Windows Mobile has been on the scene for a long time, and it is ever evolving. Let’s take a look at some new phones that redefine how powerful Windows Mobile is.

Touchscreen-only – HTC Diamond2 and Toshiba TG01

The HTC Touch Diamond2 actually does a very good job of making it so you don’t have to go into standard Windows menus that often, as on top of the operating system, the interface is HTC’s patented TouchFLO 3D setup, where everything is achieved through various finger swipes and sweeping gestures. It is truly intuitive, and it’s the reason why the HTC Touch Diamond2 is such an unmitigated joy to use. Of course, it’s not all about being pretty, a phone needs to have decent features and the HTC Touch Diamond2 has them in spades, from the 5 megapixel camera, through GPS, to incredibly fast HSDPA internet access (not to mention the superb Opera Mobile web browser). To many, the HTC Touch Diamond2 is the ultimate Windows Mobile phone.

Windows Mobile phones have had a tendency, in the past, to be a bit clunky. The interface wasn’t the best, and that ruined all that power they had. But now, we have to face facts; the Toshiba TG01, the most powerful mobile phone EVER made. That’s not an exaggeration, the Toshiba TG01 is the first phone in history to have a 1GHz processor, taking its performance way beyond any mobile phones before, into laptop territory. Combine that with a unique 3D interface on top, and at 4.1 inches, the biggest screen of any mobile phone, and the Toshiba TG01 is all set to take its rightful place as the most powerful and best Windows phone that’s ever been released.

QWERTY keyboards – HTC Snap and HTC Touch Pro2

One thing Windows Mobile phones have always been good at is email, and the HTC Snap may well be one of the best email phones to feature that PC-esque operating system. Key to the email smarts of the HTC Snap is a feature called Inner Circle. You simply tell your phone who the important people are in your contacts, and the HTC Snap automatically prioritises their emails above everyone else’s. Put simply, if you often find you have a hectic inbox, the HTC Snap, which also has a full QWERTY keyboard, may well be the perfect email phone for you!

Whilst the HTC Snap stands somewhat on its own (being a unique email device first, and a smartphone second), the Diamond2 is outdone by a close sibling of it. The HTC Touch Pro2 carries on AND SURPASSES the brilliance of the HTC Touch Diamond2; it really is a joy to use, and like an increasing number of modern touchscreen mobile phones, it’s optimised for touch controls. Or, in other words, you press the screen on the HTC Touch Pro2 with a finger, not a dibber (well, ok, a stylus, but dibber sounds better, to me). Specs-wise, it’s no slouch, either, with 5 megapixel camera, HSDPA, WiFi, built-in GPS and a frankly brilliant slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It truly is a gorgeous mobile phone, and I’ll be frank, it’s hard to think of any other Windows Mobile phone coming close to it.