The second and third quarters of 2008 will introduce a stunning range of smartphones to the Australian business market. Two of the hottest contenders for best featured business phone are the HTC Touch Diamond and Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1.
Both handsets will run on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.1, and therefore offer the same basic suite of business applications including Mobile Office and the ActivSync protocol. The new user interfaces for both devices is where the real popularity battle will be fought, with both handsets incorporating interface "shells" that offer user-friendly access to the otherwise drab Windows Mobile platform. Both TouchFlo 3D and the Xperia Panels employ menus which respond to finger-swipe gestures on their touchscreens.
It's also interesting to note that HTC is the hardware manufacturer behind the Xperia X1. This explains some of the similarity between the two handsets, such as the use of very similar Qualcomm processors.
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| Operating system | Windows Mobile 6.1 | Windows Mobile 6.1 |
| User Interface | TouchFlo 3D | Xperia Panels |
| HSDPA | Yes (7.2Mbps) | Yes (7.2Mbps) |
| HSUPA | No | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (802.11b/g) | Yes (802.11b/g) |
| Processor speed | 528MHz | 528MHz |
| Memory | 192MB RAM | 256MB RAM |
| Internal storage | 4GB | 400MB |
| Expansion slot | None | microSD |
| Screen | 7.1cm (640x480 pixels) | 7.6cm (800x480 pixels) |
| Dimensions | 102x51x11.5mm | 110x53x17mm |
| Weight | 110g | 145g |
| Input | Touchscreen | Touchscreen, QWERTY keypad, optical joystick |
| Browser | Opera Mobile 9.5 | Internet Explorer |
| POP3/SMTP/IMAP; push e-mail via Exchange |
POP3/SMTP/IMAP; push e-mail via Exchange |
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| Camera resolution | 3.2 megapixels | 3.2 megapixels |
| Camera flash | No | LED photo light |
| GPS | A-GPS | A-GPS |
| Video calling | Yes | Yes |
| Accelerometer changes screen orientation when rotated | Yes | Yes |
| Supports stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) | Yes | Yes |
This battle for best business-centric smartphone is far from over. Leave us a message on our forums telling us which of these phones you think will rule the boardroom.
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uccoffee
23/05/2008 12:50 PM
the new 800x480 screen resolution in the X1 might be a problem to many OLD CE software , but seem VERY GOOD for widescreen video viewing
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jlz999
26/05/2008 04:02 PM
I'm planning to renew my contract and have a nice $ value rebate to spend on a new handset. I want to upgrade to either of these or the BB Bold. Does anyone know when these phones will be released in Oz? I'm inclined towards the Sony and BB for the Qwerty keyboard, but love the interface of the HTC and Sony best. I have to say I'm pretty happy with my N95, and wasn't thinking of upgrading, but intuitive screens and convergence has raised my interest immensely.
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sam jackson
24/06/2008 11:02 PM
hey just interested, how did u guys decide the diamonds interface was better than the xperias? as these are both the frontrunners for my next mobile phone, thankyou
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Dushyant
30/06/2008 09:22 AM
research done wrong..the diamonds screen is actually better. its VGA..like the iphone.
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erika
01/07/2008 04:51 PM
seems to me like the xperias interface is beter, its not as slow as a wet week like the annoying HTC's
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Herbys
13/07/2008 12:22 PM
There's one error either in this comparison of that of the XPeria with the iPhone. Here it says that the XPeria has an accelerometer, on the one with the iPhone it says it doesn't. Which one is it? The accelerometer is a deal breaker for me.
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sam
20/08/2008 11:24 AM
Cnet arnt known for there accuracy, but knowing bout the accelerometer, ppl are still not sure, signs are pointing to it doesnt because of windows mobile plans to drop all applications that use accelerometers with wm7 but still that is unsure, will only know for sure when it is released
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