been testing for 2 days with good results. used for approximately 15 calls during past 2 days and no complaints from folks on the other end. i'm using mine with an HTC Touch HD and i'd prefer slightly louder earpiece volume. with most HTC phones, you can tweak what's called an audiopara.csv file to manipulate sound quality/volume. will test for another week before i decide to keep or return.

i'm staying away from Samsung's latest offerings as well; the stupid EPIX had the (you cannot change the) increasing ring tone issue and the now famous SLOG DUMP issue that for 4 months at&t would not acknowledge. Samsung and WinMo Phones=major issues! now HDTV's that ok :)

hopefully this thing will have NAM 3G bands... according to HTC's website, it's only EU 3G (900/2100) at the moment.

i've had mine for a week and there are a couple of bugs that are annoying (email sound notification doesn't work when in stand-by and and the end-key lock feature won't work when using Exchange) but it's a good QWERTY device. call sound, clarity and loudness is very good, keyboard is easy to use, i'm liking the mouse more and more (i haven't used the stylus at all) and i've got Manila2D (as in TouchFlow 2D) running in 320x320 mode. i'm one of the few that like the TouchFlo interface; i can get to the things i use most on one screen. so far the 1800 mAh battery is easily providing me a full day's use. the Epix is worthy of consideration if you're thinking about WM Pro QWERTY device.

is the Epix available in corporate stores right now? i'd like to check it out. if it's indeed very close to the size of the Blackjack II, i think that's a good thing for a QWERTY PPC phone. i'm in need of a business QWERTY device right now.

i have to agree with others that the sound quality on the Zivio is very good compared to my JB II and Z9i. i use one of the in-ear pieces and the sound is plenty loud and clear. we all know that with bluetooth headsets, it's a hit or miss proposition depending on the phone's bluetooth software, etc. standby and talk time has been pretty good, too. another benefit is the multi-point feature that allows you to connect to 2 phones at the same time without disconnecting from one to use the other. this is certainly a keeper for me.

is it the perfect device? No. is there a perfect device? No. like others, i'm not diggin' the color of the back cover, but with time i'm willing to bet they'll be replacement covers (with larger batteries, etc). not a deal-breaker for me. i'm not buying this device to show off to others (and i'm not implying that others ARE buying it to show it off). i'm a function over form user so the fact that the back cover deviates from the original diamond design is not a concern.

my need/desire: a small, pocketable WM 6.1 device to replace my Sprint Touch that functions as a phone (read: loud and clear calls), can support responses to text msgs and short emails, supports Exchange email, supports GPS w/iGo 8 or Garmin, can hold about 1 gb of music, and can be used for tethering. i'll give the Sprint Diamond a test, and if it works, i'm good to go, if it doesn't i'll move on to something else.

compared to most posting here, i'm probably and "old-school" user...read: you tube, multimedia functionality is not a "must" for me. it's more fluff and nice-to-have. the Diamond combined with my $50/month SERO plan (unlimited internet and texts, 1250 mins/mthly and 6pm nights and weekends) should be a good combo.

64 MB of RAM...??? next device please....

good one! that was funny! :)

i'll add my 2 cents: new sprint contract, out-the-door cost was $99.00 (Sprint Rep offered $250 discount on the spot). now, for me, here's where it costs me less in the long run: $50/month, 1250 min, unlimited internet/data, unlimited text msgs, nights & wkends start @ 7 pm. the closet VZW plan is $110 and that doesn't include text... so far no issues with Sprint's reception, data, service, billing, etc. with VZW, i'd be paying twice as much over the term of the contract.