Mystery HTC phones identified as Touch Diamond, Pro

HTC's still-mysterious Diamond and Raphael touchscreen phones already have formal names and may be the devices announced at next month's press event, according to an investigation by MoDaCo. The Raphael is now set to be called the Touch Pro and will replace the button-driven Kaiser (AT&T Tilt and Sprint Mogul) in the company's high-end smartphone line. Its keyboard slides out flat rather than at an angle and is likely deisgned this way to reduce the thickness of the design.

The Diamond in turn will be dubbed the Touch Diamond when it appears and is known to be a variant on the Touch Pro that strips out the keyboard in return for 4GB of built-in flash memory, similar to the pioneering Touch. A third phone, the Touch DUAL Pro, will simply represent the Diamond with a traditional number pad keyboard in the vein of today's Touch DUAL.

Several additional hardware features have been uncovered along with the identification of the handsets themselves. In GSM form, all the new Touch models will support HSPA-based 3G cellular Internet up to 7.2Mbps; the Sprint version for CDMA will use the somewhat similar EVDO Revision A in its place. The upgrades should also add Wi-Fi, at least assisted GPS, and an accelerometer to auto-rotate the phone's output for typing or media playback. An FM radio will also be common, though only the Touch Pro will receive TV output, according to the claim.

This new update suggests that HTC will introduce its phones at HTC's officially scheduled May 6th event but may invert the shipping schedule versus what's been expected from Sprint's launch, with the regular Touch Diamond shipping first and the Touch Pro appearing later. It's uncertain as to whether the Touch DUAL Pro will appear at the event or launch in the same general release window.

Filed under: gadgets
Other story tags: Windows Mobile, htc, Touch, Diamond, Raphael