At last it’s here! So lets get cracking shall we?

As before any release of a device from HTC, or any other company for that matter, the rumours start to fly about several things. One specific thing with the HD2 was whether it was going to be a Windows Mobile handset, or a new Android handset. And now due to its retail release we can say it’s supporting Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional.

The device boasts a large screen, a whopping 4.3 inch touchscreen! Naturally there are drawbacks to this as several people have questioned the device asking “maybe it’s too big?”

This is quite possibly the biggest device of the year, and in more ways than one! And here are the specs of the HTC HD2 to prove it:

Physical Dimensions

Height: 4.74 inches

Width: 2.64 inches

Thickness: 0.43 inch

Weight: 157 grams (inc. battery)

Display

4.3 Inch Capacitive Touch screen

Operating System

Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional (with HTC sense)

Storage

ROM: 512 MB

RAM: 448 MB

Expansion Slot: Micro SD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

Network Bands

Europe: HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz

GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Asia Pacific: HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz

GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

GPU

Processing speed: 1GHz Snapdragon processor

Power & Battery

Battery type: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery

Capacity: 1230 mAH

Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 320 mins

GSM: Up to 380 mins

Standby time: WCDMA: Up to 390 hours

GSM: Up to 490 hours

Video Playback: Up to 8 hours

Audio Playback: Up to 12 hours

Internet

Browser: Opera Mobile

3G: Up to 7.2 Mbps download speed

Up to 2.0 Mbps upload speed

GPRS: Up to 114Kbps download speed

EDGE: Up to 560 Kbps download speed

Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g

Camera

- 5 Megapixel colour camera

- Auto Focus

- Dual LED Flashlight

Connectors

- 3.5mm Stereo audio jack

- Standard Micro USB (5 Pin micro-USB 2.0)

In the box you get the handset (naturally), the battery, the Micro USB wall charger, the Micro USB – USB sync cable which also charges the device when it is linked to your laptop or PC. HTC also supply you with the headset for hands free calling, a leather effect carry case for the device, to keep it protected. Naturally HTC give you all the instruction manuals and the warranty info you need, and to top it all off a 2GB MicroSD card.

Despite the device being rather on the large side it is fairly comfortable to hold. Due to the device being rather thin it means you can wrap your fingers around it in order to operate it. But of course, that’s all dependant on the size of your hands. It does look rather stunning, sleek and thin, like you would expect a high rolling device too look. The huge screen is the first thing to grab your attention and the display quality is brilliant also, brining life to the device. With the device’s large and elegant looks come the internal workings of the device. The HTC HD2 is the first device from HTC to support the 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. This fast clocking CPU helps the device to run very smoothly, minimising the wait times for you opening emails and browsing files, it makes for almost seamless operation. The UI this device runs flows smoothly and is clearly highly demanding of handheld processing power, but the new CPU makes light work of the streaming UI with minimal jumps and pauses.

A further point about this device is that the lens for the camera protrudes away from the device, sticking out by a couple of millimetres, maybe it is down to the overall thickness of the HD2 not being able to compensate for the size of the camera with all the internal workings? Or maybe even an ergonomics feature for when using the camera to make sure you don’t cover the lens? The overall quality of the camera on the HD2 is good, there have been reported bugs with the HD2 however, where taking a picture with the device would result in a kind of purple/pinkish hue, radiating from the middle of the screen. You can read here about some of the reported camera issues. From the picture to the right you can see how the camera lens sticks out from the rest of the body. It hasn’t been done in an ugly fashion; the lens is nicely framed with a thin strip of chrome on a gently raised up platform. Also in the picture you can see the 2 LED flashlight for the camera to the right of the lens and the Loudspeaker to the left.

The HD2 can be connected to your PC via the micro USB socket which also doubles as the phone charger. The usual problem with the micro USB socket is that it can be put in upside down, damaging the socket on the device and resulting in needing a repair. And apparently, it’s a rather easy mistake to make, so be careful! The picture here shows the bottom of the device, showing off the Micro USB socket as well as the buttons on the bottom of the device located under the screen. From left to right they are as follows; Call answer button, Home screen, Windows start menu, Back, and the call hang up and power button. Also in the bottom of the device to the left of the micro USB socket is the 3.5mm headphone jack. In the box with the device you get a HTC Headset to make use of the headphone jack.

As a phone the HD 2 works well, clicking the call button opens up the phone dialling pad on the screen which works the same as any other phone. Clicking the answer button again initiates the call after dialling in the number or selecting a contact. The SMS function on the phone is also easy to access, however there have been some reported issues of bugs with the SMS of this device. The problem being that texts are not received at their “destination” for a good few hours after sending. The battery power on the HTC HD2 means that you can make a good amount of calls without needing to charge the device. However, if I can refer you to my post I made at the end of November regarding the battery life on the HD2, some people are finding they need to charge the device rather often as the battery seems to be draining quickly, even under low usage. Coupled with the SMS, the HD2 also supports E-mail, like most other smartphones out there. The HD2 runs the standard WinMo client for emails that HTC favour and that we all know and love, simple enough to operate, and it works! So there is no disappointment there.

Of course being a HTC smartphone the HD2 supports a range of different social networking tool and different applications. These include Facebook (naturally) with Facebook photo integration. The photo integration also works with the Twitter application on the HD2. which works alongside HTC Peep which is also used for Tweeting. These kinds of applications make the HTC HD2 a good way to keep up to date with happenings on Facebook and twitter when your laptop is unavailable. The HD2 is also very customizable, you are able to choose what shortcuts for what applications you want to display on your homescreen, so all your friends on Facebook could just be a tap away! The home screen on the device displays; A clock, date, application shortcuts, alarm status and shortcut, any upcoming appointments, Weather including temperature and climate conditions. Right at the top is the standard WinMo start menu, followed by the network signal coverage, sound level indicator and the battery power.

In all it’s a good device, smooth looking and certain to grab people’s eye with how sleek it is. The sheer size of the HD2 will put some people off, as the device looks like more of a Net-tablet than a smartphone. But there are many HTC fans and maybe even some new customers that will be drawn to the device. The HD2 seems to be drumming up reviews everywhere, and none (that I have read) with a bad word said about it. There are of course the few odd bugs and glitches that people seem to be stumbling across, but it is rather rare for a device be it handheld, laptop or desk top, to work flawlessly on the first initial software release of the device. I’m sure that the HD2 will keep consumers happy, and provide the people who buy it with a good handheld digital companion. Just one thing that seems to be left to cover is the price of the handset. You can now buy the HTC HD2 in the UK for £499.99. A hefty price tag, but it really is a state of the art device and worth this kind of price tag. Naturally buying the phone on a monthly contract deal with any of the supporting networks, the prices will vary depending on what tariff you take with your mobile phone company.