High Tech Computer (HTC) announced the HTC Touch Diamond today. The Touch Diamond utilizes 3G (third generation) mobile technology. The device runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and has a touch screen that can be used one-handed. Apple hasn’t said when it will launch a 3G phone, but the company is expected to do so later this year.
Starting this June, the Touch Diamond will be available in Europe. The Asian and Middle Eastern markets will follow, with sales hitting North and South America in the second half of 2008.
“Today we mark a new era in mobile-phone evolution, an era where beauty and size integrate with uncompromising innovation at broadband speeds,” said Peter Chou, HTC president and CEO. “The HTC Touch Diamond will make browsing the Web and using Web-enabled applications just as practical and easy to use as making calls.”
Qualcomm chips allow the Touch Diamond to use High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) networks that allow data speeds up to 7.2 Mbits per second.
The Touch Diamond has a 2.8 inch touch-screen that has a resolution of 640 pixels by 480 pixels. TouchFlo software can make images look 3D and turning the handset sidewise rotates the view accordingly.
The Touch Diamond has a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus that allows video calling. The battery life lasts up to four hours of talk time and the handset has 4G bytes of flash memory for storing music and video.
This isn’t the first time HTC beat Apple to the punch. Last year HTC launched its first Touch handset nearly a month ahead of Apple’s iPhone launch.