O2, the largest mobile operator in the UK, will soon enlarge its XDA family of handsets with a new device named XDA Ignito. It is actually O2's own version of HTC Touch Diamond, the high-end Pocket PC already available in the UK from other carriers (Orange, for example).

According to a recently leaked O2 presentation image, the Ignito / Touch Diamond will not be available on Pay As You Go, but only with a monthly contract. Although the handset's price is not known for the moment, it might be available even for free for those who also choose an expensive data plan.

The Touch Diamond will be available for O2's UK subscribers starting this month (August), coming after about 30 days since the carrier released Apple's iPhone 3G. I mention the new iPhone because it has about the same target as the Ignito / Touch Diamond, and the launch of the latter handset might affect its sales.

Except for the O2 branding, XDA Ignito brings the same look and features that the Touch Diamond offers. These include: a 2.8 inch TFT touchscreen display with 480 x 640 pixels, 65K colors and handwriting recognition, Windows Mobile 6.1 with a TouchFlo 3D interface, accelerometer, 4GB of internal memory, GPS, Google Maps, Wi-Fi, full HTML browser, quick access to YouTube, email, Instant Messaging, a 3.15 Megapixel camera with auto focus and video, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, Media player with lots of formats supported, FM radio with RDS, 3D games, Pocket Office for viewing and editing documents, tri-band GSM connectivity and dual-band HSDPA connectivity for data transfers of up to 7.2 Mbps.

Most probably, the XDA Ignito has the same dimensions as the original Touch Diamond: 102 x 51 x 11.5 millimeters. Also, the battery should be the same, offering a talk-time of up to five and a half hours or a stand-by time of up to 285 hours.