Right on schedule, HTC has announced its latest PDA-phone, the Touch Diamond. Exactly as rumored, this new device has an unconventional geometrical pattern not unlike that found on the Nokia Prism.

The Diamond is also the company's first device to use its new TouchFLO 3D interface. This is a new version of the interface software found in the Touch, Touch Dual and Touch Cruise devices. According to HTC, it will provide "animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more". What that means is we'll find out as videos of the interface become available or when the HTC Asia office gets us a set, whichever is earlier.

The hardware specifications of the Diamond are impressive. In its svelte 102 x 51 x 11.3mm frame is a 528MHz Qualcomm processor and a 2.8-inch VGA display. We were equally impressed to find that it has 192MB of RAM, 64MB more than the standard these days. So far, most Windows Mobile devices with VGA displays that we encountered have never been as responsive as those with the lower-resolution QVGA displays. It'll be interesting to see if HTC has addressed that in this Touch. Other features include HSDPA and HSUPA, GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

No price was given, but the company has said it will hit Asia this quarter, after Europe in June. That makes it a two-month wait, not long for those still holding out for a newer device. Click on the link below for more detailed specifications.

Model name	In a nutshell
HTC Touch Diamond Click for more details	Wow factor: Even though it's compact and slim, this handheld packs in a VGA display and other impressive features. Notable features: Runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional 7.2Mbps HSDPA and HSUPA 528MHz Qualcomm MSM 7201A processor 192MB RAM; 256MB ROM; 4GB internal storage 480 x 640-pixel display Expected: Q2 2008