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Hello,
I joined XDA back in 08" upon buying a tmo dash, and since them this community has been one of my addictions on the web. You guys have helped me acquire my gadget lust... I recently purchased my HD2, April 22, and I've had a couple of popular phones prior to this. I've owned a 1st gen iphone, G1, nokia e71, and my last phone was a mt3g. I love Android and I might be a little biased but I'm honestly trying to love my HD2. And I do love some things about it. Huge screen of course, I love the fact I can play every video on my computer without conversion on my phone right out the box. I love that I can upload files on the internet like I'm on a desktop. But I just feel the phone isn't living up to its full potential... I will state my own personal gripes and any suggestions will gladly be welcomed. My first gripe is my text message problem in the htc messaging... The threaded text conversations are always wrong in terms of time sent/received. I searched for solutions and only found other people with the same problem and no solutions. The 1st day of use I thought the battery life was abyssal, but after two weeks it's decent for such a powerful device. I've experienced recent freezing but I just download cleanRam, so I'll see if that alleviates that for me. I would prefer not to use a custom rom, which is weird to me b/c I used customs roms, on my dash, g1, and mt3g. I've read about a mms problem... Everybody usually gets my MMS except att subscribers, but that's not that big of a deal. I do like the Sense overlay on top of the winmo OS, so I don't won't to turn that off. The phone seems sluggish at times to have such a fast processor. I don't have much running in the background... No FB, No Twitter, only my gmail account through active sync. Is there a way to set my own location for the weather? All and all this phone has tons of potential, and I hope Tmo US is gracious enough to give us an update, but if not I will be in the kitchen requesting a cooked rom
BTW... check out this link http://online.wsj.com/video/mossber...are/FDC75CAD-F440-4D3C-AE19-A7B906E9A854.html He has some very valid points
marmar82 said:
Hello,
I joined XDA back in 08" upon buying a tmo dash, and since them this community has been one of my addictions on the web. You guys have helped me acquire my gadget lust... I recently purchased my HD2, April 22, and I've had a couple of popular phones prior to this. I've owned a 1st gen iphone, G1, nokia e71, and my last phone was a mt3g. I love Android and I might be a little biased but I'm honestly trying to love my HD2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from the same hardware. Cant remember last time I ran a stock Rom on a phone. Quit fighting it, I went with Kumar's from and a new Radio. 8GB CL6 card and added a few apps. Thats the only way Winmo is capable. No need to put it off, it's inevitable. Good Luck. EVO is in my future.
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.
Was curious if anyone bought an HD2 without knowing it's potential.I was looking at adding lines to my T-Mobile account (thanks to family members stupidity). I browsed online at my free phone options (per line) and went with the highest priced. Almost changed my mind but after being told this phone would no longer be available in 3 hours I went for it. Thinking I got a great deal after misreading the os, I couldn't wait till my android phone arrived. Upon booting I about smashed the phone through my brain. Thanks to wm6.5 lack of wow factor I stumbled upon xda. Thanks to playing angry birds on a friends phone and the humility of admitting his android os was superior I picked apart xda and had an SD version by morning with angry birds installed. The joy derived from one upping him can't be described. All the devs and dedicated owners have my appreciation. Without the devs creating so diligently and xda members continued testing I would have hated this phone.
Sent from my HTC HD2 wm 6.5/darkstones superRAM 1.5,Ebl using XDA App
Not in the same way you did but I did stumble upon the HD2 in a way.
I knew it came with WM6.5 but I also knew I could load Android on it as a dual boot...little did I know the NAND version was so close behind and now WP7 is almost a lock, along with Unbuntu and Meego....this phone is just a crazy hackers dream...
I use hackers loosely when I talk about myself...it's more that I can follow directions good then hack anything...
THE DEV's ROCK...!!!!
A friend of my wife got it and was talking about how nice it was so I decided to try it. Didn't really stumble on it but I also hadn't used WM prior to that. Before it was BlackBerry or the Sidekick.
i bought the phone off my friend's friend for 120 bucks in a heartbeat because it's a htc and it's almost brand new before knowing anything about this phone. my friend's friend is a girl, she don't know anything about this phone also, she bought the phone with t-mousa contract about 2 months ago. the only reason she told me she don't like this phone is b/c the stock winmo 6.5 doesnt show any asian languages and inputs. lol (she is asian.) so she got herself a samsung galaxy S (paying full retail price) and sell this hd2 to me. thanks to xda, i flashed a nand andriod on it and running smooth, everything working and all. (next time i run into her, i should show her my phone and laugh at her...lol...sign )
a while back i was using a dopod 7500. i outgrew the size factor and thus changed to a htc touch pro2. after like a month or two of reading around the xda site, i noticed how powerful and versatile the hd2 was....that's where the regret came in =) but fortunately my touch pro 2 was stolen in my former place of work. my wife, bless her, has always made sure we had home and contents insurance. that was when i immediately opted for a hd2 as a replacement. the insurance guy was offering a htc mozart (running w7). i specifically wanted the hd2 because it was on top of the ladder in terms of wm devices. plus i also knew i could load android into the unit. and i was reading earlier on that w7 could eventually be cracked and loaded as well (which has now happened). so, got my hd2 and have never been more pleased. it's now running android and it's exceeded my expectations.
I previously had the HD1 which I loved because of hardware ans the screen size then when HD2 was released I was like ...WOW!
I really didnt mind Windows Mobile, been using it for years, had plenty of apps but decided to try Android on blackstone (HD1) just because I could
After trying Android on the HD1 I slowy started using it more and more untill I found myself booting into it every time I turned on my phone. This lead to me using a bootloader to automatically starting it when powering on and then ultimatley getting rid of WinMo all together and flashing to NAND in HD2.
I now have WP7 on NAND and Android on SD but will put WP7 on SD if/when its possible as Android is my main OS. Sorry if that went a bit off topic, I didnt really stumble across HD2 I knew I wanted it because it was the big brother to my HD1.
To me the HD2 is as still top of teh range now as it was back then and is still up there with the top spec phones. I dont think I will be retiring this phone for at least another year or two unless something as versatile comes along.
Completely agree this is by far the best phone I've owned.I'll keep it till it dies, and may get an unopened 2nd for that sad day.
Sent from my HTC Leo Eater of all communication devices.
Just saw this thread and i felt completely identified. Six month ago a friend of mine was able to acquire me a new mobile phone through his company. So I ask him for a HTC Legend, that was the one that I liked the most. What he finally got me was a HD2, and I remember I was disappointed, I wanted an android phone.
But since I found XDA I am so happy with my HD2 that I actually can't believe it's true.
That's my story about how I stumbled with the best and most vesatile phone on the market. I am a lucky man. Don't you think?
(Sorry for my bad english).
odes said:
Completely agree this is by far the best phone I've owned.I'll keep it till it dies, and may get an unopened 2nd for that sad day.
Sent from my HTC Leo Eater of all communication devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive actually been thinking about doing the same thing.
Hi. So i've been thinking about buying and HTC HD2 for a while, and finally decided that i will buy one.
I'm looking on Amazon at the moment and after looking at the reviews, the only problem seems to be that they are shipping T-Mobile USA versions of the phone instead of International. Which i'm completely fine with since i live in the USA and T-Mobile USA is my carrier.
The price is $299.99. I"m wondering if this device is worth that price considering that it came out like 1-2 years ago.
Would this be a good purchase? or would it be better to just look around more on ebay or something like that.
Thanks for the help .
i love this phone. i live and breathe it (for good or bad) but paying 300 bucks just might be worth it. i mean it is great. but you are paying for a WM phone to put wm7 or android (assuming you don't want WM). seems like you could get a lot of phone for that kind of cash. now the fun factor is worth it, but i see a lot of android native phones and happy people. personally, i would look around, check out native devices and the tweaks available here and go from there. now, it isn't a bad choice for a phone, but it ain't no spring chicken.
I already have an Android device. I was gonna get the HD2 back when i upgrade in November. I don't know why i didn't lol.
I figured $300 might be worth it. I've never used a Windows Mobile device before. I know it isn't exactly an amazing operating system. But if i don't like it i could stick Android or Windows Phone 7 on it. Which is another reason I kinda want to get this because I was thinking my next device would be a Windows Phone 7 device anyway. And it's not like i'm wasting an upgrade with T-Mobile anyway so I could still upgrade to a newer device later down the road.
I might just do it. According to Amazon i can return cell phones within the first 30 days of purchase. So i could probably just get a refund if I have problems with it or something.
I bought one for 380 about 3 or 4 months ago, and I definitely thought it was worth it.
There's so much you can do with this phone. Take off wm6.5 and put android on there. And at least 6 different really good versions of android. And it's so easy to switch from one android rom to another.
And after you've found the one you really like, then you can customize the hell out of it.
I'm a student in graduate school and this phone is the primary way I study. I installed studydroid, and this is 90% of what I do to study for an exam. If I had known how helpful this phone would be in my day to day activities, I would have bought it a year early for twice as much.
It has a calender, note taking, syncing contacts with google, very decent camera, mp3 player, and you can make the phone look very pretty.
If my HD2 broke right now, I would probably buy another for 300 usd immediately.
zackdroid said:
Hi. So i've been thinking about buying and HTC HD2 for a while, and finally decided that i will buy one.
I'm looking on Amazon at the moment and after looking at the reviews, the only problem seems to be that they are shipping T-Mobile USA versions of the phone instead of International. Which i'm completely fine with since i live in the USA and T-Mobile USA is my carrier.
The price is $299.99. I"m wondering if this device is worth that price considering that it came out like 1-2 years ago.
Would this be a good purchase? or would it be better to just look around more on ebay or something like that.
Thanks for the help .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to be really Honest..once you start using Windows Mobile after using Android there is a 99% chance you wont like it. Its just lack of support thats all. I however still use WM cos it fulfills my basic needs.
1) SMS
2) Internet(Opera Mini)
3) Watching Movies
4) Making Calls
5) Battery Life (its amazing...I have 3G off and use automatic brightness and at the end of the day after nominal use my battery meter is around 70%)
So I am sure you will feel like putting Android/WP7 on it but since you already have an android phone you would go for Wp7
if thats the case
i would advice you to rather go buy the HD7 cos no matter how much of tweaking they do to the WP7 on HD2 it wont be as good as native Wp7 on HD7 ( is what I feel...battery issues...driver issues...magldr issues)
so yeah...go for a HD7..its an amazing phone...sleek and better display than HD2 (more colors) !! and i think an Android port will be soon there for the HD7 tooo !!!
Thanks everyone for the input. I just ordered it, it will be here friday .
Zackdroid,
Congratulations on your purchase! Just my 2 cents: while it's fashionable around these parts to knock the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and for (well-meaning) people to advise you: "just take that off and install Android", let me just say that:
If we're talking about stock WinMo + stock Sense as the phone comes out of the box, then yes-- it's crappy. Considering that Microsoft is very good at building things with potential, but ultimately releasing them half-assed and half-brained, it's no wonder. But thanks to the incredibly smart, dedicated, creative, and inventive folks here on XDA, you can skin, stabilize, and mod WinMo into an entirely different beast (or install a custom ROM that does it for you). I started off like most people, whining about Windows on the HD2 and wanting to do something about it. However, unlike many others, I had to keep WinMo because I have need for several apps that have no Android equivalent (including a few that I wrote myself). So for me it started as necessity. But now, I'll say to anyone who'll listen, that a custom WinMo6.5 running the new Cookie's Home Tab Suite (with Editor, GUI, and Loco) is an entirely different experience. It's like the OS that Microsoft should have built, but didn't. In reality, it's not really even a mod but a bona fide re-write of the operating system (and it certainly blows the newer Windows Phone 7 out of the water). Truthfully, I love WinMo + CHT so much that when I'm in Android I can sometimes feel guilty that I'm not using CHT (and btw, I LOVE Android). So before you dismiss WinMo out of hand, give that some thought.
I cant say I really understand a lot of the advice here like "when you get your phone wipe Windows and install Android". This is NOT because of my previous statement defending WinMo, but rather because:
if its strictly Android you're after, there are newer (and cheaper) phones that have Android already installed, or that you can root and install your own custom flavor, but most importantly...
one of the most beautiful things about the HD2 is its unique status as a powerful, versatile, multi-OS phone. This thing is just not meant to run one OS!
NOTHING beats somebody asking me,
"Hey, what kind of phone is that?"
It's an HD2, I say.
"Oh, what is that, Android?"
Well...yes...I run Android. And a custom version of Windows Mobile. Oh, and Ubuntu as well. Yep. 'Matter of fact, if I wanted to I could run MeeGo, Win 95, and a few others I can't think of.
And then I can watch their jaw drop. I have had hardcore geeks practically foaming at the mouth in envy after I give them a quick multi-boot custom ROM demo and tally off all the relentless hacking I've done to this phone. It's awesome.
The bottom line is most of us here installed other stuff on our phone because we weren't satisfied with the stock phone, and could do something about it, because of the people and tools present here on XDA. But we already owned an HD2. I'm not sure I would go out and buy an HD2 if I was just going to turn it into a run of the mill phone like all the rest... get me?
RDionysus said:
Zackdroid,
Congratulations on your purchase! Just my 2 cents: while it's fashionable around these parts to knock the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and for (well-meaning) people to advise you: "just take that off and install Android", let me just say that:
If we're talking about stock WinMo + stock Sense as the phone comes out of the box, then yes-- it's crappy. Considering that Microsoft is very good at building things with potential, but ultimately releasing them half-assed and half-brained, it's no wonder. But thanks to the incredibly smart, dedicated, creative, and inventive folks here on XDA, you can skin, stabilize, and mod WinMo into an entirely different beast (or install a custom ROM that does it for you). I started off like most people, whining about Windows on the HD2 and wanting to do something about it. However, unlike many others, I had to keep WinMo because I have need for several apps that have no Android equivalent (including a few that I wrote myself). So for me it started as necessity. But now, I'll say to anyone who'll listen, that a custom WinMo6.5 running the new Cookie's Home Tab Suite (with Editor, GUI, and Loco) is an entirely different experience. It's like the OS that Microsoft should have built, but didn't. In reality, it's not really even a mod but a bona fide re-write of the operating system (and it certainly blows the newer Windows Phone 7 out of the water). Truthfully, I love WinMo + CHT so much that when I'm in Android I can sometimes feel guilty that I'm not using CHT (and btw, I LOVE Android). So before you dismiss WinMo out of hand, give that some thought.
I cant say I really understand a lot of the advice here like "when you get your phone wipe Windows and install Android". This is NOT because of my previous statement defending WinMo, but rather because:
if its strictly Android you're after, there are newer (and cheaper) phones that have Android already installed, or that you can root and install your own custom flavor, but most importantly...
one of the most beautiful things about the HD2 is its unique status as a powerful, versatile, multi-OS phone. This thing is just not meant to run one OS!
NOTHING beats somebody asking me,
"Hey, what kind of phone is that?"
It's an HD2, I say.
"Oh, what is that, Android?"
Well...yes...I run Android. And a custom version of Windows Mobile. Oh, and Ubuntu as well. Yep. 'Matter of fact, if I wanted to I could run MeeGo, Win 95, and a few others I can't think of.
And then I can watch their jaw drop. I have had hardcore geeks practically foaming at the mouth in envy after I give them a quick multi-boot custom ROM demo and tally off all the relentless hacking I've done to this phone. It's awesome.
The bottom line is most of us here installed other stuff on our phone because we weren't satisfied with the stock phone, and could do something about it, because of the people and tools present here on XDA. But we already owned an HD2. I'm not sure I would go out and buy an HD2 if I was just going to turn it into a run of the mill phone like all the rest... get me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much the main reason I wanted to buy this phone is because of all of the OS's. I've heard people say that Windows Mobile is a horrible OS but honestly it doesn't look as bad as people say. I'm deffinantly not just buying this just to put Android on it considering I already have a rooted Android phone lol. I've always wanted to mess around and use Windows Mobile. And it's a device that could probably last me a while. I really can't wait until it gets here . lol.
EDIT: I also forgot to put on here that I think some of the Windows Mobile ROMs are pretty cool and nice looking.
I had my share of WM devices over the years and find HD2 simply amazing. When presented with a choice, I went for HD2 due to various OS ports available and options/customisations presented. In fact, I am in the process of parting with every other phone in my collection, bar HTC Universal, but I am keeping that one for sentimental reasons.
So yeah, i'd part with $300 if I had to replace mine. I am looking for a main board to stick into another HD2 I have, just so that I can have 1 set up and operational for daily use and another for flashing and playing around. Anyone wants to part with their broken, yet still alive HD2 - give me a PM.
As a matter of fact, I might have to shell out for a new HD2 myself. After a year and a half my phone has developed some reception/antenna problems, which if I cant figure out how to resolve it (like, by cracking open the phone and seeing if there's something "obvious" I can fix) I will have to retire the phone.
At that point, it will be tempting to grab something from the new crop of sweet Android-only phones, but I know for sure I'd be jonesin' for some multi-platform action and my HD2.
I'm starting to look now; I just hope I can find one for the right price.
RDionysus said:
As a matter of fact, I might have to shell out for a new HD2 myself. After a year and a half my phone has developed some reception/antenna problems, which if I cant figure out how to resolve it (like, by cracking open the phone and seeing if there's something "obvious" I can fix) I will have to retire the phone.
At that point, it will be tempting to grab something from the new crop of sweet Android-only phones, but I know for sure I'd be jonesin' for some multi-platform action and my HD2.
I'm starting to look now; I just hope I can find one for the right price.
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Click to collapse
That sucks :/. When I was looking around ebay i saw some for cheap prices. I figured i should play it safe by buying off of amazon though so that's what i did. I paid $299US for it.
Meanwhile, if you are looking at newer Android devices, and you're on T-Mobile USA, and don't mind keyboards, I would wait untill the myTouch 4G Slide is released. And HTC is supposed to be unlocking the bootloader on the Sensation 4G so that's another choice .
enigma1nz said:
I had my share of WM devices over the years and find HD2 simply amazing. When presented with a choice, I went for HD2 due to various OS ports available and options/customisations presented. In fact, I am in the process of parting with every other phone in my collection, bar HTC Universal, but I am keeping that one for sentimental reasons.
So yeah, i'd part with $300 if I had to replace mine. I am looking for a main board to stick into another HD2 I have, just so that I can have 1 set up and operational for daily use and another for flashing and playing around. Anyone wants to part with their broken, yet still alive HD2 - give me a PM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why I went for the HD2. My other choice was gonna be the Touch Pro2 since it was cheaper and you can put Android on it. But i think the extra money will be worth it.
zackdroid said:
That sucks :/. When I was looking around ebay i saw some for cheap prices. I figured i should play it safe by buying off of amazon though so that's what i did. I paid $299US for it.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, there's a lot of phones on Ebay, but many are of questionable quality. You'll pay more on Amazon, but I'm assuming you got a warranty, so that's piece of mind.
Meanwhile, if you are looking at newer Android devices, and you're on T-Mobile USA, and don't mind keyboards, I would wait untill the myTouch 4G Slide is released. And HTC is supposed to be unlocking the bootloader on the Sensation 4G so that's another choice .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I hadn't given any thought to the myTouch. And obviously the Sensation is the new "it" phone, but honestly, apart from the excitement factor, it's served me well not to jump on the latest stuff, preferring to let the real early-adopters see what kinds of flaws and bugs are present and whether they can be fixed. I've avoided quite a few lemons this way (although you can't always avoid them all ) There are some grumblings RE the Sensation which I'm keeping my eye on: possible "deathgrip" flaw (which may turn out to be a red herring), wide swings in reception-quality on the TMOUS network (which the HD2 also suffered from!), so we'll see....
In the meantime, a few of my friends are taking any opportunity to rave (which can get a bit annoying) about their T-Mo G2X's, so that's a prospect if I go the non-HD2 route....
RDionysus said:
Yeah, there's a lot of phones on Ebay, but many are of questionable quality. You'll pay more on Amazon, but I'm assuming you got a warranty, so that's piece of mind.
Thanks, I hadn't given any thought to the myTouch. And obviously the Sensation is the new "it" phone, but honestly, apart from the excitement factor, it's served me well not to jump on the latest stuff, preferring to let the real early-adopters see what kinds of flaws and bugs are present and whether they can be fixed. I've avoided quite a few lemons this way (although you can't always avoid them all ) There are some grumblings RE the Sensation which I'm keeping my eye on: possible "deathgrip" flaw (which may turn out to be a red herring), wide swings in reception-quality on the TMOUS network (which the HD2 also suffered from!), so we'll see....
In the meantime, a few of my friends are taking any opportunity to rave (which can get a bit annoying) about their T-Mo G2X's, so that's a prospect if I go the non-HD2 route....
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Click to collapse
you sir, are a fountain of wisdom
Thanks DPMAce, I have my moments
But really, any wisdom comes from listening to and learning from all the folks around here who are smarter than me
RDionysus said:
Yeah, there's a lot of phones on Ebay, but many are of questionable quality. You'll pay more on Amazon, but I'm assuming you got a warranty, so that's piece of mind.
Thanks, I hadn't given any thought to the myTouch. And obviously the Sensation is the new "it" phone, but honestly, apart from the excitement factor, it's served me well not to jump on the latest stuff, preferring to let the real early-adopters see what kinds of flaws and bugs are present and whether they can be fixed. I've avoided quite a few lemons this way (although you can't always avoid them all ) There are some grumblings RE the Sensation which I'm keeping my eye on: possible "deathgrip" flaw (which may turn out to be a red herring), wide swings in reception-quality on the TMOUS network (which the HD2 also suffered from!), so we'll see....
In the meantime, a few of my friends are taking any opportunity to rave (which can get a bit annoying) about their T-Mo G2X's, so that's a prospect if I go the non-HD2 route....
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Click to collapse
Yeah. It's not always the best to jump in to new devices. I'm trying to force my self to wait to get the Galaxy S2 whenever it gets launched in the US. lol. I got really lucky getting the myTouch 4G almost right after it launched. A lot of devices were shipped with bad screens and bad emmc chips. The G2X looks nice although i've heard it has rebooting problems and stuff like that. But considering it's currently out of stock on T-Mobile's website, they're probably working on fixing it.
UPDATE
UPDATE: It came in the mail today . Everything seems to be fine. It's the T-Mobile USA version. The only odd thing was that it came in a myTouch 4G box...lol. But I got the device and that's all that really matters.
zackdroid said:
UPDATE: It came in the mail today . Everything seems to be fine. It's the T-Mobile USA version. The only odd thing was that it came in a myTouch 4G box...lol. But I got the device and that's all that really matters.
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lol that's funny.
First thing is flash HSPL2.08 and get Android/WP7 on that bad boy!!!
orangekid said:
lol that's funny.
First thing is flash HSPL2.08 and get Android/WP7 on that bad boy!!!
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Click to collapse
I'm gonna do some reading first. I want to try the Android on SD Card thing first. It only came with a 512MB SD Card though and my other SD card is being used for my other phone. So i'll have to go out and buy one.
zackdroid said:
I'm gonna do some reading first. I want to try the Android on SD Card thing first. It only came with a 512MB SD Card though and my other SD card is being used for my other phone. So i'll have to go out and buy one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty weak.
This is hands down the best ROM you can use on your SD card.
once you get your card just download the ROM, extract it, move it to your SD card (the Android subfolder).
then you just click CLRCD and then Haret and you're running Android!
http://www.multiupload.com/M92WB5L9V3
Hello! I've currently got an HTC Desire and I'm not that happy with Android. I'm tired of the laggy, inconsistant and boring UI of both Sense and stock Android. I've had an iPod Touch and I've got an iPad and I'm a big fan of iOS, but I want to try something new.
I've been reading about WP7 a lot and it looks very interesting, I've also tried different WP7 phones in stores and I fell in love with the smoothness and consistant Metro UI.
The phone that I'm thinking of at the moment is the HD2, I think that it would be a good choice for me because it is able to run a various number of platforms (I like modding my phone and trying new stuff). So I've got a few questions about the phone:
The phone is almost 2 years old, is it hardware good enough to meet todays and tomorrow's requirements?
How is the screen of the HD2 compared to the Desire's (WVGA, 3,7", AMOLED)? Does multi-touch gestures work well? Is it dual-touch or does it support more than two fingers?
Is Spotify available for WP7 yet?
Are any key features missing in the WP7 port for HD2 (such as camera, headphone jack or WiFi not working?)?
What other platforms than Android, WM 6.5 and WP7 does the HD2 run? I saw that there are sections for Ubuntu and MeeGo here at XDA, are those platforms stable enough for daily use? How well does Android run?
Should I buy a used one or a new one?
How is the battery life?
What are your opinions? Would you buy a HD2 today? Opinions and recommendations about other phones are welcome as well!
Thanks in advance
1. I'd say yes. It might get a little more outdated when two core or even quad core processors roll out. One the other hand, there is no operating system that could use more power than HD2 has.
2. Screen is the weakest part of HD2, AMOLED technology is a lot better in terms of picture quality as well as power saving. I'd say it is just OK.
3. No idea.
4. No idea.
5. HD2 can currently run WM6.5, WP7 and Android - all stable and all working. Meego and Ubuntu are rather proof of concepts and not useful for daily use.
6. Now this is up to you. If you're short of money, go for used one. If you can afford a new one, get a new one.
7. Depends how much you use the phone, what operating system you're running etc. I managed to get about 4 days of standby(stock battery!) on Android with automatic internet connection and mail syncing every 30 minutes and 3G off. I consider it pretty good for a smartphone.
However, the most important thing about this phone is the number of supporters here at XDA. There are hundreds of ROMs to choose from, you can try a new one every day And well, I do not think there are many phones that can multiboot two systems(there are some that can handle different systems, but each change requires reflash).
I am a person who can afford any phone any time. If someone told me that there is a HD2 with amoled screen, quad core cpu and 4 gigs of ram and (it still can multiboot) for $2000, I'd buy it right away. Back to reality - in my opinion there is no better phone out there.
Well, it's hardware is now pretty old compared to most of the phones out there. But it still works I haven't seen any place where I'd be like oh crap I wish I had another phone this is just too slow.. Never.
Screen = Big Let Down. You won't be all that happy with the screen rest assured
Multi-touch works well but not so well in WP7. I believe it is dual touch.
Spotify is available on WP7 last I checked it will take you a spotify wp7 google search.
Meego, Ubuntu not for daily use development has as far as I remember become extremely slow.
Key feature missing in WP7 for HD2 is camera gives green tint when used with flash. And imo camera quality is never as good with android or wp7 than with WM6.5 for hd2.
Take a used one from craigslist. Should be good enough.
Battery life not as good due to the aforementioned screen and 1250 mAh battery.
But, I still personally love my HD2 and won't part with it till the development from this community stops and I honestly believe WP7 would surely work perfect on the HD2 in the near future. Peace
Thanks for the responses! The only thing that makes me doubt atm is the screen.. Really love the blacks on the Desire's AMOLED display, but I guess that I'll get used to the HD2's display.
Anyone done the jump from AMOLED/S-LCD/S-AMOLED to LCD?
Kinda.. My bro has a Galaxy S another has a S2 a friend has Sensation.. So seen many pretty nice screens must admit my hd2 looks pretty sad in front of those displays.. But, when I show them Android CM7, Sense, WP7 and all.. They all say please tell us how to do it
Go get an hd2 it will be the best thing that ever happened to you cell phone wise
I won't make another topic for the same question, so I just reply to this one. I hope it won't call as digging up...
After XDA threads answering 90% of my questions, I still have one:
I will be able to afford an HD2 in March-April 2012. That said, I don't want to end up thinking "Gosh, why did I buy it?" after 3-4 months; is this phone still able to survive another year of support here, at XDA? I don't have enough cash to buy another $400 phone after half a year, so it is quite important.
Thanks in advance.
Schocker1 said:
I won't make another topic for the same question, so I just reply to this one. I hope it won't call as digging up...
After XDA threads answering 90% of my questions, I still have one:
I will be able to afford an HD2 in March-April 2012. That said, I don't want to end up thinking "Gosh, why did I buy it?" after 3-4 months; is this phone still able to survive another year of support here, at XDA? I don't have enough cash to buy another $400 phone after half a year, so it is quite important.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to be honest, it is a guess at this time. i mean in 6 months from now, there might be some new amazing things on the market. i would just come back and check in 5 months or so. and nicely done, not starting a new thread!
If i were u i wont even think of getting this phone.
Ya in 6 months from not there will be more new stuff out there. So talking of the current market i think compared to other newer phones the HD2 is really good. 4.3 inch display, capability to rum multiple OS's. And it's blazing fast in wp7 and android
BUT...
Just google the number of HD2 users suffering with the same fault it has. I'm a victim of the same and i feel like dashing this crap on the floor. I'm sick and tired of this. Even after performing a mtty still it restarts.
So..
Either u have to be really like others to get a good phone without any faults or you too will be suffering like the rest of the HD2 owners. WHY TAKING THAT CHANCE? IF I WERE YOU I WOULD NOT EVEN IF IT CAN RUN 1000 OS's..
I am really happy with my HD2 & it has been faultless for me on my personal setup WM6.5.x, but if you are likely to be going Android you are better looking at newer devices that are native Android.
Most hardware failures & bugs are on those users running Multi OSs or Nand Droid/W7 .
Thinking of Buying an HD2?
Thinking of Buying an HD2?
Read here,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1284389
and here,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1271507
Those of you suffering WP7 restarts/freeze etc, get yourselves a new SD Card. There's plenty of data on this in the WP7 forum.
Thanks for answering, it really means a lot to me.
Ok, time to explain my history (which is a long and complicated one):
I am 15 years old, so I just have to rely on my parents' money. I got my first mobile when I was... 9? Something like that. I remember, how everyone in the school was excited by color screens! And l was proud of having a camera, even though the quality of the photos was pretty bad. But, hey, it was a camera! In the mobile!
In 2007 I got my first "smartphone". It was Nokia 6120 classic with Symbian. But I was scared about losing the warranty, so I didn't do much with it (that is, I didn't "hack" the Symbian, which is still nothing compared to modding Android). Still, I was happy with it for 2 years.
But then comes 2009 and "touchscreen time". God, how the prices of those phones dropped then! I bought a Samsung Corby. Yeah, it was a downgrade from Symbian, but at least I was able to get used to the touchscreen. I sold it in March 2011 for an acceptable price.
And here comes the "smartphone age". I bought my Galaxy Spica in July 2011. I know, probably You haven't heard of this phone, but in Poland and Russia it is quite popular. I bought it simply because of the mods - right now it is considered "The slowest phone ever" on some Polish Android forum, but, guess what? I am happy with it. It is running CM6 right now and is currently lying on my left, charging happily.
If I'm happy - why should I replace it? Well, first of all, the battery got klilled. One day I can go through 8 lessons and the phone will still be at 100%, and next day, without even touching it - bam, drops to 52%. I know, replace the battery and so on, and so on. But it really sometimes makes me mad when I have to do a "battery reset" for the third time, because it won't unlock...
I remember how I was scared before the first root of my Spica... And it went great, start to finish! Everything goes great when You follow the guides, that's what I learned in the past few months. No phone can be compared to HD2 when it comes to modding (at least IMHO), and it gives you the "WOW" factor among your friends, hehe! Nothing better then coming to a group of people showing off their 199$ Android phone and showing them the HD2's dual-boot!
What really made me excited about the HD2 is not only a modders paradise it offers, but also the wonderful support here. Heck, the HD2 Android board has more posts than most other phones section added up! And more, and more posts are coming up everyday. I would really like to have, like, 4 smartphones in my house - Android, iPhone, WP7 and probably another Android... But I just don't have the money for it. (*blames his country for its poor wages*) I do not demand every new version of Android or WP7 being ported to HD2 (because it's just too much), but I'd be happy with, let's say, one-two next major versions of Android and the next major version of WP7.
In one sentence: I definitely enjoy modding everything, I love the big choice of ROMs available here and I just hope the development doesn't stop on Mango and Gingerbread - if it's so: HD2, here I come!
If You really read the whole story (written in a very poor English - sorry, I'm a native Polish speaker), then congrats, and I hope You will be able to answer my question: Will HD2 as a multi-OS phone satisfy my needs, which are not connected to display or dual-core, but tot the software only? And sorry for the chaotic post, I shouldn't have replied in the midnight. ^^
Get one. I broke mine and am currently looking for another HD2. I could go get the new GSII but I don't really want it.
stepthehen said:
Thinking of Buying an HD2?
Read here,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1284389
and here,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1271507
Those of you suffering WP7 restarts/freeze etc, get yourselves a new SD Card. There's plenty of data on this in the WP7 forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, that is enough for me, I am going for it... After I get the money of course.
BTW: @stepthehen: I've read the second story before and that's why I asked - if this phone has gone through two years and can mean so much for people...
It is a great phone & if the price is right then still a trenendous bit of kit.
The flip side : if you are not likely to want WM6.5.x or multi-boot & are paying high end price then it is not the best option.
Mister B said:
It is a great phone & if the price is right then still a trenendous bit of kit.
The flip side : if you are not likely to want WM6.5.x or multi-boot & are paying high end price then it is not the best option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My mum says it is quite expensive, but, hey! Many phones nowadays have similar, if not worse, specs, but they are being sold with a higher price tag, simply because "they're new".
And I do want the multi-boot and I do want to play with OSes. Actually it's my #1 reason. ^^