Htc 2 Review

Introduction

Quietly brilliant is what HTC like to call themselves and they've been giving enough proof lately. But allow us to disagree. The last thing to call the HD2 is quiet - the monster of a PocketPC simply screams rock'n'roll.

We just got a glimpse of the Snapdragon-powered giant in the preview we posted a few days back. It's now time to let it off the leash and hope we can keep up with its speed. The HTC HD2, a.k.a. Leo, is the company's first Snapdragon-based device and also the first Windows Mobile smartphone ever to have a capacitive touchscreen (read: super thumb-friendly).

A capacitive touchscreen on a PocketPC? No way? Well, you'd better get used to it because they are just going to keep on coming. The HTC HD2 may be the first of its kind but the next ones are just around the corner. And what's even more important, a capacitive screen gives WinMo unmatched and absolutely unexpected user friendliness. With the large screen, icons are big, almost huge, and you can easily thumb your way around the menu and apps.

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HTC HD2 official images

We've met the HD2 already and we guess it's ok to cut the civilities short. It's a device that likes to be in the thick of action and we're not paid to keep it idle either. The HD2 promises an exciting ride and it sure has horsepower to spare.
Key features

* Huge 4.3" 65K-color WVGA glass-covered capacitive touchscreen
* Multi-touch input
* Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional OS with Sense UI
* Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz CPU and 448MB RAM
* Quad-band GSM support
* 3G with HSDPA 7.2Mbps
* Wi-Fi connectivity
* Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support
* Stereo FM radio with RDS
* 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and touch focus
* VGA video recording at 30fps
* microSD card slot
* Standard microUSB port and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
* Standard 3.5mm audio jack
* Great audio quality
* MS Office Mobile document editor
* Opera 9.5 web browser
* YouTube client, Facebook and Twitter integration
* Excellent video playback performance
* Good battery life

Main disadvantages

* It's a pretty large phone
* Poor sunlight legibility
* 65K color limitation of display has color gradients banding
* Card slot under the battery cover
* Disappointing photo and video quality
* No dedicated camera key and no lens cover
* No DivX/XviD video support out-of-the-box
* Preloaded CoPilot Live navigation software is a trial version
* No secondary video-call camera
* No voice dialing
* No handwriting recognition
* Dodgy web Flash support

The HTC HD2 may be a tad smaller than the monstrous Toshiba TG01 but that's nowhere near compact. And it all comes down to one simple thing: the 4.3" display. The huge touchscreen is an absolute treat but may be not that simple in the end. In tablet terms, the HD2 is sweet to use landscape but not every user will be happy with singlehanded operation and actual phone calls. But then you look at how thin it is, what it's packing inside and perhaps it doesn't seem so big. You know you'll adjust and get used to it in the same way that people got used to the less than compact size of the iPhone.

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HTC HD2 live shots

And while we're at it, a side by side comparison of both devices may not be enough to convey the size issues of the HD2. In all fairness, a phone this size is not the most comfortable to hold next to your year but it's an impressive package that's worth the inconvenience. Against the iPhone, the HD2 has a much larger and higher-res touchscreen, as well as a faster processor, multi tasking and a 5 megapixel snapper with dual LED flash. HTC have also done a lot to transform TouchFLO into their new Sense UI, but it still lags slightly behind the user interface of the iPhone.

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The HTC HD2 is probing tablet boundaries

One thing's for sure, the HTC HD2 is trying to widen the PocketPC horizon and remove the stigma of WinMo unfriendliness. We've seen very few phones that could possibly live up to the scale of that task. So, it's time to open the box and meet the handset in person. We're back after the jump with unboxing, design and construction. It's HD2 time.

Iphone 4g

iPhone 4. In so many ways, it’s a first.
While everyone else was busy trying to keep up with iPhone, we were busy creating amazing new features that make iPhone more powerful, easier to use, and more indispensable than ever. The result is iPhone 4. The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone.
Watch the
iPhone 4 video
Facetime
See FaceTime
in action

People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With just a tap, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. And it works right out of the box. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.
Learn more about FaceTime
Two cameras,
two views.

iPhone 4 has two cameras: One on the front, which focuses on you. And one on the back, which focuses on everything else. FaceTime lets you switch back and forth between them at any time during a video call. All you have to do is tap a button.
Retina Display

The Retina display on iPhone 4 is the sharpest, most vibrant, highest-resolution phone screen ever, with four times the pixel count of previous iPhone models. In fact, the pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Which makes text amazingly crisp and images stunningly sharp.
Learn more about the Retina display
Multitasking

iPhone 4 introduces a whole new way of multitasking. Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.1 This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.
Learn more about multitasking
HD Video Recording and Editing

Shoot your own movies in high definition. Capture impressive video even in low-light settings, thanks to the advanced backside illumination sensor and built-in LED light. Then edit and create your own mini-masterpiece right on iPhone 4 using the new iMovie app — with Apple-designed themes, titles, and transitions. It’s available on the App Store for $4.99.
Learn more about HD video recording
Learn more about video editing with iMovie

iPhone 4 is the always-with-you HD video camera.

iMovie lets you make polished movies right on iPhone 4.
5-Megapixel Camera with LED Flash

Take beautiful, detailed photos with the new 5-megapixel camera with built-in LED flash. The advanced backside illumination sensor captures great pictures even in low light. And the new front-facing camera makes it easy to take self-portraits.
Learn more about the camera