The new HTC Touch Diamond has been getting a lot of press, but does it deserve it?  According to Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, the answer is no (via SlashGear).

His main gripes are that the phone doesn’t hide the flaw of Windows Mobile very well, and the screen is far too small to try to do some of the iPhone tricks. Â In particular, the smaller screen makes the on-screen keyboard very difficult to use.

He’s a big fan of the TouchFLO 3D interface, but simply wishes it did a better job of hiding the Windows Mobile engine behind it.  This should really tell Microsoft something, when phones are better when users can even see that they’re running Windows Mobile.

It makes me wonder how well the XPERIA X1 will be, since it uses a similar tactic — hiding WinMo behind a custom interface. Â The X1 is due out in a few months, so some early reviews should start trickling in soon.

Related posts:

• Hands-on with the HTC Touch Diamond
• Windows Mobile 6.1 officially unveiled: will appear on the XPERIA X1
• Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 will be running Windows Mobile 6.1
• XPERIA X1 delayed a few more months
• XPERIA X1 apparently coming in mid-September

Tags:HTC,touch diamond,touchflo,walt mossberg,windows mobile,xperia x1