[Touch Diamond, MDA Compact IV General] rpassmore:
first post from me, but I've been using the knowledge on this site since I bought my Hermes a few years ago. I ordered my Diamond through bestbuy about 2-3 days after the US unlocked phone came out. So..I think I've had it 2-3 weeks now :)

FYI the US unlocked version comes with a screen protector...a very nice inclusion by HTC.

For those that aren't willing to read my rambling post, summarized in 3 words: I love it.

It is sooo sexy. I have a friend who's wife drooled all over it, although she did bring up a good point, the touch HD might end up better. (She, like myself and all of you is an HTC fan) But for me the size of this phone plus the functionality means nothing can touch it currently.

I doubt it'll ever have the "OMG HE HAS THAT PHONE" stigma that the iPhone has, mainly because that's just how Apple products are. It's all about Marketing.

But that's cool because I know I can use my phone in public in areas that I probably shouldn't be flashing a $700 device that someone could easily club me over the head and steal, but I know that 99% of the general population wouldn't look twice at my phone, from the back it looks like just another cellphone. (I'd think twice about using the iPhone in public..)

I've yet to flash the rom and am using 100% OEM software. I am a car-nut, so I'm using Pocket gForce, and am anxiously waiting for the next update :)

As for my likes/dislikes:

GPS: Good - gps + google maps is awesomeness. Yeah..sometimes the gps seems to have issues..I'm hoping it'll sort itself out (like the battery).

Battery: Satisfactory - I use a piece of software called Goodlink on the phone. My company uses it for push-exchange. (We'll be moving to MS active sync soon though) Because of this software, on my Hermes I'd get 2-2.5 days out of the battery with light talking/web browsing. When I first started the Diamond, it'd get at most 8 hours..it was horrible. But the last 5 days or so..it seems to last over 24 hours. I believe once i stop using goodlink, and use the builtin calendar/email to talk with Exchange directly, the battery life should improve a little.

My only 2 real issues both have to do with the backplate, imho this is the biggest fault of the phone.

I don't like the US back...it is too loose. I'll be fixing that sometime..not sure if I'll use the fix posted on this site, or something else.

The camera lens..everyone knows it sucks. It needs to go. I'm starting to think maybe finding a plug for the hole..similar to a flat, rubber drainplug. Or maybe throw some really good magnets on the inside of the cover, and replace the stock "triangle" with a solid metal plate. (Simply remove to take a pic) Either way, something needs to be done as there is a degradation of picture quality while it is in place.

for memory, lack of microSD: No need for the MicroSD imho. The device holds plenty of data, and you can always offload onto a computer (or use the cloud for storage). Having the microSD was nice on the Hermes, but I haven't been missing it.

As a last item (sorry for the long post), at first I was like many others and cursed the new miniUSB plug...but then I read somewhere that the regular old-school mini usb cords still work for charging and moving data. So no need to go buy new cords for work, home and in the car...yey.

anyways, another happy owner of the Diamond (even with the backing)