Database Users

New UK HD Owner Views (from an iPhone owner :-) LONG MESSAGE

I have had my 3G iphone for about 6-7 months now, and have in that time tried several new phones, namely Nokia E71, Diamond (horrible), X1 (lasted less than 1 day!) and I also own a Trinity.
Anyway, the HD arrived via www.devicewire.co.uk in the UK (doh) on Thursday last week, and I powered it up right away. It was £522 delivered.
I think in the UK, people are better off ordering online, since you have the 7 day DSR (Distance Sellings Regs) to fall back on in the event of dislike, dead pixels etc.
With the HD, I am surprised how much I like it..........put it this way, it came Thursday, and Friday it was a case of "yes, this is good, but nothing much better than the iPhone, so I can not justify the cost, so back it goes".....read on for what happened next
I even have the return code from devicewire (very good aftersales, even when you are returning stuff!!)
I can not say the HD screen blew me away, since the screen on the iPhone is a truly, truly lovely screen anyway, and I had been using this everyday for the aforemention 6-7 months.....but, for anyone who has not been using an iPhone, the screen is gonna make you do a double take. It is clear, big, bright and the fonts look amazing.
First thing I did was switch off the ambient sensor (yes, it does have one!), and put brightness up to full, I love contrast as my eyesight is not so good these days.
Now, this is why the iPhone has been so good for me, (although I guess most of you lot here will be younger with perfect vision), I find it has good large fonts, and great contrast.
Compare this to the default text size on the Diamond, or indeed the latest Sony X1, its tiny, and yes, I do know you can altertext size, but on a small screen, it just means you get less on a sreen and have to be scrolling all the time.
The HD is just perfect for me, nice big fonts, so smooth, and perfectly usable with either a finger, (even with a glove on, something that is not possible on iPhone), or a stylus, which as it turns the HD on, is handy to have.
So, the screen is as good as the iPhone, with better resolution, and as I just read in the Slashgear review, the actual touching of the two screens is very close indeed. Even coming from several hours use of the iPhone eveyday, I do feel that I will get on with the HD screen very nicely.
But hang on, I am not keeping this am I, I already have the return code and devicewire are expecting it back......well, I doubt it now.......I had put it all away very carefully on Friday, but it sat there looking at me, and I kept reading about it on here........it was all too much, got up this morning and thought "lets take it to work, Sunday is quiet usually, I can have a play".
Well, the breakthrough for me was to turn off Touchflo and install PocketPlus, a great piece of software I have used on many devices. Oh, that and TomTom 6 running in landscape on the trip to work
As for GPS lag, it is only about 10 miles to my workplace, but there is little or no lag present in TomTom 6.
TomTom is a big deal for me, I find nothing touches it, and it is a great disapointment that there is still no TomTom (or anything else!) for the iPhone, when you recall the stories that TomTom already had it running back at the 3G launch, it must be Apple who are blocking its release.....
I think Touchflo is just too "black" for me, not sure if it will run with a brighter skin or not, but I like the way PocketPlus makes a device look, much brighter.
Now, a lot has been written about WM 6.1 being hard to use without D-Pad? The only issue (apart from games which I confess is of zero concern to me) is for selecting little drop down (roll out) menus, and that is sorted with AEBPlus http://ae.inc.ru/aebplus.php which allows you to assign the volume up and down keys to act as Arrow Up and Arrow Down, and this sorts it and works well.
I can confirm the UK HD comes with the little soft case (its quite nice actually), but a word of warning, do NOT assume all iPhone cases will work, my one, and nice Marware slip case is too tight, and the HD is a smidgen wider that the iPhone. Anyway, I like the softcase. It was also nice to get the 8gb Micro SD card. I have not installed the screen protector yet, can never really get on with those anyway.
Keyboard use on the iPhone is pretty good, and I was very doubtful that HTC could get anywhere near it, but they have basically cracked it IMV. The buttons are the same size as iPhone and easy to use. I am making less mistakes in a few hours than I do after 6 months on iPhone.
Web browsing is not in my opinion as good as the iPhone, well, let me qualify that. If you just use fingers, the iPhone wins, but if you use fingers and the stylus, I think the HD then just shades it.
One very welcome side effect of returning to WM is the multitasking, this is one massive issue for us geeks on the iPhone, combined with the lack of cut n paste, it really shows the two devices quite far apart in usability.
Email is very good on the iPhone, and if you only have the one account (gmail for example) it takes some beating for simplicity. However, the HD also does a great job, and with a little wireless keyboard (impossible on iPhone), I think it will make a good laptop replacement)
RSS is OK on the iPhone, but much easier on the HD, with the built in RSS Hub program, which downloads all feeds, including video feeds. I like to watch Cali Lewis on Geekbrief www.geekbrief.tv everyday, and you have to jailbreak the iPhone to be able to do that (yes, I do know its coming in 2.2 software, but with a limit of 10mb over cellular, which renders it useless for video podcasts, and anyway, its a pain in the arse to upgrade iPhone and then have to jailbreak each time.
We are good at making our decisions fit the case, so the iPhone user is always going to say "oh, I don't really miss cut n paste", when in fact, you quickly forget how often it is useful.
I think for me, it comes down to this, the HTC Touch HD can do everything the iPhone can do and lots more, but the the iPhone can not do several things the HD can do. Does that make sense?
I hope this view (not a review IMHO), helps some of you, and just like the chap in the other thread, please feel free to ask any specific questions about useabilty, although please don't ask me to run x test on y video, using xx program while standing in a bucket of water, as I probably can not be bothered
A couple of program I will miss if I sell the iPhone are TV Plus, a great APP which gives a 7 day EPG and more inportantly, links to Sky Plus (UK only) and lets you setup recordings.
I will also greatly miss Remote, an Apple APP which controls iTunes on my main desktop PC, although I should be getting up off my butt to change charge anyway.
So, who wants to buy an iPhone ;-)
Kev

So font size was your only problem with the Xperia? I'm trying to decide between the Xperia (had it for about 5 days now) and the HD.
BTW, my other phone is an iPhone 2G and I do like the screen.

Whoops, forgot that bit.
No, I got the X1 in the UK at Vodafone (if anyone is interested they are £500 are are not locked to Voda.....well, my one was not anyway)
The fonts were always gonna be too small for me, but I hated the keyboard, the keys barely protrude over the case, very little feedback.
But the killer and reason for return within a few hours for refund was a horribly wobbly screen, but I accept this could have been my one.
Also, given that you would have to use on screen keypad to dial people, it was too fiddly, too small. That 3" screen is very narrow you know.
Sorry.
Kev

I bet there's a program on WinMo that let's you control not only your iTunes but your whole PC. On my current 4 years old Nokia, there's System Freak, that lets you do that...

Thanks for that post KevWright.
Like VeloAudio, I'm deciding between the Touch HD and X1. I still have some niggling concerns about the Touch HD but I am assuming the X1 has the same 'problems' or 'complications' so am leaning towards the former.
Your post bolsters the case.

Great post!
Can you delve a little bit deeper into the screen responsiveness please? Just a few more sentences on how it compares to the iPhone's would be great.
Also, this is probably unbelievably subjective, but which phone do you find sexier? For instance, you are on the bus and you take out your iPhone and you take out your HD, which feels sexier?
Thanks.

kevwright said:
A couple of program I will miss if I sell the iPhone are TV Plus, a great APP which gives a 7 day EPG and more inportantly, links to Sky Plus (UK only) and lets you setup recordings.
So, who wants to buy an iPhone ;-)
Kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be interested in a SlingBox, which allows you to stream and your own Sat/IPTV etc. over the web to your laptop or your WM device. It comes with software to control the IR on your video sources. I stream Bluewin IPTV and Sky to the SlingMobile software on my Trinity and intend to do the same with the HD tomorrow when it arrives. I hope it runs on the HD. I will report back later on that.

Matterhorn said:
You might be interested in a SlingBox, which allows you to stream and your own Sat/IPTV etc. over the web to your laptop or your WM device. It comes with software to control the IR on your video sources. I stream Bluewin IPTV and Sky to the SlingMobile software on my Trinity and intend to do the same with the HD tomorrow when it arrives. I hope it runs on the HD. I will report back later on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read elsewhere, the Touch HD doesn't have an IR port, so you won't be able to use the IR functionality of Slingbox unless you mean the "box" itself attached to a TV?

kevwright said:
Oh, that and TomTom 6 running in landscape on the trip to work
As for GPS lag, it is only about 10 miles to my workplace, but there is little or no lag present in TomTom 6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version did you install, and will it work in full WVGA or are their black bars on the screen?
Thanks in advance

nu_D said:
Great post!
Can you delve a little bit deeper into the screen responsiveness please? Just a few more sentences on how it compares to the iPhone's would be great.
Also, this is probably unbelievably subjective, but which phone do you find sexier? For instance, you are on the bus and you take out your iPhone and you take out your HD, which feels sexier?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it is hard to say that much more, I have them both here and am playing now. Not sure if you know the iPhone, but on 2.1 software (jailbroken), when you press the button for say SMS, there is about a 2 sec delay while it loads up, now on the HD, its about the same, but on the HD if you leave messaging running in the background (which I suspect you can do with these better memory equipped models?) it is instant, with the iPhone you always get the delay cos nothing (well except the music player) is allowed to stay in background.
OK, using book reading software, I would say they are almost equal.........maybe the iPhone is fractionally better, or it could be I am more used to it.
As to your second point, I can't help mate, for one, I only have a vague idea of what a "bus" is, and the day I find either the iPhone or the HD "sexy", that is the day I go back to my Nokia 6310 )
OK, I think they look so similar mate, there is nothing in it.
Kev

kevwright said:
But the killer and reason for return within a few hours for refund was a horribly wobbly screen, but I accept this could have been my one.
Kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying they are all wobbly or it is just yours. You going to replace it I guess?

luckyuser said:
What version did you install, and will it work in full WVGA or are their black bars on the screen?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I can not find a version number I am afraid.
It looks great in portrait, but bloody fantastic in widescreen, I have it on a manual rotate screen, and there are NO bars in any view.
Kev

exe said:
Are you saying they are all wobbly or it is just yours. You going to replace it I guess?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have no idea beyond my one mate. It was that bad that I could never live with it.
I have replaced it....with the HD )
I will not be getting another X1, fonts were too small, and after this screen, there is no going back.
Kev

Matterhorn said:
You might be interested in a SlingBox, which allows you to stream and your own Sat/IPTV etc. over the web to your laptop or your WM device. It comes with software to control the IR on your video sources. I stream Bluewin IPTV and Sky to the SlingMobile software on my Trinity and intend to do the same with the HD tomorrow when it arrives. I hope it runs on the HD. I will report back later on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I do have Slingbox, and have even register Slingplayer, but I just have never had good perfomance on it to be honest. I am not realy fussed about watching TV on my HD, just this little app was great to tell my Sky box to record something, mainly cos it enabled you to do it even without turning the TV and Sky box on.
I am hoping there is something for WinMo
Kev

nokia e71 vs. htc touch diamond
hi kevwright,
after a bad experience with an htc diamond (very poor battery and many ROM updates), I've decided to go for nokia e71. Now I'm considering an htc touch hd, but I'm very curios about it's battery life. how the touch hd compare to the e71 in terms of battery life and general?

in call recording
Hi alll - I have posted a separate thread on this issue, but alas, I thought i would also ask it here from those that already have an HD.
in call recording feature - anyone tried it out? some are reporting that it doesn't work...even though HTC calls it out in their specs online.
can anyone kindly shed some real world experience w/this feature on teh HD?
Thanks in advance.

Someone tell this guy how paragraphs work...

Great post.. I allready bought Touch HD, and I have the same view as you!
Cheers!

Thanks for the insight, kev. Great post.

dragosel80 said:
hi kevwright,
after a bad experience with an htc diamond (very poor battery and many ROM updates), I've decided to go for nokia e71. Now I'm considering an htc touch hd, but I'm very curios about it's battery life. how the touch hd compare to the e71 in terms of battery life and general?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life looks like it will be quite good, but not as good as an E71 (screen is tiny!).
Had it only a day really, so I will update this in a few days.
Kev

Anyone upgraded to HD2/Leo from HD/Blackstone?

I currently have a touch HD/Blackstone and I love it to bits, but the prospect of having a capacitive multitouch screen and much faster responses when navigating round the phone/opening/running apps etc is starting to tempt me very strongly to the HD2/Leo.
Have any of you Leo owners upgraded from the Blackstone? If so, please can you let me know your thoughts on whether it was a good move, what the pros & cons are etc, and whether the new phone really is super fast and slick like the reviews I've read say it is.
If I get one I'd probably want to be running SPB shell on it, which from looking through here I assume it works, but will most apps for the blackstone also work on the Leo?
I know there's no stylus with the Leo for instance, but for fiddly stuff does the screen accept the use of a fingernail for 'precision' (ish!) stuff like checkboxes & small menus, or does it have to be skin contact or a real capacitive stylus etc?
Regardless of whether you upgraded from a Blackstone, are you very pleased with the way the phone works in terms of performance and 'slickness'?
Last questions are - what's the video performance like on the Leo, ie does it have all the problems the HD has in terms of poor out of the box performance with video playback?
And is the bluetooth stuff still hardcoded for the HTC music player (like the blackstone), or would I be able to properly use my sony bluetooth headset to control the likes of coreplayer?
Sorry for all the questions - I really want to upgrade to the Leo, but it will cost me a lot and I don't want to make a mistake.
Many thanks for any useful replies!
Jim

After having the Touch HD for 2 month I really loved it. Everything was running as I wanted it to be ... But then HTC announced the HD2 and I decided to switch to it after watching lots of videos in youtube an other sites. I would do it again ...
I don't have any problems using the OS without a stylus. In fact I wasn't using the stylus or my fingernails on my Touch HD either. I only needed to adapt to the higher screen responsiveness, but that was it.
HD2 pros compared to the Touch HD:
+ MUCH higher build quality. The Touch HD always felt somehow cheap, except it actually wasn't ...
+ Everything is just faster. I wasn't too thrilled with TouchFLO 3D on the Touch HD, as it slowed down the device too much. No problems on the HD2, although the new version of TouchFLO 3D (Sense ...) grew in so many aspects and is now pretty well integrated into the OS.
+ The bigger screen. Didn't thing its a big deal, but the screen-difference between the two devices is astonishing. Its much more fun to use multimediacontent on the HD2.
+ Pinch to Zoom.

I had a HD for nearly a year now and loved it - yes, TF3D ran slowly but it also was more "form than function" and I stopped using it in favour of simple SPB Diary with multiple tabs.
Now having a HD2 for over a month I do love the high speed and slick operation and I even stick with TF3D (or HTC Sense, whatever it's called).
But, there are apps from HD that don't run well on the screen as they expect the precision of a stylus. One example is SPB Finance that I used to record all my expenditures on an almost daily business. This just does not work with a big fat finger !
But, but others work great - CoPilot works really nicely. I tried Route66 on the HD2 as this was a fully legal working purchase on the HD but on the new HD2 it's not good. Nice surprise is the new CoPilot works really well and super fast. Even indoors near a window I can get enough satellites for a 3D fix and moving next to the window gets 7 or 8 sats. HD never achieved that.
My build quality on the HD was fine. On the HD2 you get a real solid feel from the metal battery cover where you naturally hold the device.
HD2 is super quick but the capacitive screen is a weakness. However, this is because most applications have not yet caught up. Many exist that are great with fingers like Resco explorer but others expect a stylus and are hard to use.
As a year long HD user I doubt very much that I won't move back after having got the HD2. My old HD is sitting in a box and I have not been tempted to get it out !

Thanks for the replies guys - I like what I hear!
I think the only thing that might delay me upgrading to an HD2 is the difference in value between selling HD and buying HD2 but we'll see....
Can you clarify a couple of things I'm still not sure about though?
Dave - you said you can't use certain apps from the HD because of the capacitive screen as you don't have a stylus with it (and can't use a normal one I believe), but is it possible to use these apps with a finger nail if you really need to?
I know it might be awkward or not very practical, but I want to know whether it's actually possible at all, ie if the screen will physically work like that, or if it's literally impossible to do?
Secondly (don't get me wrong here) whilst I don't want an iphone, is the responsiveness of the HD2 screen the same kind of thing? Local shops here don't have one I can try so I have to go by what others tell me, and I'd like it to work as smooth as the iphone screen, ie no actual pressure etc.
I know it's capacitive so it should be like that but I don't know if there are differences aside from that to how the screen responds. Hope that makes sense!
Last question - I believe the screen is glass on it? Is it toughened in any way? Presume the fact that it's glass will mean that it's much harder to scratch than the HD screen and also means a clearer, brighter display by not having a resistive layer?
Thanks for the replies - I appreciate the info!

I'll try again but I don't think finger nails work ...

I upgraded from the Blackstone and for me, it was definitely worth it.
First thing you notice is the amazing speed if the device. I just saw that I had TomTom (among a couple of other programs) running in the background for several days and I didn't even notice it.
The HD2 is really insanely fast. I sometimes take my old Blackstone in order to try new WM builds, but its slowness makes me sick after some minutes of using it.
Next big thing, for me, is the camera. The light sensitivity has been greatly improved and the flash works stunningly good for an LED flash.
It takes really great pictures for a smartphone, much much better than the HD, finally I have a phone that lets me capture the important moments
(btw. the 'red tint bug' is present but not noticeable on most pictures)
Third thing is the screen. It''s capacitive, that means you can NOT use your fingernail, and no stylus. But I really like the sensitivity, it's much more comfortable to use. And it feels a lot better, it's not the 'cheap' feel of the resistive panel's plastic layers anymore.
And this brings me to the fourth and last point: Build quality. I've never ever seen such a high build quality and high quality materials on a phone. It looks and feels just amazing, even the iPhone feels like a cheap toy in comparison.
Video playback is of course a lot better and it plays high quality video without stuttering.

Well actualy you can use stylus without problems, you just have to buy a special one (whitch buy the way also works on the iPhone)
http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-DAGi-Stylus-...wItemQQptZPDA_Accessories?hash=item414b467e4a
Like they other says there are applications who can be a bit of a hassel with using with the finger...
But I suspect you would love it... I could newer go back to my HD after being used to the buitiful racer the HD2 is, and i absolutely love the screen to.

Hi,
I've spent 1 week with the HD2 after a year on the HD. Mobile Shell 3.5 on both.
The main difference is speed. HD2 is soooo much faster. Didn't notice the HD was particularly slow whilst I was using it, but going back to it now is PAINFUL.
I struggled a bit initially with the capacitive screen, found it a bit hit and miss. In particular I found the HTC keyboard a nightmare, way too sensitive. Installing the .cab that decreases screen sensitivity has improved things greatly, and installing Spb Keyboard has also helped. It's improving with practice, there are still times when I do something and it doesn't register, but overall I'm starting to like it. There's a definite knack to it: much lighter touch, smoother motions. So there's a learning curve here + a need to tweak. And I'm sure the experience will continue to improve as third party software is adapted for it.
Mobile Shell has a few minor compatability issues but nothing to worry about (screen brightness control doesn't work, voicemail indicator widget doesn't work, a few other minor things). Spb are generally good at updating for significant new hardware releases, same thing happened with the HD when it was first released and they fixed everything quickly. I tried the Sense interface for a day or two to see if I could get used to it, it IS very pretty. But went back to Mobile Shell, I find it much more functional.
The HD2 build quality is excellent vs good for HD. And the additional screen size is a significant plus too. I was initially worried it would be a step too far in terms of the overall size of the device, but no. As soon as I laid eyes on the actual device + picked it up I knew it wouldn't be a problem.
Browsing in Opera is fantastic. Fast and the big screen helps. Still not comparable to a desktop browsing experience but very usable and way better than the HD due to the speed.
Overall it's a big step forward from the HD and highly recommended. Like I said, I find going back to the HD to dig out a few files I need to be surprisingly painful...

Cret said:
Secondly (don't get me wrong here) whilst I don't want an iphone, is the responsiveness of the HD2 screen the same kind of thing? Local shops here don't have one I can try so I have to go by what others tell me, and I'd like it to work as smooth as the iphone screen, ie no actual pressure etc.
I know it's capacitive so it should be like that but I don't know if there are differences aside from that to how the screen responds. Hope that makes sense!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested the HD2 besides both, an 3G and 3GS, and really couldn't find any real difference in the screens responsiveness. You don't have to do any pressure on the HD2's screen ... I have to say, that I had a problem with the high sensitivity at first, but when playing around with an Nokia N900 last week, I noticed how fast I adapted to the capacitive screen of the HD2. The N900's screen was a pain in the ass (although its actually quite good for a resistive screen), because slight fingerswipes and tips didn't to anything ...
When browsing the forums you will notice, that most ppl here have/had a problem with the keyboard of the HD2. Besides the bugreporting here (I don't have any of these problems), I imagine that most of the problems with the keyboard just come from the unfamiliar sensitivity. By lifting the fingers a little higher when typing, I managed to type pretty accurate.
I don't have a Touch HD to compare side by side, but had the possibility to compare the HD2 to an iPhone 3G ... the 3G was very slow compared to the HD2 ... So wouldn't really go back to a last-gen phone ...

Had a Touch HD for a year until i bought my HD2 last month.
I Had Dutty's Leo rom running since he started releasing those, so I felt completely at home with my HD2 when i had it in my hand. (For those not knowing : Leo rom for Touch HD is just that. Winmo 6.5 running HTC Sense, just like the HD2)
A few things felt wonderfully different tho :
Screen is beautifull. The glas type used is almost impossible to scratch. I have my phone in my pocket unprotected. Even accedently slipped my keys in with it a few times. Not a mark on it! What is this screen made of ? Diamond ??
Speed. Wow! This phone is fast. I ran the weather demo simultaniously, side by side with the Touch HD. And the difference makes the Touch HD look like a joke. (it's not, but compared, its sloooow)
Pinch zoom. OMG now i know why Iphone has been the king of mobile browsing. HAS been! HD2 is now the new king! Opera + capacitive screen with multi touch AND a 1 ghz processor ? It is a match made in heaven. Mobile browsing is EASY and fun now. Thank god i have an internet sub on my simcard...
Camera. Remember how a big hazzel it was to take a pic with Touch HD ? I mean, the moment is GONE, before the camera is ready to take the picture!
With HD2 and a shortcut on the Sense start screen , it takes around 1 second(!!) from press on camera icon till your ready to take the picture!. The flash LED (Which can blind a man btw) makes it possible to shoot in the dark, FINALLY!
Well those things was EXACTLY why I upgraded, and I have not been dissapointed.
Some had a huge problem with the sensitive screen. Not me, I adapted quickly, and the keyboard I was used to from leo rom on the Touch HD, so i guess it's a matter of taste, or fat fingers .
Also
There are a LOT of the tweaks and programs for Dutty's leo rom that works great with the HD2, like BG4all etc.

rd2000 said:
The flash LED (Which can blind a man btw)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, fortgot to mention the LEDs. I love them. Not to take pictures, but for everydays things. Really missed a LED on the Touch HD.

I got my HD2 a week ago, and I'm loving it, other than the rather short battery life (may be a temporary issue, some people do not have this issue).
It's definitely faster than the HD. Going through the Windows folder in File Explorer takes 2 seconds, rather than 6-8 seconds on the HD. Going through tabs in TouchFlo 3D (Sense) is fast, and tab contents are displayed lightning fast.
TomTom works great on the HD2, haven't tried CoPilot because they do not have maps that I could purchase for my region yet (which is funny, since I can download the map while trialling the software). TomTom is rather smooth on the HD2, the position cursor does not jerk forward when moving. With valid QuickGPS data, getting a GPS fix is faster than on the HD.
The speaker is a little worse than the HD in my opinion, although it's somewhat louder than the HD.
Moving from Resistive (HD) to the Capacitive screen in the HD2 may take some time to get used to it. Drawing/scribbling notes can be hard, so is selecting the directory/folder you want to go to in File Explorer. Maybe it's me, I have large fingers.
Reception compared to the HD, Nokia N82, N95 8GB.
The 3G network I'm on is rather bad in my room.
Nokia N82 and N95 8GB - 4 of 7 bars (estimated equivalent on the HD2 would be 3 of 4 bars)
HTC Touch HD - 1 of 4 bars
HTC Touch HD2 - 3 of 4 bars, sometimes full signal.
The signal bars on the HD2 tend to fluctuate at times, while holding the phone in landscape mode and browsing the internet, the signal may drop to no bars, disconnect from the network, then come back on with 1 or 2 bars.
Camera is great. Autofocus seems to be 'continuous', focusing when the camera is moved or after a few seconds. Shutter lag is much shorter than on the HD, but taking moving subjects may still result in a blurr (cranking up the ISO setting doesn't help much). Sharper than on the HD, and the automatic white balance is definitely better than on the HD under certain lighting conditions. LED Flash works OK for objects further than 30cm most of the time, using it for close ups may sometimes result in a bright, white mess.
I'm using the 1.43 ROM, so some of these issues may be fixed in the updated ROM. There are some issues in TouchFlo/Sense, but they are easily corrected by taking a trip down the Tips & Tricks Post in the Leo Forum.

tbela
I'd used Blackstone for some monthes, and overall I was satisfied. (I'd used Xanny Grid Leo rom)
I've a Leo for a week, and now I'm not simply satisfied but I'm happy with it. The speed, the huge screen and the build quality are fantastic. It's very rear, when I have to fight with small old-fashioned windows controls, but with some patience and practice it is also manageable. Nail-touching definitely doesn't work. Althogh, you can buy capacitive-compatible stylus on ebay.
Only disadvantage for me: fring doesn't work, but I hope it will be fixed soon. Temporarily I use Nimbuzz for chatting.
Overall I can highly recommend the upgrade. If you can do, DO IT!

Thanks very much for all the replies guys. The fact that most of you have written wuite a bit tells me you're very enthusiastic about the phone!
I want one for sure now. The only thing is the cost - I can't renew my contract and there are very few Leos on Ebay and around £500, but only maybe £250 sale proceeds from my HD, so it's quite a hit to take.
If I can get a few quid together to help ease the difference then I'll definitely get one.
Thanks for the comments

Same here, had the HD for about a year and liked it in many respects, the HD2 is a much nicer experience though and if you can afford it at some point I highly recommend to get it.

Well I've made my mind up to get one for sure. The only question really is when.
I'll have to buy an unlocked one on Ebay I think and there are very few on there at the moment because the phone is so new. This is obviously therefore keeping the prices really high.
I'm dying to say 'sod it' and get the credit card out but I know I ought to wait a month or two to see if they get a bit cheaper once more are being sold.
I've read reviews on it and most things I see say that this is basically the best piece of hardware on the market in terms of phones, but that it's "let down/ruined" etc by having winmo on it. I like winmo and have used it for years, so for me, that's a plus!
Having said that, I'd kill to see/have winmo7!

Yep. Those reviews are nonsense.
Powerful hardware like this needs a powerful OS, and WinMo really is by far the most powerful OS you can get.
It doesn't ruin anything. It's the perfect OS for a phone like this.
WinMo bashing is a current trend that you can't do anything against when sites like Gizmodo or Engadget spread the FUD. It's really sad.
I wouldn't want any other OS on the HD2.

maati said:
I wouldn't want any other OS on the HD2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Overall I agree, But Android 2.0 would be very interesting

Well I'm sure I'll be quite happy since it's exactly what I'm used to.
Last phones I've had have been Touch HD, Omnia, XDA Orbit etc - loved them all.
Can't WAIT to get the HD2 though. Especially now I've bought one this afternoon.

Cret said:
Well I'm sure I'll be quite happy since it's exactly what I'm used to.
Last phones I've had have been Touch HD, Omnia, XDA Orbit etc - loved them all.
Can't WAIT to get the HD2 though. Especially now I've bought one this afternoon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats to get this lovely phone. I'd wager you will like it .

Any former Touch Pro 2 owners with opinions on TP2 v. HD2?

First off I love my TP2. Best phone I have ever owned. But the HD2 looks really really great and I see the term "Best Windows Mobile Phone ever" touted a lot in several reviews. So perhaps you former TP2 owners now that you've had the phone a while can help me decide if it's worth it to upgrade over the TP2. I know people complain about the HD2's battery but I make it through a normal day with 40-50% left on my TP2, so I'm hoping battery isn't an issue. How is the bulk of the phones compare? I use a ultrathin SENA slipcase and keep my phone in my pocket, but the TP2 is so much thicker then the HD2. So you former TP2 owners do you regret going to the HD2 or is it a well worthwhile upgrade?

I own both these phones. I love both phones. Actually, I love TP2 better for work -- the battery life, the ease of data entry. As for HD2, I love the big screen especially. In fact, it is a VERY difficult choice for the two. That is also why I kept both.

The much better GPS is worth it alone. The autofocus on the camera is a lot quicker too. Most programs start up super fast due to the processor. Best move i ever made.

I've had both, and whilst I was happy with the TP2 when I had it, I could never go back. The HD2 is just SO much smoother and fun to use, so much so that I don't mind the lack of a hardware keyboard (my 5 previous phones all had proper keyboards).
The HD2 is a glorious machine, and I am chuffed I got £270 for my TP2, lol!

wait untill a new wp7 series phone is released and keep your tp2 for business ,never upgrade to hd2 now , it is over with it

Ok, let me tell you
In just a couple of hours after purchasing the HD2...i just couldn't stand the TP2. Its so much better than the TP2. If you don't text that much, the HD2 is your best choice. Its incredibly thin, the screen is WOW, its pocketable, its so much faster than the tp2 and you don't have to worry about ram memory. I used to use clean ram and schedule it every 3 hours or so. With the hd2 i always have enough ram.
Trust me, its a no brainer. Go and get it (unless the keyboard is really important to you).

lorin.bute said:
Ok, let me tell you
(unless the keyboard is really important to you).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've found with the big TP2 screen I hardly ever used the hardware keyboard any more. Only other thing I worry about is the accuracy of the capacitive screen when trying to use older programs designed for a stylus. But I don't use a lot of those and not very often (mostly to reg edit, etc).

I don't have a TP2, but I can comment on WHY I didn't get one when it would have been the logical upgrade path for me seen my long history of phones with hardware keyboard, yet got the HD2 as soon as I saw it in real life.
Firstly when I had the TP2 in my hands it really felt like a brick. Large, thick, heavy. Felt like there was a lot of "lost space" (between the keyboard keys, around the screen, that "zoom bar" I'd never find a use for)...
Secondly the speed, it didn't change me from my usual winmo experience that had always been a bit disappointing. As usual, it can do a lot of stuff, but not smoothly. It did show some improvement over my current device (Kaiser), but nothing exceptional.
The HD2 is a whole other story. As soon as you have it in the hand it feels good, perfectly designed, comfortable... the thin form factor and thin borders around the screen make it feel not like a brick of a device that has a screen to interact with, but more like an "intelligent screen" with just what's needed to hold it together, you forget the actual shell. Hard to describe by words. Then the speed, this is now a world of difference, everything is smooth and responsive, nothing in common with any other winmo device before. Then the capacitive screen, which is also a major difference and big step towards that "intelligent screen" feeling, moving things around barely touching the screen etc...
Fell in love right away and sold a bunch of unused things I had laying around in less than a week to buy it.
Yes the lack of hardware keyboard is noticeable, close keys, no tactile feedback so you don't notice when you "slip" to the neighbour key, eats half of the screen when the onscreen keyboard is out... but I must say it's not all that bad. I definitely wouldn't type a book on the HD2, but anyway I don't think I would have on a TP2 either
Just remember that it like any winmo device it needs tweaking to get the best out of it, a small but extremely noticeable one being opera, browsing the web with the default settings is laggy and ugly, while with the 50fps tweak it's perfectly smooth and changes the experience completely. And more of course.
Conclusion, just try one in a store near you, I doubt you'll resist very long

DeoreDX said:
First off I love my TP2. Best phone I have ever owned. But the HD2 looks really really great and I see the term "Best Windows Mobile Phone ever" touted a lot in several reviews. So perhaps you former TP2 owners now that you've had the phone a while can help me decide if it's worth it to upgrade over the TP2. I know people complain about the HD2's battery but I make it through a normal day with 40-50% left on my TP2, so I'm hoping battery isn't an issue. How is the bulk of the phones compare? I use a ultrathin SENA slipcase and keep my phone in my pocket, but the TP2 is so much thicker then the HD2. So you former TP2 owners do you regret going to the HD2 or is it a well worthwhile upgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I loved my TP2 for the sharp display, and excellent in-call sound quality. The HD2 is WAY better with GPS locks, and overall snappiness and operability. One of my favourite features of the HD2 is the dual LED flash. The fact that I couldn't use the TP2 camera in low light was annoying - The HD2 makes photography/video and uploading to social networks a breeze.
The speakers on the HD2 are a bit ****e tbh, but that's a sacrifice I'm happy to live with. Don't care about losing the hw kb, it's actually fun to learn with the on-screen kb and after 2 weeks I think I'm quicker on it.
Also worth mentioning that the stock ROM is pretty damn good too.

My company would pay for a TP2, but instead I spent my own money on an HD2. I've had a TP and friends with TP2. It all comes down to how addicted you are to a hardware keyboard.
If you turn on T9 (essentially spellcheck) and get the hack to turn email sideways, typing on the HD2 is pretty easy and fast. As others would say, I only rap out txt and email on it. If I need to type anything lengthy, I use a laptop.
The HD2 is just fluid. It's press and go. Scrolling is slippery quick. Copilot GPS locks in a snap and scrolls smoother than my TomTom. When screens don't slide quite as smooth as usual, I'll open up TaskMgr to find a screen full of apps I've left open.
Form factor is like holding a picture frame to your head. It's a little awkward at first but the thinness I got used to immediately.
Dual flash camera is great. Presence sensor is SO welcomed. Call clarity is great. Bluetooth reconnects much faster for some reason. And standardized 3.5mm headphone jack and micro USB port.... 'bout time.

willgill said:
My company would pay for a TP2, but instead I spent my own money on an HD2. I've had a TP and friends with TP2. It all comes down to how addicted you are to a hardware keyboard.
If you turn on T9 (essentially spellcheck) and get the hack to turn email sideways, typing on the HD2 is pretty easy and fast. As others would say, I only rap out txt and email on it. If I need to type anything lengthy, I use a laptop.
The HD2 is just fluid. It's press and go. Scrolling is slippery quick. Copilot GPS locks in a snap and scrolls smoother than my TomTom. When screens don't slide quite as smooth as usual, I'll open up TaskMgr to find a screen full of apps I've left open.
Form factor is like holding a picture frame to your head. It's a little awkward at first but the thinness I got used to immediately.
Dual flash camera is great. Presence sensor is SO welcomed. Call clarity is great. Bluetooth reconnects much faster for some reason. And standardized 3.5mm headphone jack and micro USB port.... 'bout time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
let your company pay for tp2 and you get both

Any former TP2 owners want to comment on the relative battery life between the two? I don't think it is an issue with me since I am a fairly light user but with the upcoming US release I'm sure there will be plenty of people looking for this info as well and hopefully this thread will answer most of their questions about the TP2 v. HD2 (My searching on these forums lead to some comparisons but the information was pretty spread out in the forums and took a lot of digging to look up)

I love my TP2 and HD2
I have tweaked my TP2 (WM6.5) using all the tweaks of my HD2. Now I have a HD2 Mini with WVGA. I love the TP2 for the keyboard. Typing on a HD2 is less comfortable. Now I have all the 'goodies' of the TP2 combined with the superb user interface of the HD2.
The tweaked TP2 is as responsive as the HD2, despite its lower speed. The touch screen is very good and precise by use of a stylus or my finger...... Radio of the TP2 is a little more sensitive.

Why we love our HD2? Guys, share with me

These days, I've seen way too many threads like "Goodbye HD2, hello Iphone", "Htc Hd2 bye bye" or "Wtf with this phone". I cant stand it. So I want to have a praise thread for our HD2, our beloved and best one, also want to share my opinions on the HD2 and Winmo generally for everyone to see and think.
Here are some type of opinions quite popular these days:
"Windows mobile 6.5 is a dead os for lack of a better term and also know that the development for apps for it is going to taper and die off at some point"
"HD2 is too buggy, laggy, errors"
"Winmo is a waste for HD2"
"Where are the games and apps?"
"Not work out of the box?"
To answer, first of all, I dont care about apps that Iphone or Android has.
I dont play games much now so that's a second point. Although they do have some very interesting like Tunewiki or Layar, that's the only thing I miss from my old 3GS and Hero. And if u paid so many money for games on iphone, why dont paid a 5 Euro more for Fpsece, to have the best experience about PS1 games on a mobile device so far.
Secondly, about basic apps, Winmo wins.
For videos: I dont have to spend hours to find a good convert program and hours to config and wait for the converted file to transfer to my phone, Coreplayer and TCPMP serve them right.
For ebooks: the most popular format is prc, Mobipocket reader wins again, I dont have to convert either.
For office: what can win over office mobile, please show me, I have no idea about this.
And u know what, Winmo has these basic things and apps for free!!!
Third, the true multitask:
Winmo has been a winner since the start. I agree that Iphone can be jailbreak then install e.g Proswitcher, but that's not so convenient like Winmo. The basic thing about Android is it never really closes an app, keeping it running in the background for quick response, but that only makes Android become slower and laggy just like Winmo. But for convenient, and with a power specs like HD2, it's so great in terms of multitask for me.
Fourth, the screen:
HD2 has a great and super beautiful 4.3 inch screen. I can never go back to a 3.2 (Hero) or 3.5(Iphone) now, I will consider for a 3.7 one. Watching photos, videos, viewing documents, surfing. It's superb with HD2. And please dont expect a device with great screen like that to have a good battery life. More than a day with normal usage is so enough. I got 1.5 days or even more than 2 days with my HD2.
Fifth, and the best one imo, CUSTOMIZATIONS
Winmo is the best world for customizations, for devs and chefs. It got history, and it's truly popular, right? I love to tweak my phone, customize it the way I one, change every weeks or even every days, so I cannot get bored with it. And look at this forum, so many manila mods have been built and definitely going on and on. From maxmanilla, cookie home tabs, GTX, all are wonderful and amazing. I cant thank them and all the chefs here enough.
Now, look at Iphone, what can u do with this easy to get bored home screen, except for changing icons?
And even android, it's not easy to customize it without rooting. And things to customize so far? Not much, I see.
For all that has errors, bugs, laggy, I think it's just u to make the phone like that, not the phone itself (if it's not a defective one). Too many report shows the phone works out of the box, count me in for that. I went with stock rom for a month at first with nothing went wrong.
Winmo to me is never a dead OS like it seems now. It's still growing strong in the world thanks to xda, yes, xda is the one that makes it strong, imo. We love to tweak, we love to customize, we love to share our knowledge and stuffs, so we are here. If u just dont feel like to tweak, u better not be here, xda is not some place where u can just complain and complain everyday for ur own faults.
Finally, HD2 is not a waste to me to run Winmo, it's best with Winmo.
Whew, my longest post so far. Guys, dont leave me alone, come and praise our HD2, I know u will.
List the best things u ever had with HD2 and show the world
P.S: it's just my opinion, but we all have private and personal purposes for using mobile in our life, so that we have personal choices on mobile, so please dont flame on me so hard, haha

1. big screen - can see web pages better than my x1a 3" screen
2. software options (still compatible with the software i use on my old phone) tomtom 7 - no need to have a data connection to use gps, slick im - use this when im on the move, option of using several different types of web browsers (ie, opera, opera mini, skyfire)
3. phone is unlocked and can use it as a prepaid phone.

Exactly mate, should have mentioned the chasing game between apple and devs, it's really annoying sometimes. And the price for an unlock iphone is really ridiculous.

You know, I have both the Nexus one and HD2, but I am really thinking of selling my HD2. I love all the things you have mentioned, but texting is kind of a big deal to me. With an HD2, the keyboard so choppy, no matter the rom I try. If I can somehow fix it, bye bye nexus. If not, well...

Just thinking would there be a phone that has a screen larger than 4.3" in the future or this is the biggest already? By the way 4.3" wide is a common size for GPS device.

gtb5 said:
Just thinking would there be a phone that has a screen larger than 4.3" in the future or this is the biggest already? By the way 4.3" wide is a common size for GPS device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The athena had a 5inch screen.... but you couldn't use it as a regular handset. You needed to use either bluetooth headsets or speakerphone. It was a cool phone, though.

You guys covered it
I agree with everything you guys said, except texting prob, I use swype, love it!! By far best phone I've ever had!! Just added, msvc, love it, just made perfect, better!!

My main reason for choosing HD2 over iphone or android devices is privacy!
I don't have to have apple and google knowing everything about me!

fantasytozi said:
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly my thoughts.

I love it because the great hardware I saw this as a newstep after the qualcomm 528 mhz. Wich was used for 3 or more years. This was a newstep for 2 years this will be a fast phone. And the freedom of windows mobile is also great.

Simply the best phone I ever had! Does everything I need and more!

I love my HD2 because it's big, it's strong, it's fast and give me the possibility to customize everything like I want.
I love my HD2 even because makes me different from all the mass of sheeps that walk around with an Iphone and use their phono to simulate a beer drinking and s**t like this.
Having an HD2, like my good old HTC Topaz, makes me feel different and like a pro.

I have always been a win mobile user. love the ability to anything! can send files bluetooth, COMPLETELY change the theme of the phone, and modify the software ANY way you see fit. suck on that iphone.
The only thing I would change would be camera hardware button
They say the HD2 will be the last in windows mobile 6.5. what a way to go out with a bang!!!
windows mobile+huge screen+fast processor= one sick device

I could probably be classified as a (very) dull business user and I have never before cared over what device was put into my hands..
I have used SE, Nokia, HTC, you name it, and even a iPhone for a while, and all worked okay and I did type an occasional e-mail on them but in reality they all fell short, some with clunky e-mail integration other with unsuitable screens for reading long texts.
With the HD2 I have hit "home", I have become truly freed from my office - I can access and work with my e-mails, read trough and review extensive attachment, surf the web, get online with my laptop without hassle trough the WiFi router. First phone I ever used that work seamless with bluetooth both in the car and with headsets.
It's a serious device and not a toy with downloaded flashlight applications.

afive720 said:
You know, I have both the Nexus one and HD2, but I am really thinking of selling my HD2. I love all the things you have mentioned, but texting is kind of a big deal to me. With an HD2, the keyboard so choppy, no matter the rom I try. If I can somehow fix it, bye bye nexus. If not, well...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah well, I agree that this is a let down thing at first, but after few months usage, I'm quite amazed at my typing speed right now
Did u try fingerkeyboard or swype?
uswe said:
I can access and work with my e-mails, read trough and review extensive attachment, get online with my laptop without hassle trough the WiFi router.
It's a serious device and not a toy with downloaded flashlight applications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the things that I never bother or want to do with my old 3GS and Hero

Hi,
I like:
1) Screen (come on 4.3 inch MAMA MYA that’s nice step for mobile phones. I will never buy IPhone 4G if it’s less than 4.3 inch screen)
2) Design (Very slim very sexy)
3) Speed (yeah it’s really speedy)
4) Freedom (WOW the best thing. No more F jailbreak)
I don't like:
1) SMS messaging interface (Please anyone know other messaging interfaces? or at least to tell me how to disable the loading of messages as once. I rather like IPhone messaging where it loads small amount of sms in the chat area and load more history sms on request if needed)
2) Battery life (To bad to be in such great device)

zoombay78 said:
Hi,
I like:
1) Screen (come on 4.3 inch MAMA MYA that’s nice step for mobile phones. I will never buy IPhone 4G if it’s less than 4.3 inch screen)
2) Design (Very slim very sexy)
3) Speed (yeah it’s really speedy)
4) Freedom (WOW the best thing. No more F jailbreak)
I don't like:
1) SMS messaging interface (Please anyone know other messaging interfaces? or at least to tell me how to disable the loading of messages as once. I rather like IPhone messaging where it loads small amount of sms in the chat area and load more history sms on request if needed)
2) Battery life (To bad to be in such great device)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always have over 400 sms in my inbox, and it loads quite quickly, I think. No problem for me. Why dont u try the old style thread messaging from Energy rom or some other roms?

Thank you for starting this post. I was reluctant to upgrade from my Touch Pro to the HD2 for the lack of a hardware keyboard, which I used constantly. The big, beautiful screen won me over and I'm happy to report that I'm typing as fast as ever now that I'm used to my HD2.
I love the huge screen, HTC Sense (Thanks to Cookie and averyone else, not enough room in this thread), one touch dialing, programs etc, etc.
Every, and I mean EVERY challenge that I had with my phone when I first bought it has been solved by using these forums.
Every, and I mean EVERY modification that I could have dreamed of has been supplied by using these forums.
This has been the case since I started using WinMo and with every device I've owned.
These sour grapes posts by individuals who refuse to take the time to use this fine provision in order to make full use of their HD2 are a slap in the face to the hardworking developers who have brought countless hours of joy to the rest of us who deeply appreciate their work.
To the developers and contributors of this forum: I salute you.
To the individuals who are posting their "Bye, Bye" threads. Please leave quietly, and don't let the door hit you in the iphone.

Oh finally some positive thread for HD2.
So what i love about my HD2.
Speed - lighting fast
Customization - Thanks Winmo 6.5
Usefull Programs - Programs that really matters. Like Resco explorer and image viewer, FPSEce,iGO with multitouch and compass
BIG screen - The Biggest!
Open platform (flashing ROMs) - Can be really fun
Loud speakers - Well maybe too much =)
Capacitive screen with multitouch - Say yes to best gaming experience
How the phone feels in pocket (comfortable) - You dont even know it's in your pocket
But there are few bad things =(
Development - The newest games looks like ripped of java with touch support
Really old core of OS - Winmo 6.5 is quite ugly too
Reset button under Battery cover - lol at this one

KowboyBebop said:
Oh finally some positive thread for HD2.
So what i love about my HD2.
Speed - lighting fast
Customization - Thanks Winmo 6.5
Usefull Programs - Programs that really matters. Like Resco explorer and image viewer, FPSEce,iGO with multitouch and compass
BIG screen - The Biggest!
Open platform (flashing ROMs) - Can be really fun
Loud speakers - Well maybe too much =)
Capacitive screen with multitouch - Say yes to best gaming experience
How the phone feels in pocket (comfortable) - You dont even know it's in your pocket
But there are few bad things =(
Development - The newest games looks like ripped of java with touch support
Really old core of OS - Winmo 6.5 is quite ugly too
Reset button under Battery cover - lol at this one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for support at fpsece, KB
About reset button, why dont u try to install the Long Press End Key Reset? That saves me a lot from opening the battery cover

First post, want to choose between the HD2 & N900

Hey everyone,
I'm sorry my first post couldn't be of much benefit to anyone, but well, I joined these forums so I could learn and then hopefully contribute to the community as well.
My question is,
For a casual multimedia user and a heavy web browser like myself, what would be the better phone? the Leo or the Nokia N900?
I prefer the Leo because of it's larger screen, faster processor, customization ability and plus, WM just feels like home
However, I've heard complaints from many saying that the speaker is too distorted, the keyboard is rubbish and the touchscreen is oversensitive. Now, these are complete dealbreakers for me and even if I can live with the speaker, I need to have a proper, usable keyboard and an intuitive interface, which the N900 already has.
I'm also pretty concerned about the audio sync issue, on EVERY HD2, that occurs on videos making the audio usually lag behind the video about 100-250ms. That, alone, is worth making me not consider the device, despite it's strengths against every other phone.
For this reason, I can't really decide on which to buy and have come to you guys for suggestions.
Thanks in advance

Well first the leo..
You got a large screen Looking tv is simply amazing. The design of the leo is so slim ok the n900 has keyboard but it could be thinner for a qwerty slider.The second question how long do you use your phone 2 years or more?
The HD2 have very large ram and a fast proccesor. It future proof. If there comes a new version of windows or a cool android port big possibility that the hardware is capable of running the new OS. For the rest there are much more apps for the htc you can choose different navigation software and more. But oke the n900 is growing. In my eyes the hardware (exceptbattery and the glass of the screen wich can break) the device is solid as rock wifi, gps it al works nice and fast. Normally your device will be looking as new. Evrything fits nicely to gether no dust in the device etc... BUT one disadvantage you need to tweak your device flashing a custom rom installing some needed things cookies hometab, Srs wow hd, a better movie player. But ones done your device is perfect fast, the battery hold a long day. And you got a great device. About the touchscreen and keyboard if you practice with you can learn how to type with. But for the rest the touchscreen works good it is sensetive reactes fine in my opnion. Ok this was the LEO.
You can make windows perfect for you.
N900
Good device lots of linux developers. Works good maybe a bit better out of the box then leo. But less apps. The device is thicker. But the opterating system is a bit smarter. The device is in my opnion uglyer than leo.
Conclusion:
If you like a little bit tweaking and not to noob with electronics. And dont gonna cry if you installed a program that make your device unstable. And not the first thing that you are gonna do is calling htc if you got problems. Then you will love your htc hd2.
If you are a customer that not is intrested in the device it self and you hate complicated things etc.. than choose the n900
It is like this
OS:
N900 Good/very good
LEO Good
OS after tweaking
N900 Good/very good
LEO Ultimate (greatest possibilities of a mobile device).
But in fact of hardware hd2 always powns with any phon
But the N900 is more intuintive.
But if you don't change settings evryday. Sense works simply and intuintive in my opnion.
Only if you are wanna play a XVID (example) you need 3d party apss with are not always intuitnive.
It works fine stable and with cookies hometab perfect.

in my oppinion the leo is the best phone i´ve had, but it all depends on the users needs, interrest and the time u want to spend customizing the phone to your needs and likings... ..
my advice would be try out but phones in a shop and take the one you like the best... ...
cheers
ps. NEVER experienced oversensitivity on my leo´s screen, and the keyboard is easy to use when u get used to it, otherwise there are alot of alternatives to the winmobile keyboard..

I'm don't know N900 too much but I have some inputs about the HD2 that you will like!
The touch screen has been a bit sensitive, I love the sensitivity BUT it gets in the way when typing on the keyboard, making it suck big time kick ass hard!
However, I just flashed to the Artemis v14 ROM (which is a custom ROM if you didn't get that far in your research).
To my big surprise, either because I forgot to turn off the vibration feedback, or the keyboard was actally improved, cuz now it's almost impossible to misspress anymore.
I am so satisfied with the keyboard now, so that problem is 100% gone!
Personally, before I got my HD2, I was a bit against it not having a hardware keyboard, but now I'd rather get raped than have a HD2 twice or tripple its thickness just to get a hw-keyboard.
Summary: The keyboard on HD2 is great now.
With time, I got either used to the little distortion the speakers has, or the quality got a little bit better (I think it actually did! I always have the lowest volume though).
So, the speaker might not be what u expect when u pay so much money, but the sens of the screen is good and the keyboard works flawlessly!
Hope this helps ur desicion!

You cannot beat the HD2 for web browsing Opera 9.7 is the best mobile browser ever made and in landscape it's simply huge, you can read pretty much a whole web page width as it was designed.
The default keyboard is very good in my opinion however I use SlideIT which I think cannot be beaten, it's a Swype variant but better.
However you must take battery life into consideration, and I don't care what people say, the HD2 has a poor battery life. I carry a spare as a matter of course and rarely burn through one a day, but just in case it's an essential thing to have.
I wouldn't swap my HD2 for the world with a custom ROM, and a few tweaks nothing can beat it.

what site do you open when you are browsing the web?
if it's full of flash then go to the n900 or android phone
if it's just the regular web pages just go with the hd2.
as the hd2 won't get the flash 10.1 from the adobe
the hd2 will be perfect if it got the flash 10.
huge screen, the pretty htc sense, best web browser (if the web without flash), very fast snapdragon, beautiful design, and many more

Thanks for the replies, everyone.
I am the tweaking, modding sort of person and frankly I do browse a LOT of webpages.
From your feedback @jan-willem3 I have to agree with you, the Leo is better looking and more modder friendly, it is also much more powerful than the N900.
From everybody elses, I see the keyboard has some issues and since I'm coming from an E90 communicator I presume I'd just have to get used to touchscreens. Go figure.
Anyhow, you guys have convinced me, I'm springing for the HD2 since here it is a little bit cheaper than the N900. I will miss the TV-out but I think the screen is big enough for movie watching.
Just a few more questions, does an Apple Wireless Keyboard work properly with it? and does it have any problems handling 16GB microSD cards?

un fair to compare these two devices . leo leads by million miles ( multitouch capastive screen, the on screen keyboare is bigger than the hardware keyboard on n 900 , more power processor , more than twice ram (576 vs 256 ). bigger screen ,and finally (windows os ,means push email ,revolutionary office ,and allot for business needs0

I had an N900 which is good but the battery life is rubbish. I tried two different phones and three batteries incase I had a duff phone. In the end I exchanged the N900 for the HD2. On the N900 the battery would last three hours and using the same amount of web browsing, phone calls and playing with the phone I can get one and a bit days from the HD2.
Some of the features of the N900 are better than the HD2, uploading to facebook, and I could get my location uploaded to facebook and twitter.
I also liked the cover to protect the camera lens on the N900, what I did not like was the lack of apps and the general feel taht the N900 was a work in progress.

I have the used both phones.
The N900 is probably better for multimedia & browsing.
The keyboard is better, it has TV Out (Out of the box, including cable) too so you can use a big screen for films and browsing.
The films seem to run a lot smoother too than on the HD2 despite the HD2's superior spec.
A nice touch of the N900 is the built in stand to stand the phone at an angle while watching films.
The HD2 runs really nice in WIFI router mode though and my laptop runs great and fast online off the HD2, so if you're going to use a laptop with for browsing while out then the HD2 is better suited.
However, the HD2 is much better looking & more customisable.
The N900 is actually very chunky though. But it has the bonus of a 32gb Storage on board which is very nice.
For me the N900 has a much better battery life while browsing & film watching. I guess it's due to the slightly smaller screen & processor.
Id love to say the HD2 as this is what I use daily, but for what you need the N900 is probably better.
Here's a pic of them side by side I took a while ago with some other phones for a direct comparison.

HTC_Junglist said:
I have the used both phones.
The N900 is probably better for multimedia & browsing.
The keyboard is better, it has TV Out (Out of the box, including cable) too so you can use a big screen for films and browsing.
The films seem to run a lot smoother too than on the HD2 despite the HD2's superior spec.
A nice touch of the N900 is the built in stand to stand the phone at an angle while watching films.
The HD2 runs really nice in WIFI router mode though and my laptop runs great and fast online off the HD2, so if you're going to use a laptop with for browsing while out then the HD2 is better suited.
However, the HD2 is much better looking & more customisable.
The N900 is actually very chunky though. But it has the bonus of a 32gb Storage on board which is very nice.
For me the N900 has a much better battery life while browsing & film watching. I guess it's due to the slightly smaller screen & processor.
Id love to say the HD2 as this is what I use daily, but for what you need the N900 is probably better.
Here's a pic of them side by side I took a while ago with some other phones for a direct comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, except that the battery life is better because of the lesser backlighting and the smaller processor. Both screens (HD2 and N900) have the same resolution, as you know.
Tbh, the only reason I'm not buying the N900 is because of the screen, which I'm downgrading on. My current E90 communicator has a screen with slightly lower resolution (i.e. 800x352) than the N900 and the HD2 but it measures 4.0 inches. Losing screen real-estate is not something I'm willing to do.
The N900 has an amazing browser but the HD2 has more screen space to offset that. Both can play multimedia but I'm holding off on the HD2 because of this. No escape since this seems to affect the HTC Desire too.
In the end, I do think the N900 is better for me, but it's size and small screen put me off. What do you guys think I should go for, then, as an alternative?

Yeah I can see why you don't want to go for the N900 if it's smaller in screen size than you have, otherwise I think it would be a good choice for you.
As you can see in that pic there is also a Sony Erricsson Xperia X10
I would not recommend you get this.
Browsing is very painful and it only plays MP4 out the box, no avi!!!!!
It just doesn't run nice IMO but does have a nice screen & camera.

HTC_Junglist said:
Yeah I can see why you don't want to go for the N900 if it's smaller in screen size than you have, otherwise I think it would be a good choice for you.
As you can see in that pic there is also a Sony Erricsson Xperia X10
I would not recommend you get this.
Browsing is very painful and it only plays MP4 out the box, no avi!!!!!
It just doesn't run nice IMO but does have a nice screen & camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm. then that's the XPERIA X10 out of the picture.
What else do you recommend? Thanks for helping me out on this.

u said the keyboard and the oversensetive screen would be dealbreaker for u...
there are so many other amazing keyboard for winmo out there. i hate the standard htc keyboard too, i really hate it. the first app i installed was the fingerkeyboard 2.1 ^.^ i just love it.
and yes, some ppl say the screen is oversensetive.. it truly is if u compare it to older winmo devices or another capacitive device BUT this problem is already solved ^.^ there are some cabs on this forum to decrase the screen sensetivity. im using this since 2 months now or so, and its really better
uuhm, i think i just killed ur dealbreakers
and hey, for me, the speakers are okay, well i only use them for utube or when my phone rings, for what else should i? why should i watch movies on my hd2 without earplugs? i mean, we got so amazing sound quality with WOW SRS

D4rkSoRRoW said:
u said the keyboard and the oversensetive screen would be dealbreaker for u...
there are so many other amazing keyboard for winmo out there. i hate the standard htc keyboard too, i really hate it. the first app i installed was the fingerkeyboard 2.1 ^.^ i just love it.
and yes, some ppl say the screen is oversensetive.. it truly is if u compare it to older winmo devices or another capacitive device BUT this problem is already solved ^.^ there are some cabs on this forum to decrase the screen sensetivity. im using this since 2 months now or so, and its really better
uuhm, i think i just killed ur dealbreakers
and hey, for me, the speakers are okay, well i only use them for utube or when my phone rings, for what else should i? why should i watch movies on my hd2 without earplugs? i mean, we got so amazing sound quality with WOW SRS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty convinced about these problems being easy to solve, but I just saw this. Personally, this is a major flaw that will seriously affect my movie-watching.

hackm0d said:
I'm pretty convinced about these problems being easy to solve, but I just saw this. Personally, this is a major flaw that will seriously affect my movie-watching.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aww, i saw this thread, but i always ignored it cause im not watching that many movies with my phone.. for me it doesnt matter, but it suxx

D4rkSoRRoW said:
aww, i saw this thread, but i always ignored it cause im not watching that many movies with my phone.. for me it doesnt matter, but it suxx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but I dooo want to watch movies on my HD2 when it comes, that's what the big screen is for, no?
The thing is, I'm just letting a sync issue change me over to Maemo, a smaller, resistive screen and a whole lot of included bulk. But to me, movie watching on the go is CRUCIAL.
For the guys with this issue, is it really that bad? Even with TCPMP and CorePlayer? What if we lower the bitrate a bit?

HTC_Junglist said:
Yeah I can see why you don't want to go for the N900 if it's smaller in screen size than you have, otherwise I think it would be a good choice for you.
As you can see in that pic there is also a Sony Erricsson Xperia X10
I would not recommend you get this.
Browsing is very painful and it only plays MP4 out the box, no avi!!!!!
It just doesn't run nice IMO but does have a nice screen & camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, does the screen "feel" small? As in do you ever squint at the screen to watch videos or struggle to read text? Or is there not enough room to see things properly? If it doesn't I might just go for it over the HD2, the main reason being the audio sync issue on the HD2. Have you tried playing videos on the HD2 and noticed any discernable lag in the audio and video?

Yeah, mine has terrile lag unless I use TCPMP then it's fine, doesn't work for everyone though.
The N900s screen is fine for me, no squinting, it just looks a bit small in appearance as the phone is quite chunky so it just doesn't look so big compared to the chunky phone it's on.

Kalavere said:
You cannot beat the HD2 for web browsing Opera 9.7 is the best mobile browser ever made and in landscape it's simply huge, you can read pretty much a whole web page width as it was designed.
The default keyboard is very good in my opinion however I use SlideIT which I think cannot be beaten, it's a Swype variant but better.
However you must take battery life into consideration, and I don't care what people say, the HD2 has a poor battery life. I carry a spare as a matter of course and rarely burn through one a day, but just in case it's an essential thing to have.
I wouldn't swap my HD2 for the world with a custom ROM, and a few tweaks nothing can beat it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have agreed about SlideIt until the 2.13 ROM update was released. Now, the top performer is Swype for me, once again. I just bought SlideIt too, darn it!