The unlocked Touch Diamond is my favorite of all the gadgets PhoneDog has hooked me up with. I haven't played with a Pro, so the Fuze represented my first opportunity to get my hands on the killer combination of a Touch and a QWERTY that makes most others feel cheap in comparison.
The hardware has not disappointed. The Touch experience is stellar, the camera is quick and fulfills my needs, and typing is a pleasure. I've always been a fan of staggered keyboards, but the grid-style works great here. The shape of the keys is perfect for me. WinMo's power management serves the Fuze extremely well. I can leave it on standby, or hibernation mode - whatever it is - for a week without charging. And I still have half of my juice left.
The hardware only falls short in that it can't fulfill the needs of the software at all times. Performance has been a bit sluggish, and I did not have this problem with the Diamond. Considering that the two phones' specs match up, and that they're running the same version of Windows, I have to blame AT&T's software modifications. Perhaps the QWERTY draws on some precious resources, I don't know.
Regardless of which is causing the lag, one is clearly more important than the other. AT&T went heavy on the branding, and removed a good chunk of the customization options usually available from both WinMo and TouchFlo 3d. in my opinion, that was a mistake. Maybe it was a contractual obligation.
Fuze is a beautiful device, and I would absolutely love to have one. Don't get me wrong. This is top-shelf stuff. I just think it could be even better with less software meddling. The phone's already got a super-skin laying on top of the OS, there's no need to over-do it. Still, Touch Flo looks sleek, and the hardware is stunning - both in appearance and usability. The Fuze is near the top of my list of favorite phones. If I got my hands on an unlocked Touch Pro, I would likely say it crushes the Fuze and Diamond.
