Phone Specifications

• 4.3-inch 480 x 800-pixel LCD screen
• Windows Mobile 6.5 with HTC Sense Slab Phone
• 1GHz processor
• Bluetooth Wireless Technology Supports Streaming Stereo
• MicroSD slot which supports up to 32GB cards
• 5 Megapixel Camera with dual LED flash and VGA Camcorder
• Built-in MP3 Player and FM Radio
• Email, Text, Picture, Video and Instant Messaging Capable
• Weighs 157 grams
• Measures 120.5 mm long, 67 mm wide and 11 mm thick
• The HTC HD2 box comes with a battery, charger, USB cable, a stereo headset and a guide book.

Phone Features

The 1GHz Snapdragon mobile processor improves the speed of the applications running on the phone. The HD2 comes with Internet Explore Mobile browser and also supports Flash to play games and for browsing purposes. The phone also provides a “MyPhone” Backup service along with providing access to applications and games for download through Windows Marketplace for Mobiles. Apart from this, it also has additional features including a 5.0 megapixel camera and 2.1 Bluetooth along with Wi-Fi access to allow browsing just anywhere. You can also login to your favourite social network sites using the HTC HD2, including Facebook and Twitter and the phone also comes preloaded with Windows Live applications. However, you cannot compare the number and quality of applications available for Facebook and other social networking sites for HTC HD2 as you would find in the iPhone and Google’s Android platform.

Phone Design

All the features are built in to the phone, which explains its huge size. The HD2 has a reflective touch screen which is large and dominates the face. The HD2 is an all-black phone which gives it a professional look. The large screen is great to watch movies, download e-books and type messages swiftly. The face of the phone has a thin speaker and a thin bar of keys to make or end a call, reach the home screen, pull up the main menu for options and a return key.

The HD2 touch screen display uses HTC’s “Sense” technology and has an on-screen QWERTY keypad. The user can scroll through the menus by flicking the finger up or down the screen, or by sliding it from side-to-side.

The back of the phone has an external speaker, the lens of the 5.0 megapixel camera and a flash. The left side of the phone has volume keys, whereas the headset jack, microphone and an outlet for USB cable and charger are present at the bottom of the phone. The overall design of the phone is simple, and it physically has only 5 dedicated buttons on the front, which is quite unusual for a Windows Phone.

The hardware used in HD2 and HTC’s Sense user interface combine together to make its two main strengths. HTC HD2 is incredibly thin and is built with a combination of glass and rock-hard plastic which makes it quite sturdy. The phone has an aluminium battery cover which fits perfectly at the back, giving it a stylish and professional look. The phone has a superb UI and its fast processor combines to give a pleasing Windows smartphone you would have ever used. Its 4.3 inch display dwarfs the iPhone in both size and quality and it also has a very responsive touch screen.

Due to its huge size and bulkiness, it is not a phone which you can easily slide in your pocket. So if you are looking for a phone which has a compact size, HD2 might not be the right choice for you. However, if you are looking for a big screen with all the additional features in any other smartphone, then the HTC HD2 is for you.

Using the Phone

The HD2 uses “Swype” technology, which is the latest in touch screen keypads. Swype allows users to swish their fingers across the keypad, without lifting their finger, to form words very accurately without having to type them. The 5-megapixel camera takes excellent pictures and the phone has decent call quality. The phone also provides an easy-to-use, customizable user experience as compared to the standard Windows Mobile interface.

Some of the other features offered by HTC HD2 include built in FM Radio, built in GPS and a flashlight. Its multi-touch feature works in the web browser, with Google Maps and other phone applications such as photos.

Unlike other smartphones, the HTC HD2 does not require a stylus as Swype technology makes interaction with the screen very easy for the user. The phone does have a soft reset button on the back just under the battery cover to allow easy resetting.

Display

The home screen of the HTC HD2 has a large flip-style clock to indicate time. Below the clock you can find a weather widget which works location-based so it automatically updates as you travel. The background of the screen also updates automatically according to the weather forecast. Below the weather icon, you can find a calendar widget which shows the current date along with any upcoming appointments. Below that are 3 shortcuts for camera, programs or web bookmarks, whereas the bottom of the screen has a strip of nine customizable icons for people, messages, mail, Internet, calendar, photos and videos, music, weather, Twitter, stocks, footprints and settings menus. The user can press down on any active tab and slide the finger across the tabs to select a function. You will also see a Windows home icon in the top-left corner of the screen which you can tap to access the regular Windows Start menu.

The HTC HD2 is a high-end smartphone and comes with all the bells and whistles. It not only provides all the features for the normal user, such as access to songs, movies and camera functions but also provides all the users for business users including the Office Mobile suite. Due to its large display screen, the battery time is not great, which is one of the downfalls of the mobile, apart from its huge size. This means that as a regular user, you will have to charge the phone daily.