HTC HD2… Simply Timeless

August 15, 2010 | By WenWP

When released, the HTC HD2 was a device for the ages. This new technology had something no other phone had, and much to my surprise, that statement still stands true for the most part with today’s new hardware. I have been trying to replace my HD2 with a more modern and newly released device. Now you may ask why? Well apparently I might have listened to a bit too much music and now my HD2’s 3.5mm headphone jack does not work properly. Now back to the story. I looked at all the new devices from Android to Android (no new Windows Phone device coming out anytime soon, Only WP7). I looked at the Samsung Vibrant for T-mobile and figured out while its new, it still pretty much mimics the HD2 but does not bring along the dual LED flash or the non buggy software. I looked at the Desire, but it does not have T-mobile 3G and the hardware is pretty similar to the HD2 except for the small screen.

After all this, it hit me. The HD2 was not made to just replace the HD1. It must have been made as HTC’s final device for Windows Mobile 6.5, and they wanted something that will never get old. I mean the spec sheet is still pretty hard to beat even with more advanced technology out there, and it still looks very sleek and slim.

At the end of the day, if you want to stick with WM6.5, it seems HTC gave you all they got and put everything into the perfect final device. Now let’s hope they do the same for the HD3 (which I should be buying if it looks sick). My HD2 is still in my pocket, it cannot be replaced at the moment with any current hardware out there.

About Wen M

Working for WMPU is awesome. Love to write personal articles, and I do it very often. I am the reviewing editor (self appointed), so you will see alot of reviews and giveaways from me. I own quite a few devices not just Windows Phone but Android and others. I live in Minnesota, USA and love traveling to other places.

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Tagged htc hd2, htc leo, opinion

dean

the only thing missing is a good voip client

jonggie

and a rom update…

LGFS

I'm gonna be mourning my HD2 as well when I'll upgrade.
But sadly, HTC didn't put his best into the software and drivers.
Android emulation achieves way better image and camcorder quality, with WVGA recording with torch, and like-never-before autofocus and flash handling

Dual boot is my final answer, with Android for Parties and WM6.5 as a daily driver.

MrEd

Weird, the superfine quality photos come out better under WinMo on my HD2 than they do Android.

http://twitter.com/chmun77 @chmun77

I have both a HTC Hero and HD2. But I will swap between the phones now and then because:

1. Android indeed provides are better user experiences than WM6.5. The smooth transitions and games offered from the Android market are really much better than HD2. WM6.x is indeed a very laggy OS as compared to others out there.
2. HD2 does provides a bigger viewable area than my poor Hero. Browsing on the web is a better experience on a big screen too. However, when comes to apps (again), WM6.x really lousy. Look at the Facebook client which WM uses. Is very badly designed.

Anyway, both of the phones will be giving way to iPhone 4 when comes next early Jan. I will be trading both of them in for both a bigger & better screen and more responsive UI phone. WP7 is nice (from vids), but I will not be jumping onto the bandwagon so early.

MrEd

How is the iPhone 4's screen bigger than the HD2? Did Apple invent their own math?

Better screen? Eh, not so much if you like to read on your device.

More responsive UI? Not from what I've seen… Plus then you won't be able to go anywhere without a charging cord, and have to buy yourself a bumper for it so you don't drop calls.

Yeah, and I'm calling BS on your HD2 being laggy as well. Mine wasn't even laggy with the first ROM that shipped on it.
nuke1

Just make sure your WMP-surfing time gives way for Mac9-5 while you're at it, will you?

Kylie

When the HD2 was released worldwide in 2009 (it came later to the USA), it was certainly a stand-out product for its time.

For many people, the decision of what to replace it with is a big dilemma.

I don't like the closed nature of Apple's iPhone. Apple does some nice engineering, but I've always been a critic of the closed iPhone platform (all apps must go via Apple), and from the beginning decided not to use iPhone for that reason.

I am bitterly disappointed by Microsoft's decision to make Windows Phone 7 closed, just like iPhone. Why did Microsoft have to follow down Apple's path? Why oh why?

My other concern about WP7 is uncertainty about how a version #1 product will be on first release. There seems to be so much functionality to be added later with future updates. How long will that take? I haven't yet seen any timetable from Microsoft on when the missing features will be added.

I'll hold back and wait-and-see for a while longer. But I have to admit I'm leaning more towards Android because of the freedom to install whatever apps I want, and use SD cards. These are the two things I liked about Windows Mobile which Microsoft has taken away with WP7.

Jos Dewey

If you're leaning towards Android then why not run it on your HD2?

As an Android device too the HD2 is still pretty good… they still have a few minor kinks to iron out but it's basically an EVO minus the faux 4G, 8MP camera, HDMI and kickstand.

Even right now Android on the HD2 is benchmarking above some other flagship Android devices such as the Droid X.

http://www.facebook.com/Bugblatter Bug Blatter

I agree; that's exactly what I've been doing and it works great. I'm not using it for my daily phone needs just yet, I'm still on WM6.5 for that.

I'm using v1.5 from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=…

Dead easy, just clear some space on your microSD card, copy the contents of the zip into a folder called Android on the root of your card, run a couple of executables in that folder and you're away. Just make sure your have a few hundred meg of spare space on the card before you run the exes. The phone will still boot into WM, but you can tun Android whenever you feel like it.

Almost everything works, including 3D acceleration and the marketplace.

mccmjoon76

Yes ! i'm using the some Android build.. it seem will b v1.6 coming out !! cheers for HTC HD2 !!!
http://twitter.com/WMPerson @WMPerson

Hay Bug.
Thanks for the tip.
I am loving Android on MY HD2 ATM

MrEd

Android still is a battery sucker, and won't work with the official HTC extended battery either…

Then for those of us that rely on exchange, we're kinda fubared unless we want to buy touchdown.

No thanks, Android is cool, but not a replacement for WinMo on my phone.

Jos Dewey

I don't own the extended battery, but I can tell you by using a few simple tweaks you can improve the battery life under Android dramatically.

I use SetCPU and Automated Task Killer and those two together have made my battery life under Android almost comparable to battery life under the stock WM6.5 that came with the HD2.

There are also other tweaks that I haven't tried, such as these ones: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=…

And don't forget once we can flash Android to the NAND battery life will be improved, one of the biggest issues with running Android off the SD slot is battery usage.

steveymacjr

This is what happens when you limit yourself to the phone selection of one carrier, and thme being in fourth place doesn't help either.
If you were to broaden your horizons to the other carriers you will see there are some better choices out there.

On Sprint you have the EVO 4G out right now, and the EPIC 4G coming out at the end of August. I have the EVO and it is absolutely amazing(and that was before Android 2.2, now that it has that.. its pretty near perfect!) until you experience it, having the ability to run flash sites on your phone is amazing. I love being able to go to Amazon Video on Demand and play any tv show or movie on my phone. Oh and I have 4G in my area, and this phone is, in my opinion, the best phone out there! Having no data caps is just incredible, even on 3G! I used 20Gb of data last month. I achieve this because I have the hotspot, and share my connection with 3 other people on the way to work every weekday morning and afternoon…
On AT&T, hmm..there's the iPhone lol.the other Galaxy S phone, and the Aria…
Then we have Verizon Wireless.Here you have your choice of Droid X, Droid Incredible, Droid 2, and their version of the Galaxy S from Samsung.

BTW am I the only that notices the bad gramar in a lot of articles on this site? If they get any more frequent, or worse, I'm going to have to stop coming here. It might be beneficial to invest in a good editor.

http://twitter.com/WMPerson @WMPerson

For the grammar thing… Your way late. http://wmpoweruser.com/im-staying-after-all/#idc-…
BTW Grammar is has two m's

And as for limiting myself… I really dont. I dont like the Evo4G it looks somewhat ugly to me. I mean the circler buttons, and that ugly looking back cover. I couldnt own that.

And I already had the Incredible. And I currently have the Droid X and the Droid 2, so ya. Those are all crossed off.

I wouldnt go to ATT even if the had a phone that brings unlimited sex. So ya.

So pretty much no. I am not limited in anyway. And BTW the Epic 4G will have the same buggy system that every other version of the Galaxy S devices in the US and Europe have. So no difference in what I said in the post.

Waka

Your HD2 must be less than 12 months old, so surely a faulty headphone socket is covered under warranty?

http://twitter.com/WMPerson @WMPerson

Really?
Well I dont wanna have to go without a phone just to get it fixed.
But ill call them, and bitch a little to see what happens.

MrEd

Yep, you have a year warranty on the phone from HTC. Use it.

http://www.tenniswood.co.uk James

Why not just use a stereo bluetooth adaptor, the Sony Ericsson MW-600 is excellent btw

http://www.facebook.com/Bugblatter Bug Blatter

Or if you want to use your own headphones get the Jabra BT3030. You'll want to tweak the BT settings on the HD2 to increase the bandwidth though. I have the Jbra and it's pretty good. With the increased bitrate It was only when I bought some ridiculously expensive earphones that I could hear the lmitations of A2DP, at which point I went back to wired.

When I had the same headphone socket problem with my Loox 720 they wouldn't fix it under warranty because they said it was down to mishandling. They charged me £75 to tell me that, because it also meant that the examination wasn't covered under warranty. They wanted something like £200 to fix it because they couldn't just replace the headphone socket, apparently, they'd have to replace the entire motherboard! I didn't bother. Kinda put me off Fujitsu Siemens.

So beware of sending it in for repair under warranty.

http://twitter.com/WMPerson @WMPerson

Yes,
That is what I thought.
I already had the dog tag…. So maybe ill buy another.

Carl

get a stereo bluetooth headset
Chris

I agree HD2 is a solid device.
http://twitter.com/Mrt1connect @Mrt1connect

The tmobile version has more ram than any phone on the market.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=734081754 Ethan Hayes

No, it doesn't! there is no difference between the US HD2 and EU HD2 in RAM size, your thinking ROM

tboy2000

I agree. HD2 is great hardware, specs and looks. I think it is time for me to move to Android OS after all these years on WinMO. I have played with the Android rom on HD2 and I do like it. Having html emails load with pics straight away (winmo cant do that), flash sites play in browser, fantastic app store and iphone like games. I am sold.

I will keep my HD2 and use Android as a daily rom when they let you flash it and also hold out in case WP7 rom comes out for HD2. Now I have great hardware and choice of 6.5, Android or WP7 possible. All on a HUGE screen

MrEd

You do realize that not displaying the photos isn't a limitation of WinMo, it is a feature right? Hence why they are even keeping it on WP7. So it isn't that it CAN'T do that, but it WON'T do that for security reasons. Just like why Outlook on the desktop won't automatically display them either.

Flash plays in my browser on WinMo fine as well by the way.

fgkjtd4

Why would you buy a phone if it looks ill? You don't make any sense.
NuShrike

Any phone/device that still gets rave reviews 6 months after release in the ultrafast lifecycles of cellphones marks a place in the books.

The fact that it also dual-boots into Android Froyo (multiple versions of it and gets better every week), supports variable data partition options that outclass all current Android phones, brings back the glory days of large-screen PDAs, while shunned for Wimpy7s upgrade by MS, cements a place in history one of the best devices made to date.

It's the device whose makers could not have conceived to ironically be the crucial bridge that shined a path of freedom for all the discarded WM users. A freedom out of the blackness of MS/WM oblivion and into the strangely familiar, and modern, maturing embrace of Android.

MrEd

It'll hold me over till Maemo/Meego and an Atom

crazysagi

Well so true, I have been using a HD2 for over 6 months now ( it got launched in India in Jan 10) and i have yet to find a phone that outperforms it. The only weak link will always remain WM6.5, and we cant do much about it. I did fleet with the idea of replacing it when i was fed up with the OS, but never with hardware per se. I think it was truly the last Hurrah's by HTC for WM phones.
Here in lies the best part about the phone, It can never be mistaken for an iphone, and always manages to get a few eyeballs on the basis of its size.
i know when i do upgrade my phone i will be very sad to let it go

NuShrike

WM is weak-link no longer when you can boot into Android. Makes the HD2 suddenly a really powerful contender with rough edges that have nothing to do any OS weakness. Can even look forward to indirect updates from Google!

http://en.linkomatic.org davtheultimate

Get a stereo bluetooth headphone, i have a motorola HT820 and it works great on my HTC HD2 and HTC HD
Anonymous

sunce
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sunce
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Anonymous

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