Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

Here's my "IMHO" about this:

To start, I actually prefer the thickness of the Touch Pro. The thickness of the Mogul was one of the things that I missed when I switched to the Touch. I have rather big hands, so the Mogul and Touch Pro feel much more natural to hold than the Touch or Diamond do. So, that answers the main question.

I also would be extremely dissatisfied knowing that I only have 4GB of internal storage with ZERO option to upgrade. That really sucks, considering 8GB micro SD cards are dirt cheap now, and 16GB aren't super expensive either. For this reason alone I wouldn't switch to the Diamond. I also told myself after a couple months with the Touch that I will never go back to a device with on-screen input ever again. After a year with my Touch, I got so damn fast at typing on it that I could type much faster than I can with any hardware keyboard (Touch Pro/Mogul), but it was the little things that really pissed me off. Slang words not in the dictionary, brand names, symbols, numbers, etc. Also, it was depressing to type out an entire sentence, then go back to read it to check for mistakes, and you find a couple words that got replaced with more "common" words. T9 is so friggin annoying, and I feel much more control with a hardware keyboard.

Also, I love the flash. Not just for the flash capability for camera use, but I frequently use it as a flashlight around the house at night when my gf is sleeping or whatever, and I need to navigate to the kitchen, etc. I used it a lot on my Mogul and missed it dearly on my Touch.

So...basically...all the "little differences" are HUGE differences to me. The size wouldn't matter to me anyway, because I hate pulling phones out of my jeans pockets anyway. I've started to use the carrying case. There was nothing more frustrating to me than trying to pull out my Touch out of my jeans pocket while driving. The damn cover was so "sticky" that it would cling to my pocket and it was a B***H to get out every time, even though it was so small, so it's not like I'm missing out on anything.

Ok...now I've said too much. But...you get the picture. :D

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

Well if you're talking about sprint versions, does it really matter? From my understanding, the sprint version of the diamond was enlarged over the gsm version anyway (.6"). The pro is .7", so it doesnt seem like a big difference like comparing the gsm versions.
I was contemplating the same thing until i found out about the increase in size for the diamond... plus i'm not a fan of the red back. Now i'm completely sold on the TP.

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

i dunno im still on the fence too. its not all just the size, it weighs more too. it does feel bulkier in the hand- maybe its just the curves to the pro i dont know but it feels larger than it should feel for 3mm thicker.

im also far from impressed with the pro build quality so far, my diamond is flawless after a month and out of the box my pro has the raised d-pad (very slighlty but noticable) theres already a little flaking of the chrome by the power button (chrome is always the FIRST thing to scratch or flake on a phone, horrible deicision on this device or any expensive phone) and i NEVER abuse my phone- i just sold a 1 year old orig. Touch in perfect shape, not a mark on it, so the flaking chrome wasnt me bumping or scratching it.

Also im VERY concerned about the slider- its feels very cheaply made and loose when closed. I also dont like when youre holding the phone and tap the screen it moves around forward and back because of the gap between the 2 halves of the phone (feels squishy and not firm to tap the screen, very disconcerning feel), and it CREAKS (battery cover does too). And im the last one to nitpick a phone, but this is supposed to be their top of the line PRO device at $600.

Im on the fence right now but I had a free Diamond and out of contract on SERO, and i didnt resign for 2 years and pay $260 for a poorly built device when their nearly identical device, the Diamond, feels like a rock and small in the hand. The hard keyboard is nice but like u ive learned to type fast with pocketcm keyboard. I just am starting to feel locked in 2 years (even if i am staying its always nice to have freedom n out of contract) and paying $260 simply wasnt worth the upgrade from the diamond with the poor build quality were seeing around so far with various creaks and speaker/earpiece issues etc

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

I guess I am thinking more along the lines of is it worth it to have a two-section phone, like the pro, with more parts to break with a less-sturdy design, and be SLIGHTLY bigger?

Right now, I guess I am kinda leaning towards the Diamond, mostly because of screen and speaker issues.... but if I get them fixed, I can deal with other things.

seriously though, the keyboard lag while typing is INFURIATING... everytime I start a message, if I type at my normal pace, I get an entire sentence typed out before it shows up on the screen.

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

I think my Touch Pro feels pretty solid. Everyone complains about the keyboard part but...what do you expect? It's a slide out keyboard, and it slides out really far. I honestly think they used good components for it to reduce the possibility of damage. Structurally, it's a sound phone. I don't have the issue with the raised buttons at the bottom either.

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

Yes. The thickness is not that bad.

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

Build quality is a big concern to me as well... the phone feels like it could EASILY break, whereas my friends 6700 feels like a tank, and it only slightly larger.

I have heard that the keyboard mechanism on the Tilt has a sturdier design... and that TILTS! :)

I am really worried about the slider design... it has a sort of scraping sound when I open it... not nearly as fluid as I had hoped it would be.

I just hope when I get this replaced at BB, that a few of these things work themselves out. I cannot figure out why the keyboard has so much damn slack in it when the unit is closed... it feels like they aren't even connected... I can rotate the kb almost 5 degrees in both directions. So much that when I try to push the volume buttons (which are stupidly on the top section, the phone just moves, and the buttons don't get pressed.

Oh, and another thing. Why the FRICK does every HTC phone have to have a poorly designed battery cover that squeaks? That's my biggest problem will these phones... every time I press a button, or touch the phone, the damn battery cover squeaks... it moves like 1-2mm it seems... I try padding it with paper towels, but it doesn't completely solve the issue. Also, on my TP, there are places on the side of the battery cover that "poke out." like the cover doesn't play nice with the track it slides on, and I can feel where the cover is bending and sticking out... which is undoubtedly causing the squeak/movement...

Just venting...

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

Have you ever used a 6700, Mogul, or Tilt? (just asking.)

Agreed, I really have no problem with the thickness... I just wonder if it's worth having the extra moving parts, especially when the slider feels a bit questionable.

The keyboard itself is a dream though... but the delay while typing is a nightmare...

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

Best Buy and insurance removes any fear I have about the phone breaking... :P

Re: Is the thickness worth having the hardware keyboard?
 

All of the above. Did you not read my 10000 word post before that one? :p