HTC HD2 review

The amount of applications on the HD2 has dwindled somewhat compared to other HTC WinMo phones, but that's no bad thing as we believe a lot of them were a bit redundant anyway.

That's not to say there aren't some 'cool but ultimately useless' apps on here, but they're less annoying than before. We'll walk you through some of the highlights, but we'll let you work out the likes of the MP3 trimmer on your own...

Google Maps

One of the problems encountered with previous HTC phones is that the GPS doesn't really work that well. Thanks to Quick GPS on the HD2, the whole thing works a lot better than before, with up to eight satellites being quickly found even when indoors (although admittedly near a window).

Over Wi-Fi the mapping function is speedy and flawless, and while Co-Pilot is built in to the phone as a trial, we'd imagine you'd only really begin to use that if you get involved with the car GPS dock add on (sold separately).

RSS Hub

Filled with a number of RSS feeds to choose from, the annoying thing is some of them don't work. The best thing you can do is either hunt through the internet and copy and paste the RSS addresses, or you can simply copy across an OPML file from your proper RSS reader on a PC.

However, the feeds work well and are displayed nicely in a list format (although hitting them can be a little bit tricky, as we mentioned above). It's easy to update them and is a nice addition to an already well-stocked phone.

Facebook

The Facebook application on the HD2 is the standard version developed for larger touchscreens, but with a slightly more vibrant display (bizarrely) for the Windows Mobile range.

It gives easy-to-use tabs for finding your friends, seeing photos or messages and using the application as a phonebook for all those buddies that have added their number to their profile.

You might wonder why it would be necessary to add such an application to the HD2 when it already has such tight integration with contacts, but it makes sense by providing the missing functionality.

As we mentioned, there's no way to message your friends direct from their contact menu, and this application offers just that option. And you can call/text your friends who have added their numbers to the site, as well as write on walls, poke, view and all that stuff the kids appear to be down with these days.

Bing

Would you believe it, Microsoft has bundled its new wonder software into the mix as well, without you even needing to download it.

This means that not only do you get a search engine to rival Google, but you also get car directions, maps, local search and weather to boot.

Again, over 3G and Wi-Fi the service works immensely well, with categories and internet links just veritably flying along the way you'd hope they would. We're still not convinced that Bing will ever overtake Google in any of these categories, but it will be interesting to see how the battle unfolds.

And should you be itching to expand the plethora of talent already available, the Windows Mobile Marketplace is just waiting to be downloaded and installed on the phone for you, giving you access to a wealth of pricey applications.

They actually all are pretty expensive, with the free ones few and far between, so we suggest you wait a little while for the developers to get cracking on this portal before you start pouring your money into it. Unless you really want 3D Monster Trucks - the Ice Escapades, in which case go right ahead.