I recently got hold of an HTC HD2 and have been using the device for a month now. I’m a huge fan of Windows Mobile and have been using the OS for many years, both as a developer and an end-user. However, due to severe usability issues with the current version of HTC Sense, I’d advise against purchasing the handsets for consumer use until the problems are resolved.
Let me start with the positive. It’s a beautiful piece of hardware with a lovely big screen.
Sense UI, HTC’s front-end to Windows Mobile, is an attempt to cover up Windows Mobile’s shortcomings when it comes to providing UI input on a capacitive touch screen. Don’t get me wrong, HTC have done a great job on it and it looks and feels pretty good, but once you skim past the surface, there isn’t a lot of substance to it. Power users especially will get frustrated very quickly.
Anyway, there are loads of reviews covering the positive aspects of this handset. The purpose of this post is to outline the reasons why my handset is now on eBay.
Current Issue List
- SMS not being sent properly, sitting in outbox or sending randomly on reboot. The HTC hotfix released last week does NOT fix this.
- If you switch delivery reports on to address the above, they stay your SMS inbox so every other message is a DR!
- SEVERE problem with lag when entering a text message thread with more than 5 messages. Actually, this is not an issue, this is a DISASTER.
- My battery doesn’t last the day and my screen brightness is at 20%, Wi-Fi off etc.
- Facebook App is pretty much a waste of time, cannot ‘like’ anything or see comments.
- The user interface feels messy. It’s a hybrid of Windows Mobile and Sense UI. You never know when you’re going to get a WM dialog.
- On the camera, if you’re using the flash when taking a photo, your photos will look overexposed and unnatural. The white balance sucks.
- The keypad tones are so loud, I have to leave my office to dial a number. Sense UI does not support switching them off or adjusting the volume.
My immediate wishlist:
- I’d like to be able to write a new text message without waiting 20+ seconds for the current thread to load.
- I’d like to be able to rely on the alarm feature, which has let me down a few times now.
- I’d like to be sure people are receiving my texts.
- I’d like my calendar to integrate with Facebook.
One more thing, there’s a spelling mistake on the most used screen on the device. “Disable wireless connectionss”
