Even though
Broadcom,
Atheros, and Qualcomm have all been sampling phone-ready draft 802.11n chipsets for some time now, you're still not seeing the tech swiftly overtake 802.11g in the mobile arena -- in fact, we dare you to find a single phone in your carrier's store that can do it. Odds are you can't, but HTC
HD2 owners
can win a few quid off their skeptical (non-Engadget-reading) friends by enabling support after the fact. Looks like draft-n support got buried in the company's WinMo monster -- a fitting device to add such a rare display of raw, savage wireless power, if we do say so ourselves -- but it got turned off in the shipping firmware for some reason, possibly concerns over increased battery draw, flakiness, or a stark realization that the benefits of 802.11n might not be fully appreciated in a device hamstrung more by a crappy browser than by slow WiFi. If you want to live on the edge anyway and flip the switch, xda-developers has the registry hack you need -- and if you're using an HD2 in the States without 3G right now, let's be honest: you kinda need all the speed-boosting wireless hacks you can dig up.
posted November 24th 2009 3:51AM
802.11n is pointless for browsing the cloud, its strength is local file transfers and local media streaming.
@MeanSpyvie Exactly my thoughts. Wireless G is more than enough until your ISP gives you more than 54Mbps bandwidth. N is only great when you want to send/receive a bunch of media files locally.
@MeanSpyvie
wireless n has greater range. useful when i'm browsing outside around my campus.
Can the processor on the phone hadle the high bandwidth? I would think that it ould pause to process whatever is coming down the pipe, even if it's justa file transfer as MeanSpyvie mentions.
@xtasi Dude, it's a Snapdragon! Of course it can handle it!
Still no review then eh?
Please?
@(Unverified)
Picked one up last Friday and here's my review:
F.king Brilliant - Get One
What crappy browser are you talking about, Chris? I'm sure Opera Mobile or Skyfire does a fine enou...
Oh, THAT crappy browser! Nevermind.
I don't understand the need to take misguided shots at the OS and browser when this should be about the hardware.
XDA comes through again! Pretty sure those guys could cure cancer if they set their mind to it.
@TheSeventhSon Only if it runs WinMo
@TheSeventhSon But you would rather have unlocked stuff that didn't go through the FCC the first time." /conspiracy
There is also Skyfire for those that prefer it, or even Opera mini, which in beta 5 is pretty decent.
I peeked over at the related posts and I noticed that the HD2 arrived at engadget on NOVEMBER 4th. Where is the review guys?
@Ike Turner
Maybe you should read engadget
http://mobile.engadget.com/2009/11/23/htc-hd2s-exhibiting-camera-weirdness/#comments
Do we really want engadget to review another winmo phone?
Given Engadgets track record in articles and comments it wil co somthinkg like this
Article: Good phone, blah blah blah, solid hardware, blah^3, to bad winmo,blah^3, skin over winwmo from htc hides ugly, blah^3, old os falling usage, blah^3
Coments:
i can haz teh droid?
iphone pwnzors
webos will make you sh@ bricks
M$ is teh eval powah 4evahs
do we really need a reviwe when you know what its going to say?.
Htc makes good phones. Just chose your os and pick your phone.
I have a htc wizard running winmo 6.5.1 from xda
@Einlander True, but I'd still like to see the review.
I installed an HD2 ROM onto a Sony Xperia X1 (and even on that older hardware, it runs well), and the interface really should get a review here. It's even better than the latest iteration of Sense for Android.
Sense is by far the best mobile interface out there in the mobile world.
@Einlander , that pretty much nailed it, and gave me a good chuckle. :)
Maybe Josh lost the phone ... hence the lack of REVIEWWWWWWWWWWW
@(Unverified) That phone cannot be lost.
No reviews, but they learned how to whisper sweet nothings into the HD2's ear.....Kinda like a prostitute...all you care about is opening and getting in. No need to know what she/it is about
Hope your wife iPhone doesn't hear about this.
Nice one Engadget,
@Ike Turner You do realise its an extremely small percentage of the first production run phones that MAY have this problem.
I have a HD2/Leo from the first production run and its camera works absolutely perfectly
@VikArmo oh, i intend to, i just have wait for o2 (UK) to get the arses in gear and get it in the god damn shop (at a decent price or i'm going to vodafone!)
There are already PLENTY of HD2 reviews on the 'net - that thankfully don't have Engadget's pro-iPhone bias.
The HTC HD2 is a SERIOUSLY great phone. I've had mine for two weeks now and my wife wants one already!! She's already put her iPhone up for sale.
@GTR
Apart from The Reg.. where else are the HD2 reviews.. most of them have been 'previews' and a fair few people are mentioning some nasty bugs... :(
I very nearly ordered one on Vodafone uk .. they said they were in stock and shipping.. saw on a forum someone else ordered his from voda.. only to have an email a few short moments later saying they were out of stock and not due in till early december... i can hear the iphone calling me... trying.. so hard... to resistttttttt
@(Unverified)
I just came in from a voda store and they said they are getting more stock this afternoon.. worth trying again. and oh, he did mention that it kills d iphone ( we all know this ) and that fone, hd2, is SEXY.
For those looking for a review of the HD2 here's a good overview of pretty much everything including videos etc etc
http://pocketnow.com/review/htc-hd2
@GTR
Thank you!
Bad browser? seriously? Opera Mobile on the HD2 is fucking awesome! and if you don't like it there's plenty of other great browsers out there for WinMo
I own a HD2 and its the best phone I have ever had, regardless of OS.
Seriously, i'm getting so tired of ignorant blogs like Engadget always singing the praises of the Iphone OS and Android when WinMo kicks the shit out of both of them when it comes to features and customizability. The HD2 is one sexy phone as well, and the aesthetics are there, and one of the great things about WinMo is that you aren't limited to one UI but you can choose what you want to use.
Windows Mobile as a platform hasn't evolved nearly quick enough in the aesthetics department over the years and this deserves criticism, but as an OS it is rock solid.
@Herr Synnberg Linux users / FSF supporters would agree that Windows is cancerous.
Silly people.
Engadget must really hate WinMo, cuz they never take this long to do a review of a hot phone. I don't blame them though.
I think they're still trying to find a flaw
Why on earth would they disable N wirless on a phone ? Because it would be utterly pointless Engadget, or perhaps you can dazzle us as usual with your collected technical knowledge.
What is N for on a phone ?
@fourthletter Because every time a G or B connects to my N router, it downshifts everything to the slowest common protocol.
Boring...wireless sucks, even N.
Especially on a phone..what's the point of this article?
Should have at least done a comparison of streaming a file off a local SMB server with G and then with the N registry hack enabled to see if it actually makes a difference, which I suspect it really won't.
Let's see some benchmarks engadget!
God you guys are lazy, lol.
We da G's, and werr'rr not happy bout this, yo.
@(Unverified)
pppfffffffffffff! spits cuppa tea all over monitor... grabs coat heading for nearst vodafone store..
'in this afternoon you say :P
Wow...i didn't know that Opera 9.5 was a crappy browser too. IE6 may not be your favorite Chris, but its FAR from the default browser. Seems like engadget is turning more and more into Gizmodo, w/ the unbridled windows mobile hate. Clap, Clap, Clap
What about when you are using Skyfire, Opera, ...? Is 802.11n still "hamstrung by a crappy browser" then?
You need to stop complaining about Windows Mobile and Internet Explorer. Windows Mobile lets you install ANY other available browser - including Skyfire, which any unbiased features-based analysis would show is the best in the smartphone world.
Too bad you guys don't do unbiased, features-based, "just works" analysis anymore. I for one am tired of hearing you beat the dead dog. We get it. Microsoft is not "cool" like Google or Apple. But that's no reason to put down a Microsoft product that has clear advantages over competitors. I don't care about who you seem to think is cool. I do care, however, when you proclaim your gadget-rating authority and are blinded by the stigma you unjustly attach to electronics that carry a Microsoft brand.
@atomandroid I do happen to think that Opera Mobile is quite good -- for a Windows Mobile browser. It pales in comparison to the iPhone, Maemo 5's Mozilla-based setup, and hangs pretty evenly with Android. What soured me a bit was seeing it run out of memory and error out after opening three tabs last week... and yes, that was on an HD2.
Don't get me wrong, the HD2 is a brilliant device, but no amount of spin can make Windows Mobile 6.5 and its CE 5 kernel defensible. It's HTC's win, not Microsoft's. The argument that we're pro-Apple, anti-Microsoft is as old as time itself, and frankly, it's beyond tired. I'm sick of it.
I'm pro-awesome, and I assure you, virtually NOTHING about Windows Mobile 6.5 is awesome. Trying to argue otherwise is indicative of a glaring lack of mobile worldview.
Chris, I love how I don't seem able to reply to or rank down an Engadget editor. Real nice.
I personally use a TP2 with a ROM mainly taken from the HD2, and I have to tell you than Opera is fantastic on it. and that's with half the power behind it.
This was supposed to be a reply to chris too. Testing one more time:
Chris, have you tried Opera Mobile 10 beta? If you haven't, do it NAO!
ANother thing to notice that whatever that's good about the HD2 isn't just HTC's win. Mr. Chou himself has stated that MS worked very closely with HTC to bring to fruition the many innovations seen on the HD2. The first ever capacitive screen on a WinMo device, for instance. HTC isn't fighting a one man, uphill battle. MS is always with them and without MS's support, HTC would be nothing (In their own words).
There are several things about WinMo that, while (arguably) not awesome; are still better than what the competition has to offer. I just dropped a link in the tips section. Do take a look at it for a short description of what I mean by that.
Multitouch is disabled in those other browsers so I can see them saying it sucks. But Opera is suppose to be damn good, ain't it? Where's the freakin' review?
@Chris Ziegler
I notice that we can't downrank Engadget staff. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
Opera Mobile works super snappily on my Touch Pro2... and I'm running the HD2's rom. On a phone with half the processing power of the phone that rom was built for.
and it's awesome.
@Chris Ziegler Chris, have you tried Opera Mobile 10 beta? If you haven't, do it NAO!
ANother thing to notice that whatever that's good about the HD2 isn't just HTC's win. Mr. Chou himself has stated that MS worked very closely with HTC to bring to fruition the many innovations seen on the HD2. The first ever capacitive screen on a WinMo device, for instance. HTC isn't fighting a one man, uphill battle. MS is always with them and without MS's support, HTC would be nothing (In their own words).
There are several things about WinMo that, while (arguably) not awesome; are still better than what the competition has to offer. I just dropped a link in the tips section. Do take a look at it for a short description of what I mean by that.
@Chris Ziegler Jesus H. Christmastrees, why can't a reply attach itself to the intended post FOR ONCE????
Other than the range benefit, I fail to see how enabling wireless N is of ANY use. 99%+ of the people don't have anywhere close to 54 Gbits of internet. And even if you were streaming video, anything the HD2 would want to play, the 54 theoretical Gbits would be more than enough.
Also its not worth it for the remaining 99%+ people to see shitty battery life and complain about the phone.
What crappy browser are you complaining about? The HD2 ships with Opera 9.7, one of the best mobile browsers available.
It's like complaining that a nice graphics card is worthless on a Windows machine because it ships with MS Paint.