If the company Htc can be considered a leader among manufacturers of high-quality communicators, then its model HTC HD2 it is the leader among windows mobile devices. Of course, you can talk for a long time why it is so necessary. But since the company is rapidly spending a lot of money on the development of its interface for WM-devices, it makes sense. We will deliberately not make deep comparisons with the Android operating system. Perhaps very soon devices on Windows Phone 7 will be on sale, and the already well-designed TouchFLO interface will give them a powerful boost at the start. Of course, HTC HD 2 is a colorful representative that reveals all the capabilities of the platform and sets a new frontier for flagships. It is well equipped with technology, with the most improvements and improvements. Let's see if you need such a highly functional communicator? It is quite expensive, but it may be the last WM of this level. Soon, this operating system will become completely irrelevant.
Housing. Assembly. Control elements.
Whatever my colleagues called him! Oh, harvester! Oh, TV! And all due to the fact that the device has become simply a hostage to its huge screen. Of course, you understand that in the struggle for dimensions, the design is lost. But that doesn't mean the HD2 looks bad or boring. The developers have done a tremendous job of introducing a 4.3-inch screen into at least some style. First, you get a huge screen, while the device is quite suitable for convenient daily use. Secondly, the sleek body. Plus - everything is made from high quality materials. The sides on the sides of the screen are minimal. At the same time, HTC HD2 looks plausible and tough! What you need for a communicator of this level! And, accordingly, he has nothing superfluous. So all the disputes that are divorced on the network are a personal matter for everyone, a matter of taste. Protects all this beauty - glass. It doesn't scratch, but is very fingerprint-friendly.
During the test, I carried a rag with me. All plastic elements are made using soft-touch technology. It is pleasant to hold it in your hand, even when talking for a long time. In addition, the battery compartment cover is made of alloy, it takes a very long time to take it out and put it back in place, but there is no backlash.
The machine is durable, but over time, the lid may get dents from drops. There are practically no complaints about the quality of the construction. The build is excellent. Everything is closely adjacent to each other. Many shortcomings of other models are removed here. There was only an incomprehensible rim of the camera. In the ergonomics of the case, only one point did not suit. It is very inconvenient to type on the table, the device wobbles. The curved body at the back is to blame. To change the SIM card, you will have to take out the battery for a long time, but the memory card can be changed immediately under the cover. Cards of any size are supported. Another annoyance for me was the dust, which clogs into all the cracks, into the speaker and under the buttons. Well, this can of course be cleaned with a brush, but unpleasant. Of course, the dimensions of the HTC HD2 are a bit out of bounds.
Well, what did you want with such and such a screen? In fact, the device is more compact than it looks in the photo. For clarity, it is worth seeing it live and comparing it with other devices.
•HTC HD2 - 120 x 67 x 11 mm, 157 g
•HTC Touch HD - 115 x 62 x 12 mm, 147 g
•HTC MAX 4G - 113 x 61 x 14 mm, 151 g
•Apple iPhone - 115 x 62 x 12 mm, 133 g
The communicator is quite heavy, its weight is noticeable during long-term use. But it is quite narrow, which is pretty good! You can carry it in any pocket, but it tends to pull down soft fabric. Therefore, it is more convenient to carry it in a bag or purse.
On the outside there is a speaker, it is on top and neatly covered with a mesh. Nearby are a light meter for automatically adjusting the screen brightness and a proximity detector for turning off the monitor during a conversation. To the left of the speaker there is a light indicator, it produces an indication of missed events, and during charging. Unfortunately, there is no second camera for video calls in the device. The volume control key is located on the left edge. It is moderately comfortable, protrudes 1 mm above the level of the case, with the help of which it is comfortable to press it blindly.At the bottom we have a microUSB connector for turning on a charger, cable or accessories. Here, at the bottom, there is a 3.5 mm jack for turning on headphones or a headset. All these elements are located in their place - conveniently.
The call cancellation button has become a multitasking one. It activates the screen and calls up the mode menu, turns the device on and off. Of course, the block of buttons for operating the unit consists of 5 buttons below the screen: answer a call, a button to return to the main screen (Home), a Windows Mobile menu button, a "Back" button and an incoming call cancellation button.
However, the keys are hardware, correctly separated, and comfortable to use. After other HTC models, it somehow grabs the trackball.
The screen and its capabilities.
The communicator has a 4.3-inch TFT touchscreen! To understand how huge it is, you should take some large unit, put HD2 next to it and understand that it is even cooler!
In addition, the screen has a gorgeous resolution - 800x480 pixels, no graininess, the illustration is bright and clear. Of course, the display on the HTC HD2 is unambiguously luxurious, perhaps even the best.
But progress does not stand still. So we will consider this data only for WM devices. The screen is made using capacitive technology and responds well to fingers, but does not respond to anything else. With this screen size, you will definitely not miss the mark. There are no problems with viewing angles either. The brightness level of the screen is slightly overkill. In the sun, the screen is bright enough to remain readable.
I can't say anything bad about this screen. Compared to other devices of this class running on Windows Mobile, HTC has shown itself worthy.
You can talk about the screen for a long time, but it's better to see it.
Camera and its capabilities.
Communicator HTC HD2 was awarded a 5 megapixel camera. It has autofocus.
There is a camera on top of the back, next to it is a flash of 2 LED-LEDs. The interface is familiar to me from previous models. Now I'll tell you about him. In the viewfinder mode, the screen shows 2 keys - shooting and calling options. Of course, the device itself is able to focus on the object, but since focusing does not suit you, you can re-focus by pressing the shooting button or simply poking at the place of the screen on which you want to focus carefully. If you press the menu key, then auxiliary icons appear - access to the options menu, select a shooting mode, go to the album, and the number of possible shots is displayed. In addition, in the options there is a choice of widescreen resolution, since the unit's screen is widescreen.
The maximum resolution available for photos is 5M - 2592x1944.
Before shooting, we can adjust the white balance, add various effects, change the level of contrast, intensity, hue and sharpness on a 5-point scale. In addition, the shutter sound, the display of the grid in the viewfinder mode on the screen, the timer, the time stamp on the photo and the ISO value are additionally adjusted. By and large, the camera does not stand out in any way from the competitors' cameras. The pictures come out pretty good, the image is clear, even if you shoot the text. But for this, you first need to choose the right mode and focus for a long time. Unfortunately, there is no macro mode here. The flash sometimes fires at the wrong time. Video is recorded in MP4 or 3GP formats, at up to 30 frames. The maximum resolution for VGA video is 640x480. There are as many settings for videos as for photos. Videos can be limited in time or in size. However, the video quality is just fine.
Battery and its capabilities.
The unit uses a 1230 mAh Li-Ion battery.
The manufacturer boldly claims up to 6 hours of talk time and up to 490 hours of standby time, as well as up to 8 hours of watching movies and 12 hours of playing music. In practice, the apparatus has been subjected to harsh test conditions.They talked on it for at least an hour a day, sent a large number of e-mails almost, every day they browsed the Internet and listened to music.
On average, it worked for about a day, and sometimes required a charge in the evening. It all depends on the intensity of use. But, in general, you will not go beyond the standard operating time for WM devices. Do not forget that we are dealing with a communicator, and even more so with such a huge screen. In any case, the charge will be enough to watch one movie, and then you can still talk on the phone for a while. The battery can be fully charged in three hours.
Performance.
The device is built on the fresh Qualcomm Snapdragon platform - 1 GHz. Communicator HTC HD2 can be considered the second in a row built on this platform. This power is more than enough for comfortable work. Another feature is that the HD2 comes with 448 MB of RAM. This huge amount allows you to forget about all open applications. About 300 MB of memory is initially available for saving files. All this bundle successfully plays video in HD-resolution. The standard player does not support many formats. It's better to get a solid third-party player right away. So it is impossible to call HTC HD2 the lord of unconverted video. And there is no need to demand more from the communicator, it copes with the video corresponding to the resolution of its screen. Anything else will be overkill.
Communications.
The device works in GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and UMTS (900/2100) networks. Of course, two standards of high-speed data transfer are supported - EDGE and HSDPA.
A complete microUSB cable is used to synchronize with a PC and transfer files. This means the USB 2.0 interface. You can connect the device as a hard disk and work with a memory card, but at the same time, you cannot synchronize data. There is also a built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR module. The operation of the unit with a stereo headset does not cause controversy, the sound quality is also in order. Most profiles are supported. Wi-Fi (802.11b / g). Wi-Fi works without problems, you can turn on the router or modem mode.
Navigation.
The unit uses an integrated gpsOne chip based on the Qualcomm platform. The cold start time for the HD2 GPS receiver is approximately a minute, and then even less. Depending on the country and configuration, the navigation software may be installed in the device. If there is one, there should be city maps on the memory card. On my sample was an overview map of Ukraine, as well as simply detailed maps of 11 megalopolises and cities, including Kiev, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa, Kharkov, Lvov and others.
Software.
Our device is running Windows Mobile 6.5, the interface is the 2nd version of TouchFLO 3D, which is now renamed Sense.
By and large, the Sense skin in Android devices has little in common with the HD2 skin. The interface in HTC HD2 is correctly called - TouchFLO 3D, which is simply called "Sense".
The first thing we see is colored icons on the tabs. They used to be monochrome. It looks plausible and no less functional than before. Better or not is a matter of taste. I like. Anyway, the shell contains 13 tabs. They can be interchanged, removed. You can now use animated wallpapers on your home screen. Or you can set the dependence of the picture on the weather, if it rains - the screen will become cloudy, and droplets will run along it. When it's cloudy outside, clouds obediently float across the screen. Previously, this was not possible. If you don't want to see atmospheric results in full screen - for you, in the standard, there are three types of animated wallpapers. I find the second option more pleasing to the eye. You don't always want to contemplate the rain on your communicator's screen. Better to look at the beautiful circles flying across the screen. But a static picture cannot be selected here.
Switching between screens is not difficult.You can - by moving your finger, for example, from left to right or opposite. You can click on the proper bookmark. Finally, when you click on the icon, the unit vibrates slightly, and also gently emits a short sound. It seems that the disadvantage of this method of moving between tabs is that it is impossible to immediately get from the first screen to the last one. Only 5 tabs are immediately visible. You can, of course, hold your finger on one icon - and a menu with a choice of any screen will be displayed. The interface works quickly, delays are invisible to the eye. So, our main page is "Home". This is the main screen of the shell, which is solidly refined in the final version. Branded - most of the screen is occupied by a beautiful digital clock. It looks especially plausible that when the time changes, the clock turns over the numbers, like on a calendar. In addition, immediately below the clock, the weather icon and information about the current weather are displayed, below - the date and status of the alarm, then - the key for switching to the calendar. Reminders of upcoming events will also be displayed here. Below the calendar events there is a matrix of 9 icons for quick access, 3 of them are shown on the screen immediately, and in order to conscientiously see 6 more, you need to pull the main screen up with a gesture of your finger. This is handy because you can add whatever you want to these nine icons. These can be contacts, applications, or links. From the main screen, finally, you can get to the menu for dialing a number, there is a hyperlink at the bottom to go. With such a large screen, all these icons are more comfortable and more useful than before.
The contact screen is a matrix of fifteen icons. Nine contacts are immediately available on one screen, and six more if you swipe up. When choosing a subscriber, it becomes possible to call him or write a message. It is best to manually assign each selected contact its own image, that is, a photo. Of course, this all became more functional. It looks great and is comfortable to use. You can also view contacts as a list of 8 subscribers. This is called an address book, in this mode more information is displayed on the screen. Here you can also view the actions that took place with subscribers on the tab - event log. You can assign illustrations for groups, but a separate melody is impossible. Finally, it is possible to send messages directly from the TouchFLO 3D shell. Previously, this was only possible in the Windows Mobile menu. Now this can be done directly from contacts. Also in the contact card, you can view the activities of the subscriber in social networks. The shell also has a separate screen for viewing messages. In it, you can view all messages at once and reply to them. Only short messages are placed here, those that exceed the limit can only be read from the messages menu. Writing a new message also happens in the shell. Quite handy for those who write frequently.
E-mail is implemented in a separate screen this time. Individual messages can be scrolled with gestures. Information about the message is also displayed on the screen: subject, sender and date of receipt.
On the "Internet" tab, we see a search line from Google, below - the browser launch icon, and even below - a matrix of mini-pictures of bookmarks. In any case, it is a convenient innovation, with the help of which it is possible to display up to 10 bookmarks on a frequently loaded page. The browser here is Opera 9.7. With support for a capacitive screen and multitouch technology.
The calendar is also a separate screen.
Here you can choose one of several types of calendar display: the whole year, month, week, day, or a foreseeable event. For the next couple of days, there is weather monitoring at the bottom of the screen, and HTC has a feeling of intrusiveness with this weather, they probably consider this one of the interface chips.
For advanced entrepreneurs, there is another gorgeous screen called promotions. Of course, this is a screen that shows stock quotes for various companies.You can even view a window with detailed data for any company added to your portfolio, or track price dynamics over different periods.
Finally, let's move on to multimedia. It is represented here by a screen - "Photos and Videos". Here we have access to both recording photos or videos and viewing ready-made ones. If you quickly press on the current image on the page twice, it will open in the album in full screen mode. Of course, images can be swiped with finger gestures. However, here the accelerometer is activated - as soon as you tilt the device low to either side, the illustration also rotates. Pictures can be sent by mail, added to a contact, and so on.
Music.
The Music screen is the main part of the interface for working with music. Here you can see the album cover, the playing bar, as well as the pause and scroll keys. Finally, you can swap the track by swiping your finger up or down. Track rewind is performed using the slider under the control keys. Of course, the disadvantage of the player is that its volume changes together with the system volume, on which the volume level of all signals depends, not counting the ringing one. The music library is sorted by upcoming aspects: artist, album, genre, composer, playlist. HTC HD2 has a 3.5 mm headphone jack and comes with a decent headset with remote control
The player interface is very nice and has a horizontal orientation, if necessary. Turning the device over - we see a list of album covers, flipping them sideways. Having selected the cover, we see a list of songs in this album. Of course, this is all done more for beauty than for real need. Controlling the player is not difficult. Sound quality is good, albeit not very loud. But there is enough sound in the headphones, and even more so in the HD2 there was an equalizer. There is also a nice feature that turns off playback if the headphones fall out of the socket. Of course, the unit has an FM radio. However, the radio quality is average. It only works when a headset is connected. Stations can be searched both manually and automatically. The device implements two very interesting functions, when the device lies motionless on the table (on any plane), a bell rings, as soon as you lift the unit high from the plane, the ring volume becomes the lowest. And the second function will use a light meter for operation and set the highest volume level as soon as you put the unit in a pocket or purse.
Weather.
As I said before, in HTC the weather is just a trend, it is ubiquitous. Therefore, there is a separate screen that displays the current weather condition. You can select up to 10 cities for which you want to monitor the weather. Besides, you can consider the weather as a really design part of the shell.
The interface has a built-in Twitter client. Who knows what twitter is - will not require a description. In this application, you simply act as a moderator of the tweets added to your feed. It is considered to be one of the best twitter clients.
Settings.
We are glad to have a screen with quick access to the most important settings. This is really helpful and might come in handy. All basic settings such as modes, ringtone can be done without going to the standard Windows Mobile menu. You can also manage wireless interfaces, set up mail, and customize the TouchFLO 3D shell itself.
The manager of running applications surprisingly moved here. The good news is that the communicator has a separate screen for volume control.
There are some nice things in the call mode too. When dialing a number on the keyboard, the communicator itself will compare the numbers and offer a choice of contacts with a similar number. And you can not hold the unit near your ear for a long time, listening to the beeps, if a connection is established, the unit will independently notify you with a pulsation.And if the dialed number is not in the list, the system will offer to save it. It is from such pleasant little things that the idea of the flagship segment is formed.
Input methods.
The most convenient input method is the QWERTY keyboard. Conveniently, to switch the language, as well as connect or disconnect the T9 mode, separate keys are used. Also in the shell there are 2 types of a regular telephone keypad. To the question: is it convenient to type? The answer is yes, it's convenient!
Lock screen.
Of course, HTC HD2 has a regular lock screen. From above, you need to pull the button to one side. All missed events are displayed as a number on the lock icon. If you accidentally press the button in your pocket, the screen will remain locked.
Applications with which we managed to work.
ABBYY Lingvo - as the name suggests, this is a dictionary. The program is displayed normally, but you have to scroll through the words with a standard slider on the edge of the screen. In any case, it is convenient to control the rest of the program functions with your finger.
AlReader is an application for reading books. Convenient. It is worth comparing with others and making sure of the convenience. Working with the screen is no problem. You can scroll through the pages of the book using the volume keys, which is convenient.
Word Mobile. In my opinion, the work went smoothly. You can edit the text, and also multitouch works. The text can be scrolled with your finger across the screen.
As a navigation, I used the Navitel programs. I advise you to choose for yourself. As I already wrote, the bundled software may differ from what was in my sample.
By and large, with many programs, no problems will arise in the work, and if they are, they depend only on the dampness of the firmware. The biggest drawback is the impossibility in many programs to scroll through the screens with a finger gesture, sometimes this feature is very lacking.
Games
I was able to play several games installed by my colleagues. But at the most important moment, I realized that the device lacks a navigation key. So I didn't manage to play enough. That is, you can only play those games that are designed exclusively for control from the screen.
Impression.
In any case, there are no complaints about the quality of the relationship, the unit catches the network stably. The speaker is good, there is a headroom. Finally, the main speaker sounds a little louder than average, but you are unlikely to miss a call. The vibrating alert is weaker than average, there is simply not enough motor in order to greatly shake the huge body, in trousers or jeans you can hear it only in a calm state, you can not notice it when walking. What can you say about such a combine? For their money, the user gets practically the best device, the largest screen, the fastest platform, high-quality materials, an elegant appearance, and the best third-party interface. By and large, there was nothing that was downright disappointing. The manufacturer did not make any serious mistakes. Each of you can come up with your own minuses, someone may not suit the size of such a device, but in this case, you will not buy it. However, I can only confidently add that the company has Htc one more time it turned out to be damn good to make a flagship! The main plus HTC HD2 this is the ease of use of the unit for daily business. It will become easier and more comfortable for the bulk of users to do all the necessary operations with just such an interface. However, it is worth starting to pay attention to Android communicators. Although all WM programs are multifunctional, they were fundamentally not designed for such high-tech devices. There is nothing critical about buying HD2. It just has its pros and cons to choose from. Whether you like it or not, you will understand yourself when you personally meet with this wonderful device.
Competitors.
It is difficult to name them. They are, of course. But I would only like to compare with the Samsung GT-i8000, since it was presented on our market. Of course Samsung is one of the weakest contenders.Here you can record both HTC MAX 4G and Acer neoTouch. However, the Samsung GT-i8000 has a weaker platform, smaller screen, and the body gets more dirty. But all these are not nice pluses in the direction of HD2, but just reality. Samsung has a slightly smaller body and has more internal memory. For the same price, HTC still feels better in the market.
