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HTC's HD2 has landed at Engadget (hands-on)
That's right... the HD2 has landed. Actually, we took the phone over to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the other day, but didn't get a chance to show it off, so here we are. Sure, you've seen this guy in action in earlier videos... but it's still nice to get a look at this monster up close. We're still blown away by the fact that this is a Windows Mobile 6.5 device -- the skinning job that HTC has done here is nothing short of a miracle. So far we've found the phone to be snappy and responsive, but we're currently putting it through its paces. We'll have a full review shortly, but for now, feast your eyes on the photos below -- and start saving for that imminent US launch. %Gallery-77279%
HTC HD2 officially coming to US, out in Europe and Asia today!
Be still, our beating hearts! HTC has just pressed the "Go" button for European and Asian shipping of its latest object of desire, and it's served notice to American phone lovers that the HD2 is coming to them soon as well. Slated for a "major US carrier" some time "early 2010," it'll land squarely in the same time bracket as the XPERIA X10, which should lead to some really quite interesting decisions to be made, presumably by March 2010. The WinMo 6.5 device might be shipping now, but you'll have to wait at least until the 9th of November before you can spill your Euros for it, and we expect to see a flurry of pricing and contract information filling that short waiting time. Full PR after the break. [Via MobileTechWorld]
HTC HD2 fulfills its unboxing obligations on video
You've already seen the HD2 that HTC would have you see, but now it's time to take the obligatory journey to the world of unboxings. Seen here in "not-yet-final" packaging, the WinMo 6.5-packin' handset looks sexier than ever, even in that still-to-be-tweaked green box. Hop on past the break and mash play if you're looking to get all sorts of jealous this morning.
HTC's HD2 continues to impress, reveals multi-touch web browsing
We've seen plenty about HTC's hot HD2, gone hands-on and sized it up next to everyone's most/least favorite smartphone, but there's one thing we haven't seen yet: multi-touch in IE. The video embedded below from Techblog.gr is in a language you may not quite understand, but certainly everyone can grok the snappy UI performance and the pinch zooming demonstrated at the 2:20 mark. It does look a wee bit unresponsive at this point, but HTC still has time to make things perfect before releasing it here -- though to be honest we'd rather just have it now.[Via WMPoweruser.com]
HTC HD2 turns up in purported T-Mobile USA materials
We've already had some indication that HTC's take on Windows Mobile 6.5, the HD2, would be headed to T-Mobile UK, and heard straight from HTC itself that the phone would indeed be headed to the US in next year, but it looks like we may now have one more key piece of the puzzle. If that slide pictured above is authentic as it's purported to be, it looks like the smartphone will be heading to none other than T-Mobile USA, and presumably sometime in that "early 2010" period HTC mentioned. Of course, this slide noticeably doesn't make mention of Windows Mobile at all, so the phone in question could also conceivably be HTC's rumored Android-based Dragon handset -- or... not. [Via Brighthand]
Unlocked, contract-free HTC HD2 will be available November 11 for a lot of money
We know the HD2 is hitting O2 later this month and Vodafone is getting the handset in Spain in December, but now it looks like the unlocked version isn't too far off either: UK retailer Clove says it'll be out on November 11 for £469, about $740 US. Importing will soon follow, to be sure, but though the phone is unlocked and sim-free we'll be limited to EDGE in the States until that US-specific version hits our shores next year. The question is: will we be strong enough to wait? [Via SlashGear]
HTC's HD2 gets sized up to the competition
We've already seen (and written) plenty on the HD2, and we've enjoyed our initial experiences with the device -- but now someone has finally sized up the massive, Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone with its touchscreen contemporaries... and the differences are downright shocking. Just take a look at this beast next to Apple's iPod touch (above) or the company's own Hero -- the displays on the older devices seem dwarfed by the HD2's 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 WVGA screen. There are lots of other revealing pictures in the writeup, but it's the side-by-side shots that seem most telling to us -- this is certainly the direction we're headed in for mobile devices. Hit the read link and take a full look for yourself. [Via SlashGear]
HTC HD2 gets itself a promo video and a website
We might have to wait until next year to score the HTC HD2 Stateside, but that doesn't mean we can't all enjoy this jazzy little promo video showing off the highlights of Sense. But is the music more reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country or Iko Iko by the Belle Stars? We ask the hard-hitting questions here at Engadget. Video after the break, website at the read link. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Entelligence: The HTC HD2 and the future of Windows Mobile
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. A few columns ago, I wrote how folks shouldn't dismiss Windows Mobile. This week, Microsoft released Windows Mobile 6.5 and it's further proof that this OS is very much a serious contender in the mobile OS platform wars. What makes Windows Mobile 6.5 work isn't so much the OS per se, but rather the Windows Phones that are the basis for the ecosystem. Despite Steve Ballmer himself apologizing for the delay of Window Mobile 7 a few days ago, there's a lot in WinMo 6.5 that Microsoft should be proud of. Overall the OS itself has been tweaked a lot for performance -- I've tried devices that were running WM 6.1 and were upgraded to 6.5 and there's a dramatic difference in speed. Microsoft has also worked hard to make the new OS much more finger friendly, with UI elements that really required a stylus in the past much more usable with a finger instead. There's also some nice integration with new services such at the marketplace for mobile applications and MyPhone synchronization. That's all well and good, but it's one device that I've had the chance to use for just a few minutes that's really affirmed my view of Windows Mobile viability, and it has me very excited about the platform. It's the new standard for Windows Phones and it's pretty much the device that every other Windows-powered phone is going to need to live up to. It's called the HTC HD2 (code named Leo) and it's a game changer in my opinion.
HTC HD2 hands-on and impressions... on video!
We had a chance to give HTC's newest darling device -- the Windows Mobile 6.5-sporting HD2 -- a more thorough hands-on today, and we wanted to share our impressions. Firstly, we must say that HTC has done perhaps its most ambitious skinning job ever here. So while this does run atop Windows Mobile 6.5, you rarely see the OS poking through the gorgeous new Sense user interface the company has created. If you're used to TouchFLO 3D (or Sense on Android), this should seem old hat to you, but keep in mind there are some major changes here that dramatically affect the Windows Mobile experience. As you probably already know, the Snapdragon-based device sports a 1GHz MSM8250 CPU, a massive, 800 x 480 capacitive display (with multitouch functionality thanks to more tinkering from HTC), a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flashes, a 3.5mm headphone jack, FM tuner, and GPS chip on-board. We were frankly blown away with how slick this phone is. Mind you, WM 6.5 still shows its not-so-fresh colors here and there, but the general experience of using the device is handled mainly through the Sense interface, and it blows the hinges off of any other Windows phone experience we've had. Ever. From the lag-free gestures which get you around the device, to image pinching and zooming with that aforementioned multitouch, the hesitation-free jumps in and out of applications, and typing on the sprawling, HTC-ified onscreen keyboard, using the HD2 is a joy. There's no getting around the fact that the phone is still very much anchored to Windows Mobile, but what HTC has done here is nothing short of a revelation. Why Robbie Bach didn't bring this up on stage today at Microsoft's open house event is anyone's guess -- though we have to imagine that when your OS is this heavily gutted (HTC has even completely removed stock apps like calendar and contacts and replaced them with its own versions, and the company had to hand-roll the capacitive / multitouch interfacing), it might not be the best example of what you've done. We'll be waiting with bated breath till we get more hands-on time with this phone, but until then, we can all enjoy some lengthy video of the device in action... so check it out after the break. Update: Second video is up!
HTC HD2 to arrive Stateside in early 2010 -- huzzah!
Snap, looks like that painful feeling in our gut was just from that late-night Mickey's sesh after all. HTC's Peter Chou told SlashGear today that the monstrous, amazing HTC HD2 will be coming to the United States of America sometime in Q1 of 2010. That's not too far off, but let's be honest -- it's gonna be a long wait. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC's HD2 gets official, we get our hands-on it (Updated: with video!)
Our friend Drita at Engadget Spanish was lucky enough to spend some extended moments with HTC's just announced HD2 -- also known as the Leo. It's got exactly the same specs we just heard about: a 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive display, a 1GHz MSM8250 Snapdragon processor, integrated FM radio, a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. They found this Windows Mobile 6.5 baby to be elegant and light feeling in the hand, the touchscreen to be responsive and quick, and HTC's Sense UI beautiful. The phone's also quite snappy, and we have to say we can't wait to get our hands on one ourselves. As far as availability goes -- well, we know it's going to run €649 and it will be available in November on Vodaphone in Spain (we've also heard it's headed to T-Mobile UK), with additional carriers following after December. Check out the gallery, and head over to Engadget Spanish for a fuller hands-on experience. [Via Engadget Spanish] %Gallery-74700%%Gallery-74808%
HTC HD2 makes first official appearance in O2 UK catalog
We've been furnished with the above page from an O2 in-store catalog detailing the HTC HD2 (aka Leo), which was set for a UK release on October 12 (though we're hearing that may have slipped to the 26th). Interesting that it's pictured with a stock Windows Mobile 6.5 UI instead of TouchFLO 3D. Is O2 rushing HTC's new hotness out the door in response to losing its iPhone supremacy? Or did an absent-minded employee just slip out the catalogs ahead of time? We're getting in touch with O2 to find out and will update with more details as we get them. For now, check out the full catalog page after the break. [Thanks, Peter W.] Update: After O2 stonewalled our phone enquiries, we decided to drop by our nearest (which was still annoyingly far away) store to have a look for ourselves. Alas, we only found September issues of the catalog, and the above snapshot is from the October iteration, which sports a big fat Pre promo on the front. So, anyone else seen an advance copy yet?
HTC Leo's TouchFLO 3D build demoed on video
The HTC Leo is shaping up to be a pretty monumental Windows Mobile launch, and not just because of that high-res capacitive touchscreen and 1GHz Snapdragon processor -- it's also running a nicely refreshed version of TouchFLO 3D. The cats at PocketNow managed to grab an early ROM and install it on a Touch Diamond2, check the video after the break to see the new icons, dynamic background wallpaper, and much, much more.[Via MobileTechWorld; thanks Mistyk]
HTC HD2 inches closer to reality, hitting Europe in October for around 600 Euro?
We already heard about a potential October 12 launch for the HTC HD2 (Leo) on O2 in the UK, and now we're hearing October for the Netherlands as well -- with a 550 to 600 Euro price range. Of note, the tipster who dropped this knowledge on pocketnow.com also says that Pocket IE on the phone won't have multitouch gesture support, despite the capacitive screen's support for multi-finger input -- though with Microsoft's own Zune HD sporting a multitouch version of Pocket IE, we have to believe it's in the works. Just like everything good and decent planned for Windows Mobile. [Via All About Phones]
