HTC Diamond not support 850Mhz?

A couple things to note from the HTC Website. 1. US pricing is to be Suggested REtail Price $920! (http://www.htc.com/www/press.aspx?id=49228&lang=1033) Very few users are going to invest that much in this. I bought my HTC 8100 for $250 4 years ago and would love to upgrade to this, but I refuse to drop that kinda cash. Also Sprint has been known to cripple the devices to make more $ off the end user. The current HTC Touch does not include the wifi feature making you have to get their data plan.

I haven't seen HTC price an unlocked phone correctly, thus far. My guess is they charge as much as the Cruise is now. I don't see the iPhone solving anyone's problems either, especially with this security issue. Same attention to style and gimicks minus basic features for the price. I mean c'mon, no video, no A2DP, no 3G and no 3rd party apps. Basic stuff omited for the purposes of an upgrade path, just like HTC is doing. Same pig, different dress.

It's a done deal, at least in the US. The iPhone 2.0 will be here first and it will be a winner for consumers. HTC will be late to the party -- looks "naive" to me.

Bluewater your last comment

It looks like the 3G iPhone will be announced and go on sale June 9th. On June 10th we can all look back to see if HTC's Diamond strategy was genius, totally naive, or somewhere in between!

Nails it on the head!! My thoughts totally!

Physboy -

I agree with your appraisal of the Diamond. The most common reaction I've read is that it's a "mixed bag." However, even a mixed bag will succeed if priced right. We shall see...

shoey5 -

As far as I know, HTC has never directly released a phone in North America. Perhaps they'll release the North American model to the carriers later this year once it's certified by the FCC (I don't think the EU version certification can be applied to the North American model). Then it'll be up to the carriers. As a guide, wasn't there a significant delay once the original GSM Touch became available in Europe and the carriers made in available in the North America?

David -

Your exactly right on 850MHz. The longer range has another benefit to the carriers: fewer towers. Economically, it's much much cheaper to deploy a 850Mhz network than a 1900MHz one. The trade-off is 850MHz has less bandwidth than 1900MHz. But it's a good trade-off, rural areas have fewer customers and less demand for bandwidth. Whatever the historical reasons for 850MHz, it dominates rural areas simply because its cheaper to deploy and meets the demand. Where I live, 850MHz is critical.

It looks like the 3G iPhone will be announced and go on sale June 9th. On June 10th we can all look back to see if HTC's Diamond strategy was genius, totally naive, or somewhere in between!

>>Phys what makes you think HTC will release a
>>unlocked 850mhz version when they are not
>>releasing this phone w/AT&T or TMobile?

David, it was mentioned at the HTC Touch Diamond launch party, Europe/Asia version will be released in June, North American version (with 850 band) will be released a little later. If you follow their pattern, we're probably looking at September for the North American version.

It's no different than other devices the have released in the past including the their first device with the Touch brandname.

If they do not wind up releasing an unlocked GSM version with 850, then maybe HTC is just not really prepared to go head to head with iPhone by releasing a product in the same price range as unlocked for GSM side. 4GB of non-expandable memory at this point in the game is rediculous compared to iPhone's current size offerings and in addition, the battery life is still out to question and leaning towards the not so good thus far.

The more I think about it, the less impressed I am with the Diamond. Even if they do release an 850 version here, I do not think I am going for it at this point.

Bluewater thank you very much for your comment! It was very helpful and insightful!

Dave, I agree that if T-Mo does not pick it up HTC will not release it with 850 here. However, what verifiable source is showing that T-Mo will not pick it up?

I can't believe HTC would do something so dumb. It really doesn't make sense as this device would have broader appeal should it be a worldwide device.

When I listened to the latest podcast I wondered why you were getting one since it didn't support the 850 band. That was a dealbreaker for me, and a HUGE disappointment :(

The original GSM Touch supported the 850MHz band as a direct consequence of the TI OMAP850 chipset, the 850MHz and 900MHz bands share the same antenna multiplexer output. IT's hard to disable one without disabling the other.

The Diamond, based on the Qualcomm MSM7201A chipset, is an entirely different kettle of fish: separate outputs. Don't want 850MHz? Don't connect the output.

I don't think an unlocked North American version of the Diamond with the 850MHz band will make it to our shores. The quad-band Touch and Cruise made it stateside because they could be imported from countries where unlocked phones are the norm. Where are unlocked 850MHz Diamonds going to come from? It appears the North American version is strictly for the carriers, T-Mobile, Rogers, and the like.

What's this about Sprint carrying the Diamond? The MSM7201A is strictly GSM. I know the Raphael will be based on the 7500A, which would make it a candidate for Sprint. Or is there a version of the Diamond in the works in the same spirit as the Vogue?

Phys what makes you think HTC will release a unlocked 850mhz version when they are not releasing this phone w/AT&T or TMobile?

Dave, I was speaking about an unlocked GSM version which does make the point moot. The one you are talking about is not for Sprint, it is for Europe and is GSM without 850 because they don't use it over there. This makes sense since the Touch Diamond you are talking about is targeted for the European/Asian market as Shoey5 pointed out.

This article isn't entirely correct. There are two versions of the device, a european/asia version which will include GSM 900/1800/1900 and HSDPA 2100/900. This will be released in June. It will be offered by carriers or sold as unlocked.

The second version for USA/Canada which includes GSM 850/1800/1900 and HSDPA 850/1900 will be released a little later. It will also be picked up by carriers and sold unlocked.

Both will work on the other side minus one important band so if you're in europe/asia pick up the european/asia model. If you're in North America wait to pick up the North American model.

Europe will see the Touch Diamond first most likely due to the fact that's where HTC's strength is just like the 3G iPhone will see North America first for the same reasons.

Jerry from what I was told TBD..

No unlocked version for the US, even later in the year? I find that hard to believe.

Phys hate to tell you but the US version will be with Sprint! So it really isnt moot.

I suspect that when HTC decides to release an unlocked version for the US rather than Europe, this will all be moot. The device is clearly marketed for European use not US use.

All this sounds strangely familiar. HTC to this day denies the existence of 850 on the original Touch devices, while people who own the device swear up-and-down that it works in 850 only areas.

The phone will "work" as there is some 1900 overlay in the 850 areas, but you won't get the coverage that you would with a 850/1900 band device.

Bottom line, I would NEVER recommend a phone with 1900 only to someone in the us.

Thanks Mickey but still doesnt address the point that Nick stated that the phone should work fine. It wont as your maps points out. Correct?

http://cellularmap.net/regions/

See the map above. This will tell you who uses the 850 band (and has since the transition from Analog). In the NYC area, AT&T has the A side 850 band (and an initial build out of their GSM system on this network).

850 has nothing to do with being in a rural area. The 850 band was used back when the cellular system was set up in the 1980's, and there were 2 "sides" so that there wouldn't be a monopoly in the cellular system. As it has evolved, the company that had the spectrum added thier digital system over the top of the initial analog one, in some cases CDMA, some TDMA, and then in AT&T/Cingular's case, GSM.

Also this explains the 850Mhz band issue..

Originally, the US used only 1900 MHz for its GSM cell phone service. In the last year or so, there has been a growing amount of GSM service on the 850 MHz band. This type of service will usually be seen in rural areas, because the 850 MHz band has better range than the 1900 MHz band. It can sometimes also found in city areas, particularly if the cell phone company has spare frequencies unused in the 850 MHz band, but no remaining frequencies to use in the 1900 MHz band.

Most of the 850 MHz service belongs to AT&T, and some to Cingular (these two companies are in the process of merging). Although T-Mobile does not (as of July 04) have any of its own 850 MHz service, because it has roaming agreements with both AT&T and Cingular, even a T-mobile user might sometimes find themselves in an area where the only signal available is on 850 MHz

According to HTC site this phone does not support the 850mhz band. It doesnt mean it wont work on AT&T or TMo BUT it is missing a band that both networks use.

On your Sprint quote yes you are correct but what I was speaking about was the Unlocked HTC Diamond for European use that will ship in the second week of June..

I did get an email from a source who states he is using the Diamond on AT&T network with no problems. I am curious as to the missing band and how it will effect his coverage.

I think you should do a little research before posting somthing like this. Sprint will be offering the Diamond in Q3 of this year and most likely T-Mobile will be picking it up to as a flagship phone for their new 3G network. Please check you facts http://htcsource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=249&Itemid=1