HTC HD2 Android and Ubuntu builds now available for mass consumption

Posted on 03. Jul, 2010 by IBM

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We’re approaching the end of an era — the legacy of Windows Mobile handsets getting spotted running some open sourced OS or another shortly after their release. With Windows Phone 7 on the horizon the HD2 will surely be one of the last, but you can e…

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HTC HD2 caught running Android 2.1 and Ubuntu with touchscreen enabled (video)

Posted on 30. Jun, 2010 by IBM

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Still clinging on to your HTC HD2? Good on ya, cos this WinMo slate’s about to last you a wee bit longer — team HTC Linux has recently made a breakthrough with getting the touchscreen to talk to the HaRET Linux bootloader. In other words, us mere mor…

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Android port for HTC HD2 overcomes big hurdle, finally getting close

Posted on 25. Jun, 2010 by IBM

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The great thing about the HD2 is that it remains one of the most gorgeous pieces of smartphone hardware ever released — but as long as it’s saddled with the dead OS walking known as Windows Mobile 6.5, its stature in the power user community is perpe…

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T-Mobile offering up to $350 off an HD2 in exchange for your iPhone, soul

Posted on 05. Apr, 2010 by IBM

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T-Mobile offering up to $350 HD2 discount in exchange for your iPhone, soul

HTC’s HD2 is the hottest piece of WinMo of the moment, and ever since it got the nod for an (unofficial) update to Windows Phone 7 it’s been looking all the more tasty. Now it’s getting more affordable too — if you happen to have an iPhone you’re willing to give up. T-Mobile appears to be running a promotion at certain locations through May 19 that would give between $100 and $350 off of a new HD2 for anyone trading in a working handset. Frankly we don’t figure too many dedicated iPhoners will be taking this opportunity to hop onto the Windows Mobile train but, if you can get yourself a cheap old handset from a friend who upgraded, you might just be able to snag yourself a hefty discount on a hunky new smartphone.

T-Mobile offering up to $350 off an HD2 in exchange for your iPhone, soul originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 08:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aircell tempts HTC HD2 owners with six months free in-flight WiFi

Posted on 25. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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Now that Aircell has finished roping every major US airline into its plan for world domination providing inexpensive WiFi on most every flight, the company’s dealmakers have had to fall back on, shall we say, less integral partnerships to advance their strategy. First up? If you’re the owner of a shiny new HTC HD2 on T-Mobile, you get six months of Gogo in-flight WiFi, free of charge. Simply register with the company anytime before June 2011 and it’s clear skies for your connection. You can consider the expiration date a bonus alarm clock — by that time, you’ll be ready for a phone with enough buttons for Windows Phone 7 Series.

Aircell tempts HTC HD2 owners with six months free in-flight WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO 4G is Sprint’s Android-powered knight in superphone armor, we go hands-on

Posted on 23. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/HTC_EVO_4G_is_Sprint_s_Android_powered_superphone’; We’ve been rumoring a WiMAX “HTC Supersonic” for a while now, and Sprint just dropped the hard news: the phone will be dubbed the HTC EVO 4G, will be released this Summer and it’s easily the best specced phone we’ve ever witnessed. The hardware is of quite obvious HD2 descent, but with Android onboard and some nice aesthetic tweaks, the EVO 4G takes on a life of its own. The handset is centered around a 480 x 800 4.3-inch TFT LCD, with a Snapdragon QSD8650 1GHz processor under the hood (the CDMA version of the QSD8250 in the HD2 and Nexus One), and even a helpful 1GB of built-in memory and 512MB of RAM — hello app storage! Even the battery is bigger than the HD2, and the camera is an 8 megapixel monstrosity with flash, that’s capable of 720p video, and is augmented by a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera for good measure. The phone features HDMI out (though you’ll need an adapter for turning it into a TV-familiar HDMI plug), 802.11b/g WiFi, and an 8GB microSD card. There’s that still-rare Android 2.1 underneath an updated version of HTC’s Sense UI. But… despite all these wild features, what actually sets the EVO 4G apart is the fact that it’s Sprint’s first 4G phone. The handset runs a combo of EV-DO Rev. A and WiMAX, with calls still being made over CDMA and the EV-DO / WiMAX options for data. Interestingly, it sounds like concurrent data and voice use might be possible for the first time on CDMA carrier in this way (killing AT&T’s well-advertised differentiator), though Sprint says that’s still in the testing phase. One other new feature is the Sprint hotspot app, another MiFi-style connection sharing number, which is obviously aided greatly by the WiMAX on board and can support up to eight concurrent users. Follow after the break for our hands-on impressions and videos of the phone in action, including an up-close-and-personal test of the touchscreen keyboard. Below you’ll find galleries of the phone by its lonesome and up against the Nexus One and iPhone 3G.

Update: We’ve got a graph comparing the Nexus One and Droid with the EVO spec for spec, and there’s also a pictorial shootout with the Desire and HD2. Pick your comparo poison!

Continue reading HTC EVO 4G is Sprint’s Android-powered knight in superphone armor, we go hands-on

HTC EVO 4G is Sprint’s Android-powered knight in superphone armor, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile’s HTC HD2 gets purchased and unboxed early (video)

Posted on 21. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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T-Mobile’s not officially selling its world-beating HD2 until Wednesday, but if you’ve a Walmart nearby and hankering to get HTC’s latest and greatest a few days early, it might be worth a trip out. JDMiPhoner managed to score one from his local Wally World a full four days early, and he’s been kind enough to unbox it, boot it up and give us a few first impressions on video. Is it really worth a couple of Benjamins with Windows Phone 7 Series just a few months away? Head on past the break if you’d care to be reminded of just how painful it is to know that this WinMo 6.5-packin’ gem won’t ever be upgradable (natively, anyway) to WP7S.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Update: Windows Mobile Nation got one as well (also from Walmart), and has hosted up a nice gallery of shots here.

Continue reading T-Mobile’s HTC HD2 gets purchased and unboxed early (video)

T-Mobile’s HTC HD2 gets purchased and unboxed early (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile goes official with HTC HD2 launch details: March 24th for $200

Posted on 16. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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We’ve heard it all before, but it’s always nice to get a modicum of legitimacy from a primary source. T-Mobile has now officially announced the release details for the HTC HD2 — you know, that phone whose cool factor has dropped a few Mega Fonzies since we confirmed once and for all it wasn’t getting a Windows Phone 7 upgrade. Look for it next Wednesday, March 24th, for just a penny under $200 on a two-year contract (and $450 without). Hey, at least this one’s definitely got copy and paste, right?

T-Mobile goes official with HTC HD2 launch details: March 24th for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confirmed: HTC HD2 will not be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 series

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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Bad news, HTC HD2 owners: Microsoft has finally come right out and confirmed our suspicions that the mighty HTC HD2 won’t be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 Series. Joe Belfiore just told us that the HD2 is “not compliant with the Windows Phone 7 Series hardware specifications,” which should end any of the lingering doubt that’s clouded this issue since MWC. That certainly puts a damper on the HD2′s upcoming launch on T-Mobile, but hey — every Microsoft employee here at MIX is carrying one, so it’s clearly the WinMo handset to get until it’s eclipsed by 7 late in the year. Pour one out for the king, friends.

Confirmed: HTC HD2 will not be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 series originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC HD2 said to be launching March 24th for $199, no Windows Phone 7 support

Posted on 10. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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Well, we’d already had a pretty clear indication that the HTC HD2 would be launching on T-Mobile on March 24th (or possibly the 23rd), and Laptop Magazine is now reporting that a “very close T-Mobile source” has confirmed that the 24th is indeed the date, and that the phone will run $199 on a two-year contract (or $449 off-contract). The March 23rd date that recently cropped up is apparently just the day the MobiTV software will go live. Just as notably, Laptop also says that it has confirmed that the phone won’t be upgradeable to Windows Phone 7 Series — although, at this point, we’ll have to hear that first-hand to truly put an end to the speculation. Thankfully, that should happen in just a few days.

HTC HD2 said to be launching March 24th for $199, no Windows Phone 7 support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC HD2 breaks free in the T-Mobile USA wilds

Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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HTC’s HD2 is a near perfect combination of physical hardware and silicon that delivers impressive performance on a device that’s surprisingly sleek given the display’s massive 4.3-inch expanse. Even Microsoft’s much maligned Windows Mobile 6.5 is expertly masked by HTC’s Sense interface. So it’s easy to understand the anticipation felt by the HD2′s first US release, questions of a Windows Phone 7 OS upgrade path notwithstanding. T-Mobile has the release honors and is now showing the HD2 as “coming soon” in its phone inventory. We’ve also got the first “in the wild” shots courtesy of TmoNews showing that big Blockbuster shortcut linked front and center for downloading On Demand movies directly to the device. Still no firm price or date but $199.99 on contract ($449.99 unlocked) sometime around 24 March sounds about right. One more shot with official T-Mobile branding after the break; the rest at the source link below.

Update: Tipster Nigel spotted a “†” footnote to nothing (yet) at the bottom of the page that requires 4 payments of $112.50 (or 20 payments of $22.50). That’s $450, matching the rumored price of the unlocked handset.

[Thanks Taylor]

Continue reading HTC HD2 breaks free in the T-Mobile USA wilds

HTC HD2 breaks free in the T-Mobile USA wilds originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC HD2 and Windows Phone 7 Series: Just tell us no, Microsoft

Posted on 04. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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Dear Microsoft,

We’ve had it up to here with these shenanigans. You’re jerking us around, and we’re sick of it. We get it, you have a very particular concept of what sort of phones you want running your new Windows Phone 7 Series OS. Not only do we get it, but we’re kind of proud of you for sticking up for yourself for once and ensuring some sort of sameness across your platform. Unfortunately, it’s not the holiday season yet, so we can’t buy one of these fancy WP7S phones yet. Meanwhile, on the other end of town, HTC is bringing the HD2 to T-Mobile in the US this month. Sure, it runs your soon-to-be-outdated Windows Mobile 6.5 OS which nobody wants, but it’s also pretty much the best hardware we’ve ever seen. Bar none.

This brings us to our plea: Microsoft, please put a line in the sand and tell us if the phone will be upgradeable to Windows Phone 7 Series. Of course we know why you won’t, you don’t want to “Osborne effect” the sales of your one last hope for Windows Mobile 6.5 success, and you don’t want to harm one of your most loyal handset builders. But what about your consumers? You’ve recently pushed out a number of statements about the device, full of wimpy non-line-in-sand-ers like “We currently do not have plans to update the HTC HD2 to Windows Phone 7 Series.” Sure, you’re not telling us to get our hopes up, but you’re also just cruel and calculating enough to leave room for hope. We’re pretty resigned at this point to receiving our Windows Phone 7 Series update on the HD2 from our good friends at xda-developers, but we’d just like to hear it from your mouth. Or better yet? Just get WP7S on there yourself, caveat it as “non-preferred” or whatever makes you comfortable, and save us all from this paralysis.

See you at MIX!

HTC HD2 and Windows Phone 7 Series: Just tell us no, Microsoft originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC HD2 and Moto Cliq XT pricing revealed in T-Mobile database?

Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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Alright, we know there’s a big old watermark covering it up, but the HD2′s price when it makes its eagerly awaited US debut on T-Mobile has been identified as being $199 after rebate, presumably as part of a two-year commitment with the carrier. As usual with such screen grabs, we can’t be 100 percent sure, but that number seems to be in the right ballpark, and is joined by a $129 price for Motorola’s Cliq XT and a $69 sticker for Nokia’s Nuron handset. All three are expected to arrive at some point this month, though we urge caution with the HD2 — it’s still only a Windows Mobile 6.5 device, in spite of Microsoft’s equivocations about Windows Phone 7, and should be obtained solely on the basis of what you know. That is to say, you’d better really love HTC’s Sense UI and that 4.3-inch screen, because you’ll be buying into an OS with a very short remaining shelf life, no prospects of future app development, and no guarantees about upgrades.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC HD2 and Moto Cliq XT pricing revealed in T-Mobile database? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft sending mixed signals on Windows Phone 7 Series upgrades, HTC HD2 still in limbo

Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by IBM

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The fate of the mighty HTC HD2 seems to be getting murkier by the minute: Microsoft UK VP Alex Reeve said last week that an upgrade to Windows Phone 7 Series might be left up to hardware partners, but now Natasha Kwan, General Manager for Microsoft’s Asia Pacific Mobile Communications Business says the 1GHz handset “doesn’t qualify because it doesn’t have the three buttons” required by WP7. Making matters even less clear, we asked Microsoft’s Director of Consumer Experiences Aaron Woodman about the HD2 directly on The Engadget Show, and he politely declined to tell us about the device’s upgradability, and said that WP7′s final required specs would be revealed at MIX ’10. We’ll be honest: we’re taking all this confusion to mean that Microsoft hasn’t quite figured out how to say the HD2 is at a dead end just before it launches on T-Mobile US, but hey — maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised at MIX.

Microsoft sending mixed signals on Windows Phone 7 Series upgrades, HTC HD2 still in limbo originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus One coming to Vodafone UK in April, says Telegraph

Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by IBM

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Without citing its sources, the Telegraph is reporting matter-of-factly that the Nexus One will launch on Vodafone in April for a to-be-determined price, though it’s “likely to be priced very similarly to comparable smartphones such as the iPhone.” It’s no secret that Vodafone’s picking up Google’s Snapdragon-powered beast — but we’ve yet to lock it down to a 30-day window like this, so it’s progress. Coincidentally, this is going to collide head-to-head with the European release of the Desire, HTC’s remix of the Nexus One with Sense and an optical pad thrown in, so it’ll be fascinating to see which of these monsters comes out on top at retail.

[Thanks, Charles]

Nexus One coming to Vodafone UK in April, says Telegraph originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile launching 21Mbps webConnect Rocket, HTC HD2 next month

Posted on 16. Feb, 2010 by IBM

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During Deutsche Telekom’s press conference this morning at MWC, Cole Brodman — T-Mobile USA’s CTO — went on record with the news that it’ll be launching its first 21Mbps HSPA+ USB modem next month across the country, the webConnect Rocket. Of course, there isn’t a lot of live 21Mbps footprint in T-Mobile’s network right now — in fact, only Philly is fully operational — but there should be plenty more cities from coast to coast where you can enjoy DSL-shaming wireless speeds later this year. That might not be the most exciting news, though: Brodman also finally fessed up to the HD2 (unbranded version pictured above), which will be exclusive to T-Mobile in the US. It’s arguably pretty bad timing in light of the Windows Phone 7 Series announcement yesterday, but a huge win nonetheless — the phone is a legitimate beast. Like the webConnect Rocket, it’ll be hitting in March, though exact dates and prices for either have yet to be revealed.

Update: T-Mobile had previously hinted that there’s be some surprised in store for the US release of the HD2, and indeed, there are; it’s got Blockbuster On Demand integrated for downloading movies directly to the device, a Barnes & Noble eReader app for enjoying the Nook’s digital library right on the phone, and — for some reason we don’t fully appreciate — Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen bundled on the included microSD. Full PR after the break — and reader Qasim points out that T-Mobile’s HD2 website is now live as well.

Continue reading T-Mobile launching 21Mbps webConnect Rocket, HTC HD2 next month

T-Mobile launching 21Mbps webConnect Rocket, HTC HD2 next month originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile promises to say more about the HTC HD2 next week

Posted on 12. Feb, 2010 by IBM

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Nothing more to go on with this one than what you see above, unfortunately, but that message does come from T-Mobile USA’s official Twitter account, and it pretty clearly indicates that the carrier will have something to say about the eagerly anticipated HTC HD2 sometime next week. That would certainly line up with the latest rumors we’ve hearing — which pointed to a March launch — but we’ll just have to wait a few more days to see exactly what the carrier has planned for the mighty Windows Mobile phone.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

T-Mobile promises to say more about the HTC HD2 next week originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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