HTC announces Touch Diamond

We told you it was coming and now, here it is: the Touch Diamond, HTC's answer to the iPhone. Here's what's on board:

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• High-rez VGA Screen (2.8-inch 640 x 480)
• Quad-band HSDPA 7.2
• Accelerometer
• Opera web browser

What's more, HTC has gone and skinned Windows Mobile 6.1 with a very slick "3-D animated touchscreen interface" that aims to make Windows Mobile both more attractive and more intuitive. The idea is that all of the phone's functions should be easily accessible with one finger, making the device easy enough for anyone to use but powerful enough for enterprise users. Gizmodo calls it "the closest thing so far to an iPhone that hasn't come out of Cupertino" and judging by the looks of it, the Touch Diamond really could be the first iPhone clone that's a real contender. I suppose we'll find out when the phone launches in Europe and Asia next month, and later in the year here in the States.

For more on the Touch Diamond:
- see this Gizmodo article