[Question] Is HTC HD2 Worth it? - HD2 General

I'm pretty much looking for a long term phone, looking forward to watching movies, playing games, surfing the net, etc. I've used Xperia X1 (was great for a while, but little to no official support), the iPhone 3g (quick, way less laggier than the X1, great for mindless games to kill time)
Guess what I am asking is, is HTC HD2 worth the buck? $500 SGD (About uhm 250 Euros) for the phone (incl 2-year plan)

As you can see from my signature I've had a LOT of phones in my time, but never been very happy with one for very long.
Finally , at least for me, the HD2 will be something I'm going to own a very long time to come. It really does everything you could want in a phone/media player/comms/office/game device...all be it with a good bit of the expected modding and tweaking that comes with WinMo And if you can get it as cheap as €250 then I wouldn't think twice, go for it.
But remember my analogy for having a HD2/Leo. It's like having a child.
You have the painful labour pains of paying for it (€700 in most places). The joy of holding it for the first time (unboxing it)
Then like a child, you need to teach it how to work properly (modding and reg editing). Also like a growing child, you need to put up with it's little annoyances now and then (the odd bugs that need fixing). After that, you need to teach it to be interesting, (add apps, themes etc) Basically if you're willing to put in the work it's going to be worth every penny/cent

Thanks for the quick response! Appreciated! Yup, one thing I love about WinMo devices is the huge community(Actually the HTC Community) which allows me to pretty much customize the phone Another question, is there any major bugs/flaws that I might be concerned about? Because I've wanted this phone ever since the rumours surfaced and the hype made all the more irresistable lol

Yes, the HD2 is worth every penny!

There are a few flaws out of the box yes. Some have speaker issues, screen over/under sensitive, pinkeye camera, and a few more, all of which can be fixed with some reg edits and a few cab files. You can find all the fixes and tweaks Here.
The only as yet unfixed problem is the SMS issue. Some people (not me) who have over 200 or so SMSs (why don't people use the delete button?) notice a slow down when replying. But who uses SMS anymore in this modern age of emails, twitters, Google wave, Facebook and what not Anyways for the SMS issue I think there is a workaround until HTC come up with a patch.

jagnet said:
As you can see from my signature I've had a LOT of phones in my time, but never been very happy with one for very long.
Finally , at least for me, the HD2 will be something I'm going to own a very long time to come. It really does everything you could want in a phone/media player/comms/office/game device...all be it with a good bit of the expected modding and tweaking that comes with WinMo And if you can get it as cheap as €250 then I wouldn't think twice, go for it.
But remember my analogy for having a HD2/Leo. It's like having a child.
You have the painful labour pains of paying for it (€700 in most places). The joy of holding it for the first time (unboxing it)
Then like a child, you need to teach it how to work properly (modding and reg editing). Also like a growing child, you need to put up with it's little annoyances now and then (the odd bugs that need fixing). After that, you need to teach it to be interesting, (add apps, themes etc) Basically if you're willing to put in the work it's going to be worth every penny/cent
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
700 euros in most places??.. no way
But to stay on topic.. imagine when it is summer.. how will you carry your Leo with you?.. so I find that a better case in the package would have been absolutely no luxury!
Then you have the software flaws.. device.exe sometimes crashes the phone totally.. the htcmessage performance.. the camera... seems to me that Leo had to be released..
seems to me like a business decision.. release it now albeit with software flaws and fix them later.. it turned out to be not a bad decision
but.. if you use Leo with navigon (my preferred navigation software) then you will be in for a real treat.. the same if you use it to browse websites.. so as always it depends
on your usage..

Like Jagnet, I've owned a rather odd collection of phones in my life. I've never been keen on Smartphones as I was rather disappointed by them during my little spree of owning them during 2003/04 and was put off since. I went as far as considering "a phone is just a phone, nothing else" and swore by living in the dark ages by avoiding Smartphones (even though I was working as a promoter and technical adviser for Windows Mobile back in 2003/04 >.<).
The HD2 was something that caught my eye earlier this year and is the first phone that I've waited patiently for, it certainly was worth the wait! Apart from the odd niggles you get from the phone such as the SMS bug and the odd lag, the phone works great (lets be honest here, there are always minor niggles with any phone you get, even my Nokia 8800 Arte, retailing at £1100 at the time I got mine had awful bugs which took over 8 months to fix and there are still bugs that remain).
Much fun can be had with the HD2, the great community behind it (you are looking at it now ) and modding. I've spent endless hours customising it to meet my needs. After a few weeks of playing about with registry / system files and hard resetting, I've now got a phone that does everything I want, customed to how I like and works flawlessly...
apart from the bluetooth compatibility issues...
and the battery life incomparable to non-smartphones (however, the HD2 does very well compared to most smartphones on the market)...
and the marketplace which is in need of some love...
and having to change my handset due to a dodgy touchscreen within the first 4 days.
On the games front, you will be disappointed when comparing it to the iPhone but there are a few good games around. On the apps front, if you ignore the Windows Marketplace and Google around, there are plenty of places to buy good apps from. It's just the iPhone has a good app store that consolidates all apps into a nifty marketplace for you to browse.
Windows Mobile needs you to put the effort in ownership, but in many ways, I see it as a good thing. You get the flexibility to do what you want, on phones such as the iPhone, you are controlled to what you can or cannot do unless you "jailbreak". The iPhone is user friendly, everything is setup for you and for those looking to get a phone that does everything the minute you take it out of the box, it is a product for you. The HD2 fairs well with HTC Sense and it's a good starting point for HTC and Windows Mobile, there is still the horrid Windows Mobile 2003 look lurking in the background though.

Thanks for the replies fellas, appreciate it I am getting my HTC HD2 in a couple of hours, and I hope I won't be disappointed I'm pretty much looking forward to unboxing my 'child' (like how jagnet put it Most of all, I'm looking forward to WM7, though from what I've read it might take a while, but as long as it is worth the wait, I'm cool with it...

It really is like a new baby, because you will breast feed it every 2 hours.

Hi Ive had my HD2 for a few days and to be honest its been a difficult transition form my iphone 3GS which was very simple and easy to use but the 3gs is very basic and doesn't allow for real working integrations.
Its been buggy, very slow compared to the 3gs, the keyboad for some weird reason is of center which is a nightmare to type on compare to the 3gs.
The phone isnt as simple to use as the iphone but for some weird reason i still want it and still want to get use to its quirks.
I have another 10 days left to see if i am going to commit to an 18 month contract, just wish i new what the new iphone was going to be like when released in june.
Its like anything personal choice your will either love it, grow to love it (as hopefully i will) or hate it.
Good luck

Worth it?
If you owned an xperia then you have something to go on.
Leo is WM but with the HTC hardware & shell.
I used to own a Ducati.
My experience was, it was sensational to ride, no other bike comes close, but it had to be kept in tune and maintained. Riding it in the traffic to work would put it out of whack and it would need a nice long blat on a country road to make it right again. High performance and superlative handling made it a unique experience.
Where am I going with this?
Oh yes, performance and usability.
Clearly this is the fastest and highest performing pda phone you can get.
This, and the sense ui make it a great experience.
It is not such a good analogy as heavy usage doesn't put it out of tune so much as excessive poor quality 3rd party apps and too many untested mods.
This is partly why the though of an iphone full of crapstore junk turns my stomach, because if it could multiask, it would choke on the garbage it was running.
Sense iu means I can access what I need in a minimun of steps, but with wm6.5 underneath, I can reach down and tune it to do what I want.
Contrary to my analogy, the stock rom on Leo is pretty good, with a few fixes needed, nothing as serious as having to take it back to the store.
As a stock phone it is great, but it can be modified(tuned) to push the performance envelope and make it even more usable.
As a Ducati rider, I found it very hard to step down to anything else, and as a Leo user I'm the same.
The promise of simplicity makes me cringe as it translates to settling for mediocrity.
Mobile phone hand held computers were pioneered by HTC.
This is the latest evolution.
I love the Leo.

@Xaddict; Well said, I just got my HD2 and I'm loving it so far, knowing this community, I am looking forward to the the custom roms/apps that will be available to everyone soon (I hope) And regarding Ducatis, love em, especially the 948

knightrider66 said:
Hi Ive had my HD2 for a few days and to be honest its been a difficult transition form my iphone 3GS which was very simple and easy to use but the 3gs is very basic and doesn't allow for real working integrations.
Its been buggy, very slow compared to the 3gs, the keyboad for some weird reason is of center which is a nightmare to type on compare to the 3gs.
The phone isnt as simple to use as the iphone but for some weird reason i still want it and still want to get use to its quirks.
I have another 10 days left to see if i am going to commit to an 18 month contract, just wish i new what the new iphone was going to be like when released in june.
Its like anything personal choice your will either love it, grow to love it (as hopefully i will) or hate it.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will always be a newer, nicer phone 7 months down the line....you have to commit sometime or you will never own anything!

jagnet said:
There are a few flaws out of the box yes. Some have speaker issues, screen over/under sensitive, pinkeye camera, and a few more, all of which can be fixed with some reg edits and a few cab files. You can find all the fixes and tweaks Here.
The only as yet unfixed problem is the SMS issue. Some people (not me) who have over 200 or so SMSs (why don't people use the delete button?) notice a slow down when replying. But who uses SMS anymore in this modern age of emails, twitters, Google wave, Facebook and what not Anyways for the SMS issue I think there is a workaround until HTC come up with a patch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um, firstly there are NO current fixes for the loud call volume or call distortion problems. None whatsoever.
Neither are there any fixes for the over-sensitive keyboard. Yes there is a CAB floating around and it helps to a very small degree with text input but it also makes the screen less sensitive in EVERY app and every screen. This isn't helpful.
Secondly, SMS is still the most popular form of mobile communication....by a country mile....so to try and cover up the fact that the HD2 is severely crippled in this area is laughable!
We need some balance here folks. Yes the HD2 is fantastic for web browsing and video but it is shocking for calls and texts - the mainstay features of a mobile phone. Hopefully HTC will address these problems but it is in no way guaranteed that they will!

theredundant said:
I'm pretty much looking for a long term phone, looking forward to watching movies, playing games, surfing the net, etc. I've used Xperia X1 (was great for a while, but little to no official support), the iPhone 3g (quick, way less laggier than the X1, great for mindless games to kill time)
Guess what I am asking is, is HTC HD2 worth the buck? $500 SGD (About uhm 250 Euros) for the phone (incl 2-year plan)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, no phone is perfect. But IMO, the HD2 is THE device that comes closest to being perfect.
It has some small bugs that will get fixed soon or can be fixed manually, there's different opinions on the keyboard and call quality (some say it's the best ever, some hate it) and Windows Mobile, just like any other OS (iPhone OS, Android, Symbian...) has its flaws as well.
But compared to the problems/shortcomings of other devices, the HD2 has very little issues, great hardware, great software - the closest you can currently get to perfect, IMO.
So yes, it's worth it.
Oh, and don't take sunking101 serious. He's a troll and a whiner, spreading FUD against the HD2 since the first day he entered the forum.

definitely (but i don't have the sms problem and i can charge my phone at work)....

maati said:
Well, no phone is perfect. But IMO, the HD2 is THE device that comes closest to being perfect.
It has some small bugs that will get fixed soon or can be fixed manually, there's different opinions on the keyboard and call quality (some say it's the best ever, some hate it) and Windows Mobile, just like any other OS (iPhone OS, Android, Symbian...) has its flaws as well.
But compared to the problems/shortcomings of other devices, the HD2 has very little issues, great hardware, great software - the closest you can currently get to perfect, IMO.
So yes, it's worth it.
Oh, and don't take sunking101 serious. He's a troll and a whiner, spreading FUD against the HD2 since the first day he entered the forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gosh, I actually thought you were making a sane and rational post until I got to the last sentence.
The OP is asking the pros and cons of purchasing an HD2. Therefore all pros and cons are relevant.
As for the HD2 being "the closest you can currently get to perfect" - that is your opinion. Not fact.

sunking101 said:
As for the HD2 being "the closest you can currently get to perfect" - that is your opinion. Not fact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And so is all your whining.

On topic: yes, the HD2 is worth every sigle dime. And yes, it has some shortcomings (which phone doesn't these days with the speed they are propelled into the market). The only problem I have with the HD2 is the speaker volume which is too loud. But, I have to admit that, it got much better after upgrading to the 1.48 ROM.
Off topic: Maybe it's best not to reply anymore to the contributions member sunking101 delivers to this community. Saves a lot of time and yes/no discussions.

It's well worth the price .

Related

arrgh... hero or HD2.. cant choose ;0(

title says it all really... its upgrade time and i was set on the hero,,, then they release the HD2 and now im stuck back in indecision land again..... *sigh*
main reason im still pulled toward the hero is the upcomming jump to android v2.1 eclair in the new year,,,,
Main reason im pulled toward the HD2 is its just so damn sexy... and who wouldent want that screen!
i have had quite alot of experiance with the hero... but as of yet havent even seen the HD2 in the flesh so cant compare how they operate in comparison to each other........ Is winmo 6.5 as bad as alot of the reviews make out? and does the hd2 suffer from it?
another thing is although people say the winmo market place is pretty poor atm.... after experiancing the android marketplace im feeling pretty let down by it also,,,, yeah sure theres alot of stuff... but really 90% seems a complete waste of time.... really poor stuff i cant see anyone needing.. not to mention the games are woefull.... i feel myself missing my old N95 as it had better games than the hero i would say.. ;0(
i have no idea what the games platform is like on winmo though so if anyone could offer a little insight please?
soo.. what would u go with... the hero or HD2? help me out as my pac code expires in 6 days so gotta pick sumthin sharpish.. lol
If you complain a lot and get frustrated by little nuisance that comes with new technology, then get the Hero. Otherwise, get the HD2.
the hero is old , you can't buy a 6month old phone
How can you even be considering the hero? HD2>>>>>Hero. The Hero is a great phone, but paying almost 480€ for old hardware is not something I'd like to do.
Chivalry,
Answer to your question is simple; if you want a device that is predominantly a phone then it's the Hero, if you want a device that is a focused PDA then it's the HD2.
Also, as someone said above, if you don't like hassle then again, it's the Hero but if you don't mind spending weeks on end tuning and retuning your device (sometimes just to get it to work properly) then it's the HD.
I assume price is not a factor here?
WB
i have had both ohones, i changed from the HERO to the HD2 and can say the HD2 is MUCH better!! no questions and wouldn't go back to the HERO or android.
1. The main downside of the HD2 is that he runs windows mobile : it will give your geek friends with an iphone or an androphone a reason to call you a noob.
2. However, if you can live with that, just get an HD2. The screen is amazing, and the hardware is perfect for real multi-tasking.
3. Don't trust Gizmodo or Endgaget. These people just think that saying windows mobile is crap make them look cool (see 1.). Winmo runs well, and the HTC Sense interface will make you forget it's windows.
4. Windows mobile has a huge application store : it's called the World Wide Web.
5. If you're mainly interested in games, you should get an iPhone. It's got a lot of beautiful ones. Winmo has some too, but you'll have to deal with compatibility issues. Since there's no official API for accelerometer or multitouch, really few games will use them.
6. HD2 is really bigger than Hero. You can see this as an advantage or a disadvantage.
I had a Hero and like dit a lot Then my wife got HD2 as an upgrade and found it too large. So now she likes the Hero and I prefer HD2 over hero.
Here are the limitations of Hero/Android for me:
1 - Exchange support. Lack of tasks was an issue for me. Touchdown fixed it but still not as good as winmo implementation.
2 - Out of the box ms office support is another minus for Hero.
3 - Also windows mobile devices are compatible with Napster to go, so you use their unlimited downloads service in HD2 nicely. You cannot do that on android or other OSes.
4 - Speed is a big plus for HD2.
5 - Feature complete os for HD2. Things like VPN support, connection exceptions make it a better choice for me.
6 - Application availability for windows mobile. While it does not have a good marketplace with tens of thousands of applications, the essential applications such as voip software and video players make it a better choice for me.
7 - Live services integration and myphone service from microsoft are also pluses for winmob.
HTC Sense solves most of the issues with default windows mobile interface and even for non technichal people, it allows smooth transition from android to winmob and vice versa.
I like the Hero a lot and was not thinking to go back to winmob until wm7, HD2 has changed my mind.
However, the items above are pretty much personal and depends on your work as well I suppose.
Zunzun really sums this up well.
I was in the same seat as you, deciding between hero or waiting for HD2. I decided to wait for HD2 because of the sexiness and the screen mainly, and even though all the bashing of WinMo, I am not let down at all. On the other hand I like how you pretty much can change anything, which is why I always favor PC to Mac for example.
ALAS!
i am glad to see i am not not the only one stuck in this notion of indecision!
I had the Hero and when i got the HD2 couple of days ago my first reaction was "wow so similar to hero but so much better" the screen really DOES make a big difference honestly
the web browsing is sensational in a word
i agree with previous posts, the downside is winmo, but tbh HTC front end is so robust you barely notice it and it is much much finger friendly than it has ever been - once you have your basic settings sorted you will barely ever have to go back into it
although people compare the market place, i would agree with one of the guys who said that most stuff on the google marketplace is a shambles - it really is - its like Tesco Basics vs Tesco finest
Again if you want gaming get an iphone - better still get the ipod and use the HD2 wifi router option to connect to the net! this phone is very good, someone is very likely to bring Android to it and you can try that too but tbh HTC have done a very bang up job on it
Performance wise it is miles ahead of the Hero - i used to work for t-mobile so have had exposure to phones and the problems you get - for normal everyday use, i would get this phone over the Hero, simply for better user experience overall
sorry if that was more than my two cents worth!
Toss3 said:
How can you even be considering the hero? HD2>>>>>Hero. The Hero is a great phone, but paying almost 480€ for old hardware is not something I'd like to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^ This ^
Because well, the hd2/leo is one damn hawt phone, but theres bugs in it that will make you pull your hair out (well in a matter of speech ofc, but ye, random signal loss, hanging sms, bugs with sd cards etc etc)
On the bright side theres alot of smart people here, and they already solved some bugs, and HTC themselves are appearing to take notice of all hd2 problems now, more and more 'fixes' appear
i moved from htc diamond (1.7+ year) to omnia ii
i really missed XDA when i moved to omnia ii
omnia ii sold
waiting for my HD2
immyl said:
i am glad to see i am not not the only one stuck in this notion of indecision!
I had the Hero and when i got the HD2 couple of days ago my first reaction was "wow so similar to hero but so much better" the screen really DOES make a big difference honestly
the web browsing is sensational in a word
i agree with previous posts, the downside is winmo, but tbh HTC front end is so robust you barely notice it and it is much much finger friendly than it has ever been - once you have your basic settings sorted you will barely ever have to go back into it
although people compare the market place, i would agree with one of the guys who said that most stuff on the google marketplace is a shambles - it really is - its like Tesco Basics vs Tesco finest
Again if you want gaming get an iphone - better still get the ipod and use the HD2 wifi router option to connect to the net! this phone is very good, someone is very likely to bring Android to it and you can try that too but tbh HTC have done a very bang up job on it
Performance wise it is miles ahead of the Hero - i used to work for t-mobile so have had exposure to phones and the problems you get - for normal everyday use, i would get this phone over the Hero, simply for better user experience overall
sorry if that was more than my two cents worth!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is winmo a downside? Surely it's only a downside if you care more about how pretty the UI is than how powerful/flexible/feature-rich/functional it is? And surely if you're a member of this forum that isn't true?
It is a far more sophisticated OS than any other mobile phone platform. Period.

Convince me to stay....

I have had the HD2 for a week now and as much as i love it, i am leaning towards returning it for the simple reason that it has windows underneath the hood.
I have had so many problems with trying to keep the data connection alive and setting up synchronisation etc - how i wish this phone had Android-like always on possibilities!
i downloaded the skyfire browser today and was blown away by its ability, but no so much when it tells me you dont have a data connection regularly!
i am sad sad sad today because when i moved my eyes from its ginormous screen to my measly ipod touch i was really unable to browse! the wifi router is brilliant too, when it works
so anyone with pearls of wisdom...convince me to stay
my biggest gripe is that out the box, i have to fiddle around with it so much just to get it to do what every consumer would like it to do - for example the missing task manager, pinch to zoom options etc
if HTC were going to make a phone of this calibre, i wish they didnt feel the need to gag it with winmo
help?
Your first impression is mostly the right one. If you like android more, return your phone ASAP as you've bought a windows phone. Misstakes happen !
lucid said:
Your first impression is mostly the right one. If you like android more, return your phone ASAP as you've bought a windows phone. Misstakes happen !
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I agree with lucid. Sounds like this simply isn't the phone for you.
Since there is task manager and pinch to zoom abilities available, it's not winmo that's gagging the phone, but HTC.
Just want you to make sure your gripes are directed at the correct place.
I have zero issues with my data connection.
I am so tired of everyone wising the Leo had shipped with Android instead of Windows Mobile. I was bored this morning and reading the rather negative reviews of the HD2 on Gizmodo and Engadget, and every other comment on those reviews is about how people love the HD2 but wish it had Android. Well, it doesn't.
I understand you actually have experienced problems with your phone, as opposed to those others who seemingly were hoping by some fluke the HD2 would come out with Android instead of WM as advertised. But then you tell us to convince you to stay with the HD2... if you really have a problem then ask for a solution. If the data issue really annoys you then why would you want someone to convince you to stay with something that doesn't serve its intended purpose for you?
I'm guessing many people bought the HD2 on a whim upon seeing the impressive spec sheet, without ever stopping to think that it ships with Windows Mobile and whether they even liked the platform. Were you one of them? Because you can just look for a solution to your data connection loss problem, instead of trying to get us to list for you the reasons why you should stay with the HD2/WM. The pros and cons of the platform are a just a Google search away.
Edit: Also, you want better pinch to zoom support, eh? Then make sure you stay away from the current latest and greatest Android handset - the mighty and revered Motorola Droid. Yeah, it has no pinch to zoom even though it has the hardware for it. See, HTC aren't so evil afterall.
Personally I think the HD2 is awesome, I know its been annoying with so many problems but there is always a fix. I haven't had any problems with the data connection or sync.
I know HTC should be the ones to sort this out instead of us, however everytime I try a new tweak it sorta makes the phone new to me again.
BSB tweaks is amazing btw, I think it should sort out everything you need, pinch to zoom and screen rotate as well as camera tweak and screen sensitivity all in one application.
Im still on the .143 Rom and theres a .201 (or whatever) rom coming out.
Its getting better and better.
I am waiting to see what the google phone has to offer but the HD2 should be able to hold its own especially since wm7 is coming out...whenever that is.
If you are really hating the HD2 then return it and get an android, winmo isnt that bad. Definite improvement if you remember the older models.
Shawn_230 said:
Edit: Also, you want better pinch to zoom support, eh? Then make sure you stay away from the current latest and greatest Android handset - the mighty and revered Motorola Droid. Yeah, it has no pinch to zoom even though it has the hardware for it. See, HTC aren't so evil afterall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha true, I heard the new nexus one doesn't have pinch to zoom either. Actually saying that, they may add it in since it hasn't been released yet.
Everyone bangs-on about Android but has anyone actually lived with an Android device for say a year? No. Who knows what issues and annoyances the platform holds. If it takes off as it appears it will, with everyman and his dog seemingly wanting it, no doubt I will be trying it myself on a handset in the future but right now Win Mo holds no problems for me. The HD2 itself does, but that's for another thread.
First try to be patient and see if you can make the phone work the way you like with the all tweaks around. Have you tried BSB tweaks? most of them are there. For task manager I recommend Showcase, a great solution.
Yeah, there maybe lot's of little issues but most of them can be remedied. If you got it working right, make a full backup with something like spb backup so that everytime something goes wrong and you have to hard reset, you can have everything back in a minute.
And ofcourse better roms will surely come and htc is trying to improve the HD2. Many of the bugs are fixed in the 1.61 rom, have you tried it? not to mention we're so close to custom roms now.
I don't know how familiar you are with windows mobile. If it's your first winmo device, know that one major advantage of winmo over other OSs is that you can tweak and change a lot of things, so there's always hope for better tweaks and better software.
Lastly, if you have tried all I said and there's absolutely no way you can cope with this device, well, I guess it's just not the right device for you.
thank you to everyone that has replied
point taken about leaping without thinking, and yes i guess most issues are resolved by installing tweaks and updates - like u say wotsreallygood, its always getting better and it really is - only today i saw how brilliant it is with flash sites, after installing skyfire browser.
i guess the reason i said convince me to stay is because i want to see light at the end of the tunnel: though there might never be a stable usable android platform on the HD2 i would like to think that most of the creases with the current OS can be ironed out substantially!
and winmo6.5 is a drastic improvement from previous versions - i used to work with old winmo from the times of mda compact III - slowwwwwwwwww in a word
i totally rate HTC as a good phone manufacturer, and i would never buy a motorola even if it had diamonds for keys lol
comments appreciated though, a lot of food for thought!
mightymn said:
First try to be patient and see if you can make the phone work the way you like with the all tweaks around. Have you tried BSB tweaks? most of them are there. For task manager I recommend Showcase, a great solution.
Yeah, there maybe lot's of little issues but most of them can be remedied. If you got it working right, make a full backup with something like spb backup so that everytime something goes wrong and you have to hard reset, you can have everything back in a minute.
And ofcourse better roms will surely come and htc is trying to improve the HD2. Many of the bugs are fixed in the 1.61 rom, have you tried it? not to mention we're so close to custom roms now.
I don't know how familiar you are with windows mobile. If it's your first winmo device, know that one major advantage of winmo over other OSs is that you can tweak and change a lot of things, so there's always hope for better tweaks and better software.
Lastly, if you have tried all I said and there's absolutely no way you can cope with this device, well, I guess it's just not the right device for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi mightmn - thanks - yeah i tried the 1.61 and it seemed to make the device a little unstable for me, so i used the goldcard method and now am using 1.48 - i am yet to install bsb tweaks - i finally managed to work out how to keep my contacts synced but i think that was a problem with my outlook (version 2010 beta apparently this is a known issue and ms will not be supporting winmo sync or something like that?)
i am about to install the BSB tweaks, i think i will keep the phone and worse case scenario for me is that if i do get tired of constantly tweaking and tweaking i shall just sell it lol
And ty for advising on using spb backup, i shall search for that now and keep a regular back up thats very sound advice
Immyl,,
Keep going if you can with all the hints and tweaks on here plus BSB Tweaks. However if you are not getting on with the device then cut your losses and go with something else instead.
I managed to get a 2nd play on the HD2 today and it certainly looked impressive. I have yet to use one on a daily basis so maybe once Father Xmas has been and I get to use one on a daily basis I might well take a hammer to it!
Xperia X10 perhaps?
WB
wacky.banana said:
Immyl,,
Keep going if you can with all the hints and tweaks on here plus BSB Tweaks. However if you are not getting on with the device then cut your losses and go with something else instead.
I managed to get a 2nd play on the HD2 today and it certainly looked impressive. I have yet to use one on a daily basis so maybe once Father Xmas has been and I get to use one on a daily basis I might well take a hammer to it!
Xperia X10 perhaps?
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeh wacky banana i was thinking about whether to wait for the X10 but being on tmobileuk and having worked for them i know more than likely we will be waiting til august to get it even if it launches in march! i am sticking with it and if all else fails there is always ebay...
oh btw one thing that does sway me is being able to connect my ipod to the wifi router ha that is quite a lot of fun
The winmo OS itself is so massive compare to newborns like Android and iOS, that's why it takes time to get around and even more time to get yourself situated in a comfortable position (even if it means countless tweakings). With every tweak and fix, you're suddenly opening up yourself to a whole different level of usability, way more expansive than the other aforementioned OSes. As a child, you start out with tricycles then graduate to a bicycles and at last, automobiles. Each one of those stages has their conveniences and it takes time to ease into them.
If you think it's so hard to handle the OS (or HTC for that matter), take a look at the themes and applications forum and see the countless of people in there happily using their phone through personal customization and tweakings. You can't tell me that all those additions are easily accessible with other OSes (it's possible, but arduous). What I'm trying to say is that, it's a challenge when face with obstacles, but with the help of XDA, the light at the end of the tunnel is just a few clicks away.
With that said, if you still think winmo is the root of all evil and is too complex for you to even maintain data connection (though that sounds more like a service provider problem than the phone itself), feel free to return it and get whatever phone you want.
lude219 said:
The winmo OS itself is so massive compare to newborns like Android and iOS, that's why it takes time to get around and even more time to get yourself situated in a comfortable position (even if it means countless tweakings). With every tweak and fix, you're suddenly opening up yourself to a whole different level of usability, way more expansive than the other aforementioned OSes. As a child, you start out with tricycles then graduate to a bicycles and at last, automobiles. Each one of those stages has their conveniences and it takes time to ease into them.
If you think it's so hard to handle the OS (or HTC for that matter), take a look at the themes and applications forum and see the countless of people in there happily using their phone through personal customization and tweakings. You can't tell me that all those additions are easily accessible with other OSes (it's possible, but arduous). What I'm trying to say is that, it's a challenge when face with obstacles, but with the help of XDA, the light at the end of the tunnel is just a few clicks away.
With that said, if you still think winmo is the root of all evil and is too complex for you to even maintain data connection (though that sounds more like a service provider problem than the phone itself), feel free to return it and get whatever phone you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ty lude219
i think in hindsight i do agree, winmo is a lot easier to manipulate than other OS's - and even though its not always ideal, you cannot deny how powerful it is with quite a wide compatibility list
i am sticking with it for now and shall see where it goes, especially since i here there is a new ROM due soon
You could wait for the HTC Bravo.
BUT
- it maybe won't have multitouch at all, or lagging multitouch like the Hero
- it will lack a bunch of features that you get with Windows Mobile
So what you should do is: Instead of just complaining about shortcomings of the HD2, think about whether other devices would really make it better, or maybe have even more shortcomings - then decide what to do.
I also sometimes get annoyed with the HD2, but then I think of all its advantages over other devices like Android ones ot the iPhone, and in the end I always come to the conclusion that, though the HD2 is not perfect, it definitely is the one that comes closest to perfect for me, so it's the right choice - for me, at least.
The title of this thread is maybe not the right thing to put lol
Nooone needs to convince you to stay mate, if you wanted peoples opinions then thats one thing but if you arent getting on with it and would rather have a different phone or different operating system then thats totally your call and I hope you find whatever combination makes you happy.
Theres plenty of threads stating what people hate and like about the phone and how to tweak the phone and make it perform better so have a read around and then you can decide what you want to do.
Good luck
Stay
I am humbled by the moderate and patient tone of the replies in this thread.
My first instinct is to flame an attitude of 'convince me to stay'.
As it has been eloquently put, winmo is a feature not a drawback.
Too many people seem to have been caught in the crossfire of Giz-shmodo & Enfadget anti-winmo diatribe.
The way I find solutions to any problem is to STAY.
On winmo there are always many ways to skin a cat.
It would be a pity to be on a platform where there is not the possibility to solve problems other than to complain, which rarely works.
I have been using Winmo for many years and the following are my personal opinions so please don't flame me. Truth be told, were it not for the talented developers, chefs, XDA & forum users (XDA & others), I would have moved on a long time ago.
The bigggest problem, imho,is that MS focussed on developing the Winmo OS, handing it over to the Handest maker for a few dollars and thereby "hoped" that the software & hardware would function as a unified solution.
The second issue has been that MS lagged in improving the OS and providing a viable marketing platform to developers. Their are tons of applications available for Winmo, however until recently their did not exist a single unified place to browse, purchase, review and simply install them. As a result Winmo was and to a great degree still is seeing by some as a business OS, one that was driven by how well (or not) it integrated with MS Outlook / Exchange, included office etc. MS has always traded on this perception
As a result of the above, we saw the rise of blackberrys & iphones. Both companies focussed on a single soultion where hardware and software were manufactured as a single unit. Both also focussed on specific solution points, BB on easy, secure access to email / apps and Apple with their product packaging & appstore /itunes integration.
So I ask myself why did I not take the plunge and move to either of these 2 platforms. Simple:
I like the choice I have with Winmo. I can flash Roms, try different radios, install apps from all over, play with the registry etc etc etc.
The HD2 is the first Winmo phone I have had that I can live with as is for the next 2 years. yes it has some issues, however none of them are a real deal breaker.
Until then, I wait patiently for cmonex /olipro and the rest of the team to complete SSPL and for our talented chefs and developers to give us the tools to enjoy our devices that little bit more! So if I were you I would be patient, look beyond the niggles and STAY.
Until Winmo 7 is released and then the fun really begins.

Want to get on with your life? get Android!

A parting shot here
A great forum, learned a lot, some very clever and helpful people here ( and some prima donnas)..but what I found out is while using a Windows device I was spending countless hours updating Roms, making stupid pointless cosmetic changes to my HD2 (usually resulting in making UI more ugly and messy - some theme designers here seem to have been on crack when creating themes - others very good), when in reality I was craving for a good selection of valuable everyday apps that are logical and simple to use.
Enter Android...Since buying a Motorola Milestone I am now using the phone only when I need - as opposed to constantly tampering, I have downloaded all apps I need, layout looks good off the shelf - a simple wallpaper change is enough, finger friendly, good hardware and away I go.
Looking back I don't understand why I got a WM device and really don't know why you guys are sticking to this dinosaur.
Over and out.
Isn't that fun?
Making slight changes to your phone WHEN you feel like it?
If that's what you're using the Android for, why not get an iPhone?
And btw, I like dinosaurs.
What is a phone supposed to be used for - to analyse the Hadron Collider?
Haha. that's funny.
But back on topic, you say what is a phone supposed to be used for? isn't it for communicating with others? via Phone calls, SMS, MMS, e-mail, social networking sites, forums on the internet, etc?
This phone does it all well, and excel in some areas like internet.
So, what.
rickyoon.vegas said:
Isn't that fun?
Making slight changes to your phone WHEN you feel like it?
If that's what you're using the Android for, why not get an iPhone?
And btw, I like dinosaurs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me like dinos too.
rickyoon.vegas said:
Haha. that's funny.
But back on topic, you say what is a phone supposed to be used for? isn't it for communicating with others? via Phone calls, SMS, MMS, e-mail, social networking sites, forums on the internet, etc?
This phone does it all well, and excel in some areas like internet.
So, what.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just saying, try Android you will not regret it.
This REALLY is the last post .
I had G1 when it first came out, and recently-ish had Droid Eris.
They were ok, in my opinion.
hawrai68 said:
A parting shot here
A great forum, learned a lot, some very clever and helpful people here ( and some prima donnas)..but what I found out is while using a Windows device I was spending countless hours updating Roms, making stupid pointless cosmetic changes to my HD2 (usually resulting in making UI more ugly and messy - some theme designers here seem to have been on crack when creating themes - others very good), when in reality I was craving for a good selection of valuable everyday apps that are logical and simple to use.
Enter Android...Since buying a Motorola Milestone I am now using the phone only when I need - as opposed to constantly tampering, I have downloaded all apps I need, layout looks good off the shelf - a simple wallpaper change is enough, finger friendly, good hardware and away I go.
Looking back I don't understand why I got a WM device and really don't know why you guys are sticking to this dinosaur.
Over and out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's called the HTC Bravo aka Desire and it too is coming to T-Mobile soon.
android is definitely better for a day to day phone. ive only had the hd2 2 days and ive already switched back to my nexus. the hd2 is a beutiful device but wm 6.5 is definitely its worst attribute.
1. you spent a lot of time updating the phone
2. you wasted your own time doing cosmetic changes
therefore
3. the HD2 is a dinosaur.
not a very cogent argument now is it.
I dont play with my phones layout, theme nor small cosmetic changes. I only update the rom from Duttys, so once every 3 weeks or so that takes 20 minutes of my time to do so.
Shoo, and go play with your motorola.
hawrai68 said:
A parting shot here
A great forum, learned a lot, some very clever and helpful people here ( and some prima donnas)..but what I found out is while using a Windows device I was spending countless hours updating Roms, making stupid pointless cosmetic changes to my HD2 (usually resulting in making UI more ugly and messy - some theme designers here seem to have been on crack when creating themes - others very good), when in reality I was craving for a good selection of valuable everyday apps that are logical and simple to use.
Enter Android...Since buying a Motorola Milestone I am now using the phone only when I need - as opposed to constantly tampering, I have downloaded all apps I need, layout looks good off the shelf - a simple wallpaper change is enough, finger friendly, good hardware and away I go.
Looking back I don't understand why I got a WM device and really don't know why you guys are sticking to this dinosaur.
Over and out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree about wasting time with WM 6.5 and with WPS 7 coming out, WM 6.5 is a dinosaur; but It's about self control.
I have a small dog, she's healthy because I don't over feed her, while I'm overweight because I can't control what I eat, but I don't wish to be her in order to be healthy, instead I try to better my self control.
So no, I prefer not to eliminate my ability to choose by getting other phone like iPhone. This is my first custom ROM and I hope to exercise my self control
hawrai68 said:
A parting shot here
A great forum, learned a lot, some very clever and helpful people here ( and some prima donnas)..but what I found out is while using a Windows device I was spending countless hours updating Roms, making stupid pointless cosmetic changes to my HD2 (usually resulting in making UI more ugly and messy - some theme designers here seem to have been on crack when creating themes - others very good), when in reality I was craving for a good selection of valuable everyday apps that are logical and simple to use.
Enter Android...Since buying a Motorola Milestone I am now using the phone only when I need - as opposed to constantly tampering, I have downloaded all apps I need, layout looks good off the shelf - a simple wallpaper change is enough, finger friendly, good hardware and away I go.
Looking back I don't understand why I got a WM device and really don't know why you guys are sticking to this dinosaur.
Over and out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really happy with my WM 6.x device. I tweaked just few essential things and I use my phone when I need it.
Anyway, I'll test Android on my HD2 when someone will port it. That's all...
In reality, you can flash an Android device every day if you really wanted to.
In terms of our Sense/WM devices, if you go by 'official releases' or forget official, lets talk 'big jumps', you'd be flashing maybe roughly three to four times in a year. Once a quarter! (1.4x, 1.6x, 2.1x, Sense 2.5.20x)
It is our -own- choice to jump at every incremental update (OH BOY 23545 IS OUT, GOTTA GET THAT!!!) and we reap the benefits AND suffer the consequences of using this non-final code.
There are plenty of people still running 1.66, their next update? Whenever 2.10 comes out! (Or whenever their carrier decides to screw them with an interim update - think I saw a 1.72GER floating around )
So you tweaked a lot of stuff on your UI and that made you give up on it.
Ok.
My HD2 does not need intensive cosmetic tweaking to the UI. Spooky!
Maybe you're just obsessive compulsive...just saying.
Not one freeze in one month of heavy usage (meaning it runs stuff I half bake...I mean compile and execute on it) and some initial tweaks with Cookie's mod and control panel made it look peachy (btw you folks rock).
As for the process of jumping from premisses to a logic conclusion, even Android can't fix that. So good luck using it. Just don't go declaring something to be an extinct life form when all you have to go on with is: "I tweak and flash a lot". That is more telling of how much you are unable to appreciate and use something then of the intrinsic value and quality of the object you judge.
I'm actually interested in going to WM from Android.
Android doesn't support the things I want to do. Mainly video/audio codec support for most files.
got my Desire on pre order. I love the big screen of the HD2 but ive come to the conclusion that im something, of an app fan. I dont want to move back to an iPhone and Android is something I have experience with.
For me Android offers MORE potential for customization, and by customization I don't mean making the home screen look a bit different but real CORE app functionality. I'm a big texter and on Android I recall a number of SMS apps that one can REPLACE the built-in messaging client with - Chomp, SMS Popup, Handcent...to name a few. These apps offer the facility to quick reply from within any app via a popup window, and also to initiate a text message whilst in, say, Google Maps...and they all have a different look to them.
The only app I can think of that has any similarity to this on Windows Mobile is made by Vito, is ugly as sin, and offers very little other than a clunky looking popup.
This is just one facet of a number of other things I have found Windows Mobile to be deficient in since moving back to it from Android. Just simple things like Twitter clients and IM applications - even from the SAME companies - look, feel and work ten times better on Android.
The fact that the HTC Desire will be receiving support for 720p DivX and video recording sells it to me. I'm positive the younger OS will take advantage of the Snapdragon processor a lot better than WinMo, considering how much more stable the Hero was than our HD2s, despite its sluggish processor.
I'm going to be sad to leave the Windows Mobile world to a degree - I will also be sad that I have no chance of getting more than £300 for my pristine unlocked HD2 despite paying £499 only a few months ago, but fortunately my contract with T-mobile expires on the 5th of April.
The second hand price drop is a lot more severe than I've seen for most other devices and perhaps tells just how much faith people have in the devices future.
mazzarin said:
In reality, you can flash an Android device every day if you really wanted to.
In terms of our Sense/WM devices, if you go by 'official releases' or forget official, lets talk 'big jumps', you'd be flashing maybe roughly three to four times in a year. Once a quarter! (1.4x, 1.6x, 2.1x, Sense 2.5.20x)
It is our -own- choice to jump at every incremental update (OH BOY 23545 IS OUT, GOTTA GET THAT!!!) and we reap the benefits AND suffer the consequences of using this non-final code.
There are plenty of people still running 1.66, their next update? Whenever 2.10 comes out! (Or whenever their carrier decides to screw them with an interim update - think I saw a 1.72GER floating around )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree 100%. Oh, and I am one of the plenty on 1.66
I have been doing quite some tweaking on my HD2 since I got it just before XMas. Most of the times I did it just for the pleasure of playing around with the thing rather with a real usability or aesthetics objective.
When I bought the HD2 knowing that I could "get my hands dirty" was one of the (secondary) point in my decision making.
Most of us people here like to play around with our devices. The problem is if we get carried away (like with many other things in life).
And when one gets carried away - often one of the most effective solutions is quitting altogether. No shame in that (on the contrary - I believe it's a very responsible decision!!).
Those who do not get carried away, let's keep in mind that we *could* - so let us not criticize those who quit.
vince2773 said:
Agree 100%. Oh, and I am one of the plenty on 1.66
I have been doing quite some tweaking on my HD2 since I got it just before XMas. Most of the times I did it just for the pleasure of playing around with the thing rather with a real usability or aesthetics objective.
When I bought the HD2 knowing that I could "get my hands dirty" was one of the (secondary) point in my decision making.
Most of us people here like to play around with our devices. The problem is if we get carried away (like with many other things in life).
And when one gets carried away - often one of the most effective solutions is quitting altogether. No shame in that (on the contrary - I believe it's a very responsible decision!!).
Those who do not get carried away, let's keep in mind that we *could* - so let us not criticize those who quit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is XDA DEVELOPERS FORUM, after all!!
: D
lol.
"I tweaked my phone and now it's ugly, so I got a different one"
Troll++
Well I have tried Android numerous times, and personally, I hate it. It's so ugly that it looks like some china-low budget crap. In the HD2 with it's amazing Sense, I get all that I need for everyday use in a way that I prefer - and the Sense UI is stunning beautiful.

Already thinking of ditching HD2

The hd2 is probably by far one of the most perfect windows mobile phones out there, I've had soo many before it and they were rubbish in terms of performance.
but, the quirkiest problems are really destroying my joy with this phone. I can't seem to get all the apps to work with multiple languages. I can't seem to get a decent battery life when I'm travelling, now I have an extra battery and a heavy Duracell battery pack.
Great camera, yet it's still having the same problems I've had since the beginning of wm phones (slow with low light conditions) and no 720p video recording. There are no decent applications for the life of me. (I've been ruined by that from the iphone)
I hate how WM7 looks, with no skinning allowed, I'm pretty positive I don't want colored boxes to be my home screen. Also the fact that it's receiving less and less support from developers everyday, it simply isn't catching up to anyone anytime soon. (I have the feeling it's going to be delayed, because of the kin disaster)
I'm thinking I'll be selling this phone in approximately 2 months. I'll sell it here if anyone would like it.
Thinking of getting the new Galaxy S series phone, best hardware around with a mature (but not ancient) operating system.
Note: I'm currently in the middle east thats why it seems I've posted this early, it's 3:45pm over here.
ehhhhh,,,, everyone wants something different in a phone. Personally I thought the tmo roms were rubish. I loaded some custom roms and like almost all my problems went away immediately. Not sure about other languages because I'm pretty stupid and can't even speak 1 properly. Support I wouldn't worry about. Yes many people are jumping ship and going to android development but we still have some of the best guys still working with WM. Also a reason we don't have the devs staying with wm is many of the programs are final and work perfect. Why make a 28th wm music player? Android is great and all but I don't see it as great as everyone says. Yes its fast and optimized but its almost a cross between WM and iOS. After every thing I heard about android I was quite surprised when my friends got them and had them locking up and glitching as much if not more then a wimo phone. I almost bought one till my coworker bought an incredible and basically killed his battery in 2 hours listening to pandora, then had to pull the battery after he checked his tweets. I also feel once WP7 comes out it will renew interest in coding for WM. I feel we will see the same stuff we saw in vista and XP where the coders took the best features of Vista and added them to the stable XP OS. I'm hoping we will get the cool WP7 roms and they can whip out the spatula's and blenders and get to work on a frankenstien super os.
The ROMs have saved this phone, but as an Android fanatic, the apps, and ease of discovery/installation of apps has ruined me.
I've got my phone posted and I'm hunting for someone with a Nexus One thats willing to trade with me adding some cash.
I'm not giving this phone away because hardware wise HD2>>>>>>>iphone/nexus one, etc. But if I can't get Android soon I'll be dropping this phone.
But thanks for all the help guys! Its because of this phones quirky issues I discovered this site! lol
4theU said:
The ROMs have saved this phone, but as an Android fanatic, the apps, and ease of discovery/installation of apps has ruined me.
I've got my phone posted and I'm hunting for someone with a Nexus One thats willing to trade with me adding some cash.
I'm not giving this phone away because hardware wise HD2>>>>>>>iphone/nexus one, etc. But if I can't get Android soon I'll be dropping this phone.
But thanks for all the help guys! Its because of this phones quirky issues I discovered this site! lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you know there are android roms out there for the hd2 right? granted, they BARELY WORK, but in a couple of months, we may be looking at a full blown army of HD2's running android
maxpower097 said:
ehhhhh,,,, everyone wants something different in a phone. Support I wouldn't worry about. Yes many people are jumping ship and going to android development but we still have some of the best guys still working with WM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want a better phone, that's definitely what everybody wants. Not a half-a$$ed phone that goes for the same price as a phone that has god-like script that allows unlimited multitasking with no loss of battery or memory
I feel WMP7 is following the suit of the iphone, having a very limited way to customize, and having people to jailbreak it if they want the full potential of the phone, chasing update after update and looking for compatibility and cracks... that's why i left the iphone... (I had 2g but my family has a 3g and a 3gs)
I feel the android is king right now because it allows enough customization for developers to mess around with, and has great functionality out of the box without having to chase down problems.
Our family consists of 4 HD2s, and 2 iphones. I regret purchasing the hd2s since they have brought me more trouble than ever, my mother asking me about navigation while my brother and father require language packs THAT DOESN'T WORK.
maxpower097 said:
Also a reason we don't have the devs staying with wm is many of the programs are final and work perfect. Why make a 28th wm music player?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, wm6.5 for example, no decent games, no decent applications MADE FOR IT SPECIFICALLY. Before, I thought backwards compatibility is a positive, I'm quickly realizing that it's the worst negative. Companies are getting lazy by creating something thats made for a wm2003 but compatible up to WM 6.5.... how is that even possible? At least upgrade the graphics for newer phones.
HTC is even embarrassed by wm6.5, they skinned everything from top to bottom.
HD2 was dead on arrival in my book, it packs a punch in hardware, yet it will be obsolete within months.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm trying to burn anyone here, I really appreciate the work everyone has done. I donated money and time testing, commenting and helping.
Metallic-Force said:
I want a better phone, that's definitely what everybody wants. Not a half-a$$ed phone that goes for the same price as a phone that has god-like script that allows unlimited multitasking with no loss of battery or memory
I feel WMP7 is following the suit of the iphone, having a very limited way to customize, and having people to jailbreak it if they want the full potential of the phone, chasing update after update and looking for compatibility and cracks... that's why i left the iphone... (I had 2g but my family has a 3g and a 3gs)
I feel the android is king right now because it allows enough customization for developers to mess around with, and has great functionality out of the box without having to chase down problems.
Our family consists of 4 HD2s, and 2 iphones. I regret purchasing the hd2s since they have brought me more trouble than ever, my mother asking me about navigation while my brother and father require language packs THAT DOESN'T WORK.
Well, wm6.5 for example, no decent games, no decent applications MADE FOR IT SPECIFICALLY. Before, I thought backwards compatibility is a positive, I'm quickly realizing that it's the worst negative. Companies are getting lazy by creating something thats made for a wm2003 but compatible up to WM 6.5.... how is that even possible? At least upgrade the graphics for newer phones.
HTC is even embarrassed by wm6.5, they skinned everything from top to bottom.
HD2 was dead on arrival in my book, it packs a punch in hardware, yet it will be obsolete within months.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm trying to burn anyone here, I really appreciate the work everyone has done. I donated money and time testing, commenting and helping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using custom ROMs, the hd2 is superior to the iphone 3gs or Droid in my experience. i have only used those two other phones to compare.
crisisinthecity said:
Using custom ROMs, the hd2 is superior to the iphone 3gs or Droid in my experience. i have only used those two other phones to compare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I agree the phone is superior, the apps/ or lack of apps for this phone and its ****ty OS are going to be the death of it.
Even with the custom ROMs, I still have quirks like dropping 3G coverage, text messages coming in out of order, apps crashing, occasional restart (admittedly rare with the custom ROMs)
I have spent HOURS just to get this phone to do what it should do out of the box. And now that its finally working great, I discover it was pretty much in vain because I can't even fill cookie's home tabs with apps that I want and would use.
I think it really just comes down to WM is not as user friendly as Android or iphone. They have basically taken the computer out of the phone and made it super easy for anyone to install anything. I don't know what you guys are talking about with android phones and battery life. All the android phones I've seen running HD2 specs kill the battery in half the time of the HD2. I see it everyday at work when I'm the only one with a phone at the end of the shift. Now about your 3G issues that sounds like your carrier or location issues. I'm rock solid (H) 24/7 365. Take into account how android going to be when they get upwards of 500 phones on the market and glitches and bugs. WM runs on thousands of phones with minimal bugs. Android from what I've seen has about the same amount of bugs but with many fewer phones. iPhones do tend to be less or non glitchy because they only support 4 phones, much like their PC's. I think if you take the time to properly hook your HD2 up and learn a bit more about these new gen phones you'll be happy. You need to search out WM apps, but there are literally tons of them out there to do anything you could imagine.Most of these new inovation droid and iOS are claiming to invent have been on WM for ages. Please please please try out Kumars rom, experiment with a couple different tmo radio's for your area, and keep track of what is setting of your bugs. Usually you just need to change one program or setting and it fixes itself.
Going on like 16 days without a reboot! Yeeehaw. My tab slider does have a touch of lag though now but I'm gonnna hold out and see how long I can run it without a reboot.
One more thing, people with preformance issues have found replacing the SD card with a fast one works wonders. I haven't tried it yet but I am gonna toss a 8giger I have lying around in it to check it out.
4theU said:
While I agree the phone is superior, the apps/ or lack of apps for this phone and its ****ty OS are going to be the death of it.
Even with the custom ROMs, I still have quirks like dropping 3G coverage, text messages coming in out of order, apps crashing, occasional restart (admittedly rare with the custom ROMs)
I have spent HOURS just to get this phone to do what it should do out of the box. And now that its finally working great, I discover it was pretty much in vain because I can't even fill cookie's home tabs with apps that I want and would use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How many apps do you want? How many apps do you need?
I have about 500 apps in my WinMo download folder and about 50 on my phone, don't use a third of them ...
Shear number of apps do not make them better .. Now I am not bashing the Android, it is a good platform, but the "Appstore" argument is so Iphone-ish.
I am not going to try and "Talk You Into", keeping your HD2 it is your phone you need a phone you can use, if the HD2 is not for you then it is not, BUT it is not a ****ty OS, that might be your opinion, but for the people that use WinMo on a daily basis and want the power of and flexibility of the WinMo OS it works great for them.
Android, simple interface, great, fast , fairly stable, locked down, big brother back door, MUST have gmail account to activate the phone, so that "Big Brother" can access your phone remotely.
WinMo, More complicated interface more like a portable PC than a Phone, customizable right down to the OS by the user, no external account needed, no "big brother" install apps you want and not have them removed, as of June 2010 Microsoft still has a 90.18 market share of PC's, so WinMo is directly compatible with 90.18% of the PC's in the market.
watcher64 said:
How many apps do you want? How many apps do you need?
I have about 500 apps in my WinMo download folder and about 50 on my phone, don't use a third of them ...
Shear number of apps do not make them better .. Now I am not bashing the Android, it is a good platform, but the "Appstore" argument is so Iphone-ish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps like "fring", yeah we have that app... from 2005. Tt doesn't have video conferencing... that's a major feature missing.
It's as simple as that, we have the same apps, but they are outdated and lack many features that we'rent possible before.
How is the "appstore" argument so "Iphone-ish" thats the worst argument I ever heard. It's soo much more superior than what we have now.
You sound like a person that steals applications more than he buys... 500 apps, yeah and you bought them? I highly doubt you bought 5. App stores are a godsend for developers, they make a decent amount of money and it protects their investments, encouraging them to create more applications. That's why the app store is so successful. You're only complaining since you've barely bought any apps for the PC or your PPC, so you find the app store "iphone-ish" w.e that means.
I admit I'm being too harsh for no reason, and I also admit I don't usually buy them, but for decent applications I do happily purchase.
These are the only decent applications I use often, but I wish there was more, and I wish the prices were more reasonable, 30$ for an app? are you serious? The prices for the ppc applications are overblown. Spending over 100$ on applications on a phone is a little ridiculous. I haven't spent that amount on applications for my laptop.
- Handy Safe Pro (bought it twice, for different phones)
- SPB Traveller
- SPB TV
- SPB Backup (Fantastic application)
- SPB Wallet (Waste of time and money)
- Office Mobile (Hell no I didn't buy it, can't believe they actually started charging for it)
watcher64 said:
Android, simple interface, great, fast , fairly stable, locked down, big brother back door, MUST have gmail account to activate the phone, so that "Big Brother" can access your phone remotely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's another poor argument, "Big Brother" or google is already pretty much in your life. Why do you think the google advertisements are all about websites related to what you search for or websites you visited in the past.
watcher64 said:
WinMo, More complicated interface more like a portable PC than a Phone, customizable right down to the OS by the user, no external account needed, no "big brother" install apps you want and not have them removed, as of June 2010 Microsoft still has a 90.18 market share of PC's, so WinMo is directly compatible with 90.18% of the PC's in the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone complained about "google remotely removing apps" I'm sure google has other reasons why it has that capability, apple and palm have it too... and guess what? wmp7 is going to have it as well. The future is less and less private, this is something we will have to deal with, it's not some evil conspiracy.
Google is compatible with 100% of the computers since it doesn't even need one, so what are you getting at?
sell it, buy android phone
/thread
So....
How much do you want for your crappy phone? Let me know. I might know of someone you can pwn it off on. they would love you long time.
2 months and it's theirs
maxpower097 said:
I'm pretty stupid and can't even speak 1 properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love how some people hate the HD2 and others love it. It's funny to hear people's stories, because it seems almost random, the chances of you having an HD2 that works flawlessly or doesn't work at all...
I came from the rooted G1 and I love this phone. Rooting android and flashing custom ROM's became nothing but a headache for me. My phone would never work right and every time I flashed a new ROM (with dozens of "flashed ROM, it's FLYING, fastest ever!!!" replies in the threads getting me all hyped up) phone would run smoothly for maybe a day but after that nothing but hang's, random reboots, f/c's, etc...
With my HD2, it's been the opposite: OS runs smoothly, I can pretty much do what I want (except for stable flash support in Opera, for some reason that still alludes people...none of those opera builds with flash support ran as well as stock opera and fixoperaflash is all buggy..very irritating) and I don't have to continually reboot or wipe the phone.
Yet I read people's comments that talk about how the phone is virtually a big paperweight right out of the box...go figure...
tresanus said:
sell it, buy android phone
/thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, since my stock HD2 has had none of the problems this person mentioned and has actually been a very good phone why sell it? Obviously, there is a variable here that is not common with all HD2's, so why give up so easily?
Wait till you get your new one, use the stock 2.13 and see how that goes. If you still can't stand it, then try cooked ROM, and if you still can't stomach the site of that 4.3" screen, then go ahead and sell it...
Mod Edit: Post removed read the rules and follow them, take this as a warning
Metallic-Force said:
I want a better phone, that's definitely what everybody wants. Not a half-a$$ed phone that goes for the same price as a phone that has god-like script that allows unlimited multitasking with no loss of battery or memory....Well, wm6.5 for example, no decent games, no decent applications MADE FOR IT SPECIFICALLY. Before, I thought backwards compatibility is a positive, I'm quickly realizing that it's the worst negative. Companies are getting lazy by creating something thats made for a wm2003 but compatible up to WM 6.5.... how is that even possible? At least upgrade the graphics for newer phones.
HTC is even embarrassed by wm6.5, they skinned everything from top to bottom.
HD2 was dead on arrival in my book, it packs a punch in hardware, yet it will be obsolete within months.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm trying to burn anyone here, I really appreciate the work everyone has done. I donated money and time testing, commenting and helping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can definitely agree with Metallic-Force on most of his arguments. Even though this phone can do just about anything and everything, and even though it can run smoothly with custom ROMS, and even though it has awesome hardware......I just still can't look past the fact that the apps for this phone looks like absolute crap. Not only are there limited apps made for the HD2 specifically, but most of the apps that we can get for this phone (via marketplace, omarket, or warez) looks like the sh*tiest graphics I've ever seen on a mobile phone. I wish HTC would skin all the apps available for this phone as well as they did for the OS. I'm not even talking about the "crazy 3d" games that rock on this phone (cause I don't care for them), I'm talking about simple apps or games like Pandora or Moorhun. Microsoft or HTC needs to invest more money into the devolopers if they have to to make this OS more appealing app-wise. That way we can all finally say how great it is to own a WM phone.
OK, done venting.
Stable Android.
See post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=729495
I don't see whee you guys are getting android phones are so bullet proof. Everyone I've seen has reset problems and lock up problems. Thats just gonna keep getting worse as they release new phone after new phone. Personally on wimo I can't live without.
1. PSX emulator,
2. Core Player,
3. Mortplayer
4. Hava Player
5. PDF reader
6. Wifi Router
7. GPS weather Radar
and lots more. When iphone or android can run a 2gb divx with AAC audio without charging $20 for an app call me. Till then its wimo.
lol... I'm going be receiving my hd2 this week, and your ditching it. It's funny, but android isn't that awesome the people make it out to be. That's why I'm going back to windows mobile ( windows phone).
Anyway, good luck.

So now you've tried it, how many of you are considering jumping ship?

I originally started my love affair with Windows Mobile in my early teens when I received a Compaq Ipaq for which I had no real need for at the time. I then progressed to an Artemis (XDA Orbit), later a Touch Cruise (XDA Orbit 2) and finally last year a Rhodium (Touch Pro 2). While aware of Android's rise, and almost purchasing a Hero at the time I bought my Rhodium, I stuck to what I knew best.
At the time I believed my choice to have been the correct one. While the Hero looked pretty cool, I couldn't leave behind WM. I thought the TouchFlo 3D/Sense was beautiful (weather animations!), if only skin deep, and apps such as Coreplayer and FPSCE reinforced my belief that WM was still a relevant OS.
That was until I started playing around with the XDAndroid Port.
It was then I saw the potential of Android. The highly customisable interface, social network/google account integration, the awesome apps on the market and the speed of the webkit based browser! Everytime I returned to Windows Mobile I felt underwhelmed. I was never a fan of the iPhone however understood it had changed the game in regards to smartphones. Android was the best of both worlds, open source with a great community, fully touch UI with a growing appstore gaining support from major brands/developers.
While the Rhodium port was gathering pace, it was suffering from power management issues, backlight/wifi problems and most importantly, no sound. I knew from experience with the Touch Cruise that the progress was going to be slow but how long before a fully working port was available was anyones guess (Still not there!). It was then that I decided my days with Windows Mobile were coming to an end. Google had recently released the Nexus One which for me was perfect and after a few weeks of deliberating I made the jump and have never looked back.
Now I was always a vociferous defender of Windows Mobile but from the moment I got my first real taste of Android, I saw it for what it was. It hadn't really changed since that Compaq Ipaq and was so out of date it almost smelt off! I still have a soft spot for it, hence my lurking around the old boards seeing how you're all getting on. Since I heard about the breakthrough regarding the HD2 Android Port i've been looking on with great interest. It's fun reading through the threads and seeing people going through the same process that I did only a few months before.
Now I've seen a few posts where people have already stated that they are now seriously considering selling their HD2 and moving on to a "real" Android phone. My question is, how many more of you are there? Have any other people had the same change of heart now they have seen the possiblities?
Regards.
From the title of this article, I thought you meant the iphone 4!!
WM still does it for me - a mobile office, not a silly teenager's tweeting toy, it's still good, and I will use my remaining WM 6.x gadgets as long as they hold out.
When that happens which is probably in a year's time, I'll see what the market looks like, right now, it looks like it will mean a move to Android, but you never know WP7 might come through.
You never know, the iphone 4 may turn out to be a good phone.
rjstep3
I probably will. I like stability and if Android can stop my soft resets I'll be happy. Plus, I miss the apps. Even though it's infuriating to download the most popular task manager in the market place and to discover it has ads. Then you download the next one down and it also has ads.
I may be a little blind but Im sitting on the fence as Im sure many others are-
At the moment I have an unlocked HD2 for AT&T. This present me the following options:
1. Hold onto it for its beautiful screen, sexy home page, and accept the clunky deeper interface that is wm6.5 (Not trying to bash, its just not meant for finger friendly, and im also one of the users who suffers from slow texting issues and quick battery drains. Yes, ive tried the roms. Moving on.) The fact that I follow the Android for HD2 thread religiously shows that I am in the Android fan corner for HD2. This fact alone is one huge reason for staying power. Android on HD2 would extend the life of the HD2 dramatically. Meanwhile, WM6.5's screens past the homepage arent going to be getting any prettier.
2. Sell my HD2 Buy a Samsung Captivate since its AT&T's first true Android Smartphone and is getting rave reviews. Use my phone upgrade to get an Iphone4 for cheap, turn right around and sell it for 600 bucks (Yes, two have just sold in Phoenix for this much as well as on eBay). Be happy with my new Android phone and some extra spending cash for apps
3. Hold onto my HD2 until WP7 arrives and determine if I will use my upgrade for a new WP. If WP7 turns out to not be my cup of tea (But come on, XBOX Live and Zune integration? Im pretty much sold on that alone ) with any of the phones offered, then I shall resort to either option 1 or 2 above. I am still a huge fan of Windows Mobile, and I realize WP7 will be more akin to Apple in terms of closed source, but WP7 is what Windows needed to do. They needed to redo the deeper menus and make WM more finger friendly. Its the right step and I just hope they nail it.
Either way, Ive got my choices and am still completely on the fence. I just played around with the Captivate today and its quite an amazing and speedy phone. Not nearly as sexy as the HD2, but the functionality out of the box just felt great.
Im sure many of you are on the same fence as me and I wish you all the best in making your choice.
My contract runs out in Oct for my HD2 and I'll probably switch. Thats unless Navionics release their seachart app on Windows Mobile. if they do I'll just change to a sim only deal.
I bought the HD2 a few days ago on ebay. So far I've really enjoyed HTC sense and some other features
but the one thing I don't think I can live with is the crappy email program that comes with the phone. I absolutely hate it.
Generally speaking, I was impressed with winmo and found myself liking it despite all the negative reviews.
But I think I might switch over to the iphone.. plenty of apps, works pretty well with gmail... Otherwise I'll get some other android phone with HTC sense since thats really is a big thing for me. that and the led flash
I'm going on a 3 week trip to Europe... I guess I'll check out how far along the ports have come and then make my final decision then.
I disagree ... I was playing with Verizon's Droid X which is coming out soon - practically HD2 with Android (like EVO) and I'll tell you what: Android is one choppy OS - transitions wise iPhone wins all the way - I have HD2 and I am happy with it... it simply has better transitions then Android and what that means to the end user is most of the phone... If there is customization but the choppy one - no one will stick with it... And if 1GHz is not enough to make it smooth - I do not know then what is needed to make it smooth...
Great feedback guys! Just want to make it clear that in no way am I bashing the HD2 or WinMo, I just want to gather how many people who are using the Android port are now considering making a permanent switch. Obviously if a stable daily use ROM becomes available you won't have that problem (and I may even consider switching to HD2!!), but I succumbed to my impatience once I found myself using the unstable port more than my native WinMo OS.
Thanks for the response.
Android on HD2 isn't stable yet and won't be for a while.
I already had an Android phone before the HD2. I'm not really into the 'apps' scene or into social networking apps or games on my phone, so there isn't really much in Android for me. The google apps were better and it didn't slow down on txt messages.. but that's about it.
Android wouldn't play many video formats.. not sure if it could access my file server.. the pdf reader was poor quality.. the browser would forget all my tabs when memory ran low (probably not an issue on HD2..).. apps still crashed..
Despite WM's lack of polish in the UI and other things, I think I still like WM more. I'll probably still use WM more even if I install Android.
Just got 3 hd2's for the family. Wanted the highest spec'd winmo phone to give wp7 a chance. I haven't been that impressed with Android, apps still crash and with cht and max sense, I don't see what an android phone can do that my hd2 can't. Would never switch to at&t.
already made my choice and win mo and the hd2 won
why?...
i had a desire and hd2 for a week to trial both and although the desire was impressive i found the hd2 to be better for what i used a "phone" for...
video - more options (xvud, avi's etc) and better quality on hd2
camera - clearer and more detailed
apps - yes the android market has lots of apps but like iphone most of them are crap!, the only thing id use that winmo doesnt have is layar. winmo still has fpsece and a few more pieces of software thats unique (loving Meteor at the minute)
i also took the gamble that we'd have a decent working android port at some point anyway, are we likely to get some porting winmo on an android device? lol - not likely, so i figured that with the hd2 id got the best of both worlds and therefore more choice...
seriously, go back 2 years and you wouldnt have had the choice of different OS's on the same device. its a good job theres so many clever people in this community, they've really made a difference!
skilty said:
seriously, go back 2 years and you wouldnt have had the choice of different OS's on the same device. its a good job theres so many clever people in this community, they've really made a difference!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too true. Whilst I really like my HD2 and most of its features suit what I do, WiMo (in my opinion) is now over looked when it comes to new apps. I already mentioned the Navionics seacharts app that i really want and having decided to try Skype, I go to the site to find thats dropped for WiMO. I can't wait for fully functioning dual boot WiMo/Android on my HD2. That would be phone heaven
skilty said:
already made my choice and win mo and the hd2 won
why?...
i had a desire and hd2 for a week to trial both and although the desire was impressive i found the hd2 to be better for what i used a "phone" for...
video - more options (xvud, avi's etc) and better quality on hd2
camera - clearer and more detailed
apps - yes the android market has lots of apps but like iphone most of them are crap!, the only thing id use that winmo doesnt have is layar. winmo still has fpsece and a few more pieces of software thats unique (loving Meteor at the minute)
i also took the gamble that we'd have a decent working android port at some point anyway, are we likely to get some porting winmo on an android device? lol - not likely, so i figured that with the hd2 id got the best of both worlds and therefore more choice...
seriously, go back 2 years and you wouldnt have had the choice of different OS's on the same device. its a good job theres so many clever people in this community, they've really made a difference!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noticed a few posts regarding the video playback options so thought i'd inform you all that Android now has just as many, if not more playback options than WinMo. That was the biggest single issue for me when I made the switch. I used TCMP and Coreplayer for years. Being a Usenet/Newsgroup subscriber, I download all of my content in xvid/x264 and being able to simply drag the files across to my phone rather than convert to .mp4 was a killer feature for me. I somehow JUST mangaged to get by converting the odd film or two for long train/coach journeys!
Luckily in the past month or so, a new media player has arrived called RockPlayer, which is the first legitimate xvid/wmv/x264/mkv/mov/asf etc. player on Android. The performance is great and the UI clean and simple. It may lack the deeper options of Coreplayer, however I only ever found myself playing with the rendering options etc. when I encountered laggy playback, albeit on less powerful devices than the HD2.
Anyway, video playback should no longer be a worry for anyone considering Android. However, if like me you are outside the US, there is no Android screen as large as the HD2 (No Evo 4G ) and for that reason, I look back at you guys with envy!!
Thanks again for the great response, it's great to see the range of opinions on the matter!
Regards.
Never gonna give it up never gonna let it down ! Win 6.5 HD 2
naaaah... I'll stick to hd2. I am just a winmo man I guess... maaaan... I love this device. who needs all those fart apps? the ONLY two apps I might miss are Plants vs Zombies and Rebirth (gotta love dat synth music ).
other then that - leo... a true king of the smartphones. lol
I can't wait for a flashable android rom for the hd2. tbh, i'm just bored with minmo now and everyone seems to be making apps for iphone or android these days.
The android port for the hd2 is what made me want to go back to android. So the other day I picked up the samsung vibrant lol. I still love my hd2 though still keeping it
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Maybe im just different but why not have both? I am a tech guy who likes all platforms. I own 4 symbian phones, 2 winmo phones, and for games I own a ipod touch. I thought about android many times and was always waiting for the hardware to catch up and there are finally phones running android that have the specs I would like but they all went with cdma versions. So I will see what comes out in the future for a top spec gsm android. Another thing is I dont ever buy phones on contract and firmly believe that the carrier and phone you use should have nothing to do with each other. I bought my HD2 because I wanted a new winmo phone and there is no denying that the HD2 is the top choice for winmo. Remember no one phone will fill all your needs and manufactures do that for a reason, so you buy more phones... but this is where the consumer gets confused and think if they want new features they need a new phone, just have both! In the end though I will most likely stay away from android and go with a meego device for my linux phone kicks, as I am questioning why google feels the need to be around me 24 hours a day, in my search engine, in my web browser, in my computer OS, in my TV, in my phone? Call me old school but thats to much for me to give one company all my info, I like to keep it deverse among many companies so no one company knows everything about me. Again, maybe im just different?
Now I've seen a few posts where people have already stated that they are now seriously considering selling their HD2 and moving on to a "real" Android phone. My question is, how many more of you are there? Have any other people had the same change of heart now they have seen the possiblities?
Regards.[/QUOTE]
Having owned the Iphone2 I returned to HD2 because in my opinion Apple delivers outdated technoloy, tries to control even media content and the information value of the Apple "Today" screen is exactly zero.
A great toy for "in"-people. After two days your tired of the fancy applications and start using apps which make sense. All of these you can get for WM. Since I have not used Android I wouldn`t dare to comment. But looking at pictures of the GUI it seems to be not very different from the HTC-Sense GUI.
All in all I see no need to think about anything else than HD 2 ! I´m afraid that WM 7 will rather be a step back in the direction of Apple. Lets hope for high value software development for WM 6.5.XXXXX
I´ll keep my HD2 for another generation, I´d say. I´m perfectly fine with this
brilliant device. The apps, mods and tweaks for Manila/Sense are what I would
miss, Android does not come with that much office related stuff I use and need.
In a year or so, we´ll see an updated iPhone 5 (or whatever they´ll call it),
we´ll know more about WP7, and HTC will have HD3 and other nice devices for us.
I´ll never again buy Samsung, their products are never really close to 100%,
they just make too many half-finished products at mediocre quality.
Motorola? Nokia? SE? No way. Therefore, no options for me.

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