.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE HTC HD2, iPhone-killer or Windows Mobile filler?
.AUTHOR James Booth
.SUMMARY Like most new handset releases, the US release of HTC’s HD2 was one of the "most anticipated" possible "iPhone-killers" in recent history. The first Windows Mobile phone to utilize a capacitive-touch screen, is the HD2 truly an iPhone-killer, or is it just so much filler? Read on as Editor-at-Large James Booth takes you through the ins and outs of this newest mobile device.
.OTHER
The words "most anticipated" and "iPhone-killer" are tossed about quite a bit in the mobile tech industry. With each new handset that comes down the pike, pundits wonder whether or not it will be the iPhone-killer everyone is looking for. The HD2 from HTC shown in Figure A was no exception.
.FIGPAIR A HTC’s HD2, iPhone-killer or handheld filler?
The HD2 is the first Windows Mobile phone to utilize a capacitive-touch screen, like the iPhone. Initially released to the European market in late 2009, the HD2 is now available in the US via T-Mobile. While at their core they are the same device, there are some slight variations in bundled packaging; such as the Blockbuster, Barnes & Noble, and other apps in the T-Mobile version.
.CALLOUT Microsoft and HTC have tried to make this device too much like the iPhone.
.H1 The specs
The HD2 has a 1Ghz Qualcomm processor with 512MB of ROM, 448MB of RAM, and runs Windows Mobile 6.5. The US version has a bit more memory, though. It is a GSM network phone, and fully 3G compatible, depending on the available networks, of course. Due to a variation in frequency ranges, the European 3G HD2s will not have 3G access in the US; nor can the T-Mobile HD2 get 3G on AT&T’s GSM network. It also comes with a 5MP digital camera, Bluetooth and WiFi, a microSD slot, and features a 4.3-inch WVGA screen.
.BREAK_EMAIL To learn more about HTC’s HD2, click here.
It is this screen that sets the HD2 apart from other Windows Mobile phones and puts it in the same category as the iPhone; it is a capacitive-touch screen. This means screen input is triggered by the alteration of an electrical field via the interference caused by the human finger. A standard stylus will not work on a capacitive-touch screen, nor will gloved hands, or a long fingernail. Like the iPhone, users tap icons, scroll up and down, side to side, with their finger directly on the screen.
.H1 The OS
The HD2 runs Windows Mobile 6.5, which for some reason, Microsoft decided to completely change from version 6.1. It no longer has the familiar, classic layout of Start Menu, Programs, and Settings like in previous versions. Nothing is where it used to be. Many things are somewhat difficult to find and some things are just gone. Oh, there’s still a Start Menu, but it leads directly to Programs, of which Settings is now a sub-directory. Take a look at Figure B to see the new Programs screen.
.FIGPAIR B The Program directory’s all-new look.
If the icons could be rearranged via drag-and-drop, it might not be so bad, but they can’t. The only way to rearrange them is to tap-and-hold for the context menu, which consists of "move to top" and "move down," which sends it to the bottom. So, in order to organize them the way you want, you have to reposition them from top to bottom in reverse order. Quite frustrating.
The first thing I found to be gone is the Owner Information page, wherein you would enter the owner name used to register all of your Windows Mobile software. I had to do some digging in order to find out it’s just hidden, not completely gone. Apparently, the Owner Information is now entered by creating your personal business card in the Address Book. Also now gone is the Transcriber/Graffiti input option. All input is now done via the on-screen keyboard.
The HTC Sense plug-in for the Today screen goes a long way toward cleaning up the mess created by WM6.5. The plug-in lets you put shortcuts to the most used apps right at your fingertips, with tabs for the most-called people in your address book, messaging, photos, online sites such as Facebook and Twitter, your Outlook Calendar, music, weather and more. Navigating from one tab to another or from the top of a listing to the bottom is done with a simple finger-swipe across the screen. Figure C shows a sampling of just some of the items in the Sense plug-in.
.FIGPAIR C The HTC Sense plugin puts you most-used features at your fingertips.
.H1 The fine print
In demos and commercials the HD2 looks like great device; and superficially, it is. But as they say, "the Devil is in the details." Quite simply, there are a lot of details with this device.
Let’s look at what’s positive first…Okay, now that we’ve covered that, we can get on to what’s wrong with it.
Okay, that may be a bit extreme, but it’s not far off. As I said earlier, the HTC Sense plug-in makes the HD2 much easier to use; without it, navigating to applications can be somewhat frustrating. Interestingly, at first I was rather resistant to using Sense as it was something foreign; but I’ve come to realize that without it, the device can be quite off-putting.
At 5 megapixel, the built-in camera is the best I’ve seen in any handheld device. The presets, zoom, and auto-white balance do an excellent job for a camera phone; even the video camera provides excellent results. In fact, I used it to film my daughter’s swim meets this season and am quite happy with the quality.
There’s a built-in GPS receiver with digital compass, and they work quite well. Honestly, it’s basically just a nifty novelty, but it does work the way it’s intended; and it’s kind of neat. Pairing with Google Maps, it’s an excellent self-contained navigation tool.
The HD2 easily detects and sets up required settings for Internet access and can connect as needed for applications such as weather, time updates, Facebook and Twitter, RSS feeds, IM, etc. IE mobile and Opera Mobile are included for Web browsing. IE Favorites can be imported to both IE mobile and Opera Mobile from your PC for on-the-go browsing.
The processor and on-board memory do a great job running the Operating System, as well as with audio and video playback. Applications open quickly and respond better than any device I’ve used so far. Audio and video playback is crisp, clean, and clear. The 3.5mm stereo headphone jack is a welcome change from the mini-USB and 2.5mm connections that have been popular in years past. And that’s pretty much it for the positive aspects of the HD2.
.H1 All that’s wrong
Okay, first and foremost, the biggest problem with HD2 is its input method. Windows Mobile is not the iPhone Operating System, but Microsoft and HTC have tried to make this device too much like the iPhone. There are already thousands and thousands of Windows Mobile applications on the market, software suites designed to work with just about every office and enterprise system on the PC market. And the one thing all those applications share is that they were designed to be used with a stylus.
But the HD2 doesn’t use a stylus, it uses a finger.
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to not only select text that is only a few millimeters high, but engage buttons of that size as well? With nothing but a finger? It’s nearly impossible. Take a look at the actual-size app in Figure D as an example.
.FIGPAIR D Can you hit these up/down buttons with a finger?
And that right there is the biggest drawback to the HD2. Without a stylus, and having no Transcriber/Graffiti input, quick note-taking is all but impossible, and most legacy WM software is rendered useless.
There are several after-market styli available for use on the HD2, designed to work on its capacitive-touch screen. Brando Workshops carries two, [[http://shop.brando.com/dagi-transparent-capacitive-touch-panel-stylus_p04019c0197d031.html|the Dagi]] and [[http://shop.brando.com/touch-pen-for-htc-hd2_p04273c0197d031.html|the Touch Pen]]. Having had the opportunity to evaluate both as part of this article, I can say the Touch Pen in Figure E did not work quite as intended and I can’t recommend it.
.FIGPAIR E The Brando Touch Pen didn’t work well at all.
Its input recognition was erratic, intermittent, and unreliable. However, the Dagi stylus shown in Figure F was excellent, as good as a normal stylus on a standard touchscreen.
.FIGPAIR F The Dagi capacitive stylus works like gangbusters.
In fact, HTC has chosen to rebrand the Dagi as their after-market stylus for the HD2.
The primary method of text input is via the on-screen keyboard, but I found it to be extremely inaccurate, with a tendency to randomly close. It once took me better than ten tries to get a text message out to my wife. I kept thinking the messaging app was crashing, or maybe I was just hitting something with my fat fingers; I don’t know. Then, while cleaning out my messaging boxes I discovered drafts of all those messages that crashed. It was very frustrating.
The T-Mobile version comes with Swype as an input alternative. Swype is an application that allows you to slide your finger on the keyboard from one letter to the next to create words, as you can see in Figure G.
.FIGPAIR G Swype makes text input much easier.
[[http://www.swypeinc.com/index.html|I’m sure you’ve seen the application]] in the most recent commercial for the new Samsung Omnia II. But the European version only has the on-screen keyboard, which can be a bit temperamental.
Swype was kind enough to set me up with a beta test version for my UK HD2 specifically for this article, and I have to say… It greatly improves not only the speed, but also the accuracy with I was able to enter text. Its predictive engine is one of the best I’ve seen in a handheld and adding new words to the dictionary is quite simple. I would say Swype’s learning curve is about a solid hour of use to become proficient. Once acclimated to Swype, I’m sure you’ll prefer it to the standard tap-input of the on-screen keyboard.
You may see the Pinch-Zoom being used in commercials, but guess what? The applications with which it works are predetermined and you can’t assign new applications; so it can’t be used to make that tiny text larger in those legacy WM applications.
The HD2 also has a built-in kinetic sensor, so it knows what orientation the device is in. But just like the Pinch-Zoom, it doesn’t auto-rotate the screen in every application; and again, you can’t control which ones it does rotate.
Also missing is the X-Close application. The problem with not having an X-Close application is that pressing, or pressing and holding, the X in the upper right-hand corner of an application does not close the application; it only minimizes it. And because a Task Manager isn’t built into the Task Bar, you can’t easily switch from one application to another, or easily close them. Users must navigate to the Start Menu-Settings-Task Manager in order to close down an application. While this is likely to be an exclusion in WM 6.5, it does affect how the user is able, or unable, to interact with the OS; and therefore the device. Basically, what it does is leave open any application you’ve started, without giving a way to navigate back to it once you’ve switched apps.
.H1 Final verdict
So what is the HD2? What kind of device is it? What isn’t it? Who is its target market? According to HTC, the HD2 is designed for those looking for "a comprehensive mobile entertainment experience." And under those conditions, it just may work.
If all you plan to do with the HD2 is listen to music, take pictures and watch video, send text messages, IM and access the Internet, then it’s probably a good device for you. It’s a bridge between the old and the new; between the old Windows Mobile and the new Windows Phone 7 Series. Is it an iPhone-killer? Well, I can’t speak to that, but as a device platform it’s definitely in the same vein as the iPhone.
.BEGIN_KEEP
What the HD2 is not is a business or enterprise device. The lack of quick note-taking and difficulty in using current Windows Mobile applications would present too much of an obstacle for users and IT support staff. Without a stylus and complete control of the zoom and screen rotation, most legacy WM software is just too difficult, if not impossible to use.
Overall, the device may appeal to the tech savvy IT pro. But even in that instance the HD2 will need a lot of customization in order to make it more usable. At the bare minimum, you’ll need one of the available capacitive-touch styli, and you’ll need to find and install one or more of the many "tweak" applications to correct everything that’s missing and hidden in the OS.
I have been a long-time fan of HTC’s products, and much as it pains me, the HD2 is not a device I can recommend. To me, it seems like nothing more than a stop-gap device to cash in on iPhone popularity before Windows Phone 7 Series is released.
It’s unsuitable for the business world, and takes too much tweaking for it to be a worthwhile investment to tech pros. That leaves those looking for an entertainment solution; basically, an iPhone. Well, if you want an iPhone, go get an iPhone and take a pass on the HD2 as it’s not a device I can really recommend for anyone. I rate it at 2 out of 5.
.RATING 2
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Learn more about [[http://www.htc.com/us/products/t-mobile-hd2|the HTC HD2]].
Learn more about [[http://www.tmobile.com/|products and services from T-Mobile]].
Learn more about [[http://swypeinc.com/|Swype text entry]].
Learn more about [[http://shop.brando.com/|products from Brando Workshop]].
Learn more about [[http://www.apple.com/iphone/?cid=OAS-US-DOMAINS-iphone.com|the Apple iPhone]].
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
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