My First Week with the HTC HD2

I've been having issues with my Blackberry Curve 8900 for a few months now. The trackball was getting stuck once or twice a week, but it would soon get unstuck, so I didn't think much of it. About a week ago, the trackball on my BB got stuck but it wouldn't unstick like it normally would. After two days of not being able to use my BB, I went to the T-mobile store to replace the BB.


I had been eyeing the 3G phones, and in particular the Android phones. What I really had my heart set on was the Google Nexus One, but the only way to get your hands on one is by ordering it through Google. (If Google wants to sell more of these, they are going to have to start selling it at the stores). Anyways, I go into the T-mobile store and what catches my eye is not any of the Android phones but this beauty by HTC, the HD2.


This picture doesn't do justice to how awesome the screen is. You really have to hold one in your hand yourself to see the clarity of the screen. 


First Week
I've had the phone for a week now and my love affair with the screen continues. Here are my thoughts about the phone thus far:


Pros:

• Just look at the screen!!!
• The snap dragon 1 Ghz processor - super, super fast
• The size of the phone is actually quite manageable. It fits nicely in my pant pocket.
• Loaded with software
• Ease of use
• Swype text input feature is the bomb! Instead of actually pecking at the onscreen virtual keyboard, you swipe your finger through the letters and presto! It took some getting used to but now I use it all the time. If this phone didn't have the swype, I would have returned it because my fat fingers didn't do very well typing or texting on the phone. I constantly had to use one finger to text and type.

Cons:

• It's using Windows Mobile 6.5. Who uses Windows Mobile anymore??? This platform has been dead for years and then HTC weds this beauty to it. Had this been an Android phone, it would have been the best phone out on the market hands down!!!
• I don't know if it's Windows Mobile or the phone itself, but I am having to do a hard reset or go to the Task Manager and manually close down programs because when the HD2 has multiple programs (5-10) going at the same time the phone will begin to lag - big time! I'll be texting or emailing, and mid word!!! it will just freeze for a while.
• The battery life is nothing compared to the BB. It is better than the Iphones (not much better, but better), but I am having to recharge the phone in the middle of the afternoon. If I were to only use it for the phone, email, and texting, then it would easily make it through the day. But if that's all I wanted my phone to do, then I wouldn't need a phone like the HTC HD2 with the gorgeous ginormous screen. 

Bottom Line

Would I do it again? I think so. But that's cuz I'm a gadget guy and I am ok with the few bugs in a new phone. Had this phone been on the Android platform, I can't even begin to tell you how awesome of a phone this would have been. But with the lame Windows Mobile 6.5, the best way I know how to describe it is that this is a Ferrari with a Fiat engine.  A Fiat motor will get you there, but the Fiat motor will never be great and it's bound to give you some problems. The potential for greatness was so close in hand and then HTC mated the HTC HD2 with Windows Mobile 6.5. So instead of being the best smartphone on the planet or even a great smartphone, it's just a nice phone. And a nice smartphone ain't too bad.

I hear Windows Mobile 7 is going to be a huge improvement. 


Bad news, you can't upgrade the operating system on the HTC HD2. 


Good news, I was reading about a hacker in Russia who is already running the Windows Mobile 7 on his HTC HD2.