HTC unveils the Touch Diamond

The Touch Diamond comes with the Opera mobile browser installed as default instead of the mobile version of Internet Explorer, marking a sea change for HTC Windows Mobile devices.

This is because, although Windows Mobile 6.1 has been launched, Internet Explorer Mobile 6 is not due to appear until later this year.

Speaking at the Touch Diamond launch, Microsoft's new senior vice president for mobile communications, Andy Lees, said the Diamond was "a great step forward [for Microsoft and] that includes mobile internet". When pressed on that fact that the Diamond uses Opera, Lees promised Internet Explorer Mobile 6 would have "by far and away the richest rendering of any browser out there".

Lees did not, however, have any details on whether Microsoft would be pushing the browser out to existing Touch Diamond owners, because that will depend on negotiations with the operators.

HTC chief executive Chou used the event to emphasise that "if it wasn't for Microsoft, there probably wouldn't be an HTC", and said the manufacturer looked forward to working with Microsoft for the next decade or two.