HTC
HD2

The HD2 was the first HTC phone to support its in-house HTC Sense user interface which it claimed delivered an “unprecedented Windows phone experience”. The company stated the HTC HD2 “melded the power and flexibility of the Windows platform” to deliver “the most advanced phone” the company had ever created. Microsoft SVP, Andy Lees, claimed that the HTC HD2 “broke new ground with its responsive, touch screen.” The phone featured a high-resolution, 4.3-inch capacitive touch display and was a larger than average device when launched, underlining the focus on browsing, content consumption and more. Given modern (2020’s era) smartphones feature displays in excess of 6-inches, it is hard to articulate how big this phone looked at the time, and it was considered far too big by many reviewers at the time. The HD2 was approximately 5mm taller and wider than the iPhone 3G/3GS. It was the first time a capacitive touch display had been used on a Windows phone powered device. To maximise the speed of applications, videos, games and more it used a 1Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile processor. HTC claimed its Sense user interface was based on three principles: Make it Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected. ‘Make It Mine’ offered services such as a localized, animated weather application that filled the HD2’s entire display. The HD2 could also be enhanced with a range of applications from Microsoft’s new Windows Marketplace for Mobile store. ‘Stay Close’ was a “people-centric” app that provided a single contact view that displayed “individual communication snapshots of your conversations with the people in your life regardless of whether a call, text, Facebook status update or email were used.” HTC also included a new Windows-based version of its Twitter application, HTC Peep, allowing pictures taken with the five-megapixel camera to be quickly shared via Facebook or Twitter. ‘Discover the Unexpected’ offered a variety of enhancements to improve the overall phone experience such as a light sensor that automatically adjusted the brightness of the display. It was also possible to use the HTC HD2’s 3G connectivity as a personal Wi-Fi hotpot. Although the HD2 was released in 2009 running the Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional operating system, numerous mods were created making it possible to support the Android operating system.