The Implications of the Touch Diamond

Jason Mackenzie, Vice President of HTC America, is responsible for leading all of HTC's efforts in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. He also served as the executive director of national accounts for HTC and was a founding member of the HTC America leadership team. Prior to HTC America, Mackenzie held a progression of sales and marketing positions with DENSO Wireless and Siemens Communications, concluding as vice president for Siemens Communications. Mackenzie earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.

Q: The Touch Diamond incorporates the new TouchFLO 3D interface. How is that different from the original TouchFLO interface and why did you decide to change it?

TouchFLO was our first attempt at matching a UI to a device and really owning the user experience from end to end. We looked at how we could optimize for touch in a very simple, natural way and ultimately make our customers' lives easier. While it was a great first step and remains one of the best touch experiences on any mobile device, we knew with the right hardware and the application of what we had learned from TouchFLO's development, we could create something that was even more rich and engaging.

TouchFLO 3D takes touch screen navigation to an entirely new level in the Touch Diamond. What people will likely notice first is the rich animation we've built into various mobile scenarios like e-mail, photos, weather, and music. Looking at your e-mail is like flipping through mail while standing at your mailbox—viewing photos is a lot like thumbing through pictures while you're sitting at a coffee table with friends. The weather application, which is one of the most popular features from the original Touch, now has incredibly rich animations so when it's raining, you see the droplets hit the screen and a wiper blade wipes off the drops for you. We really wanted to bring a fun, intuitive way to view your information and navigate your device.

The other element people will notice is that TouchFLO 3D is more extensive—you really can do everything you want to do with just one hand, one finger. We wanted one-hand operation to be seamless whether you are just dialing a friend, flipping through your music, or using the Internet.

Q. What are the advanced wireless capabilities of the device?

The HTC Touch Diamond is loaded with the latest in connectivity as you would expect, including HSPDA 7.2/HSUPA 3.5G cellular connectivity, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth 2.0. But the wireless hardware is one piece of the bigger picture—the magic is really in what you do with that connectivity, and that's where the Touch Diamond really stands out. Our browser gives you a full-page, PC-like experience that you can navigate with just your finger, and integrated features like our new YouTube application. When combined with 3.5G speeds and the VGA screen, it gives you the very best YouTube experience on a phone today. The Touch Diamond also has an integrated GPS receiver and is our first device to come with Google Maps Mobile pre-installed, which makes it a great navigation companion when you're out and about.

Q: You describe the Touch Diamond as having "game-changing Internet…" Is that a reference to the Diamond's new "customized mobile Web browser?" If so, tell us more about the new browser and how it is a game changer?