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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/09/09
11/09/09
All that's done is to gloss over the software ("it's all HTC") without saying anything +ve or -ve about it, and the end with "It's still Windows Mobile."
SO FREAKING WHAT? If the fact that the OS is Windows Mobile presents a problem, would it be so hard to point out what that problem is?
Don't point to the 6.5 review, for two reasons. 1) That review was criticizing 6.5 for not being as much as it could/should be at this point, not that much of inspecting what's actually there on its own merit, but more importantly 2) Don't point to that review because you say HTC covers up everything!
This review had very little to say, starts out in biased tone, and ends with the assumption that "it's Windows Mobile" explains everything. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
But let me ask this one thing John, and I'll ask for something really hard here: if you completely forget HTC Touch HD2 has WinMo running under the UI how bad the software is compared to a similar Android phone or the iPhone?
Because seriously, trolling and fanboyism apart, for someone reading this post alone, there is absolutely no real information that tells us why we should consider the software on the cellphone bad.
Being able to replace all basic functions on a OS could be viewed as "trying to hide it", but it could also be seen as the OS being highly customizable.
Lots of portable devices and computers uses highly customized Linux versions, and that's usually not because the manufacturer is trying to hide something... it's only trying to give it a different look to offer the users a fresh or more adequate UI to fit the hardware.
Now, I'm guessing WinMo 6.5 is worse on benchmark, functions, bugs or whatever to justify that bias. Can't think of nothing else. And I'm really hoping there is a better reason for this review other than pure trolling. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
How much of an improvement would you say HTC's retelling of WinMo is over the standard version on other phones? #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
11/09/09
Frankly, I'm not all that convinced that Android is really ready to take over in all respects anyway. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
In fact it sounds like everything went perfectly smoothly in the actual implementation but the fact that it ran Windows Mobile(which has 0 effect on the actual experience) in the background was used as a negative.
I don't care one way or the other if you don't like WinMo(I use Android myself) but at least give the reasons why it lowers the quality of the phone by stating problems experienced, areas where the UI gets killed, etc. As is, it was made to sound like the god phone that you(the author) hates for no reason whatsoever. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
11/09/09
That's why. If it has little to no effect on the actual user experience then it means absolutely nothing. I'm not asking him to say why he dislikes winmo, but how and where those facets he does dislike show themselves in this phone. If they don't, then the fact that it has winmo doesn't matter at all and it's back to sounding like it does now: This phone is amazing in every way. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
This is the first time Windows Mobile has been on hardware this advanced, and HTC has (from all accounts) done a bang-up job of making sure you don't see the underlying operating system, but it seems like the author is pissed that HTC isn't going to do an official Android port, and is taking it out on the device.
I mean, isn't it a net WIN (pardon the pun) when the good things you have to say about the Sense UI include "surprisingly usable", "works surprisingly well" and "impressive", while the only concrete negative (besides vitriol about WinMo in general) about this handset in particular is that the Sense UI is "only marginally effective" at hiding WinMo.
That's not a review of the software, that's just kinda lazy. At least compare the usability of the Sense UI on this hardware to something like Android 2.0 on the Droid. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
11/09/09
The third paragraph that was added in the "Falling Out of Lust with the HD2" section addressed the bulk of my problems with the review as originally written.
Now I know WHY the Sense UI doesn't particularly cut the mustard. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
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11/09/09
And leet or "Elite" just means, really really good. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
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11/09/09
(sorry) #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
Other Windows Mobile phone killer.
the iPhone has had an incredible head start at this point. I'd love to hear the sales pitch to someone who walks into a store to buy an iPhone and they walk out with an HD2.
The HD2 is an amazing piece of hardware... but it's still gonna compete with that pesky iPhone... #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
11/09/09
11/09/09
Make calls without sucking. #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
Well that's a different argument altogether. Business vs. Consumer.
Companies have their own reasons for choosing either Windows Mobile for Exchange support or BES for enterprise Blackberry support.
But, the iPhone is a consumer device... that plays music, movies, apps, games, etc... and it can *also* check corporate email.
So, again, I still don't think the HD2 will be an iPhone killer. Do you really think there will be 30 million HD2s sold in 3 years? Doubtful. Are there over 30 million Windows Mobile platform devices in the world... in companies who already use Exchange in their corporations? Probably.
But that's not the measure of an iPhone killer... #htctouchhd2review
11/09/09
10/26/09
"Balls-out with Balmer." #steveballmer
10/26/09
10/26/09
10/22/09
If the Nokia's smartphones are generally dismissed by critics yet still capture a plurality of the marketshare, that kind of suggests your theory is wrong.
Stepping back from cold reality, I think there will always be a distinction between the critic (professional or otherwise) and the rest of the customer base. We go to critics and reviewers for many things because there is too much choice in this world and not enough time. The Internet doesn't change this. And if people unerringly followed the advice of critics, Michael Bay would be out of a job. #steveballmer
10/22/09