|
|
|
The best Windows smartphone yet
MORE: watch our video review of the HTC HD2
The HTC HD2 smartphone is an alternative to, and in some ways an improvement on, Apple's popular iPhone 3GS.
The handset is well-built, thin and light, and its large 4.3in multi-touch screen is the largest we have seen on a phone. The good-looking Sense 3D interface runs on top of the Windows Phone operating system, with a large clock, visual effects and plenty of application shortcuts. It also hides some ugly elements of the Windows Phone interface.
The massive screen makes a big difference when browsing the web or watching video. There is also a GPS receiver that integrates with Google Maps, a Youtube viewer, and a 5-megapixel camera with flash.
These features can be found on other handsets, but they work superbly here thanks to the phone's fast processor. The camera's results are a bit blurry, but images can be sharpened by tweaking the settings, and it can also take excellent panoramic shots.
There is an application for Facebook, one to back up contacts and text messages, and more, with others available online, and a demo of CoPilot Live 8, a turn-by-turn satellite navigation tool.
There are physical buttons under the screen to take users to the home screen or lock the handset, and an on-screen keyboard is used for typing; a nice touch is that the phone vibrates each time it registers a key.
After some practice we found it possible to type quite quickly, but the small keys are difficult for those with large fingers.
The HD2 is not without problems though. The screen is great for video, but its size can make the phone uncomfortable. The operating system can be quirky at times, forcing users to dig through menus to find the task manager or inexplicably locking a file when it’s required.
Battery life was fair, lasting over a day, but that’s slightly less than with other smartphones. Despite this, the HD2 is a decent rival to the iPhone.
The range of applications available is more modest, but aside from a few niggles, anything the iPhone can do, the HD2 can do too, and in some cases it does them better and cheaper.
Read more reviews
A full-on smartphone that is great for watching video and using the web Good points Large screen; attractive and responsive; built-in sat-nav Bad points Operating system is not trouble-free; can be cumbersome
What the web knows about you
20 of the best memes
How to make your computer run more quietly
Choose Gold, Silver or Bronze membership
Save up to 40% on the cover price of each issue
Get access to the subscriber club exclusive website
Our price won't be beaten by any shop or website
ISPs may be forced to block notorious site as entertainment industry wins legal battle
Voice over IP. The routing of voice conversations over the internet, which is cheaper than the telephone...
|
|
|
|
|
Nikon Coolpix S570 BlackPrice: £66.99 |
iPhone 4 Portable AmplifierPrice: £13.49 |
Back Issue CD-Rom 13 (2010)Price: £14.99 |
EX143 Leather iPad Flip CasePrice: £7.99 |
Hallmark Card Studio DeluxePrice: £15.31 |
Not recommended
After using it for a while, I can see the shortcomings of the HD2 phone. Most of the difficulties are related to the Windows Mobile OS that it runs. Not particularly stable, and I often need to reboot it. HTC's front interface looks nice, but when you delve beneath that, into the Windows Mobile OS that lies underneath, you see its ugly side. Windows Mobile looks like it is from the 1990s (which I guess it is). The icons are minuscule, and I can't hit them with the finger (it was designed to be used with a stylus pen). I ended up buying the optional stylus pen, even though the phone is said not to need one. You need it when using Windows Mobile, or for many WinMo software apps that still don't recognise multi-touch. If you must buy this phone, get the optional stylus pen as well. The Microsoft Windows Mobile Market app store doesn't have many software titles compared to iPhone or Android. A lot of the WinMo apps listed are for pocket PC. More stylus pen fun. The camera had a fault. Photos were all pink in the middle. After Googling, I found out that all the HD2 units have this problem. HTC has released a software fix, though its a bit difficult to install. The instructions require a Windows PC (I don't have one), and you then transfer an exe file to the phone, via a USB cable. This is how to fix the pink camera defect. If you Google around, you'll find the instructions online. There were a lot of other niggly little things that I had trouble with. Volume control not reacting when I want to change the volume. Stuff like that is annoying. I read that HTC is reducing the number of Windows Mobile phones it makes, phasing them out, and switching to Google's Android software. I can see why. If you really want to use a stylus pen, then I guess you might like this phone, but if you want multi-touch, you'd be better getting an Android phone.
Posted by Peter Joyce, 14 Dec 2009
After 48hours of owning one..
I am finding the handset very quick, great at multitasking, easy to use without a stylus despite what the previous poster has said. I have not come across one thing that in my eyes requires a stylus to select, and my fingers are not exactly small. The keyboard is easy to use very rarely choosing the wrong key, whereas with the iphone I have just come from I was regularly spelling things wrongly without the predictive text input picking up on my mistakes. The email client is easy to use and quite intuitive a good step up from the iphone. The one big disadvantage I have found so far is the lack of apps in the marketplace in comparison to the appstore. There are only a handful of apps and very few are free, with the cost of games running around £6 far higher than the iphone games. I know primarily the device is a work horse but everyone plays games once in a while.
Posted by Stooby Doo, 16 Dec 2009
My best multimedia phone
I simply love the HD2. Had it five weeks on T-Mobile, and running like a dream. The touch screen takes a bit of getting used to (indeed 'touch' screen is a misnomer) in fact you simply hover a finger over it. But the range of software - from basic phone functions - and some clever tricks such as turning off the screen when it's near your ear so it doesn't go on a wild journey of its own, to BBC iPlayer, Facebook, MS Office, both Opera and IE - simply great....simply great. Two negatives - first is that the 'My Location' doesn't work well for example in the weather app if , as I do, you live in the countryside, and second, there are various updates available - but not to me as T-Mobile phone lock prevents updates except for one for the camera on their own site (to repair pink issue mentioned elsewhere).
Posted by David Bennett, 31 Dec 2009