirelessly.

The 2.0-megapixel camera on the back of the HTC Touch has a 5x digital zoom and includes a choice of five resolutions and four quality settings. Other imaging features include white balance controls, night mode, image effects, and self-timer. You can also capture video clips in either MPEG4 or H.263 format, and record video for as long as you have available memory. Other features include:

• E911 Emergency Location Enabled: This phone features an embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) chip, necessary for utilizing the E911 emergency location services, where available.
• Sprint’s On-Demand service with up-to-date information on sports, weather, news, money and more customized by zip code
• Voice activated dialing
• Voice memo recorder
• Streaming music access to Sprint Radio, Pandora, SIRIUS, VH1, and MTV

Vital Statistics
The HTC Touch weighs 4 ounces and measures 4 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches. Its 1100 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of talk time, and up to 240 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 CDMA frequencies and is compatible with the EV-DO data network.

Powered by Windows Mobile 6

Windows Mobile 6 adds power to your mobile office with up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars.

Edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets on your phone, just as you would on your desktop/laptop PC.

Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6 updates the Windows Mobile 5 platform with a number of handy features that make searching through email, editing Microsoft Office documents, and staying on top of your most important communications even easier. Emails can now be viewed in their original rich HTML format and now offer the ability to visit embedded links. It also includes Windows Live for Windows Mobile, which provides a full set of Windows Live services, such as the Windows Live Messenger IM application, which now enables you to chat with more than one person at one time or send a file.

With Windows Mobile 6, your phone will finally be able to emulate the power and features of your PC’s Microsoft Office suite. You’ll be able to neatly view, navigate and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets in their original formatting–without affecting tables, images or text–as well as view PowerPoint presentations.

• Microsoft Office Word Mobile features include spell-check, Find and Replace commands, bulleted lists, text formatting, and support for tables for the first time.
• With Excel Mobile, you’re not just confined to editing charts: with the new Chart Wizard you can create charts quickly and easily.
• PowerPoint Mobile allows you to view the full presentation, rehearse timings, check the order and any live links you may have in your presentation. You can then email comments back to the team or communicate via MSN Messenger for an immediate response.
• After creating or editing a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, you can synchronize it with your PC and it will automatically be converted to the PC version.

All Windows Mobile 6 powered devices include Direct Push Technology for up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server. It also offers a set of important device security and management features that include the capability to remotely wipe all data from a device should it be lost or stolen, helping ensure that confidential information remains that way.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars good, but something ….
I had one, everything is good. but the timer was frozen everyday. once you tried to update your timer/alarm, it stops working, and I have to reset. I called sprint for a replacement, but the new one has the same issue.

5 Stars Dont regret the purchase
I am often seeking new toys, electronics that is. And my recent purchase of the touch is something I definably will not be regretting three to six months later when something newer comes out. After doing some research on specs and capabilities on this phone, the I-Phone, Tilt, and some other smart phones that were cheaper but offered similar capabilities, I must say this is the one I would recommend everyone. I’ve been a long subscriber of Sprint, and was never impressed on how their phones ranked with other service providers, specially since sprint tends to be slightly more expensive than others.

However, after one week of owning this phone I must say that this phone is hands down better than the iphone. I can do much more with this device, and I am able to purchase anything else I might need for whatever I may want to do or need to do. The software is somewhat complex for those who may lack the technical knowledge (no offense), but if you sit down and read the instructions throughly you will find out that it is not that bad, and once you get the hang of it you can actually function around the phone without any restraints.

The camera is adequate, and I say this because I have a digital camera and I did not purchase a phone simply to take picture. But overall, it performs well, and the fact that I can take panoramic pictures and stitch them together is really something I did not expect from this phone. The sports setting which takes 5 shots in a row is extremely useful if you’re dealing with kids. The browser is nothing fancy to brag, but I acquired a software to search and view videos on the web (mostly youtube), and I am able to save, bookmark, etc. Most popular websites are now joining the mobile web requirements, enough said on that.

The phone is bluetooth, and the media player actually plays the music much louder than my previous phone through my bluetooth Motorola HT820 stereo headset. The sync function is extremely easy to set up. The touch screen feature is really nice, specially since you can write on the screen with the stylus and the software will type the words for you; this alone speeds up your typing speed if in IM or perhaps typing a memo on the mobile Microsoft word software.

Email accounts are easily set up (yahoo, hotmail, gmail, work email, school, etc) I have them all, and they are sync periodically as I set them.. again this is soo easy once you get the hang of it. Google maps is quite nice, if you’re upgrading from a regular phone to a smart phone. The built in memory on the device is adequate, but you can expand it with a micro SD card (up to 4GB), and I recommend you do this and set up the phone to use only that memory (install all the software that did not come with the phone on the memory card instead of the device).

Feb 2009 update:

After using this phone for over a year, I was starting to find it out of style and lacking some functionality in comparison to the newer phones that are going on sale. And just as I was getting to upgrade again, I found a way to flash the operating system and upgrade everything on the phone to the point that I was amazed by the capabilities of the device. GPS locked so much faster, I installed a different browser to compete with the safari of the IPHONE, and added so many other applications that are extremely useful, not to mention that I also changed the interface so that it looks just like the newer model from HTC (Diamond). Believe me when I say this, this phone can have soo much potential for those of us who like to tweak electronics and find out what else can we do with it. The fact that is a windows mobile device allows you to do all this stuff, so keep that in mind. But I still want to point out that this device is by far not meant for somebody that is not savvy with electronics.

5 Stars Sleek, do-it-all-fast-as-hell gadget!!!!
Ok, so this is my first review of any product anywhere but I’m a bit ‘inspired’ by this gadget. This is my first smartphone, almost my first cell phone and my first tv in about 5 years lol So I jumped right in and honestly have NO regrets…(and i can’t stop looking at this gadget lol)

I tried out for a few days the tilt but found the signal strength in my area unacceptable (i couldn’t get a signal all day at work)…I also didn’t like the ‘bugs’ on it which seemed to be some ‘hangtime’ with applications loading/closing and the overall speed of the device for me was lacking (ie tv was choppy, etc)…so a few days later i got lucky on amazon and got the touch and am SOOOOO happy I did. I have NONE of the issues I had with the tilt and the speed is AMAZINGLY fast, tv runs smoothly, get a signal everywhere, etc…

Some PROS as I see them are:

1) Absolutely SLEEK-looking gadget, nice to hold/use

2) Unbelievably fast, tons of great tv channels

3) Customizable as all WM6 phones are, but THIS one has a sweet interface, very user-friendly, seems ‘bug-free’ to me

4) NO keyboard–to me this is a PRO though i’m sure some will disagree; after using the tilt’s keyboard I’m glad it’s missing here..don’t wanna mess with extra hinges and more parts when I can just type on my choice of 5 or 6 keyboards onscreen!!!

5) Crystal clear calls

6) Comes with a TON of stuff/accessories, beautifully packaged

7) Believe it has GPS built in too…

Digital camera is quite good; Video camera takes moving video WITHOUT much blurriness, UNLIKE some other phone cams…

Did I mention it’s pretty? You won’t want to put it down.

CONS:

1) No wifi; the phone is so fast though i doubt you’ll notice.

2) Does NOT receive Sprints’ Universal movie channel.

Bottom line, if you want a gadget that can do just about anything FAST in a GORGEOUS streamlined package, this is the phone for you.

5 Stars Great Device
I replaced a Samsung flip phone and a Dell Axim pocket PC with this device. I’ve had it about 2 weeks now and am still finding new features on it. I now have instant access to my two personal email accounts, work email, & text messaging all on on device.

Windows Mobile 6 is extremely flexible. Out of the box it works fine but if you want to customize it, you have many, many options.

Compared to a straight cell phone, the phone on this device is not as streamlined, but you quickly get used to it. The other features more than make up for it.

I highly recommend this device for anyone looking to condense devices.

5 Stars make the upgrade
Pros:

with the new system of navigation, has improved, You can download it from www.htc.com….free

if you have the plan. simply everything with sprint, you do not have to pay anything for using the system for navigation. is included in the plan. comes a new keyboard

you should make the upgrade

have many programs with which you can make you rhtc a laptop

Cons:

The keyboard is a bit small for the phone. you can not use your fingers to handle

The internal memory is very little for the phone features

Comments:

Everything you need to be a day, find it in this PDA. so far never gave me any technical problems.I say that this better than the iphone

Buy/More Info

HTC Mogul PPC 6800 Phone Sprint

Leave the laptop behind and stay connected and productive wherever you roam with the HTC Mogul PPC-6800 Smartphone, the newest Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition device from Sprint. The successor to the popular Sprint PPC-6700, the HTC Mogul has a surprise waiting up its sleeve: just slide the top of the phone sideways to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. And the new Windows Mobile 6 operating system enables you to view and edit Word and Excel documents as well as provides instant message capabilities via Windows Live Messenger. (See more details about Windows Mobile 6 below.) The included Outlook Mobile software offers up-to-date e-mail, calendar and contact information.

The HTC Mogul slides open sideways to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, and the screen reorients itself depending on how you hold the phone..

It operates on Sprint’s North American CDMA voice network, as well as on Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Network (EV-DO), which enables you to quickly access audio, video and data applications as well as connect directly to your office’s network. (This phone will also be the first handset from Sprint that will support EV-DO Rev. A data speeds via a free software upgrade that will be made available at a later date.) Other features include built-in Wi-Fi capability, Bluetooth connectivity (for headsets and stereo headphones), 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, and MicroSD memory card expansion.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, the HTC Mogul is fully compatible with Sprint’s Power Vision service. With Power Vision, you can download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Enjoy full-color video clips or live TV of the latest news, sports, and entertainment from brands you know, like CNN, Fox, The Weather Channel, NFL Mobile, and more. Power Vision also serves as a portal for enhanced games. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps. Sprint Power Vision also enables faster Web browsing and Internet email access. At launch, the Mogul supports EV-DO Rev. 0 data speeds on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, and it will be able to take advantage of increased data speeds when Sprint provides support for EV-DO Rev. A technology on the device via a free software upgrade.

Sprint’s music service is another EV-DO-powered service that makes the M510 all the more desirable. With the Sprint Music Store, your phone is a music player, letting you buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you. You can even pause to take a call without missing a beat.

Surprisingly svelte and easily pocketable, the HTC Mogul weighs under 6 ounces and measures just 0.73 inches thin.

Phone Features
The sliding keyboard provides a familiar interface and allows for quick and efficient input of information, and the slide-to-hide form factor eliminates bulkiness for a sleek and stylish design. It measures just 0.73 inches thin and weighs a svelte 5.8 ounces. The 2.8-inch color touchscreen transreflective TFT screen automatically orients itself depending on how you hold the phone (i.e., from portrait to landscape and back again). It displays 65,000 colors and has a 320 x 240-pixel resolution.

In addition to supporting EV-DO wireless broadband networking, the Mogul also features Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), which enables you to use open wireless networks at airports and coffee shops. This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and audio/video remote control. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking–surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server–using Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Network. And when connected to a Bluetooth headset, caller information for incoming calls will be spoken through the Bluetooth device. Decide to answer the call without ever looking at your phone.

The 2-megapixel autofocus camera (with up to 8x digital zoom) on the back of the Mogul captures images up to 1600 x 1200 pixels (good enough for prints up to 8 x 10 inches). You can make such camera adjustments as white balance and exposure metering, choose from resolution modes (such as sports for fast-moving action) as well as use of the integrated flash, and set a self-timer of either 2 or 10 seconds. Additionally, the Wing can capture video with or without audio (in MPEG-4, 3GPP2, or H.263 format, the latter being best for sending via MMS). You can also play back audio and video files downloaded from the Internet or sent to you via email using the integrated Windows Media Player.

Other features include:

• Included memory: 256 MB ROM (163 MB user accessible); 64 MB RAM (49 MB user accessible)
• Instantly send and receive SMS Text Messages across the room or across the country.
• Updated ActiveSync technology (version 4.0) offers one of the best PC to mobile device sync experiences, making it easier to configure with faster data transfer and sync accuracy.
• Includes an on-device link to the Sprint PCS Software Store provided by Handango, where you can find, download and buy software, games, ringtones, graphics and other Windows Mobile Pocket PC applications simply and securely.
• Hands-free operation of your phone is made easy with the built-in speakerphone, allowing you to take a conference call virtually anywhere
• Stereo Headset jack for handsfree operation and music enjoyment.

Vital Statistics
The HTC Mogul weighs 5.8 ounces and measures 4.33 x 2.32 x 0.73 inches. Its 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.1 hours of talk time. It runs on the CDMA 850/1900 frequencies, as well as the EV-DO data network. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Powered by Windows Mobile 6

Windows Mobile 6 adds power to your mobile office with up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars.

Edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets on your phone, just as you would on your desktop/laptop PC.

Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6 updates the Windows Mobile 5 platform with a number of handy features that make searching through email, editing Microsoft Office documents, and staying on top of your most important communications even easier. Emails can now be viewed in their original rich HTML format and now offer the ability to visit embedded links. It also includes Windows Live for Windows Mobile, which provides a full set of Windows Live services, such as the Windows Live Messenger IM application, which now enables you to chat with more than one person at one time or send a file.

With Windows Mobile 6, your phone will finally be able to emulate the power and features of your PC’s Microsoft Office suite. You’ll be able to neatly view, navigate and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets in their original formatting–without affecting tables, images or text–as well as view PowerPoint presentations.

• Microsoft Office Word Mobile features include spell-check, Find and Replace commands, bulleted lists, text formatting, and support for tables for the first time.
• With Excel Mobile, you
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HTC Touch Diamond Phone Black Sprint

Delivering unmistakable style and meticulous craftsmanship the HTC Touch Diamond for Sprint is defined by its compact size, captivating 3D touch interface, and sophisticated communication tools. You’ll be able to access to Sprint’s EV-DO 3G network–perfect for surfing the Web as well as downloading music and video from Sprint’s Music Store and TV service. And with the power of the updated Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, you’ll stay easily connected to your business and personal data on the go with support for a wide variety of email accounts as well as the ability to edit Microsoft Office documents.

The Touch Diamond’s TouchFLO 3D user interface responds perfectly to your finger gestures when scrolling through contacts, browsing the web, and launching media–all vividly displayed as photos and artwork on the 2.8-inch screen powered by the 3D graphics processor. The phone also features a 4 GB internal memory, Bluetooth connectivity for both communication headsets and stereo music streaming, Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), 3.2-megapixel camera, a built-in GPS receiver (for use with Google Maps and Sprint Navigation), multi-format digital audio player, and up to 4.2 hours of talk time.

The Touch Diamond features a sharp 2.8-inch touch screen, Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth stereo music, and GPS navigation capabilities.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO Rev. A high-speed data standard, Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Network provides blazing fast speeds on the nation’s largest mobile broadband network (based on covered square miles), covering more than 15,000 cities and 1,400 airports. With EV-DO Rev. A, peak download data rates increase to 3.1 Mbps and peak upload data rates increase to 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds improve to 600 kbps to 1.4 mbps and average uplink speeds increase to 350 to 500 kbps.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you. Use the Sprint Music Store to listen to music while sending text messages, browsing the Web, or playing a downloaded game. And get over 30 channels of music–Hip Hop, Top Hits, Latin Pop, music videos and shows from NPR, Sporting News and more–treamed to your phone.

With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including the NFL Network, ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

With the TouchFLO 3D interface, album artwork, calendar items and snapshots are brought to life for you to interact, play and launch at your fingertips.

Phone Features
HTC has taken a great leap forward in touch screen innovation with the introduction of its new 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D, which provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more with just a swipe of your finger. The home screen provides one-touch access to emails, text messages, calendar appointments and contacts. New text messages fly onto your screen–just swipe your finger to spin through recent messages or tap a message to reply. Your Email appears in an open envelope–just touch it to read it in full. In addition to Outlook email, you can also add personal accounts and Web-mail accounts like Google and Yahoo. The phone also includes touch-sensitive buttons at the bottom as well as a five-way navigational rocker.

The Touch Diamond is crafted with precision to fit comfortably in a user’s hand without compromising on features or functionality. Blending contrasting design elements of metal and unique geometric facets, the Touch Diamond complements a your personal style. The 2.8-inch screen has a 480 x 640-pixel resolution–providing near-print quality viewing of photographs and crisp Web browsing–and support for 65K colors.

HTC provides a new customized mobile Web browser that enables easy viewing and effortless navigation of Web sites in the way they were designed. You can zoom and pan Web sites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. An integrated accelerometer senses when you change the position of the phone from portrait to landscape viewing, and it auto-rotates the screen’s orientation.

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity with EDR (enhanced data rate), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and audio/video remote control. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You’ll also be able to access open Wi-Fi networks in offices and hotspots via the integrated 802.11b/g wireless connectivity. And with the embedded GPS receiver, you’ll be able to easily locate your next appointment in unfamiliar cities. (Third-party software required for routing information.)

Other features include:

• 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus on the back of the phone, additional VGA camera on the front of the phone for video conferencing (requires compatible network)
• Windows Media Player compatible with MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV file formats
• Use the Sprint Music Store to listen to music while sending text messages, browsing the Web, or playing a downloaded game
• 4 GB of internal memory for storing all your contacts, important documents, and your favorite multimedia
• 256 MB of RAM, 192 MB of DDR RAM
• Support for polyphonic ringtones as well as real-music ringers
• Speaker-Independent Voice Dialing: Say the name of any entry in your phone book and the number is dialed automatically without using the keypad. This feature is speaker-independent, so there is no need to train the phone to respond to any one person’s voice. Receive an audible status report of your phone/s coverage, signal strength, and battery strength.
• Hearing Aid Compatibility: M3
• Bluetooth version 2.0+EDR with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), HID (support for mice or joysticks), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PAN (personal area networking), PBA (transfer contacts)

Vital Statistics
The HTC Touch Diamond weighs 4.1 ounces and measures 4.0 x 2.0 x 0.6 inches. Its 1340 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.2 hours of talk time, and up to 285 hours of standby time. This international version of the Touch Diamond runs on the 900/1800/1900 GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as the 900/2100 MHz HSDPA frequencies for 3G access.

Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 offers a number of handy features that make searching through email, editing Microsoft Office documents, and staying on top of your most important communications even easier. Emails can now be viewed in their original rich HTML format and now offer the ability to visit embedded links. It also includes Windows Live for Windows Mobile, which provides a full set of Windows Live services, such as the Windows Live Messenger IM application, which now enables you to chat with more than one person at one time or send a file.

With Windows Mobile 6.1, your phone will finally be able to emulate the power and features of your PC’s Microsoft Office suite. You’ll be able to neatly view, navigate and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets in their original formatting–without affecting tables, images or text–as well as view PowerPoint presentations.

• Microsoft Office Word Mobile features include spell-check, Find and Replace commands, bulleted lists, text formatting, and support for tables for the first time.
• With Excel Mobile, you’re not just confined to editing charts: with the new Chart Wizard you can create charts quickly and easily.
• PowerPoint Mobile allows you to view the full presentation, rehearse timings, check the order and any live links you may have in your presentation. You can then email comments back to the team or communicate via MSN Messenger for an immediate response.
• After creating or editing a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, you can synchronize it with your PC and it will automatically be converted to the PC version.

All Windows Mobile 6.1 powered devices include Direct Push Technology for up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server. It also offers a set of important device security and management features that include the capability to remotely wipe all data from a device should it be lost or stolen, helping ensure that confidential information remains that way.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star BAD phone
I’m reviewing this after using the phone for approximately 2 months. My friend has the same phone, and here are the goods and the bads of HTC Touch Diamond that we both agreed on. This is the first HTC phone I’ve used, and I’m not impressed and probably not going to get an HTC ever again.

Pros:

- 3MP camera is awesome. It’s a bit slow to take pictures, but picture quality is great.

- Phone looks very nice and thin. The screen is bright and attractive.

- Virtual keyboard is usable. It’s not as good as a real keyboard, but it’s good enough. I textmessage a lot and it’s been working for me. I’m getting used to it.

- Email application is good. I added Gmail and Y!Mail with ease.

Here are some of the major flaws:

- The phone freezes very frequently. The phone cannot handle some of the applications, even the ones that came with the phone like textmessaging.

- I need to restart the phone every day because applications stop loading.

- The phone screen turns on and off on its own. So if you don’t install a third party lock application, it will probably turn on and call people by accident when it’s inside your bag or pocket.

- Voice quality is poor. The voices blur and buzz if you put it on the highest volume.

- POOR battery life. Sometimes, the phone drains the battery at night when not in used. Really strange and disappointing.

- It has 5 buttons but they’re not useful. Some buttons are quite useless.

4 Stars How and why to upgrade your Diamond software
I’ve been using the CDMA Sprint Diamond for 5 months. With the stock Sprint ROM (referring to the software preloaded on the device) you’ll be plagued by several problems which thankfully can all be overcome with some software mods and tweaks from great resources like ppcgeeks and xda. These forums host an enthusiastic community of windows mobile developers and “power users” and participating in the community can be one of the most rewarding aspects to owning this type of device. Just by lurking around the forums and reading the stickies you will learn a lot and be well on your way to customizing the device to suit your needs. That said, this tweaking process is not for everyone; if you’re not interested in learning about technology and prefer something that just works right out of the box then get an iPhone instead. Out of the box, this phone has the following severe issues:

1. Poor battery life and significant battery drain even while the phone is not in use.

2. Slow system performance and lag while TF3D is running. TF3D (Touch Flow 3D – AKA Manila) is HTC’s very slick user interface which sits on top of windows mobile looking pretty and giving you quick access to your most essential info and programs. With usage the phone will periodically become unresponsive or freeze and need to be restarted. (Think back to Windows 98)

3. The phone will wake up from an incoming call or text message or when changing cell towers. That means the screen will turn on and become active which makes the device prone to pocket dialing while it’s in your pocket. On this diamond there is no way to disable that behavior. (There is a registry edit that works on the GSM Diamond) The work around is locking the phone before tucking it away but the default lock program is not great.

4. TF3D does not include a calender or task screen. That means you have to use pocket outlook to manage appointments and tasks. Like most native windows mobile 6.1 applications, pocket outlook is not finger friendly so you’ll either need to be very accurate with your finger nails or use the stylus.

5. Some of the phones capabilities have been hidden.

As mentioned, the good news is that all of these issues can be overcome and I’ll tell you how. First, go to the HTC Diamond forum on PPCGeeks.com and read the stickies on how to unlock your phone and flash a custom Rom. If you have a basic working knowledge of windows, zip files and things of that nature – this stuff is easy to do.

MightyRom is currently the most popular custom ROM on PPCGeeks. I’m running MightyRom version 4.7. Due to the upgrades and enhancements that mighty has “cooked” into his Rom, the phone becomes much more usable. In a nutshell, battery life is doubled, performance is faster and smoother…and stability is improved but the occasional restart is still necessary. Hidden features such as Internet connection sharing are enabled. Even the built in FM radio is working thanks to an app that was ported from the European GSM diamond. While some ROMs are packed with lots of applications, mighty keeps his light and clean which means it doesn’t come with many applications pre-installed other than the essential ones. Fortunately, installing any other applications of your choice is as easy as downloading the .CAB file to the phone (or copying it to the phone) and then running it on the phone.

Beyond the ROM, there are a few applications in particular that I recommend because they address the other issues that I mentioned above.

1. S2A2 (Free) – Slide to Unlock 2 is a replacement for the default lock screen. It’s essentially a knock off of the iPhone’s lock screen. S2U2 works well with MightyRom, is easy to use, looks good and has lots of options.

2. ThumbCal ($19.95 USD) – This sits on top of Pocket Outlook providing you with a finger friendly calendar and task manager. The week view is especially well designed and very useful. 14 days free trial. There are also other free soft keyboard alternatives you can try.

3. TouchPal ($19.99 USD) – While the included software keyboards are good, touchPal is the best in breed. The compact QWERTY layout in TouchPal gets the most functionality out the small amount of space available on the Diamond’s screen and it’s actually FUN to use once you get the hang of it. Fully Free for 30 days with a nag screen after that if you don’t buy.

4. G-Alarm (Free) – This is a free finger friendly alarm program with tons of options. I use it to set up alarms using an MP3 playlist which snooze when I turn the phone upside down.

The above makes up the core of my setup which really works nicely for me. Of course, there are many other directions you could go in.

Perhaps the most exciting news on the horizon is the new version of TF3D that HTC is putting in the new Diamond 2. It’s being ported to the Diamond (see: “XBmod Rhodium Beta Manila”). This version of TF3D includes some extra tabs such as a working Calender tab which may alleviate the need to buy a separate calendar app like ThumbCal.

One final note: Sprint finally released an official ROM update which is an improvement over the originally shipped ROM but the best custom ROMs will still offer the best performance and features for your Diamond.

3 Stars Good Phone With Potential
I’ve had my HTC Touch Diamond from Sprint for two months now and so far it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. My previous Sprint phone was a Motorola Q9c and compared to that excellent phone this one has things that make it better and, sadly, quite a few that make it less than ideal.

Pros:

Beautiful looking device that is both sleek and modern

TouchFlo 3D is an excellent interface overlay for Windows Mobile 6.1

Snappy, 524Mhz CPU comes in handy when launching and switching between applications

Stunning, VGA screen

Excellent 3.2MP camera

Customized Opera Mobile 9.5 web browser

Nice selection of bundled apps

Doubles as a hand warmer after data use or voice calls lasting more than two minutes

Cons:

This phone locks up at least once or twice a day

Phone gets VERY warm after more than a few minutes of data or voice use

Battery life could be a lot better

Bluetooth connectivity is hit or miss

There are other things that I do not consider to be either pros or cons such as the onscreen keyboards which can depend on the end user or the inclusion of WiFi. As for the keyboards I feel there are enough options to appeal to most users however, having come from a full QWERTY keyboard it may be an issue for heavy texters or emailers. I have large fingers and thumbs and I can use the full onscreen keyboard with few issues after a few days of use. The WiFi inclusion is really moot for me as I live in an area with excellent EVDO Rev. A coverage and don’t spend a lot of time around hotspots.

The main issues I have with the phone which are all too frequent lock ups and poor battery life I feel can be addressed by an eventual firmware update from HTC. This has been the typical history from this manufacturer, get a new device out the door and let all the customers be their beta testers. To me this is just poor customer service and if an update is not out within a few more months I can see me replacing this with something new such as the forthcoming Palm Pre.

As for features this phone is a device that just wants to be loved. Sprint TV looks acceptable on the VGA screen and the music interface of TochFlo 3D is heads and shoulders above that offered by Windows Media Player Mobile. The included Opera Mobil web browser is light years ahead of PIE (pocket Internet Explorer) but still leaves something to be desired. It’s capable of displaying “full” web sites but all too frequently defaults to the mobile version of sites.

Overall, this phone is a mixed bag and if I had it over I would have probably opted for the Blackberry Curve 8330 instead of this phone. I want to love this phone but it’s faults are deal breakers for me.

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