We take another look at HTC's HD2, a Windows 7 touchscreen smartphone.
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We took a look at this impressive Windows Mobile, touchscreen mobile device last year after it launched abroad, now the HD2 is available in the US and we decided to take another look. There have been some significant changes since we last looked at the HD2 but we are just as excited about the phone now as we were when we first laid eyes on it.
Launched to the European market in October 2009 and available in North America as of last month (March 2010), there’s not much the HTC HD2 doesn’t do – and for the most part it does everything well. While the Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone, which is also prepped to run Windows Phone 7, is the first Windows mobile device to have a capacitive touchscreen, it’s also the first Windows cell to have HTC Sense.
From the moment you lay your eyes on the HTC HD2 you’ll be in love with its aesthetics and once you dive into its functionality you’ll swear eternal loyalty. Its beautiful 4.3-inch WVGA (480x800) has double the pixel count than either the iPhone or the Androids have and the matte black backside is just gorgeous to look at and hold. Although the phone is a good size (it has to be to accommodate such a generous screen) at 5.54 ounces and 4.8” x 2.64” x 0.43,” it still is easy to pocket, but it’s such a solid feeling cell that you’ll want to keep it in your sweaty palms.
The HTC HD2 has good call quality at both ends, and when it rings the ringer volume scales down once you pick it up. Also, should you have the HD2 in your pocket the cell intuitively increases its volume so that you can hear from within the confines of your jeans.
What’s truly exciting about the HTC HD2 is how fast it is (and that includes the browser) due to the 1GHz Snapdragon processor, how customizable it is and how easily it lets you stay connected to the important people in your life (and not just because Windows Live Messenger comes preloaded). As far as customization, the HD2 allows you to prioritize such features as mail, calendar, messaging, browser, etc., and easily create shortcuts on your home screen. You also have access to Windows Marketplace Mobile apps and the HD2 also automatically adjusts its clock to the local time should you change time zones and will give you the outside temperature. How HTC made the HD2 easy to stay connected was to make the image beside each of your contacts a direct route to e-mail, SMS, phone logs, and Facebook updates. And if you touch multiple contacts, you can initiate an instant conference call. You can also stay connect easily via HTC Peep (for Twitter), Flickr, and Google Talk.
Undressing the HTC HD2
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Besides the great looks of the HTC HD2, the first thing you notice are the five dedicated buttons for talk/send, home, start, back, and end/power. The next physical element you’ll notice is the camera lens, which takes 5 megapixel pictures while also featuring a dual LED flash, video capture, and a river-flow gallery once you’re admiring your work on the screen.
Additional core specs include 1GB of ROM, 576MB of RAM, and a microSD expansion slot (up to 32GB). Then there’s connectivity, which comes in Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, and 3G. Download speeds hit 7.2 Mbps and upload speeds hit 2 Mbps. Talk time is rated at 380 minutes (2G) and 340 minutes (3G) and standby time is 490 hours (2G) and 390 hours (3G).
Any iPhone users out there who aren’t completely happy will welcome T-Mobile’s aggressive marketing strategy, which ends on May 19th. This strategy involves a potential $350 trade-in for your iPhone. Outside of that, however, you can get an HTC HD2 for $200 with a two-year contract or $450 with no contract.