With Android floodgates wide open, HTC HD2 gets Froyo and Sense with 2.1

It's been a long, ugly road, but HD2 owners and hackers alike can finally bask in the glory of an open device with top-notch hardware and specs that still give mid 2010's best phones a run for their money. We'd already seen a stock Android 2.1-based ROM, but now we've got your choice of stock Android 2.2 or Android 2.1 with Sense, too -- seriously, pick your poison. Though HTC clearly never intended to get this kind of Sense on the HD2, there's something that just feels right about it, isn't there? Follow the break for videos of both firmwares in action.

[MrX8503 Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:36PM]

If it had a front facing camera, this would definitely give the Evo a run for it's money

[Seven2k Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:45PM]

@MrX8503

LOL..NO evo still rules.But this...this sh.t right here...this sh.t right here i s badass

[beckhams777 Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:53PM]

@MrX8503

XDA should get together and work for HTC... i feel that they have done way much more work actually

[crapple Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:08PM]

Wow. Adios WM6.5.3!

[Picasotriggerfish Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:11PM]

@MrX8503 What I'm wondering about is if this will be on the Droid X when it releases tomorrow.

[hineschr Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:17PM]

@MrX8503 Brushed Metal > Plastic

Plus the HD2 is noticeably thinner.

[Openwave Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:26PM]

@Seven2k kryptakutakronolite?

[NemZero Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:39PM]

@MrX8503

EVO and HD2 have a lot in common. I have an EVO myself.. could have called it the HD3 if it were on T-Mobile (and they had wimax), since it has newer specs and OS.

[NemZero Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:40PM]

@NemZero

Minus the whole keyboard thing of course :-p

[coolbho3000 Posted Jul 14th 2010 3:22PM]

@MrX8503 It just *feels* right... to hold Android in your hands.

[That guy 2 Posted Jul 14th 2010 6:39PM]

@coolbho3000 No it doesn't, it actually feels wrong, whether it has enough features or runs fast and smooth doesn't matter, cause it doesn't feel like I can do anything when it's in my hands, i don't know if it will freeze or load slowly or be laggy, android overall sucks, I'd rate it 7/10 as of froyo, 5/10 as of 2.1, for sense, as of 2.1 I'd rate 7.5/10 and of rate ios 9/10 overall, it's not perfect, especially as of 4.0 which added many much needed, and some just for fun features, but is in some cases slower, especially for startup on 3GS, 19 seconds vs 34 seconds, almost as bad as an android phone now! Haha, but the iPhone 4 is probably faster and less buggy since the software wasn't downloaded to it from the inherent or upgraded from past firmware, just installed directly from apples factories I assume, plus the A4 obviously is faster

[Plazmic Flame Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:35PM]

@MrX8503

Android Devs are pretty damn RAWRsome

[timbercd Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:40PM]

@coolbho3000
there is always one like you .......

[looselycoupled Posted Jul 14th 2010 9:18PM]

@MrX8503
2.2 Froyo has a Dalvik JIT, and the V8 javascript engine! Should be much faster than 2.1...

[magawatt Posted Jul 14th 2010 10:22PM]

@MrX8503
Does Andriod support Swipe? I have an Hd2 and would be lost w/o Swipe.

[Kangal Posted Jul 15th 2010 10:09AM]

@Picasotriggerfish

will not be on the Droid X. It was confirmed (sorry no source) that it has ghost files in the root, and as soon as you try accessing root it will initiate a "self destruct" mechanism that will perma-brick your phone.
Such a thing is hard to bypass and requires tens of thousands of dollars just in the hardware to develop a way to bypass this. Or ofcourse an official copy of those ghost-file (basically leaked) from Motorola (for their OTA OS upgrades).
What is worse, that process could be implemented on all other future Android devices, destroying XDA-devs and the like and potentially making Apple even more dominant.

[opc100 Posted Jul 16th 2010 8:31AM]

@That guy 2
Who mentioned iOS?

[jimbonics Posted Jul 16th 2010 9:55AM]

@magawatt

What he said. Swype or GTFO.

[plbelanger Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:36PM]

Even though I have an N1, this is awesome news for HD2 owners

[BlackedOut Posted Jul 14th 2010 4:01PM]

@plbelanger
Erm. I just browsed down the page and its like a bombshell just went off. I didn't know we have Froyo... installing now.

[seamonkey420 Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:56PM]

@BlackedOut lolz

yea, froyo is very tasty indeed. been rocking it for a while. tried the desire hacked rom for n1 but battery life was killing me (which is prob fixed now but am liking 2.2 too much to go back)

[sedo Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:37PM]

NIIIIICE FINALLY

[negative Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:40PM]

youtube Server Error

[SolidSnake Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:41PM]

All XDA, all the time.

[DefPoet Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:55PM]

@SolidSnake
If HTC made a toaster or blender. Xda would have android and winmo running on it

[klinbest Posted Jul 15th 2010 2:25AM]

@DefPoet
...and it would probably blend iPhones for breakfast :P

[shake Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:42PM]

That's awesome! But is it really productively usable as a phone?

[El Barto Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:52PM]

@shake
not yet. most of the things work but they still need to improve stability. When I load android on my HD2 everything can be working great and then out of the blue it blue screens. Sometimes the phones mic does not work so you cant actually talk to anyone.

[bizmark03 Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:08PM]

@El Barto the froyo build i tried, worked pretty smooth. I think they will be getting the camera working soon. About the phone my mic and speaker did not work at all.

[KungFuHamster Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:19PM]

@El Barto I think thats called iPhone 4 functionality. :P

[Slackdev Posted Jul 14th 2010 3:03PM]

@El Barto blue screen? on android? I don't think that's possible..

[El Barto Posted Jul 15th 2010 2:21AM]

@Slackdev
It happens. The way the Devs have Android set up on the HD2 is like a Linux application that loads Android from Windows. Kinda like the way VMware fusion is an application that you can load up Windows on a Mac. Its still a work in progress so it is susceptible to crashes from Windows 6.5. I say give it about another month and they should have it working 100%

[Steven Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:42PM]

XDA = Gods

[TheSunman89 Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:42PM]

YAY!!!!!

[Beto4209 Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:43PM]

Was there suppose to be something cool in this video??? Or was it just to show me how not cool this phone is?? I just saw slow respond time with clicks and I also saw some of the things he would push did not open..!!

[EggoEspada Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:45PM]

@Beto4209 Lets see you try putting an Android HTC Sense ROM flawlessly onto a Windows Phone..

[Kloc Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:46PM]

@Beto4209

It's a Windows Mobile device running an OS that is was never intended to run. How is it not impressive? You try porting an OS to a device and then tell me if it's impressive.

[bizmark03 Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:03PM]

@Beto4209 judging by your response, i think you're not even capable of installing windows on a pc(without tech support)....

[dark star Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:45PM]

anything 2.1 or 2.2 love for the HTC TP2???

[DefPoet Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:52PM]

@dark star
Yes they have had it running on the tp2 for a while. If you have a gsm version check xda if you have a cdma check ppcgeeks

[tekdemon Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:23PM]

@dark star Both but while the software runs pretty well there's no speaker support so your phone can't ring and you can't use speakerphone. Also the headphone jack doesn't work, BT doesn't work (at least in the newest 2.2 builds), the camera doesn't work, etc. Also the power management is fairly terrible so the phone eats batteries.
Basically it exists but unlike the HD2 version it's unlikely to be run 24/7 just yet. Almost getting there though if you don't mind only using vibration for the ringtone.

[dark star Posted Jul 14th 2010 2:29PM]

@tekdemon

yeah, a lot of bugs i cant live with. guess i'll have to wait for the one with speaker and cam support. i can live without bt

[memaf Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:46PM]

so this is alike a nexus one with a bigger screen?

[cloud858rk Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:50PM]

@memaf It's more like the HTC Evo than the Nexus One, but yes somewhat like a N1.

[Samunosuke Posted Jul 15th 2010 1:09AM]

@memaf
NO!!! The N1 and the Evo are more like the HD2, not the other way around.

[DefPoet Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:46PM]

. Android phone manufacturers need to get on the ball. Windows phones and iPhones should not be getting new versions of Android befor android phones period official it not

[resource Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:47PM]

Just sold my HD2 last week for an Android phone.

Normally Id'd be kicking myself but it seems like these still have some serious audio issues plus T-Mobile is bound to get a true Evo like device before the year is out.

[Madcat Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:47PM]

XDA Devs are pure gods. The HD2 was a neat phone, but this just takes the cake. heh.

[BaruteruKun Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:50PM]

WOW that's good to see guys :D i was doomed since HTC EVO 4G (4.3" and android!!) is only for that stupid sprint and not globally :@ but now seeing a 4.3" with those android weel, should i buy an HTC HD2 buddies??? :-D

[EggoEspada Posted Jul 14th 2010 1:52PM]

@BaruteruKun Just wait till the end of the year for T-Mobile's phone..