[HD2 Windows Phone 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting an] dutchtrance:
I love my HD2, as does every one else in this forum after all, that's why we are all here. I mean i have a phone which within 30 minutes i can have any one of 4 different operating systems and each one with lots of lovely flavours. what's not to like?

This is the kind of customer i am; i like choice.

This type of customer knows how to install new phones and install custom firmwares. Thing is that this type of customer, i.e. Me, is also a prolific spender of online goods and services. I pay for a web host and remote file storage. i pay for my online music (though mine is very specialised so not from itunes!) and movies. i spend a small fortune on Xbox live arcade and PSN.

I am also a developer and write Visual basic, linq and oracle SQL apps for my employer as well as for my self.

Now here comes the problem. I have a HD2 and i have a choice of android, Wp 6.5 and Wp7 (we will leave out windows 98 as thats not much use on the phone for daily use). If i install Win 6.5 my phone is dead, no nice apps and a clunky interface. If i install android i get a fully functioning phone with access to the market place and i have already spent quite a bit in there on apps and games for an OS that i may not even use in future. If i install WP7 i get the basics but microsoft actually STOP me from giving them money and buying apps and games.

This seems daft in 3 ways

1) i want to buy apps and games but they are stopping me from giving them money

2) I can get the games via pirate methods but as a software writer, thats not the game i am in; fair program = fair payment.

3) i am due to upgrade in 3-4 months and at that time i have to decide whether i stick with my HD2 or upgrade to an android phone or a Win 7 phone; if i have invested all my money in android and begun developing on that handset then i will not buy a WP7 device, no matter what comes in the next update.

Way i look at it microsoft are being silly about this, android do not limit what i can purchase from their marketplace, legit phone or not.

Now in times of old, microsoft could ignore us as we make up 0.5% of the customer base and, with pirating, make up 0% of the companies income. But times change and now we are a resource, Modern phones generate income well after they have been sold via downloads and as a developer of (admittedly basic) apps i am some one microsoft might want on board. Microsoft is going to drive a significant wedge of its customer base away (aside from the horror stories i have heard regarding app submission, 1+ month for a revision?) and once the slide starts towards android, microsoft will not be able to stop it.

Now i cannot ring up microsoft and start to ask for codes and give in fake details as that is not who i am and my hotmail account is my developer account. On the other hand i have a little money and i am happy to purchase a licence for this phone from microsoft or HTC to enable WP7 on this device, but how do we get them to do this? plus windows phone 7 is hacked onto the HD2, deal with it or lose that whole segment of customers.

Way i see it if i prepare a carefully constructed letter and email it to them and i get the YTS kid, nothing is going to happen. If on the other hand we know some one higher up who can look at this then i`m happy to discuss with them.

Now i know this will do nothing and i know microsoft will just say `buy a new phone` or 'Its down to HTC' but i am not looking to pirate the phone i am looking to be legitimate. If they only want to drive me to pirate stuff to test the phone and develop for it then i`ll just choose to go with android and spend my cash there.