When the HTC HD2 originally hit the market it was just an ordinary Windows Mobile 6.5 handset, nothing special or worth gawking at. Now, years later? The HD2 has continued to dodge the Grim Reaper by continuing to live on as a hackable device that allows would-be modders to push modern software onto the device.

The HTC HD2 not only moved past Windows Mobile 6.5 over to Windows Phone 7 via hacking efforts, it was also recently shown off by Cotulla running Windows Phone 8. While the HTC HD2 probably doesn’t run these modern operating systems blazingly fast, the fact that it can run them at all is impressive.

Not impressed with the HD2 running both Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8? What about Windows RT, the ARM-version of Windows 8? That’s right, Cotulla has now returned with a new mod that allows Windows RT to be installed onto the HD2.

Considering RT is meant for big screens, this probably doesn’t run or look all that wonderful, but it is still pretty cool.

For those that are hoping for something less Microsoft-ish, there have also been hacking efforts in the past that put Android onto the device as well.

So what’s the secret to the HD2′s hacking success? Part of it is that it managed to lure in some very dedicated and talented hackers. The second reason is that its Qualcomm chip and the rest of the hardware is all very hack-friendly and highly compatible with a vast array of operating systems it seems.

Do you have an old HD2 laying around? Have you tried any similar projects to give the device renewed life?

[ source ]

The post HTC HD2 Smartphone Now Running Windows RT? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

When Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8, some consumers were at least a little disappointed to learn that there would be no direct upgrade path from older Windows Phone 7 hardware. At the time Microsoft said that it had to do with hardware problems that would arise, namely that the older handsets wouldn’t provide an optimal Windows Phone 8 experience. That being said Microsoft never said it wasn’t technically possible for older devices to run the new OS.

It seems that the HTC HD2 has now received an early port of Windows Phone 8. For those wondering, this isn’t a Windows Phone 7 device, it was released in 2009 running Windows Mobile 6.5, actually. Ever since its release, the HTC HD2 has managed to get an update to every new release of Windows Phone 7 thanks to a very active modding community.

For now, the posting modder ‘Cotulla’ isn’t giving directions on how to get the project up and running, but it is further proof that just about any mobile mod is possible with enough patience and know-how. Keep in mind that Windows Phone 8 on the HTC HD2 seems to be an earlier build of the OS and is likely not very capable or stable at this point.

If the HTC HD2 can run Windows Phone 8, don’t be surprised if similar mods eventually arrive for Windows Phone 7 handsets. Keep in mind that just because you can upgrade doesn’t mean you’ll get a fast or fully compatible experience with your older handset, though. Unless you are a tinkerer that just wants to do it “because you can”, you might be better off just upgrading to a new handset like the Nokia Lumia 920 when you contract is up.

[ source ]

The post Ancient HTC HD2 now running Windows Phone 8 via hack appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

T-Mobile HTC HD2 coming March 24th

T-Mobile’s hosting a special event in New York City on March 16th to lay to rest all the rumors swirling around the HTC HD2 launch date.  We are expecting a March 24th release date according to a leaked roadmap, but a twitter post says it could be as early as March 23rd. The HTC HD2 is quite the monster, it’s got a 1Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 4.3 inch high-resolution capacitive touchscreen, WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, GPS, a microSD slot bundled with a 16GB card, and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash.

Although it is said to be running Windows Mobile 6.5, and unfortunately, it may not be upgradable to the Windows Phone 7 Series, but with themes you could skin the HD2 to fool your friends and make it look like WinPho7.

Pre-loaded apps coming with the HD2 on T-Mobile are: Blockbuster On Demand integration with the full film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Barnes & Noble eReader, giving you access to more than a million eBooks, newspapers, magazines and your Barnes & Noble digital library. The MobiTV mobile app, giving live and on-demand TV from . Gogo Inflight Internet service for six months of free in-flight Wi-Fi access.

This is definitely a great new smartphone coming our way, expect it to go for $199 on a two year contract.

The post HTC HD2 exclusively on T-Mobile March 24 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

HTC is bringing us the capacitive HD2; for those who don’t know – capacitive screens don’t work with a normal stylus (the plastic kind). They work by measuring a change in capacitance, (electrical charge) in your fingers or with this special stylus.  The one flaw I see is, there is no place to keep the stylus, I am sure I can figure something out. And if I do lose it, htcaccessorystore.com will gladly replace it for 17 quid (about $28).

The post HTC HD2 Stylus is available for purchase appeared first on Mobile Magazine.