Great phone, I would recommend this device to the sophisticated computer users rather than the less smart computer users who require the mobile Os the be or seem to be sophisticated than the user using it, as of today i have used all mobile Os's, I've chosen to stick with windows not because most of us use a likewise PC Os, its due to file system management issues with the other Os's that are not windows mobile, overtime many of the 'in the garden' Os's like Iphone Os and Andriod ect, alot of restricted coding is within the Os therefore would have to purchase a 'clean ram or mem refresh apps' to stop the phone from ever getting slower due to ram build up over time, also i've heard of jail breaking the iphones Os to make it more useable, thus all the great worldwide reviews, many won't admit that warranty is lost after the iphone jailbreaking precedure, all it takes is one unsigned unfinished app to go crazy in the registry and thats it, a paperweight, obviously the wealthy can always take the risks. Whether microsoft realise it or not (think they have now they making 'WinMob7 LOL) over the years they have given young and old customers and non customers a great chance into creating apps and porting to handheld devices whether to the old wondows pc's native CAB/EXE zipped like advanced file structure for various tasks and executions within one file, its led to making thing easier for the very late pc or pda device users we have nowadays that only started using Os's when the mouse became the norm.. For many of us from the dosshell or even unix and acorn computing era of computers can always settle for less slick graphics and get what we want to the highest calibur out of our pc or device, system file knowledge (extream customisation to even look like or much nicer than iphone or android ect) In the end, what i'm really gettin at is that most people in the world are worried about personal info being obtained by anyone else on or offline, having a nice easy to use mobile like the iphone or andriod is great but poses a big big big security threat to all users *coughs* NWO monitoring everyone like animals, even animals should have never been treated this way either, Anyhow, seeing what files are and what your device is processing is a great way to protect you privacy, windows mobile maybe out dated to many, but not out dated to the people that are awake to know that anything to good is not true and never has best interests at heart.. For instance, any pic or social app on your internet ready device can automatically use your camera and microphone at any giving time which can be activate over the net by anyone who has captured your device MAC address, last but not least, GPS, oooh better A-GPS, with all that, anyone can know how you think, what you say, what you get up to day to day, min to min sec to sec and where you are at the same time (exactly where you are i might add).. A-gps = assisted gps = gprs or 3g connection helping the GPS, can this also start the gps in the background behind all that slick iphone or andriod Os glossy background? Very much so.. You want easy to use mobiles, get a nokia 3210 dot matrix screen, a camera with film (mem cards can get corrupted you know. LOL) and a mp3 player, as for movies whilst out of the home, its a health hazzard, people are driving and watching their mobiles (maybe my child is leaving school at the same time as this loonatic is nearby the school), crossing the roads and watching the mobile screen, not good at all. 1 last thing to on the HTC HD2 specs above - I own a HD2 aka Leo and it most certainly records video, and in many formats and resolutions too if you install a file explorer like resco and change string value's for each process or find or creat a hd2 tweak rules application converted to cab for soft reset customisations on hidden but present and able system tasks of the hd2!
HTC HD2 Smartphone Reviews and Deals
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If you're looking for a big screen, and we mean BIG, look no further than high-resolution 4.3-inch touchscreen that graces the super skinny HTC HD2. Running on the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS, it also incorporates HTC's Sense technology for a logical, user-friendly smartphone experience.
Connectivity is well covered, with 3G (HSPA), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS for your sat nav needs, while the big screen makes using documents and watching films all the better. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack for your headphones, and the 0.5GB of RAM, expandable with a microSD card, of leaves gives you plenty of room to stores your music collection - and your photos too.
The HTC HD2 comes equipped with a five-megapixel snapper with autofocus and flash too.
HTC HD2 review
Good
Massive iPhone-beating screen; the best Windows Mobile smartphone yet
Bad
It's still Windows Mobile...
Overview
The HTC HD2 immediately turns heads, thanks to its massive 4.3-inch screen. The girl behind the counter at my local Chinese takeaway actually asked, “Is that a phone?” Yup, it certainly is, and there's more to it than a pretty fascia.
While Windows Mobile (it uses version 6.5) users will recognise the tell tale Microsoft elements, HTC has incorporated its 'Sense' user interface (which includes the best bits of its TouchFLO UI) too. It really helps give it personality, making this comfortably the nicest Windows Mobile phone I've used.
I felt instantly at home with the HD2. The five small buttons across the bottom of the handset (call; home; Windows menu; back; call end/power on-off) were clear and intuitive, while the capacitive touchscreen was crisp and clear, as well as responsive.
While not an overly heavy phone, weighing in at 157g, the HD2 feels big in the hand. It's more than four-and-a-half inches in height and two-and-a-half inches wide, while being pretty slim at just 11mm (less than half an inch). The fact its so thin means it should slip into most pockets easily.
Even with my pretty big big hands, there were times it felt clumsy when used one-handed. Those with a more dainty hand size should definitely try before they buy. That said, for me it generally felt great in the hand for calls and when used two-handed.
Work
It also felt good for texts and email, where that great screen (TFT, 480x800 pixels) really comes to life. I was reading my email with the handset held at arms length, while it's also possible to 'pinch' the screen to change the size you're viewing it.
Being Windows Mobile means PC users should find a fair bit they will be familiar with. Outlook, Bing and Internet Explorer are there in the menu waiting for you, as is Office mobile – meaning you can download and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files, or create new documents.
But as it's also a HTC device, there's plenty of options too. There's its own push email client (which can combine up to 10 email accounts) and calendar, the popular Opera mobile web browser and strong integration with Google Maps, Facebook, YouTube etc.
And don't worry about how it runs; the HTC HD2 has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 448MB of RAM, meaning you'll struggle to make it struggle, even with multiple applications running.
The one contention may be the on-screen touch QWERTY keyboard. You either loath them, or put up with them because having the big screen is better than the BlackBerry looking or slide-out keyboard alternative. Windows Mobile has never done messaging very well either, but the HD2 has the best stab at it yet. But again, if you've not 'had a go' on a touchscreen for typing, try before you buy.
Play
As mentioned, you'll have no problems getting online and social networking is taken care of beautifully. But what about multimedia?
On the plus side, the MP3 player is as close to iPod quality as I've seen and the fact you can slot in 32GB microSD cards means capacity won't be an issue (you have to pop the battery cover off to get to the card slot though). Even the speaker is half decent, while volume controls on the side of the handset mean you can pump up the volume without unlocking your phone. Windows Media Player is included too, if you're so inclined, while an FM radio and 3mm headphone jack complete the picture.
Sadly, despite being five-megapixel with a dual LED flash, the camera really lets the side down. I didn't expect much from the flash, but even on a beautiful day (taking a landscape) a 1MB came out with little definition or sharpness, even if the colour range was good. The combination of the HD2 being so thin and being a touchscreen certainly doesn't help.
As for apps, Windows phones aren't as blessed as some in this department, but there's enough out there to fulfil most needs. However, I wouldn't suggest Microsoft Marketplace, which has a pretty paltry collection of mainly paid for apps. Search online yourself instead for a bigger selection.
Connectivity
The HTC HD2 smartphone connects to your home computer via a standard microUSB connector, which cleverly also connects to the power adaptor, saving you a wire when you're on the move. It's a neat idea in more ways than one!
As tends to be the case nowadays, getting connected is a doddle. Setting up Wi-Fi at home was extremely simple, as was getting online out and about. The aGPS has been improved, and works beautifully with Google Maps – seeing the speed and clarity of the satellite view has to be seen to be believed, along with the ease of zooming etc.
Thanks to CoPilot Live 8, you can feasibly replace your sat nav too; the screen and speaker are comfortably large enough for this function. That said, you'll need a way to mount it in-car and I didn't get on too well with the software.
I had no problems with call quality or signal drops, with the phone happily connecting to HSPA when it got the chance. Strangely, the only problems I had were in ending SMS, but unfortunately I couldn't upgrade the test smartphone's software via the HTC website. I can only presume this has been fixed in an upgrade, or there would've been riots by now.
Performance
Despite all of HTCs efforts though, the fact Windows is at its heart makes the HD2 hard to love. However much the Sense interface makes it sing, the seeming inability of Microsoft to make obvious changes to make its mobile interface better still strikes a discordant note.
You'll probably find yourself avoiding most of Microsoft's utilities (Media Player, Explorer etc) for HTC's own superior offerings; meaning despite its strength there is still some pretty big chinks in the HD2's armour.
I almost love this phone. I want to love this phone. It feels good, looks better and plays hard, with a great processor and a feature set only let down by a poor camera. Also, with everything that you can have going on at once, the battery life is pretty good (it has a 1230mAh Li-Ion battery). Even leaving it connected to the net, downloading mail and being used as an MP3 player, it comfortably got me through a working day – which is really all you need.
Verdict
When you strip away the gloss, and the Sense UI, you're still faced with a Windows Mobile 6.5 handset that I will happily hand back to HTC. If you're a lover of the Microsoft brand, don't overlook this phone; I don't think they could make one any better, and for that reason alone I'd recommend it here. However, if they can take this form factor and put in a better OS – or if the next generation Windows Phone 7 OS lives up to its promise – they might struggle to claw it out of my grubby mitts.
HTC HD2 specification and features
- Model
- HTC HD2
- Manufacturer
- HTC
- Operating system
- Windows Mobile 6.5 P
- Colours
- Black
Mobile internet
- WiFi
- Yes
- 3G
- Yes
- HSDPA
- Yes
Size
- Size
- 121mm x 67mm x 11mm
- Screen size
- 4.3"
- Screen Resolution
- 800x400
- Weight
- 157g
Features
- Talktime
- 6 hrs
- Standby
- 336 hrs
- Touchscreen
- Yes
- QWERTY keyboard
- No
- Camera
- 5 megapixel
- Video
- No
- GPS
- Yes
- Bluetooth
- Yes
- Music Phone
- Yes
- FM Radio
- Yes
- Quad Band
- Yes
