HTC HD2 is a multi-OS phone

The HTC HD2 is one of the very first smartphones to have a huge 4.3″ screen. Codenamed Leo, this phone was released around the world in Q4 of 2009 running the now obsolete Windows Mobile 6.5. The excellent hardware brought forth rumours that this phone will be upgraded to the latest Wndows Phone 7 OS, but unfortunately around March of 2010, it has been confirmed that HD2 will never be upgraded. This left quite a number of consumers stuck with a smartphone running on a dying OS, discontented that the superb hardware will never be able to achieve anything greater than a mere Windows 6.5. More than a year later, thanks to the open community of programmers, the HTC HD2 proudly runs numerous phone OS and even desktop OS, such as:

• original Windows 6.5
• Android
• Ubuntu
• Windows 95
• Windows Phone 7 (WP7)

I’ll briefly run through all the OS which runs on this phone and how to get them running with suitable references and links.

Windows 6.5

Level: Easy

Just switch your stock HD2 on and this is the OS you get. There’s even an update to 6.5.3 if you ever desire it. Development from software companies has come to a complete stop the moment Microsoft announced their plans for the WP7. The only development comes from the open community such as XDA. At the point Windows 6.5 stopped, the amount of apps available are enough for daily use and you’ll only be stuck mostly on Microsoft online services. With Google growing greatly,  it’s being left out of most Google online services.

 

Android

There are two different ways to run Android on your HTC HD2:

From SD Card, Level: Medium

First of all, you need to check the version of Radio ROM on your HD2. It appears on the white screen with the HTC logo when you’ve just switched on the phone. The minimum should be 2.08. Then download a few Android OS files onto a folder in your SDCARD. Boot into Windows 6.5, look inside the folder and click on the two launcher, called CLRCAD.EXE and HARET.EXE. Just wait patiently as the Android OS loads. For the full steps (including if you do not have a minimum radio ROM of 2.08), refer this post. Everytime you reboot your phone, you will return to Windows 6.5.

From phone internal memory (NAND), Level: Hard

This step will complete copy all the Android OS files into your phone’s internal flash memory or also referred to as NAND, where the original OS files for Windows 6.5 are located. This step requires connecting your phone to the computer and formatting (or the official term: flashing) your phone. Extra caution is required not to disrupt the process (such as PC not responding, power outage, disconnecting the phone USB before fully flashed), else your phone might not work. Once this is done, your phone will automatically boot into Android without going through Windows Mobile. Read the written tutorial here first to understand the steps and prepare what you need and watch the video tutorial here to see a demo of how it is done.

 

Ubuntu

Level: Medium

Android is essentially a version of Linux and so is Ubuntu. Similar to Android, Linux is able to run on the HD2 with the correct drivers. Installation of Ubuntu is also similar to Android running from a SD card, which requires file to be executed on the phone via Windows Mobile. Refer the thread here for more info. Noone can really expect Ubuntu to run as a smartphone OS, but this is fun to try since the steps are not so much different from Android.

 

Windows 95

Level: Easy

You know you are extremely geeky,  and you wish to impress you friends with endless possibilities of what can be done on smartphone. Therefore, you should see Windows 95 running on the HD2. This is possible with a emulator called QEMU. Just copy QEMU onto the SDcard and execute it from within Windows Mobile 6.5 and it will load an image file of WIndows 95 from the specific folder. Click here for a video demonstration. If you really want this OS as well, go to this page for more info.

Windows Phone 7

Level: Hard

The HD2’s hardware will not allow it to be denied to chance to run WP7, no matter what Microsoft says. The HD2 hardware is still on par with many late 2010 high end smartphones and are even better than most middle range smartphones. The step is rather similar to running Android from the phone internal memory (NAND). Instead of Android OS files, WP7 OS files are flashed onto the internal memory. Watch HD2 running WP7 here, and check this page for download info.

There you have it, five different OS running on your once abandoned HD2. If you are tired of Windows 6.5, my recommendation is to try Android on HD2 because

• Android runs of many different phones with different hardware, some having slower CPU speed and less ram than the HD2. The HD2 definitely has the right hardware to run Android.
• Developers have been running Android on HD2 much longer than WP7, therefore it is more stable and has less bugs.
• Android currently has more apps on the Android Market compared to WP7 so you would not be bored trying new games and apps. Have fun.

Enjoy Google’s Ice Cream during hot sun of Summer

Rumours say that Google Ice Cream operating system will be released at Google’s IO event in summer which will be around June or July of 2011. The weird thing is, this Google version carries the number 2.4, considering that the earlier Honeycomb is version 3.0 which makes anyone wonder whether this is true or not. Besides, it’s not that hard to change the Google Android version number in the settings menu if you know how.

Google Android OS version so far:

• Donut (D) – Android 1.5
• Eclair (E) – Android 1.6
• Froyo (F) – Android 2.1/2.2
• Gingerbread (G)  – Android 2.3
• Honeycomb (H) – Android 3.0
• Ice Cream (I) – Android 2.4

Maybe someone could teach Google how to count? 🙂

[source]

Sony Xperia Arc in South East Asia

Before i start on the new juicy Sony Xperia Arc, let me drop a short piece of news about the SE Arc’s predecessor, the SE Xperia X10 which was release slight more than a year ago (around November 2009). Sony Ericsson has tweeted that their one year old phone is no longer going to receive Google Android OS updates from them (Sony Ericsson). Google is still constantly updating it’s Android OS for smartphones but SE will no longer support it on the X10. The X10 is currently on Google 2.1 (Eclair) while currently, the latest Google version is Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Don’t forget that Google has just released it’s latest and great version of Android OS called Honeycomb (version 3.0) which will be available on phones later. Anyway, Sony Ericsson has also confidently claimed that their Google 2.1 on X10 is better than Google 2.2 on certain phones. [source]

While we’re not really sure how better the Android 2.1 software modified by SE is better, what we fear is the support for the phone once the future upgrades for this phone has been stopped. Imagine one day Google has released a super cool function and you require a newer version of Android to run it, your poor X10 will definitely be left out. You can contact SE about this, but their best reply would certainly be a “Sorry, your phone is no longer supported”. Other smart phones manufacturers like HTC and Samsung are still updating most of their recent phones, which makes SE look rather bad. SE has showed and created a lot of products with excellent new designs and new hardware, but i’m afraid to say that i don’t really like SE’s attitude towards their older products. If you liked a piece of SE phone very much and you purchased it, you need to pray hard that they don’t release any new phones because once they do, support for your old phone will quickly be forgotten, similar to this SE Xperia X10. Of course, you don’t have to suffer this fate unless you are willing to pay more money and get the latest SE phone when they come out everytime.

Speaking about the latest phones, let me introduce to you, the latest phone from Sony Ericsson, the Xperia Arc. This phone was just announced at CES 2011 a few days ago. The phone got its name from the Arc on the back of the phone, which makes the phone’s design very slim. Check out the video below:

The hardware on the phone are:

• 1GHz Qualcomm processor (single core)
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 4.2 inch “Reality Display” (aka 480×854) optimized for multimedia viewing
• 8.1 megapixel camera with 720p video recording
• Auto focus camera with LED flash
• HDMI out
• 512 MB internal phone memory
• 8GB microSD card installed, expandable up to 32GB
• aGPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM Radio
• 1500 mah battery
• 117 grams at 125 x 63 x 8.7mm

[source]

Too be frank, this hardware in 2011 is a bit old. Other newer smartphones like the LG Optimus 2x or the Motorola Atrix are now having powerful dual core processors. I have a feeling that Sony will release this phone but later out-phase it rather quickly. Anyway, the SE Arc is not long from appearing in the market. According to Indonesia’s Sony Ericsson site, the phone will be available in around another 3 months times (expected in April 2011) with two colour choices: Midnight Blue and Misty Silver. [source]

Let’s hope the info from Sony Ericsson Indonesia is true, and Sony Ericsson Malaysia is not far behind. Pricing unknown at this point. More pics below:

Android Honeycomb officially 3.0

Android has a ‘cute’ naming convention for their series of software versions, it’s typically based on the names of desserts and the follow alphabetical order. Some of the names which we are familiar with are Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo (Frozen Yogurt), Gingerbread and the most recent, Honeycomb. The next software version should start with an ‘I”, some guesses that it might be Ice Cream. The names are easy to guess but the numberings are not, these are the numbers of the previous Android softwares:

• 1.0 = No code name
• 1.1 = No code name
• 1.5 = Cupcake
• 1.6 = Donut
• 2.0/2.1 = Eclair
• 2.2 = Froyo
• 2.3 = Gingerbread
• 2.4? 3.0 ? = Honeycomb
• ??? = Ice cream

So if the changes (or modifications) are big between revisions, then the numbers will have a big jump, like from 1.6 Donut  to 2.0 Eclair. When the changes are minor, the numbers will increase only a 0.1, like from 2.2 Froyo to 2.3 Gingerbread.

So many were wondering, would honeycomb be a big improvement to be called 3.0, or just minor changes, to be called 2.4? Now we know the answer. Since honeycomb would be developed specifically for a tablet device, the use the bigger screen and bigger resolution of tablets, more functions have been put it. For example, the ability to fragment or divide your screen into multiple sections. Therefore, it’s officially 3.0 Honeycomb and not 2.4! Watch out the fantastic video from Google which got out during CES 2011 below:

New ASUS lineup at CES 2011

ASUS has just releaased its lineup of new products at CES 2011. I’ll  give you a brief lineup here:

• Eee Slate EP121 – A typical touchscreen tablet form running Windows 7 and supports the use of a stylus which is stored in the body. The inclusion of an SSD makes it snappier and suitable for those rough tablet handlers but also ups the cost a bit. It’s said to be due out later this month but we’re not sure how soon it will reach Malaysia. Price will be around RM3000 to 3400.

• Eee Pad Transformer – Looks like Motorola is not the only one with dual core tablets on Android Honeycomb. And the name of this Samsung product will make Michael Bay (the director of the Transformer movies) so proud. The ‘Transformer’ is an Android tablet with a detachable full size keyboard and touchpad. This is coming out in May officially (Malaysia uncertain to us) and will cost around RM1200-2200. Certainly price competitively to the current Galaxy Tab.

• Eee Pad Slider – Another Android tablet like the Transformer, the Slider is only 5mm thicker. The thicker body is due to the attached sliding keyboard. When you need the keyboard, just slide it out and the screen will tilt at a nice angle. When moving the tablet around, just slide it back and carry it easier as one single unit. Compared to the Transformer, you lose a touchpad on the Slider keyboard due to the space taken up by the tilting screen but the Transformer keyboard is detached so you would have to carry two separate items instead of one for the Slider. The sliding mechanism and the construction has a higher price of around RM1500-2500, RM300 more than the Transformer. Expect to see it somewhere around the world as soon as May this year.

• Eee Pad MeMo – Just when you thought you had enough of mid-sized Android tablets, Asus has another one planned for you. This tablet is claimed to come with a stylus like tool (cylindrical object tucked between the function buttons and the ASUS logo in picture below) to help with drawing and writing. It also comes with an wireless bluetooth accessory with earphones and mic callled MeMic to help with phone functions. Other specs such as ram, internal storage and connectivity functions still unconfirmed at this point but with mid sized tablets, you can expect more or less the same. Coming out in June for around RM1500 to RM2200.

source: Engadget [1], [2],[3],[4]