[HD2 Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM Development] Z80-Man:
On a general basis, free storage memory is really a concern on the non-T-Mobile HD2, and NRGZ's full ROMS are really crammed up to the top.

Well, at least when, as I did, you add a few Sense tabs... :p

So I began to work on a lightened version. Though still useful and appreciated, a lot of utilities can be installed to the SD card instead of internal memory, where they can't be removed as they're in ROM. I also removed most themes, ringtones, screen backgrounds, other languages files, etc. I've still got to remove utilities however, and transfer them to XDA-UC in CAB form.

I also removed the integrated Opera browser so the user can install the one he wishes (either Opera 9, 10, Mini, etc. or even just keep ie mobile and binds it to the Sense Internet tab as the default browser).

Next step will be to remove all graphics elements files. Why ? because when you want to skin WinMo or Sense over a ROM, the original files are then hidden but not replaced, thus occupying twice the room for nothing. Once again, the default theme and skinning will be put in XDA-UC (at least Sense elements, as otherwise WinMo could refuse to start if its own elements are missing).

I found Opera 9 really made a mess out of the system. Each time I use it, if it didn't crash WinMo during browsing yet after I opened a lot of tabs, I have to reset anyway. It also leaves a lot of useless temporary files, so now I always use ClearTemp after each use of Opera, as I have no more than about 40 MB left (I'm still using one of my older prototypes, not having time to save all and reflash :p), and I can't afford losing anymore, or Windows Mobile will start to slow down, then crash.

I have no problem with messaging, though, even using HTC Messaging (the recent version without the slow down when a lot of messages are present). I recently started settting email accounts (I wasn't using them on the HD2 until recently) and they work great.

It's actually easier to read emails form the HTC client than from a webmail, because of Opera's problems. I setup them as IMAP rather than POP3, however, or it would have filled up the few memory left in no time ! Since I empty my box once I've read my emails from both my home and office, I always only have the last emails left on the HD2, and it fits exactly my needs, without filling up the remaining storage memory. It's absolutely great like that, and I never got any stability concern.

One last staibility concern is CHT 2.0. Since some other cooks have stated the version that NRGZ put in his ROMs has problems, maybe one day I'll start from a CHT-less version and add it separately. I faced three main problems with the embedded CHT 2.0 :

- CHT Lock is still crashing the system, so I'm not using it ;

- Sometimes the small squares indicating the page position on the Home tab will display as one huge square instead !

- CHT is apparently writing randomly into the registry, filling up the quiclinks area. This leads to icons appearing or disappearing randomly on the quicklinks pages.

Most of these problems have been reported a lot of times, but Co0kie is apparently ignoring them, as usual actually. But chances are, as stated elsewhere, the problems aren't present on fresh installs from the original CAB, so maybe I should give it a try first.

I'm also always testing a lot of settings, mainly about HTC Scroll sensitivity and peripherals polling frequencies. I've achieved very fast thus precise slide moves and keybord typing, fast screen rotation and extra-long battery life (more than two days) with all Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, Data, push-email, etc. activated and intensive use.

Anyway, the whole setup still perfectly fits my professional needs and I'm not intending to switch to Android yet. ;)