If we had to choose one phone to represent Windows Mobile 6.5, it would have to be the HTC HD2. On release, the handset stood a country mile ahead of any other smartphone available on the platform. Unfortunately, soon after its release, Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7 and confirmed there would be no OS upgrade path for Windows 6.5 hardware. This hasn’t stopped eager developers from trying to port the latest OS onto their more than capable hardware, though. Previous attempts have been half-baked, often missing some major functionality. The folks over at XDA China have released pictures and a 2 minute video showing off the latest port. The video shows the phone powering on and booting to the home screen with no hiccups. The UI looks snappy, and we really can’t see much wrong with the port, however the video stops short of showing any functional apps or even making a phone call. HD2 owners will want to keep an eye out for any further developements, in order to get their ticket to the Windows Phone 7 party.

Update: Another video has materialized, showing the HD2 and HD7 running side-by-side and also making functional phone calls–looking good!

Thanks, Angelo

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It’s the epitome of cruel irony- folks who were brave enough to score one of the last Windows Mobile handsets are enjoying the latest OS Android has to offer while the rest of Android world waits idly for Froyo to land on their non-Nexus One handsets. HTC HD2 owners need to look no further than xda-developers to discover a treasure trove of updated ROMs which offer stock Android 2.2 or Android 2.1 with Sense. Though a bit rough around the edges, these ROMs give HD2 owners some serious bragging rights over their Android counterparts, at least for the time being.

[Via Android Community]

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It seems T-Mobile simply can’t catch a break when it comes to software updates. Not even three months removed from its disastrous CLIQ update, T-Mobile has been forced to remove the recently released software update for the HTC HD2 after a load of complaints from users started. What sort of complaints? Oh, you know, just the typical “I can’t download the update” / “my battery life has been shot to hell” / “my phone is bricked” / “my phone is slower than Bengie Molina”. So far there’s no official timeline for a new update, but a T-Mobile forum mod has gone on the record as saying “once the issues have been resolved, the software update will be re-posted on www.t-mobile.com/wmupgrade.” Good to know…

Read [Issues] Read [Pulled]

T-Mobile is tapping into the popularity of the HTC HD2 with the creation of a trade-in program which allows iPhone owners to turn in their hardware in exchange for a credit ranging from $100 to $350 to be used towards the newly released smartphone. Available only by phone, at non-corporate dealers and through the usual business channels, the only conditions are that the iPhone being traded in must be in full working condition. Not a bad deal at all considering anyone taking up the offer doesn’t even need to sign up for a service contract. Now if only T-Mobile was able to keep these things in stock until the promotion ends on May 19th.

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Microsoft might have lost a lot of friends when it finally announced the HTC HD2 would not receive an update to Windows Phone 7 Series, but its loss is Tom Codon’s gain. A fixture over at the HTCPedia forums, Codon looks to have become the first person to port WP7S over to the HD2. Offering up four photos and video as proof of his accomplishment, Codon noted that most features of his experimental device are working well including GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Lag is proving to be a bit of an issue at this stage thanks to a stubborn graphics driver, but it’s nothing that can’t be overcome by the time the first beta, said to be coming soon, is released.

Nerd-approved pics after the jump.

UPDATE: Two videos have been released and we have them ready to go after the jump.

[Via Redmond Pie]

As far as we here at BGR are concerned, once a product is physically in store it’s good to be sold regardless of whatever the squares at corporate may think about it and its designated street date. In the spirit of this (and because it’s an admittedly slow Sunday), today we’ve got a few videos of a T-Mobile HTC HD2 that YouTube user JDMiPhoner managed to snag at a Vancouver, WA Walmart a few days ahead of its March 24th street date. He decided to post a series of hands on videos which cover the unboxing, first boot up and configuration, app overview and a demo of voice commands. Excited? Good, because we’ve gone through the trouble of queuing them up after the break for your viewing pleasure.

P.S. If you can’t get enough of the HD2, you can check out an unboxing of it courtesy of one of our connects.

Thanks, to everyone that hit us up!

T-Mobile already has a very diverse lineup of smartphones, but the tail end of March will see “Magenta” (as some people lamely call it) release a trio of smartphones that appeal to the low, mid and high end markets. We’ve been saying it for the longest time and now it’s as official as can be without a full-blown press release: the HTC HD2 will be available from T-Mobile on Wednesday, March 24th. Going for $199.99 on a 2-year or $449.99 outright, the HD2 will easily be the best handset ever offered by T-Mobile in terms of sheer brawn. Of course now that we’re 100% certain it won’t be upgradeable to Windows Phone 7 Series, we have to wonder if a bit of the luster has prematurely worn off, but it’s not like those put off don’t have more than half a year to save pennies for the next greatest Windows Phone. On the same day, Nokia will also have a handset debut on T-Mobile. This is of course the Nuron and it will go for $69.99 / $179.99, a price that is quite mind blowing when you consider the fact it’s running S60 5th Edition. Last but not least in today’s T-Mobile update is the CLIQ XT. We’ve known for quite some time it is going to be available in time to drown in a pitcher of green beer, but now we’re hearing it will be $99.99 on contract as opposed to $129.99 (no contract pricing is presumed to still be set at $329.99).

Good job, T-Mobile.

Read [CLIQ XT] Read [HD2] Read [Nuron]

One of our T-Mobile connects just blessed us with some HTC HD2 unboxing shots. With a looming release date, it should help cut down on some of your healthcare costs. You know, for those of you that have been hyperventilating since the official announcement. Hit the jump for the shots!

Last night was easily the best night of the year for the celebrity-crazed paparazzi. It also turned out to be a pretty darn good night for the smartphone paparazzi as well for two upcoming T-Mobile handsets were given the star treatment on their very own red carpet. First up was the HTC HD2, the infinitely lovable Windows Phone with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and gargantuan 4.3″ WVGA display, which looked as stylish as ever in Sense UI by HTC. Never one to miss an opportunity to show support for those in need, the HD2 took a moment to show off its Blockbuster app which will allow proud owners to download movies on demand. Immediately following the HD2 was the Nokia Nuron. Although the general consensus was that it was dressed more for the Kids Choice Awards than the Academy Awards, the Nuron made a bit of a stir when it shrieked at the top of its lungs how it had seen the light, converted to Buddhism and was now on a mission to convince everyone that less is more and that all other smartphones cannot possibly be as happy as it is living with S60, an OS that is on its way out. When will us ordinary folk get a chance to meet these stars? The Nuron is still a mystery, but we’re still very confident on a March 24th debut for the HD2.

Read [HD2] Read [Nuron]

One of our ninjas just dropped some tantalizing and blurry details for us to feast on. We’ve been informed that T-Mobile will be releasing the Motorola CLIQ XT on March 10th, the HTC HD2 (listed as “Dark Handset” on the screen capture) is confirmed on March 24th, and a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, complete with T-Mobile broadband access, on the 24th as well. Our connect also mentions the launch of Even More 1.5, but no details were given. Looks like it is going to be a pretty busy month for the number four carrier in the U.S. Hit the break for one more shot!

Thanks, Taliban!

TmoNews has acquired what looks to be some legit pricing information about the yet-to-be-released HTC HD2, Motorola CLIQ XT, and Nokia Nuron… and the pricing looks pretty good.  The HD2 will reportedly retail for $199 with 2-year contract and $449 contract free. The $199 price point on the HD2 will also presumably be mail-in-rebate-less if you sign up for a data plan at time of purchase. Moving on, the Motorola CLIQ XT will retail for $129 with 2-year contract and $329 contract free. Again, the $129 is the price you will pay at the register if you sign up for a data plan when you purchase your shiny new CLIQ XT. TmoNews adds: “the Nokia Nuron which was cut off from the image…[will be] $69.99 after rebate. No contract? No problem. That’ll be $179.99.” How about it? Do any of these offerings excite you T-Mobile customers?

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Natasha Kwan, Microsoft’s General Manager for Mobile Communications Business in the Asia-Pacific market, has spoken, and Windows Mobile 6 owners are not going to like what they hear. When asked about the possiblity of a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade path, Kwan dropped this bomshell to tech blog APC: “Because we have very specific requirements for Windows Phone 7 Series the current phones we have right now will not be upgradable.” And that includes the HTC HD2.  While the HD2 meets the extensive list of hardware component requirements, it fails to fulfill one superficial prerequisite: it has more than 3 dedicated buttons. Perhaps this is one of the first, albeit painful, steps in a better Windows mobile platform experience for all. However, we now know this for certain: if you want to run Windows Phone 7, you’re going to need some new hardware. Though we’re sure the crew at XDA will change that if you’re a daring individual. Read

If a slide posted to the PPCGeeks forum is both legitimate and accurate, then T-Mobile customers have two pretty nifty smartphones headed their way next month in the HTC HD2 and Motorola CLIQ XT. The HD2, a device we’re positive that anyone who at least occasionally frequents this site is well-versed on, is said to drop on March 10th with the CLIQ XT two weeks later on March 24th. What on earth is the CLIQ XT? Apparently it’s the Zeppelin, the physical-keypad shunning, pure touchscreen alternative to the somewhat maligned CLIQ. Still not getting it? Well, we did see it in the silicon the other day. The question is: Will we actually see it and the HD2 with T-Mobile branding next month?

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TmoNews is reporting on three hot new handsets that are rumored to be hitting T-Mobile in this first quarter of 2010. One handset is the HTC HD2 which was made official at CES. The second is an unknown handset from Garmin that was spotted recently at the FCC showing off its AWS band and is rumored to be launching in May. Last but not least is a handset identified as the myTouch2, also referred to as the myTouch Slide and codenamed the Espresso. Android fans will recognize that last codename has been making the rounds in the rumor mill over the past few months. It has shown up in a list of codenames from a leaked Android 2.1 ROM, will be rocking the latest version of HTC’s Sense UI and may have the same 528MHz processor found in the Hero/Magic, a QWERTY keyboard and a 320×480 display. This latest revelation now places the handset as the potential successor to the myTouch 3G with a T-Mobile launch tentatively set for May 17th. Any future Android owners out there going to pass on the Nexus One and wait on the Espresso?

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