It's no surprise that I'm a HUGE fan of Android, but I've been dissatisfied with my G1 for the last few months. I ordered the device the day it was announced and was one of the first few to receive theirs so I've had it for a good stretch. I've been able to recently play with some of the more advanced Android devices and was very impressed by their speed, but didn't want to pay full price for a Nexus One and could get a discount because I'm on a family plan. Boo Google!
When the HD2 neared launch I looked at it but never imagined getting one, until they announced the BOGO and my wife decided she needed a replacement for her aging Blackberry Pearl that has been dropped in water twice now and the battery sometimes doesn't charge. I showed her the HD2 and she fell in love with the huge 4.3 inch display and the beautiful Sense UI. We called up T-mobile and found 2 of our lines were eligible for upgrades and could take advantage of the BOGO.
At first it was hard to find one of these devices but I happened to be at a T-mobile store a friend worked out and was told they had gotten a shipment earlier that day, but sold out already, but the store down the street might have them. Within a few hours I had 2 brand new HD2's for the price of one.
So far I've spent 48 hours with the phone, and although it's different from Android, HTC did a good job with sense and some things are familiar. Windows Mobile can be a pain sometimes, and I remember now what frustrated me about how the OS was set up when I had my Dash Excalibur. The phone is fast, as it should be with the 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 1GB of memory.
The video quality from the pre-installed Transformers 1&2 movies has impressed everyone I've shown it to and the phone, even though the largest I've carried, is slim enough that it doesn't bother me when I slip it in my pocket. It has been difficult to find the right accessories, like a holster, but I'm sure we'll see some in the coming weeks. So far the only thing I've been able to find is different colored gel-skins (the phone came with a ribbed black HTC branded one), a clear plastic housing with no clip, and universal leather pouches.
The included 16gb micro sd card is a nice addition, even though it's only a class 2. The 5mp Camera is pretty nice and seems to do pretty well when compared to another device with an 8mp camera, and has options to adjust even your iso. The picture on the right was one taken last night with auto iso and no flash outside under the patio at the local Freebirds. I'll try and get some shots to compare another device to in the coming weeks, after I've had more time to play with it.
So far I'm pretty impressed with the HD2, but I do miss Android. Hopefully the guys over at XDA-Developers will be able to get Android running on it soon, especially with the HTC EVO coming out soon, which is basically the same device custom made for Android and
So check back later and I'll try to do a full review and some hands on shots/comparisons with the device later. The biggest comparison will be with apps I use on a daily basis and love on Android, like Slacker Radio. Until next time...
Oh and I forgot to mention swype is on the device, and becoming easier to use each time I compose a message.
