HTC’s Flagship Windows Mobile phone, the HD2 is a big bad ass phone/ pocket pc that meets your multimedia needs. It boasts a 4.3 inch WVGA screen and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1Ghz. Specs wise, it looks promising. But does it make the cut?
Specs Overview
| OS |
Windows Mobile 6.5 |
| CPU |
1 GHz Scorpion processor |
| MEMORY |
448 MB RAM |
| STORAGE CAPACITY |
512 MB(expandable through microSD, up to 32GB) |
| DISPLAY |
4.3-inch Capacitive Touchscreen480 x 800 pixels |
| CONNECTIVITY |
3GWiFi 802.11 b/gMicroUSB
Bluetooth |
| CAMERAS |
5-Megapixel primarysecondary VGA camera |
Physical design
The HD2 pack a 4.3 inch screen, large for a phone especially if you compare it side by side against the
iPhone's. But it is thin enough at 11mm to hold on one hand. It is also light enough, weighing 157 grams which adds up to the feeling that the phone is solid and well built. There are five hardware keys below the display now. The Menu key is the newcomer - it's mandatory for all WinMo 6.5 devices. The hardware keys are a bit small but are well defined and easy to press. As for the sides of the phone, there is the volume rocker on the left side, the right and top sides are bare, and there’s the 3.5mm headphone jack and the micro USB port at the bottom. At the back is where the 5 megapixel camera with 2 LED flash and the speaker grill are located.
Software
The HD2 packs windows mobile 6.5 with HTC’s custom SENSE UI, although the latest Windows Phone 7 OS for smartphones is out. SENSE UI takes an eye candy approach in manipulating objects and functions of the phone. It presents phone functions in useable widgets and fullscreen tabs. There are tabs for phone, messaging, internet, and calendars. Each of which has advanced PIM features.
Multimedia
The HD2 has a complete feature set of multimedia features such as video and music player, photo gallery, and a camera for taking stills and video. The music player is equipped well with album art visualizations, custom playlists, and an equalizer. Playing video with its huge 4.3 inch is fantastic; the only drawback is that it cannot play 720p videos. The camera is pretty mediocre as it lacks a dedicated camera key and also captures poor still in low light situations. Video capture is pretty poor as it only captures at VGA 30fps.
Connectivity and Conclusion
The HD2 has all the connectivity options available sans infrared. Has HSDPA 7.2mbps, HSUPA 2mbps cellular connectivity, WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR for short range device communications. A 3.5mm headphone jack is also included for those who want to use non-stock quality earphones and a USB 2.0 pc connection through a micro USB port on the phone.
Overall the HTC HD2 is a tough contender in the smartphone market, although dual core smartphones are the craze in the present. The HD2 has still alot of punch and oomph for those who want the features without the high price.
Update
For existing users, T-mobile shares its update for HTC HD2. The software can be downloaded in their website. Upon downloading the update, it is expected for your phone to run slowly together with fast draining of the battery due to applications sync. The update ensures stability and improvements on the phone’s performance.
