We have added another phone to our range of Next G™ mobiles: the HD2 by HTC.

Two things really impress me about this phone.

The first is its size. The HD2 boasts a massive 4.3 inch (10.9 cm) high resolution touch screen. It is definitely the largest screen mobile we have in our range. The phone itself is also quite thin which is impressive when you consider the processing power it holds inside.

The screen also has what is known as capacitive touch technology (a first for a phone with Windows Mobile). Simply put, you can use your fingers to flick through different screens, you can enlarge and shrink the size of a screen by pinching it and you can select various icons at the touch of your finger.

Secondly, the phone has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. That’s really tech-speak for fast. The HD2 has a processor that is almost twice as powerful as smartphones released a year ago. Having this processing power means you are able to load applications quicker and have more running simultaneously. Importantly, it provides improved performance for watching video – which is impressive to see on the large screen of this phone.

With Windows Mobile 6.5, the HD2 has all the popular Windows applications like Exchange email and Internet Explorer but it also has a link to Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile. This is the Windows Mobile app store where you can browse and download lots of handy applications for your compatible Windows Mobile phone, some at no cost like the Facebook app, standard usage charges apply.

You’ll notice we’ve put some links on the main screen to BigPond, Mobile FOXTEL and Sensis to make it simpler for you to link to the unmetered content you get from us, like BigPond News and Sport and Yellow Search. You also have the option to customise 6 of the 9 links to services you use most often, like your favourite contact, application or web-site.

Using the phone, I have to say our Mobile FOXTEL service works extremely well on the large screen. With the HD2, you get to view the higher-quality Mobile FOXTEL video stream on the massive 4.3 inch screen.

These are some of the features the HD2 boasts. There’s of course many more, like the 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash, GPS functionality and even a built-in WiFi router.

Considering the size of the screen and the fact the phone is quite thin, it is a smartphone with a lot of impressive features. Combined with the processing power, I believe the phone unleashes a richer video and mobile gaming experience. Similarly, the applications offered by Windows Mobile 6.5 means the phone also lends itself as a business smartphone with Exchange push-email, Word and Excel just some of the many apps that can improve productivity on the go.

Key Specifications

Processor: Snapdragon™ processor, 1GHz

Platform: Windows Mobile® 6.5 Professional with HTC Sense

Memory: 16GB microSD™ memory card (Australia only) ROM: 512 MB, RAM: 448 MB

Dimensions: 120.5 x 67 x 11mm (4.74 x 2.64 x 0.43 inches)

Weight: 157 grams (5.54 ounces) with battery

Display: Capacitive touch screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution

Battery: Rechargeable 1230 mAh Lithium-ion battery

Audio Supported Formats: AAC, AMR, M4A, MID, MP3, MP4, QCP, WAV, WMA

Camera: 5.0 megapixel colour camera with auto focus and dual LED flashlight

GPS: Internal GPS antenna

Network

HSPA/WCDMA:

• 850/2100 MHz
• 7.2 Mbps peak down-link and 2 Mbps peak up-link speed ratings from manufacturer on HSPA. Actual speeds are less. Typical customer speeds are 550 kbps to 3 Mbps download and 330kbps to 1Mbps upload on the Next G™ network.^

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

• 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Operating Times
Talk time:

• Up to 320 minutes for WCDMA
• Up to 380 minutes for GSM

Standby time:

• Up to 390 hours for WCDMA
• Up to 490 hours for GSM

(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)

Additional Specifications

Connectivity: Bluetooth® 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g, Standard Micro-USB (5-pin micro-USB 2.0), 3.5 mm audio jack, Internet Sharing through USB or Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Router

Video Supported Formats: WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, AVI

Expansion Slot: microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

Special Features: G-sensor, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Digital Compass

For more information:

• HTC HD2 Plans and Pricing

^ Speeds vary due to factors such as distance from the cell, local conditions, user numbers, hardware, software and download source.