Smartphone manufacturer HTC has launched one of costliest mobiles in the world called Touch Diamond. The new gadget, the Touch Diamond has a 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive VGA screen that delivers text and photo visual quality comparable to that of print. The much-hyped HTC Touch Diamond smartphone will cost around Rs 30,000. The price of High Tech Computer’s (HTC) latest handset has been the subject of much speculation because of the load of expensive features it boasts. It’s a 3G (third generation mobile telecommunications) handset with a 2.8-inch touchscreen, GPS receiver and 3.2-megapixel camera. The handset runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 OS.

HTC officials have said that pricing will vary in each market, and that operators play a major role in pricing decisions. HTC launched a different version of Touch Diamond in India on, which costs 27,500 Indian rupees (US$640). But the handset is an EDGE-based mobile phone (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which is the main reason it’s less expensive than the 3G model to be launched in Taipei. While mobile phones have evolved over the past 10 to 15 years, users still need to punch buttons at the right time and in the right sequence on a traditional device. This is the main reason users are crying out for more simplicity of use on their mobile devices. The touch screen concept seeks to mimic users’ physical worlds, allowing them to request services from phone functions as easily as they would in real life.

While address books on traditional mobile phones are filled with lines of text, forcing the user to scroll through long lists or click several commands before locating the desired contact, the Touch Diamond’s address book looks like a stack of business cards that the user can flip through to find a contact.

HTC Touch Diamond provides a mobile internet experience at up to HSDPA 7.2 megabits per second, subject to the mobile operator’s network service. A customized YouTube application for viewing video content is also included.

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