HTC HD2

The HTC HD2 is, quite frankly, the business when it comes to Windows Mobile phones. We loved the customised user interface and the huge 109mm (4.3 inch) screen makes the usually tiny icons a delight to use. Despite its huge screen it doesn’t feel bulky since the bezel around the screen is so small. At 67×121x11mm it’s more than possible to carry the HD2 in your pocket.

The larger touchscreen makes surfing the Web or watching videos a breeze. But what really distinguishes it from the competition is that it makes using Windows Mobile truly user-friendly. We all know that, despite improvements in the latest version of the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, it was originally designed to work with tiny icons and a stylus. As our consumer tastes move away from using clumsy (and easily lost) tools such as the stylus in favour of using our fingers, we want big, finger-friendly icons. HTC have delivered exactly that by making the HD2’s huge screen finger-tapping-friendly with a responsive touchscreen so you don’t have to apply pressure to make it work.

For all those social-networking enthusiasts out there, the HD2 makes easy work of using Facebook, Twitter and sharing videos on YouTube, although we did find the HD2’s on-board apps a bit of a mixed bag. For instance the YouTube app was fast and easy to use while the Facebook app didn’t have all the features we needed. We loved that the Microsoft My Phone service made backing up any files and managing them from anywhere on the Web a piece of cake and, unlike Apple’s MobileMe, it’s free to use. The HD2 also offers you the choice of two built-in web browsers, with the speedy Opera mobile as the default choice but with Internet Explorer (albeit slower) supporting Flash, you can see more Web sites as the designers intended.

Along with all the smart-phone features you would expect such as Wi-Fi and 7.2Mbps HSDPA for faster downloads over 3G, there are plenty of other features to be found including a 3.5mm headphone jack and a car mode with extra large icons. The on-screen keyboard is well laid out, easy to use and each button acts as a shortcut for adding numbers and symbols without the need to swap to another keyboard.

We did find that in some places features have been duplicated with an HTC version as well as a Windows mobile version, which did cause some confusion when we carried out more complex tasks. For example, videos might open in HTC’s player or they might default to the Windows Media Player – this is okay on a PC, but becomes complicated and confusing on a phone.

The HD2’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor with 448MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM coupled with a microSD memory card expansion slot (SD 2.0 compatible) means you won’t be disappointed with its performance either. Video playback of up to 8 hours and audio playback of up to 12 hours gives you ample time to marvel at the size of the screen, and the integrated 5 megapixel camera (and video) is not to be sniffed at either.

Our verdict – fantastic, refreshing and a lot of fun to use. Despite the duplication issues, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the HD2. It’s a joy to use and has certainly set a benchmark for all other Windows Mobile handsets.