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May 9, 2013 By: Conan Troutman
If I asked you to guess which device had just received yet another OS to add to its collection (and what a collection it is), what would you say? Okay, forget that the title gave it away, you’d have known which device I was talking about.
The HTC HD2, not that it needs any introduction whatsoever, is an unstoppable monster of a device that has been a favorite with users and developers alike for over three and a half years now. As if that weren’t incredible enough, those users and developers are spread across 3 major platforms, not to mention the numerous other operating systems which can be used on the device. XDA Senior Member feherneoh however has decided that it’s time to add another one to the list.
Ferherneoh has successfully ported Mozilla’s open source operating FireFox OS, or Boot2Gecko as it’s sometimes labelled, to the HD2. And despite being a very alpha work in progress, it shows a lot of promise. Despite being able to easily handle more advanced platforms such as the latest versions of Windows Phone and Android, FireFox OS could be a very nice fit for a device like the HD2 if it becomes stable enough for daily use.
Looking at the list of what does and doesn’t work initially sets off quite a few alarm bells. Things like the SIM card not being detected and the camera not working are usually enough to keep people from downloading. However, reading through the thread itself suggests these issues may be closer to resolution than the OP suggests, as users are reporting the ability to make calls and some level of (admittedly intermittent) camera functionality. Bugs or not, this is still another jewel in the crown of what is, in my opinion, the single greatest smartphone of all time.
Be sure to check out the original thread for more information on throwing yet another OS at your HD2.
[Thanks to poyensa for the tip.]
January 3, 2013 By: Joseph Hindy
When we talk about the HTC HD2 nowadays, it is in shock and awe that it managed to survive yet another round of software updates from Windows Phone and Android. It has even been shown running Windows RT. It continues to exceed all expectations, as developers have figured out a way to make it triple boot.
XDA Senior Member mengfei has posted a tutorial that will help get the HTC HD2 to triple boot. It is not a very stable method and mengfei says that not everyone will be able to accomplish this. The method works by creating three partitions using a SD card and the internal memory. Then users install ROMs to those partitions. It’s a loose description, as the tutorial is actually much longer.
To get started users will have to make the partitions. Here is what users will need:
1 FAT32 Partition
1 EXT4 Partition
1 WP7 Partition
MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition (MTPW) using this to do those above.
In the tutorial, users will be installing WP7 first, then the other operating systems afterward. The whole process will take some time. However, once finished, the HD2 will be able to boot into any one of three different ROMs. Users have reported that the method works, albeit with some tweaks here and there to the process.
To learn how to triple boot on the HD2, go to the original thread.
December 28, 2012 By: jerdog
Let’s say you have a device from 2009, and at times it seems like it’s just a little bit out of date. The latest devices coming out are all competing to become “The Next Big Thing,” and this device just doesn’t seem to stack up to the competition. And with the latest mobile Operating Systems out there, any device running Windows Mobile 6.5 just seems, well, outdated. But then you realize what device this actually is: It’s the Mighty Mouse of devices, the HTC HD2. The same device that has run not only Windows Mobile 6.5, but Windows Phone 7, Android (all versions up to Jelly Bean), Ubuntu and MeeGo of all things.
XDA Elite Recognized Developer Cotulla has a long track record of doing extraordinary things with Windows devices, and the HD2 is no exception. After teasing the developer world with what he called a “proof of concept” of getting Windows Phone 8 installed and running on the HD2, he released the first images of the device running Windows RT. While he hasn’t released any more details as to the full status of the project, the image gallery below should give anyone who owns the HD2 butterflies of excitement. After viewing the images, you can stop by the discussion thread to follow along with updates as Cotulla provides them.
And for those wondering why it is the HTC HD2 continues to live and breathe over 3 years after it’s release, it is because the device is completely wide open thanks to HTC’s old philosophy. They have since gone away from that, which would account for part of their meteoric slide in sales and relevance. When developers can do anything and everything they desire to a device, we get gems like this one. When they can’t, they stop recommending the manufacturer and people stop buying.
December 14, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
The HTC HD2 can be compared favorably to Bob Hope. It’s probably going to be around and reasonably successful for quite some time. Not too long ago, we brought you news that the HD2 continued being relevant when it received a WP8 port. Now, in an act that can only be described as necromancy, the HD2 lives again with an Android 4.2 ROM.
XDA Recognized Developer sportsstar89 released the ROM for people to try out. As can be expected with newer Android ports in general, the ROM is quite rough. Here is a list of things currently wrong:
* Wi-Fi
* Painfully Slow (Like painfully slow)
Users haven’t complained of anything wrong, other than what’s been listed. Despite the short list of things actually wrong, the painfully slow issue prevents this from being a daily driver. However, sportsstar89 isn’t done with development yet. The thread has been closed so that the ROM can be updated to CM10.1. So there won’t be additional updates for this particular ROM, but that means a CM10.1 build is well on its way. The original ROM download link is still up if you’d like to give it a try.
For more details, check out the original thread.
November 30, 2012 By: egzthunder1
Have you ever seen those horror films, where the monsters simply refuse to die regardless of what is thrown at them? They simply keep getting up and up and up, and refuse to stay down. That is kinda the story going on with the last Windows Mobile device from HTC, the ever lasting and eternal HTC HD2. This device has seen more OS types and versions passing through it than most other devices on XDA combined. The ports have gone from Android to Ubuntu and other Linux distros as well, Meego, and all versions of WP7, including 7.5 and 7.8, which happened just recently. Much as the saying goes, the sky is the limit. So our devs keep pushing the boundaries of this not-so-little device, just to see how far it will go. The latest result for this push is no other than Windows Phone 8 booting on it.
XDA Elite Recognized Developer Cotulla once again proves that there is no such thing as limited power in hardware, when you have the right code. He, along with many other devs, managed to get Windows Phone 8 to run on a device that was not meant to go past WM6.5. As you may expect however, the port is barely functional, meaning nothing works. The dev simply posted pictures of the screens as a proof of concept, and not an actual release. So if you were thinking about running this on your HD2 anytime soon, you can more than likely scrap that idea. Lots of work is still required for anyone to even be able to run this properly. Moreover, since most of the latest RUUs from Microsoft have very high level encryption, the process is much harder now than it was with the leak that they have working on the device.
Please do not lose hope, but on the same token, don’t ask for ETAs. We all know how unwelcome that can be.
For now it’s actually just a proof of concept.
I honestly dunno how far it can goes forward; a lot of problems appear and not sure will be it’s possible to solve them.
And not only to solve them, but get an acceptable user experienceIt was implied as “a crazy experiment” at the start up time
For now it’s implemented only few functionality like SD card, screen output, touch screen input.
All other things are not working. I won’t add “YET” it can be very hard to get some things to work.
and DFT didn’t yet decided about future developments in that direction.
You can find more information in the original thread.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer
[Thanks poynesa and JimmyMcGee for the tip]
November 5, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Halloween came and passed a few days ago, but it seems as if Frankenstein is still here in some form. Frankenstein was made by assembling pieces of various people to create a new person. Now, there is at least one HTC HD2 undergoing the same process.
Dubbed Project Evolution, the focus of the project is to revamp the HTC HD2 with new hardware to make it a little less dated. It only makes sense, since it’s never been behind the times in terms of software. XDA Senior Member isaiah12345 has been working on improving the hardware. Here the things isaiah12345 is planning to do, has done, and can’t do to the HTC HD2:
Goals:
front facing camera
better signal
front facing speaker (why in the world would you ever want to turn your phone around to hear it)
camera lens protection
bigger battery
kickstand
camera swivel
looks
a breath of fresh air for the ever so aging HD2Achieved:
front facing speaker
kickstand
proximity and light sensor repositioned
evo 4g lte housing (chose this because the device can stay slim and pocketable while still adding new features)
2300 mah batteryProblems:
No More Front Camera (due to needing the phone to actually charge)
with the extension of the micro usb and headphone jack, it makes it nearly impossible for the camera to swivel back to rear position
removable battery doorFuture Plans:
make a primary hd2 docking station complete with external battery speakers and keyboard (idea thanks to xyntaxis)
While the progress so far has been exciting, if successful, this would be quite the achievement for the HTC HD2. It would allow current owners to upgrade their phone without leaving behind the sheer awesomeness of the device. One thing that many members requested were pictures of the progress so far to see if all this was a hoax. Thankfully, isaiah12345 has come through and posted not only pictures, but a few videos as well.
To learn more about the project, check out the original thread. To see the pics and videos, check out isaiah12345′s post here.
September 21, 2012 By: egzthunder1
Just a couple of days ago, we witnessed WP7.8 surface on the HTC HD7. The Internet exploded in happiness (especially those about to slam their devices against the wall for not being eligible for upgrades, courtesy of Microsoft). The ROM became wildly popular within a short period of time and was scattered across the web, and obviously, across XDA. One thing that we have learned over the last couple of years is the fact that if the OS can be ported to anything, the HTC HD2 should be able to run it. Needless to say, this still holds true even for the brand new and unreleased Windows Phone 7.8 operating system. XDA Forum Member pdaimatejam brings joy to all the customers who bought this device back in 2010 who expected nothing less from the talented developers in this area of the site.
The ROM is loaded with tons of tweaks, apps (several from the Lumia series), and more. However, the most important feature to point out is the fact that the ROM is fully unlocked, which means that you will get all the functionality that Microsoft does not want you to have on a Windows Phone (i.e. file explorer, access to registry, theming, customization, and much more). The thread does not have any bugs reported so far, but do keep in mind that it does not mean it will be bug free (it is a port after all, on a device that should have ceased to exist about 1.5 years ago).
Please make sure that if you take it for a spin, that you also report any and all bugs that you may encounter. Also, make sure that you follow all the installation instructions to ensure that you do not ruin your device by flashing it.
By pdaimatejam HD2 v8.5 ROM
Version info:
Wp7.8 OS 7.10.8835.35
You can find more information in the original port thread.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
[Thanks poyensa for the tip!]
September 20, 2012 By: egzthunder1
The HTC HD2 is one of those devices that has made history on XDA due to the durable and long lasting body, great hardware, and its incredible versatility. Since it was originally ported back in the 2010-2011 time frame, Android has only been getting better and better, not to mention faster on the device. It went from running from the SD card to running from NAND in a short period of time. However, people wanted more responsiveness and smoothness out of the device. They wanted a closer experience to an actual Android device, without losing the flexibility of Windows Mobile. After thinking about it long and hard, XDA Recognized Contributors securecrt and Xylograph put their heads together and came up with a new way of flashing ROMs onto the device (be it WM or Android). Introducing NativeSD.
The concept behind this new method is actually quite interesting. The whole idea came from the fact that when choosing a flashing method on the HTC HD2, there is a trade off. NAND is faster than regular SD, but SD gives you more storage. The premise behind this is to combine the benefits of both. It turns out that speeds on some of the higher end class SD cards are actually faster than those of NAND (4 MB/s on NAND as opposed to about 10 MB/s on a Class 10 SD card). So, the devs devised a way to flash onto an Ext4 partition (which provides great performance enhancements on I/O). As an added bonus, your data partition becomes MUCH bigger than anything you could possibly achieve by flashing on NAND. All in all, a win-win situation for HD2 owners.
As an added bonus, this allows you to possibly flash multiple ROMs on the same device for multi-booting. Windows Mobile ROMs can be flashed as well, but it is still experimental. What are you waiting for? Take it for a spin and let the devs know if it works well by dropping some feedback and get your ORD going.
This is an idea to make the HD2 faster and fancy, I worked with Xylograph to make it more usable and easy to implement by common users.
You can find more information in the original thread.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
[Thanks timmymarsh for the tip!]
July 21, 2012 By: Conan Troutman
Just a few days ago, we brought you news of an alpha version of Jelly Bean for the seemingly immortal HTC HD2. I could sit here and yammer on for days about how magnificent the device is, and how we may never again see a device that is capable of so many wonderful things, but I won’t. If you aren’t familiar with the HD2 and just how awesome it is, there’s something very wrong with you.
Never one to lag behind other devices, it was only a matter of time before the development community picked up that ball and ran with it. XDA Recognized Developer sportsstar89 has done just that, and given the device it’s first unofficial version of CyanogenMod 10. While this build is still in a very early stage and is bound to have a few bugs and quirks, it’s certainly usable. It also serves as a great base for those looking to build further development work and help porting effots. It’s currently only compatible with the CLK bootloader, so those of you using MAGLDR will need to switch if you want to test this out.
Head on over to the original thread to find out more.
July 16, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Despite the phone being a couple of years old, the development community on the HTC HD2 is still vibrant as ever. Recently, we brought you news of the HD2 getting WiFi calling on ICS. This added to the feeling that the HD2 will probably keep going and going forever.
Not surprisingly, a Jelly Bean port was released for the HD2. XDA Recognized Contributor smokin901 has released a proof-of-concept port of Jelly Bean not necessarily for people to use, but to prove that the HD2 is still beastly enough to actually run it. However, XDA is a development community, so it is likely that this will end up being stable sometime in the future.
For now, though, the list of features working and not working is about on par with most other Jelly Bean releases recently. The current list of things working include:
Mobile Data 3G/2G
Calls
WiFi
Bluetooth
SMS
Sound check download page for fix ————————– Credit Bexton
Video Playback
USB Mass Storage ———– Credit Bexton
And not working:
Camera
Browser works but display is messed up.
Error when Installing some Apps
Google Now crashes.
There are likely to be some other things that haven’t been updated yet, as users have reported issues with system sounds and hardware acceleration. While the ROM may not be ready for daily driver use yet, it’s definitely there for any users or developers who want to try it out or help make it more stable.
For additional information, go to the original thread.
[Thanks to XDA Senior Moderator and News Writer conantroutman and XDA Portal Admin willverduzco for the tip!]
June 25, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
This is usually where we would insert a strategic metaphor to describe the pure awesomeness that is the HTC HD2. Much like Apple’s hatred of Android, Forever Alone memes, and Celine Dion’s heart, HD2 development will probably go on and on. Forever.
As such, the HD2 is showing no signs of letting up. In addition to acquiring hardware acceleration in ICS, there’s still more ICS-based fun to be had on the HD2 such as T-Mobile WiFi calling. XDA Recognized Developer tytung has updated the current WiFi calling application to be compatible with ICS. According to tytung:
The latest WiFi Calling packages which support both MAGLDR and cLK with working mobile data.
This comes just over a month after the process to get the app working on ICS began and a few days after the last of the bugs were reported fixed, so users can expect a flawless WiFi calling experience.
For download links and more, head to the original thread
[Thanks to XDA Senior Member cajunflavoredbob for the tip!]
May 17, 2012 By: egzthunder1
Whenever you think of the Energizer bunny, a few concepts come to mind—cute and funny (for some anyways), durable, and definitely long lasting. I think that if Energizer ever felt the need to replace the bunny with another iconic “toy,” it would definitely have to be HTC’s greatest phone to date, the HD2.
Ever since the original Android ports started hitting the device back in 2010, the HD2 has been a hotbed for development; breaking ground time and time again, and expanding the device’s horizons and possibilities beyond reasonable limits. Today, we come across a very interesting and brand new development, brought to you by XDA Recognized Developer sbryan12144. The very first Sense 4 ROM has appeared for the aluminum backed beast.
Sense 4.0 is a a brand new set of problems when it comes to porting, as many of the already-available tools are not exactly functional. Having said that, we have seen this ported to other devices including the Sensation, the EVO 3D, and a few more. Just like the aforementioned, this early ROM release has very few features working and is more of a functional proof-of-concept at this point than a daily driver. Basic things like data and WiFi are still not properly working or at all, but they will eventually get fixed as development continues.
Please be sure to follow the installation instructions and provide feedback and bug reports to the devs so that the build can be improved.
Not Working:
- Camera
- SD Mount
- USB Storage
- Data (Starts but doesn’t connect)
- Sound
- Wifi
You can find more information in the original thread.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
[Thanks sbryan12144 for the tip!]
April 29, 2012 By: Conan Troutman
Some devices just won’t quit. They are an instant hit with both users and developers from the moment they are released, and continue to see updates to the latest OSes long after official support has run dry. Some are even lucky enough to run OSes that they were never even intended to. The HTC HD2 is a perfect example of such a device. Given it’s huge following, it was inevitable that the HD2 would receive an update to Ice Cream Sandwich in one form or another, and the old girl really wasn’t that far behind many of the newer devices to receive unofficial updates. There was however, one significant issue for those looking for the full ICS experience on the HD2—hardware acceleration.
For those of you who may not be up to speed on hardware acceleration, it involves using a piece of specialized device hardware (in this case, the Adreno 200 GPU) to perform functions faster than would be possible if executed on the CPU. In the case of a hardware accelerated user interface, this greatly reduces lag in certain actions such as scrolling and switching home screens. In other words, it generally results in a snappier feeling UI. It’s not a cure-all, but it helps dramatically. Adding it in also means that applications that require hardware acceleration such as the Google Chrome Beta browser can now function properly.
There has been a lot of discussion regarding the feature, and thanks to XDA Senior Members Xylograph and securecrt, and XDA Recognized Developer Rick_1995, it is now possible to run Ice Cream Sandwich with full hardware acceleration on the HD2. This was made possible by utilizing elements of the KGSL driver from an HTC Desire kernel—the specifics can be found here—and is a huge step forward in ICS development for the HD2.
It’s still too early to expect a flawless experience quite yet, and not all ICS ROMs/Kernels have made use of these developments, so be patient. In the meantime you can check out Xylograph’s CM9 or AOKP ROMs and securecrt’s kernel thread for more information and downloads.
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