This is my first time writing on the Mobile Word document editor for the HTC HD2, and I am thus far satisfied with the amount of screen space available for adequate typing. The capacitive feedback of the virtual qwerty is extremely responsive and sometimes boggles my mind as to how sensitive it is in sensing my fingertips. If I didn't know any better, I would say that hardly ANY kind of contact is needed
for a letter to register...it feels like my fingertips barely brush the screen! A few days ago I read a tweet from a Twitter contact that mentioned a possibility of the screen being too sensitive, and now I can completely understand why. Even though this hyper sensitive feedback takes a while to get used to, I would rather have an over-responsive qwerty instead of an unresponsive or unpredictable variant. To place blame on the touch keys may be the simplest method, when actually it could be a matter of getting accustomed to the touch screen. Anyone with a touch device may or may not have already experienced growing pains with typing on a screen, I guess now is my turn. Coming from a hardware qwerty where I could blaze through keys in composing emails and texts is proving to be a humbling lesson of patience for me on this HD2. With touch keys there is a higher chance for error, so I am learning to take my time to press each key with a confident fingertip. Eventually, I notice a natural flow beginning to emerge as my words form on the massive display before me, and the urge to type faster gets to me. As soon as I make one swift keystroke, a spelling error suddenly jumps out to my naked eye and I am compelled to correct it. In lieu of this, I'm also thankful for the XT9 feature saving me with its helpful word suggestion pop-ups and punctuation mark inserts!
All of that being said, the typing experience on the HD2 is not anything similar to the iPhone, but at the same time it is not meant to be. It is natural for an iPhone comparison to come to mind when considering the capacitive screen, and there is a definite difference between the two devices. The virtual qwerty of the HD2 doesn't offer the same freedom of swift movement while typing since there seems to be a greater chance of mistakes. When selecting a character, I find that I have to be much more deliberate, careful, and accurate with the aiming of my fingertips. Even though XT9 works wonders from time to time, it still doesn't have the same error-correction refinement as the iPhone OS. This is not to claim that it isn't useful at all, for it certainly is...it's just that the execution of its efforts appear to be more clunky at times. Haptic feedback activated on the press of each key doesn't seem to help much as long as I am maintaining eye contact with the screen, but it is not annoying by any means. When there is a tab of word suggestions expanded, the wide expanse of screen allows me to clearly see them all without feeling cramped like on the TP2. I do have moments when the hypersensitive qwerty does register multiple or adjacent character inputs while pressing keys, but I can learn to overlook it.
As I am typing in Word Mobile, I see that there seems to be no way of viewing/editing a document in landscape mode. However, using the landscape qwerty is possible with the Opera Mobile browser. There is an added amount of difficulty from the sheer width of the HD2 and the stretched shaping of the keys. While suitable is by no means impossible in horizontal orientation, I do prefer the more comfortable alternative of portrait mode.
UPDATE: I had become frustrated with the overly sensitive feedback of the HD2 and decided to download a cab file. This cab file from XDA-Developers actually lessens the sensitivity of the touchscreen for a better user experience. I do notice a difference in how I can type much faster with less worry of making errors, and it feels great! This HD2 is officially one step closer to being a reliable device for efficient text entry. Using XT9 has its benefits in automatically inserting punctuation marks and providing word suggestions, and it actually reminds me of the old Nokia E71.
I have to admit that being introduced to the Sense upgrade to TouchFLO 3D was only mildly impressive with the Touch Pro 2 and its 3.5 inch screen. However, there is a newfound vitality to this UI via the gorgeous display on the HD2! All graphical imagery seems to come alive on this grand capacitive display, and interface navigation conjures the same amazement that makes the iPhone so popular. To this day, I am still impressed by the weather animation of the homescreen as well as its smooth transition effects of navigating between the default tabs. Colors seem very rich and vivid when displayed, and I don't see any aesthetic problem with this Windows Mobile device only supporting 65K colors. The graphics of the menus and onscreen functions are usually large enough for fingertip activation, and the response is usually quick. Honestly, I don't see any life-changing or revolutionary difference in speed with the 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Instead, I notice that there is a lesser occurrence of sluggish response on this device than with my Touch Pro 2. There are still some moments when the device may dither a bit, so I wonder if the processor lends its power to generating UI imagery onto the large 4.3 inch screen while performing behind-the-scenes technical multitasking.
HTC Sense is quite dominant on this model and hardly gives the user a chance to encounter any sign of the old Windows Mobile interface. This is especially welcomed after I tried my hand at working with the default UI for WM 6.5 and soon switched back to the Sense version. Microsoft's release for the 6.5 OS is utterly confusing, unintuitive, and lacks any eye-candy appeal; a homescreen with a listing of oversized fonts as access to phone features is hardly an upgrade. It is still beyond me to understand how such reputable companies like Nokia and Microsoft cannot seem to develop a worthwhile touch interface that is functional, smooth, and aesthetically pleasing. If Apple, Palm, Google, and HTC can manage to accomplish this to an acceptable degree, then there should be no excuse. On the bright side, HTC devices may always have an upperhand in the Windows Mobile industry with its TouchFLO 3D and Sense interfaces.
One concern I have is for the copy/paste function which can be quite unpredictable when using applications. When constructing a text in the default Sense UI, copying text happens in the same manner as the iPhone with movable tabs on either side of the selected words. While this works perfectly in its own right, performing the same in either Opera Mobile or Word Mobile is a different story. A tap/hold command on the appropriate text generates a pop-up menu that doesn't match the one in the default Sense UI. While Opera Mobile may have more reliability in being able to drag and select a range of desired text, Word Mobile appears to not have this option. As I am typing this blogpost document in Word on the HD2, I see no way to drag my fingertip over anything for selectable editing. Unfortunately, I am limited to only double-tap and select one word at a time or select all words via a command from the menu. What makes this even more strange is that writing an email gives me the choice to select text by dragging, and it runs on the same pop-up menus as Word Mobile! This may not be a huge inconvenience for editing only minor portions of a document, but dealing with multiple words is another matter altogether.
UPDATE: I downloaded Office Mobile 2010 Beta from the Microsoft Marketplace, and I am pleased to see that there is a fix to the copy/paste function in the Word application!
The general layout is similar to that of the Touch Pro 2 model with a scrolling taskbar of tabbed icons to access typical smartphone features. However, the HD2 contains more tabs for additional features such as Twitter and a scrapbook-like app called Footprints. While navigation isn't much different from its resistive touchscreen relatives, there seems to be a bit of speed added from not having to apply pressure to activate a touch command. This is where the iPhone resemblance becomes apparent with the HD2 functionality. The act of pinching to zoom is another function harkening back to the iPhone, and it is prevalent in the Opera browser and photo viewer. While operating HD2 capacitive touch is amazing at times, there are indeed moments when the intricacies of Windows Mobile make it challenging. Aside from this, it is great to see such a different method of interaction with an OS associated with resistive touch navigation.
The camera is equipped with 5 megapixels, dual LED flash, and autofocus capability. Autofocusing can occur on its own or on a specific object that is tapped by the user within the frame. A flash is certainly a welcomed addition to this Windows Mobile device, and I find it to be suitable in strength for darkened settings. Still pictures look amazing and come alive with vivid color as long as there is sufficient lighting. Like the Nokia N97, the flash can even be used for constant lighting while shooting video! Unlike the Nokia, video footage is under par in comparison due to a lack of smooth playback and TV quality. Being without a tactile shutter button still remains an inconvenience with any HTC camera, but not a dealbreaker by any means.
Sound quality from the speaker at the back is not impressive when compared to the Touch Pro 2 let alone the Nokia N97. Audio displays horrible distortion at higher volumes, and lack of stereo seems inexcusable for this HTC model. Music playback is tinny overall and lacks sufficient bass, but this is rectified by the 3.5mm jack allowing use of standard headphones. With my personal Sony headphones, I finally have access to the Audio Booster feature which is basically a graphic equalizer. To my surprise, Audio Booster really lends some depth and sound enhancement to my music tracks...but this could also be attributed to the in-ear Sonys blocking ambient sound. As for handset voice call quality, it equals that of the Touch Pro 2 while the speakerphone of course falls short. Tone alerts for incoming calls, SMS, alarms, reminders and tweets are sufficient in volume and ringtones can even be increased automatically by a feature called "Pocket Mode": when the HD2 is out of sight inside of a pocket, bag or carrying case.
Weather forecasting is a great feature of the HD2 that takes advantage of the grand 4.3 inch display with breathtaking animation graphics. No matter what weather phenomena is occurring, there is a dedicated animation sequence that starts either on the home screen or weather screen. I have to say that this is one of my favorite aspects of the HTC Sense UI, and it still impresses me more than any other weather app from the competition. On the weather app itself, I see a GPS signal icon next to the name of the appropriate location that allows for live updating. During a road trip to Richmond from Norfolk, I could see the weather forecast updating in real time to reflect my accurate location while on the Interstate highway.
Footprints is a different kind of app that acts like a digital scrapbook. A picture can be taken in real time and given specific details in regards to GPS coordinates. Other pieces of data such as landmark name, recordable voice notation, text notation, and map location can be added by the user. Any picture from an album can also be imported to Footprints. While this seems like a novelty item at first, I actually find it quite useful to preserve memories in a most convenient manner on a smartphone.
The Twitter app in the HD2 is called HTC Peep, and it is quite proficient in granting support. However, the interface is not as user-friendly as Twikini or Gravity, and there appears to be no way to delete tweets.
Google Maps is included on this model and proves to be dependable as always with good GPS sensing.
Video playback of media files on my microSD card is flawless and quite impressive visually. I guess the size of the display and the Snapdragon processor makes it possible to even play a MP4 file directly from Handbrake with no need for any extra conversion. Navigating from one part of a movie to another is speedy and has no problem in resuming steady video footage and audio feed. Changing the aspect ratio is basic with only two settings and icon commands are self-explanatory. While the screen is undoubtedly dazzling, the audio falls short when coming from the speaker. Improvement can be found by using your own preferred headphones. In regards to playing the MP4 file that had been generated by Handbrake, I notice it is not initially available on the video file display in the Photo & Video section. I instead have to select it from the File Explorer.
Now is the time I call attention to an interesting situation dealing with music playback on Windows Mobile devices. Ever since I started using the Treo 750 years ago, I discovered that Windows Mobile isn't good at efficiently managing large-scale music libraries. I do understand that 16GB microSD card support is a lot to ask of any mobile device, and not all devices (if any) can grant such a request. However, my Nokia devices after the E90 from the E71 to the N97 have been absolutely rock solid in managing over 2000 tracks, even when E71 isn't documented to officially handle 16GB microSD. Unfortunately, all my Windows Mobile devices from past to present have been plagued with sluggish performance and freezing when commanded to play all songs in shuffle mode. I find that playing one album at time on the Touch Pro 2 and the HD2 seems to be the safest method for uninterrupted smartphone usage. As one can imagine, this is especially disconcerting for a device with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Using the HD2 music app is such an inconvenience that I often decide to forego music listening altogether in favor of my iPod Touch. Moving from one area to another in one song is usually no problem at all with the touch sensitive progress bar. Even when a track is in progress on an album, there is sluggishness in moving to the next track whether in random or normal mode. Waiting 3 to 8 seconds (or more) on average to switch a track is completely absurd and a definite downer in the smartphone user experience. I won't even waste time to say how lackluster the stock headphones remote happens to be...even with the tactile control buttons, so I shall digress. Another issue is that my music library on the microSD card consists mainly of MP3 and WMA formats, but MP4 (ACC) tracks tend to be unpredictable with Windows Mobile. Some ACC tracks play on the HD2 while the Touch Pro 2 insists on skipping over them. Through all of this mess, there is one true fact: I have learned to use all my ACC tracks on Nokias along with other formats while using only MP3 and WMA files on WM devices. This is truly a shame since the interface of the HTC music player has much improvement with its own coverflow navigation. When there is no sluggishness or freezing present, this coverflow's performance is similar to that of the iPhone/iPod Touch. As much as I do like using the music player with capacitive touch, its unreliable nature makes it a turn-off for my own music collection.
Since the HD2 has a large 4.3 inch screen, there is of course a matter of bulk that must be addressed. Even though its dimensions are different from the Nokia E90, it still exhibits a size and design that sometimes works against portability and one-handed use. For instance, the tactile buttons on the far left corner of the front face are too far to be pressed by my thumb. This forces the use of two hands, which is not necessarily a dealbreaker. While the HD2 is thin, its width does hamper quick removal from my pants pocket...not to mention having to pull it from its snug leather carrying pouch.
Battery life on this handset has been the worst I have seen on any phone, and I have considered carrying my charger for the first time. With heavy use, the HD2 barely made it for a full day. Aside from maintaining thinness, why HTC insisted on a battery capacity of a little over 1200 mAh for this model is beyond me.
Overall, I can say that the HD2 has potential in some ways, but there are drawbacks to consider: average speaker audio with distortion in high levels, bulky size, lack of efficient text selection for multiple words, poor battery life, and unpredictable playback of large music libraries. It has been amazing to play around with a large screened device with a fast processor, but the excitement has worn off. I am simply a smartphone user in need of a tactile qwerty, and there is no doubt about that anymore.
UPDATE as of December 3rd, 2009: After the fix for the copy/paste function was introduced in Office Mobile 2010 beta, I have been relatively satisfied with the prospect of writing and editing documents on the HD2. Another feature that has really impressed me is the media upload from the Photo album section. In one instant (with a wifi connection) after selecting Share on a drop down menu, pictures taken by the HD2 were uploaded to Facebook flawlessly! I do believe that this device does have much potential despite its horrific battery life.
UPDATE December 11, 2009: The device is being shipped back and returned. A great device with much potential for those in search of a touch-only Windows Mobile device who don't mind the bulk. From this point on, I am certain to remain devoted to models with a touchscreen UI and a tactile qwerty keypad.
Trent Smith
Sent from my HTC HD2
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TRENT SENSE blogger/netcast host
trentsense.com
YouTube.com/absolon3
