[HD2 General] pgamble:
Hi guys ... the fuss seems to have settled ... but

I know I should leave this now ... but I want to highlight something that (personally) drives me mad.

We all know that Android interfaces and iPhone interfaces are sexy and fluid and have exploited arguably better screen touch technology ... but ... having worked in IT for 25 years and software architecture for much of the last 15 ...

Software is what really makes a device worth having ... hardware can be refined to improve the UI ... but crap s/w makes a crap devices.

Over the years the OS has become more and more focused on the underpinnings of the UI ... and this is the case with WM. The core OS UI wasn't great ... and it wasn't helped by a lack of some of the sexy new screen technology ... and that is why throughout the last 4 years people have focused on separate UIs ... SPB have refined that hugely in the last 12 months ... and in fairness so have HTC.

Given the HD2 now has the screen tech people have screamed for (rightly or wrongly) for years ... let's wait and see how it is exploited over the next 6 months. As of now ... it seems to cover most of the HTC value add apps and UI ... it covers Google Maps, probably Co-Pilot (yes ... should wait for real evidence) and covers Opera.

Out of the box the HD2 has far more value add well implemented s/w than other devices including those from other OS devices.

Looking my broadly ... why have I stuck with WM since finally transitioning from my Psion5mx ? Because of the s/w.

Whilst iPhone and Android are filling up the s/w catalogue .. the truth of the matter is WM s/w has matured over many years. As of now .. there are very few power apps on iPhone (I'll explain what I mean about this later) ... and equally .. Android options are still severely limited. I believe iPhone will stay like this indefinitely as the market focus is for consumers wanting a sexy phone music player who like instant gratification of gimicky tools (much like the rubbish you find on the front of magazines). This is exacerbated by the commercial model. I'm sure Android will get much better over the next two years and support the real apps WM enthusiasts like ... but it will take at least 2 years for that to happen ... as such ... until that point ... for those small numbers of people that really want power apps .. there still is only one platform to consider.

So .. Power Apps ?

What I mean are real integrated apps like Resco Explorer, Softmaker Office (really now viable on a 4.3" WVGA display), full featured PI (rather than the cut down initial releases on new devices), Flexmail, Phatnotes, MemoryMap etc.

The ability to customise is also key .. again WM + ISV support is second to none and the signs are this will remain the case for quite a while.

As mentioned ... I don't think iPhone will ever get there (without general multitasking it's never going to be a credible power tool) ... Android ... I'm sure will ... but until it is .. for enthusiasts ... where practical use relies as much or more on s/w than hardware .... it doesn't make sense to me to keep pining for Android today ..

The HD2 is the first time in years HTC have really innovated. We don't know how well supported all the sensors will be ... let us wait and see if the compass is supported in CoPilot and GoogleMaps ... lets see if HTC or XDA develop an abstraction driver to interpret the HTC sensor information and make it work with other 'standards based' s/w ... I think it is likely it will largely get there .... Let's also see how the capacitive display is used.

Looking at the videos to date (particularly ar.is) ... everything shown (both HTC and non HTC s/w) not only seems to exploit what it needs to .... but does it in a staggeringly fast and effective way ... that is the proof of the pudding.

Also ... as regards WM7 ... it's a year off .. unofficially .. there is a good chance we will get a ROM that will work with the device .. will everything be supported (compass etc) ... who knows ... but frankly ... with enough people buying the device and enough interest from XDA ... I'd say with a year to play ... most things will be .. and even if it isn't ... the HD2 is simply leagues ahead as an end to end proposition from any other 'Power user' device on the market ... that isn't right for all ... but if you want real integrated apps for real productivity ... as well as fantastic video .. and a good toy ... there is nothing else close.

Re ... the last comment on the Omnia II. Before the HD2 announcement ... this was what I was going to get. The OLED is nice ... but frankly if you looked at the threads on Mobinaut (PPCSG) and PocketNow ... it isn't good outside and isn't capacitive .. so it's a balance again ... for me ... given the HD2 is capacitive it should be as reflective and is probably better outside. I prefer the design of the HD2 ... only slightly larger but a much larger display. The Omnia II also didn't even detail the compass when it was released ... that all changed since ... so whose to say what will happen with the HD2 ...the CPU is 800Mhz prev generation ... much better than the 528 Mhz rubbish we were used to ... but now a viable Snapdragon is out (for me the TG01 wasn't) ... it is behind the curve ... and in general as a device ... simply not compliant with WM7 chassis ... so it will almost definitely not have this option ... where the HD2 will ...

Memory ... Omnia II has known issues .... HD2 has way more RAM... as of now it doesn't seem to have issues ... we'll see. The HD2 should have had more internal memory ... but given you can have 32GB with hot swap .. it's not really an issue .. with the Omnia you are paying more for that fixed memory per GB than you would with removeable even though it ultimately means you can have more constantly accessible.

All the camera reviews of the OmniaII were underwhelming .. and there have been several post release ROMs. From what I've seen, video and stills are no better than HD2 is today. I'm actually quite happy with what I've seen for the HD2. I want clear video at 25-30fps in VGA min (Omnia II is slightly higher ... but in practise that won't make any difference if quality isn't better). I also had an N95 8GB and an E90. The video on those wasn't better than those I've seen on the HD2 ... and they were a classic example of good hardware made crap by poor software support ... that is why I sold them both.

Battery ... again ... let's see. From what we know the HD2 probably lasts better than the TP2 with a smaller battery, more speed and a bigger screen ... this is fine ... I just need a good 10 hour day. The Omnia is a bigger battery but with a less efficient chipset ... yes the display is supposed to be less of a drain as well ... but again from forum threads from several months of Singaporian users of the released product ... more than a day of extensive use is not expected.

The one daft decision by HTC was to not include TV-Out. This does grate ... but given I have that with the ipod and my Archos AV5100 ... it's not really a problem, particularly as the HD2 can be USB client to the AV5100 (yes ... I know ... selfish of me).

What else ... DNLA ... not really a ground breaking thing for me ... probably subjective.

The other thing I liked on the Omnia was the radio recording ... but probably as a gimmick. In practise I probably wouldn't use it. I get catch up radio at home with my Squeezebox and that covers BBC radio as well.

So in short ... If those reading this are power users / enthusiasts that want real tools and customisation, let's look at the whole ownership proposition before saying WM is crap ... wish it was Android ... Today .... Android simply doesn't come close ... and that won't change during the 18 month life of the HD2 ... for those who just want a toy ... your views will be understandably different ... gimmicks and fashion are more important than complex apps you may never need ... and that is fine.

Technically .. on paper and in reviews the HD2 does without question hold the most potential of any mobile (non notebook) device. We maybe let down in practise ... but there is no evidence of that yet ... so it probably isn't worth speculating unless you have a reason for wanting it to fail.

Paul.