The latest on smartphones (and other gadgets)

The HTC HD2 remains one of the favourities for fiddling with. The phone launched in late 2009 as a WinMo device, with world beating hardware specs. I think it was the first 1GHz device at the time, as well as having the biggest screen at 4.3inches. Now, a year and a half later, its hardware capabilities are still very good.

Now, if you want to make your HD2 sing with the latest version of Android, namely 2.3 aka Gingerbread (Android 3.0 is out I know but is for tablets), then read on. The modding community has been working on various Android incarnations for the HD2, many of which I have experimented with, but for the first time now I think the state of the art is good enough to be used on a permanent basis. Forget about WinMo. With Android Gingerbread your HD2 will be as good, if not better, than the new HTC Desire HD. The latter is essentially an Android remake of the HD2, but runs Android 2.2 only, ha ha.

Take a deep breath and then follow these steps:

1. Backup and format the sd card in your phone.

2. Install Hard SPL (SPL3) a custom bootloader available on XDA. HSPL is required to update the radio and flash custom ROMs to the phone. It is safe to install and can be uninstalled by rerunning the program setup file.

3. Next update to a new radio. Radios and installation instructions can be found at XDA. Be sure to use a compatible version. 2.15.50.14 is a good one.

4. Install MAGLDR bootloader. MAGLDR serves as a second bootloader, which runs after HSPL, and can be used to Flash Nandroid ROMs to the HD2. Download MAGLDR from the forums at XDA.

5. To install Gingerbread on the HD2 first download any of the recent Gingerbread Nandroid ROMs from the XDA HD2 Android NAND Development forum to a PC and extract it. I recommend NexusHD2-Gingerbread V2.5 [Android2.3.3][Kernel: tytung_r8.3].Then perform a soft reset while holding down the power off button until the MAGLDR boot menu appears. Select the “USB Flasher” option and connect the HD2 to a PC using a USB cable. Once the USB connection is established run the Android installer EXE file that came with the NAND ROM to complete the installation.

And there you have it. You are now running Android Gingerbread, recently released by Google for use on the Google Nexus S. RIP Windows Mobile.

You will have to tweak some of the phone settings to get the best battery life. I use the following:

1. SetCPU changes the phone’s CPU clock speed automatically. Get the paid version from the Android Market. If you live in a country that has not yet been enabled by Google for paid apps, check this post of mine on how to enable paid apps. Pay with your credit card. Otherwise google the free version.

2. Ultimate Juice Defender, also available from the Market in paid and free guises, will switch various juice sucking features off and on, e.g. data connection, wifi.

3. Reduce the number of accounts that sync automatically, under Settings -> Accounts, or even disable automatic background sync if you are happy to manually sync your emails.

4. Set the radio to 2g only under Settings -> Mobile Networks

5. Don’t use a live wallpaper

The HD2 is a fantastic piece of hardware. It has a 1GHz processor, still the fastest processor available in mobile phones. It has a humungous beautiful 4.3 inch capacitive touchscreen. It is thin enough to fit comfortably in my pocket despite the big dimensions of the screen. There is only one problem with it – it runs Windows Mobile, which is old, not suited to touchscreen devices and defunct since Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7. Luckily for us ordinary mortals the geekgods at XDA-Developers have been working an porting Android to the HD2. This has not been an easy process, apparently some issues relating to the SnapDragon processor, but recently a major breakthrough was made and since then in the last few weeks, one after the other builds have appeared. The latest ones are starting to be fairly stable. They are not ready for public consumption and daily use, as major bits of functionality are still missing, such as no audio through the microphone or speaker when making a call, but they are beginning to show that the HD2 will be a fantastic phone soon. Check out this video of Android running on the HD2 and if you are feeling adventurous and have an HD2 in your collection, head over to the forum thread at xda-developers.com. The installation procedure is not complex and not really risky at all, as it does not flash your phone’s rom. These early Android builds run from your phone’s SD card, and to get back to Windows Mobile you simply have to restart your phone.

I have been using an HTC HD2 on and off for a while now and while Windows Mobile will never be a pleasure to use, and while I still struggle with text input using onscreen keyboard, the large screen and super fast processor is addictive. I am doing this post using the Opera browser on the phone and I am doing it on the full version of my site, no mobile version required. Everything is big and fast on this phone. You need to see the Youtube app – it is something special. If this phone had a slide out QWERTY keyboard it would be the perfect Windows phone. Am trying out SlideIT which lets you drag your finger across the keyboard instead of typing. Supposedly faster than typing. Will see. Along the same lines I heard that Swype will be available free to all Android phones from today.

This is what my brother-in-law had to say about his new HD2 after a few days (he changed from a Blackberry Bold):

“I have configured up the HTC and must say I am enjoying the phone. Microsoft Mobile is not better than Blackberry in all aspects and some things seem a bit clumsy to get around. Initially I missed the Blackberry but the more I get used to Microsoft, the more I like it although the Blackberry is definitely easier and more intuitive to use. The phone itself is great. In spite of the size of the screen it carry’s easily as it is thinner. It is also significantly thinner than the iPhone so it easily slips into your pocket. It is a “solid” phone with a metal case. This makes it feel heavy but is not actually a weight in the hand or pocket.

The screen is great and pretty responsive. The camera is also quite good. Typing on a touch screen is definitely more difficult than with a keypad although I find it is easier if I put the phone in landscape. The processor seems to be fast enough so I have not experienced any lag. I find with the screen and the Microsoft menu system I do sometimes dial by mistake. As with all phones there are some irritating features but the availability of aps is great, compared to the BB. There seems less flexibility around ring tones, especially on alarms etc but there may be an app to sort this out. Also, HTC have a non standard USB connection so the “normal” cables, car chargers etc don’t work. This is irritating. One problem is that access is easy and so I find myself fiddling with it while I drive-not a good thing.”

He also told me that the battery life has surprised him pleasantly, and that after a full day with the phone with wifi enabled, regular email checking and about 40 minutes of calls via bluetooth in the car, the HD2 still had around 40% of battery left. That is pretty impressive for any smartphone never mind for a Windows Mobile phone. And I had a look at the phone the other day and the battery was only 1230mAh. HTC have outdone themselves with this phone. Ironic that Microsoft kills off Windows Mobile at a time when the hardware appears to have finally caught up with the demands of its software. I was also very surprised and impressed with how light the phone felt in my hand. Felt much lighter than my Droid for instance.