HTC's original Touch Diamond was a good enough Windows Mobile device when it was launched, but inevitably as time has gone by it has dropped back in the specifications race. And so HTC recently announced an updated version, rather uninspiringly called the Touch Diamond 2.

A smallish format device, it has a robust shell. It is light enough at 117g, but its 107.85 x 53.1 x 13.7mm make it a somewhat chunky smartphone to hold. The good news is that HTC has abandoned the ‘diamond cut' look of the back of the casing. That made it impossible to sit the original Touch Diamond flat on a desk. The Touch Diamond 2 has a more conventional flat back.

The shell size leaves room for both a reasonably-sized screen and one of the identifying features of this phone, the zoom bar. The screen measures 3.2 inches across diagonal corners and its 480 x 800 pixels are becoming the standard for higher end Windows Mobile devices. The screen is sharp and clear.

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That zoom bar sits immediately beneath the screen and above the Call, End, Back and Windows start button. The Zoom bar is essentially a touch-strip you can use for zooming in a range of applications. It works with the Web browser, documents and photos, text messages and email. It is responsive, and so zooming by dragging a finger along the bar is generally a pleasant and efficient experience.

HTC has developed its TouchFLO system further, so that Windows Mobile 6.1's user interface is hidden deeper than ever underneath a finger-friendly user interface. One innovation here is a new way of managing communications. You can now see an individual's full communications history in one place. This brings together voice, text and email communications in one contact page, so you can see what you've shared with a person most recently without having to flit between applications.

The general specifications are good. There is a 5-megapixel camera, which is the highest specification you'll currently find on a Windows Mobile device. It has no flash, though, and HTC does not offer a huge amount by way of features and tweaks. There is a front camera for two-way video calling.

This is an HSDPA device with support all the way up to 7.2Mbps. The Opera Web browser complements Internet Explorer, and using the former you can preset a few Web pages to load automatically so your favourites are always on hand and up to date. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both built in, and GPS is here too.

There is 512MB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for adding more (the original Touch Diamond had 4GB of built-in storage and no expansion). The headset connector is sadly mini-USB rather than 3.5mm audio, and this is an area HTC really does need to address so that its customers can make easy use of their own choice of headphones.

The Touch Diamond 2 is certainly not lacking in features, the Zoom bar works well, and it has a superb screen. As Windows Mobile devices go it is definitely one of those at the top of the tree.