14 DAY TRIAL // One of the first mobile phones that will arrive on the market with Microsoft's upcoming Windows Mobile 7 operating system on board is expected to be the HTC Obsession, a device that already emerged on the market. However, some of the latest rumors on the handset suggest that HTC might actually push it to the shelves as the Diamond3, and that it will become available in the US via two carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile.
According to a recent article on WMPoweruser, 'reliable sources' have stated that this Windows Mobile 7 device is as real as it can be, and that it will bring its 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen goodness in the US as HTC Diamond3. Moreover, the sources indicated as well that the new device was initially slated for a June launch (as previous rumors also suggested), but that it would arrive a little later during the ongoing year, with Windows Mobile 7 on board right from the start.
For those of you who might have missed previous reports on Obsession, we should mention that it is expected to come to the market with a Qualcomm QSD8250 1GHz processor inside, with 512MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM, 4GB of internal storage space, and a microSD memory card for additional storage space, with support for 32GB MicroSD cards.
The 3.7-inch capacitive AMOLED “Multitouch Supported” touchscreen display is coupled with a 5-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus, flash and video recording (HD 720p video@ 25fps), packed inside a device that measures 112 x 56 x 11.7 mm. The WM7 handset is also expected to arrive with a 1230 mAh battery on board, which should offer up to 10 hours of talk time, or up to 240 hours of standby time.
In addition, the HTC Obsession/Diamond3 should sport GSM and HSDPA connectivity options, but it seems that it will show no love for CDMA networks, mainly due to the weak sales the previous Diamond registered. Windows Mobile 7 is one OS that should turn the odds in Microsoft's favor this year, and having it loaded on appealing handsets like Obsession seems it might be just the thing for that. However, we're still in the rumor area for the time being, though the MWC might bring some light in the matter next month in Barcelona.