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  #1  
Old 04-22-2010, 10:00 PM
Ed Hansberry
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Default WSJ Loves HD2 Hardware - Software Not So Much

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...2544757750.html

Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal reviewed the HD2 from T-Mobile and has mixed feelings about it. He likes the hardware, especially the screen. When it comes to the software, including HTC's UI customizations though, he was less than thrilled.

"However, I found the HD2 to be significantly inferior overall to touch-screen rivals from Apple and Google, mainly because of its software, based on the aging mobile Windows platform from Microsoft. While HTC has added its own software overlay to dress up the design, I still found using the HD2 to be too often a chore. It looks cluttered, a patchwork of different interfaces. And, in my tests, it was prone to error messages and even freezing. Also, despite a fast processor, the software responded sluggishly too much of the time."

I think that about sums up the Windows Mobile experience in recent years as Microsoft has allowed (encouraged?) OEM's to tweak the WinMo user interface, or replace it entirely. Here's hoping Windows Phone 7 changes all of that and Microsoft once again takes control of the screen with a consistent and smooth interface.

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Old 04-22-2010, 11:22 PM
randalllewis
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One of the constants of the universe is that Walt Mossberg won't like a Microsoft product. I don't expect that to change with WP7. "It's like looking through a Window at your interface instead of having all of your icons in neat and orderly columns." Or something like that.

I don't bother reading this columnist any more, so tell me, did he actually describe the phone he said he was reviewing this time?
 
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Old 04-23-2010, 12:05 AM
Jason Dunn
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Originally Posted by randalllewis View Post
I don't bother reading this columnist any more, so tell me, did he actually describe the phone he said he was reviewing this time?
It was pretty typical for Mossberg. He complained about the big clock and the fact that he could have only nine favourite icons on the home screen - and completely ignored all of the glanceable information that comes from the lock screen, the home screen, and HTC's incredibly powerful Sense interface. Basically, the best parts of the phone.

But he was right on the money about touch malfunctions, occasional sluggish performance and momentary freezes. As good as the HD2 is, it's still running Windows Mobile 6.5...
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Old 04-23-2010, 12:43 AM
Lee Yuan Sheng
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1200 apps? That's sloppy journalism; needs to state that's from the (underwhelming) Marketplace. He should know better than that! The very least he could do is to say that users will have to install them via other sources, which may not be the most accessible way, but will yield a lot more software.

And Sense is TEH awesome. Only reason that the HD2 is still worth getting, if you ask me.
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Old 04-23-2010, 01:04 AM
Jason Dunn
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1200 apps? That's sloppy journalism; needs to state that's from the (underwhelming) Marketplace. He should know better than that!
Yeah, it's one of the sucky parts of mainstream journalists covering technology; they generally don't understand things to the depth they should...they go with the easy answer. Walt probably knows that there are 50K+ apps out there for Windows Mobile, but it fits his narrative better to compare app store to app store.
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Old 04-23-2010, 02:10 AM
Fritzly
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My HTC HD2 with 6.5.3 and Co0kie Home Tab is a much better than the original Sense UI.
I am not so crazy about the original Sense UI; in fact until I got Co0kie I used the original WM 6.5 interface but this is just a matter of personal preference.
 
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Old 04-23-2010, 04:54 AM
Ed Hansberry
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn View Post
Yeah, it's one of the sucky parts of mainstream journalists covering technology; they generally don't understand things to the depth they should...they go with the easy answer. Walt probably knows that there are 50K+ apps out there for Windows Mobile, but it fits his narrative better to compare app store to app store.
True, but consider his audience. People that read tech blogs don't read Mossberg for advice, if at all. The average joe does though, and the average joe will do no more than look at the competing app stores.

What does irritate me is the iPhone app store count. Some 20-30% aren't apps, but books. take that out and it is still 120,000 vs 1,200.

After having been open six months, the marketplace for Mobile has been a less than stellar success. I hope MS does something to stimulate development for WinPho7, like eliminate the fee, reduced their cut or both for a period of time until there are a plenty of choices for users.
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Old 04-23-2010, 04:55 AM
Ed Hansberry
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Originally Posted by Fritzly View Post
My HTC HD2 with 6.5.3 and Co0kie Home Tab is a much better than the original Sense UI.
I am not so crazy about the original Sense UI; in fact until I got Co0kie I used the original WM 6.5 interface but this is just a matter of personal preference.
I am not a fan of any of HTC's UI's, so you are not alone.
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Old 04-23-2010, 06:15 AM
Jason Dunn
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Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry View Post
After having been open six months, the marketplace for Mobile has been a less than stellar success. I hope MS does something to stimulate development for WinPho7, like eliminate the fee, reduced their cut or both for a period of time until there are a plenty of choices for users.
I think the rather paltry number of apps is a direct result of the fragment nature of Windows Mobile; it's just too hard for developers to target every device out there and make money.

With the unified, kick-ass hardware platform that Windows Phone 7 represents, I think we'll see some GREAT developer pick-up.
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Old 04-23-2010, 06:17 AM
Jason Dunn
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Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry View Post
I am not a fan of any of HTC's UI's, so you are not alone.
I wasn't either, generally because it was all so slow and more eye candy than real functionality; but that all changed for me when I got the HD2. HTC Sense just FLIES on the hardware, and the functionality is fantastic - HTC really did some great work hiding the ugliest parts of Windows Mobile 6.5.
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