Review of HTC's crown jewel, the Touch Diamond2 touchscreen smartphone

The HTC Touch Diamond2 is the upcoming replacement for last year's Touch Diamond, improving on the previous handset with a larger screen, better camera, and the addition of a touch sensitive zooming bar beneath the display. The Touch Diamond2 also features some neat new UI tweaks and double the memory of the previous Touch Diamond, which should help keep things running smoothly. We take a closer look at HTC's new baby to see if it really is as precious as its name would suggest.
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Physical Aspects
The HTC Touch Diamond2 is slightly larger than the original Touch Diamond in every dimension. It measures 108mm x 53mm x 14mm (4.25in x 2.09in x 0.54in) and weighs 117.5g (4.15oz). It has a simple tablet form-factor, with the large 3.2" resistive touchscreen display dominating the front. This new display is not only larger, but also has a higher resolution of 480 x 800 pixels as opposed to the 480 x 640 pixel resolution of the first Touch Diamond. It can also display 65,000 colors, and has average legibility outdoors.
Beneath the display you'll find the new touch sensitive zoom bar that allows users to zoom in and out of images, web pages, and Google Maps with the simple slide of a finger. This replaces the somewhat flaky zoom control that was found on the original Diamond's d-pad. Below this you'll find the usual 'call send' and 'call end' keys, as well as the 'back' button and Windows 'Start' menu button. The call end key can also be used to return to the home screen, as indicated by a little house engraved below it.
The rear of the Touch Diamond2 is far simpler than that of its older brother, and the faceted rear cover has been replaced with a more practical flat cover. Unfortunately, it is still made from the same shiny plastic that is prone to picking up scratches and finger prints. The only diamond-esque design cue to be found is the brushed-metal effect triangular bezel surrounding the camera lens.
The sides of the Touch Diamond2 are equally plain, with a narrow silver strip serving purpose as a volume rocker on the left and the active stylus and loudspeaker slit on the right. The top houses only the power button, and the bottom features the microphone pinhole and the mini-USB port for charging, headsets, and data.