This article was written for the unlocked HTC HD2 that was released in Europe and Asia in late 2009. If you have the T-Mobile HD2, please see 10 tips for new T-Mobile HTC HD2 users.
Even though the HTC HD2 is currently the best Windows Mobile phone on the market, it could still be a little better out of the box.
While adventurous users often prefer to flash custom ROMs, dual boot WinMo and Android, and hack the registry to bits, others would be happy with a very simple set of tips, tweaks, and other suggestions to get the most of their new handsets. If you're part of this second group of HD2 users, then I hope you'll find what you're looking for below.
What follows is by no means an exhaustive list of tips for the HD2; it is only meant to serve as a starting point. It is also compiled primarily for beginning users with limited knowledge/experience with Windows Mobile.
Tip #1: Apply official updates.
The first thing to do after charging your new HTC HD2 is to visit the HTC support site to check for officially released updates. Just as Microsoft routinely issues patches and other updates for Windows computers, HTC will often release files that fix and/or improve functions for users to download and install. Clicking the "download" link for the update you want to apply will take you to page with installation instructions and more information on the fix/upgrade.
Tip #2: Install BsB Tweaks.
If you're looking for an absolute must-have for your HD2, it is BsB Tweaks by xda-developers forum member makeveral. It's a free utility that takes some of the best registry changes and packages them in an attractive interface that couldn't be any easier to use.
Simply choose which tweaks you like and tap the on/off switch to enable or disable them. Some of the best ones include enabling 802.11n for faster wireless access when connected to an 802.11n WiFi network, adding pinch zooming to other applications, shaking the HD2 to take a screenshot, adding vibration to HTC applications, enabling 9 tabs in the Opera Mobile web browser, and improving camera quality.
If you need help installing the BsB Tweaks CAB file to your HD2, please see these tutorials on how to install CABs to Windows Mobile devices.
Tip #3: Enable Flash support in Opera Mobile.
The HTC HD2 comes with two web browsers: Opera Mobile (default) and Internet Explorer. Both browsers have their pros and cons. Opera Mobile supports pinch zooming and is generally just a better browser, but Internet Explorer supports Flash. There are other third-party browsers that support Flash as well (e.g., Skyfire), but did you know that you can stick with Opera Mobile and still be able to view Flash content like YouTube videos directly in the browser?
All you need is fixOperaFlash, a free tool that automatically does everything that needs to be done to get Opera running with Flash support. In addition to the fixOperaFlash file, you'll need to install SdkCerts and .NET Compact Framework 3.5, which can be downloaded from this how-to tutorial (also includes how-to videos and FAQs).
Tip #4: Get and/or tweak YouTube app.
If your HD2 didn't already come preloaded with the YouTube app (and some versions don't), you can easily download and install it yourself, especially if you don't like the results from the tip above and don't mind viewing YouTube videos in a separate application rather than directly in the browser.
Once the app is up and running, you may not like how large the text size is because it cuts off video titles, which can make it difficult to know what the video is about. Fortunately, decreasing the font size requires nothing more than a simple change to the registry.
For more information on how to edit the registry, check out WMExperts' comprehensive how-to guide.
Tip #5: Increase number of Quick Links.
Out of the box, the HD2 has 9 Quick Link slots on the home screen arranged in a 3 x 3 grid. You can increase that number to 16 (4 x 4 grid) or 20 (5 x 4 grid) by installing xda-developers forum member Co0kieMonster's QuickLinks & Extended Appointments mod, which not only boosts the number of slots but also offers additional features.
If you don't need the extra functionality and are fine with having just 16 slots, there's also "Vovichek_Jamrecords 16 TT UPDATED" (shown above and attached here – scroll to the bottom) to consider.
Tip #6: Add Task Manager to Quick Links.
Now that you have more Quick Link slots, you may want to fill one of them with the Task Manager, which lets you see which programs are running in the background so that you can pick and choose the ones you want to close to free up some memory.
But before you can add it in the same way you've added other Quick Links, you need to go to File Explorer -> My Device -> Windows and find the TaskMgr file first. Then press and hold the item until the pop-up window appears, select Copy from the menu, and scroll up and tap the Start Menu folder -> Programs. In the bottom-right corner, tap Menu -> Edit -> Paste. This adds the Task Manager to the Program menu and lets you select it from the list that appears when you want to add a Quick Link.
You can still access the Task Manager in the regular way (Settings -> Other -> Task Manager), but this is faster and more convenient.
Tip #7: Try out VistaHide Battery Gauge.
There are a lot of third-party battery meters out there, but my favorite one is a free utility called VistaHide Battery Gauge.
It's an unobtrusive color-coded gradient bar that sits at the top of the screen and "shortens" as the battery depletes. I use it on all of my Windows Mobile devices because it's always visible and doesn't take up any room on the taskbar.
Tip #8: Reclaim hidden games.
Teeter appears to be the only game preinstalled on the HTC HD2, but Solitaire and Bubble Breaker are actually there too. They're just hidden.
To reclaim them, go to File Explorer -> My Device -> Windows and find Bubble Breaker. Press and hold the item until the pop-up window appears, select Copy from the menu, then scroll up and tap the Start Menu folder -> Programs -> Games. Press and hold an empty space on the screen until the pop-up window appears, and select Paste Shortcut from the menu. If you want to rename the file (by default, it will be called "Shortcut to Bubble Breaker"), hold the item until the pop-up windows appears, select Rename from the menu, type in whatever name you want, and hit the Enter/Return key on the keyboard.
Repeat the process with Solitaire.
Now when you navigate to Games on your HD2, you'll see all three titles. You can get more games from Windows Marketplace directly on your device or from other app stores online on your computer.
Tip #9: Get an ebook reader.
The large 4.3-inch screen and 800 x 480 resolution make the HTC HD2 an excellent ebook reader. But since there isn't a preloaded reader like there is on the T-Mobile version of the HD2, you'll need to find your own way to get some reading done on your device.
You can download and install the official HTC eReader app or choose from a number of other alternatives. I like eReader Pro (free) because although its user interface lacks polish, it lets you buy and download ebooks from eReader.com's extensive library, gives you access to your online bookshelf, and provides all the standard ebook niceties like bookmarking, highlighting, looking up words, and customizing the look of the text. eReader Pro is also available on other mobile platforms (e.g., iPhone, Android, BlackBerry), so you can read books you've purchased from your HD2 on other devices and vice versa.
Tip #10: Accessorize.
Customization isn't limited to software, so accessorizing your new HTC HD2 is worth looking into. From cases and microSD cards to headsets and screen protectors, accessories are a great way to protect, personalize, and enhance your investment. Check out the nice selection available at online retailers like Amazon
Bonus tip: Increase Start Menu columns.
When you first use your HTC HD2, your Start Menu will contain program icons arranged in 3 columns.
To reduce the amount of scrolling needed to see all of the icons, which will only increase as you install more apps from Windows Marketplace and other places, change the Start Menu layout to display 4, 5, or even 6 columns. You can do this by installing StartMenu_Grid_4, StartMenu_Grid_5, or StartMenu_Grid_6, which was created by isangelous from the xda-developers forum.
If you need help installing the StartMenu_Grid CAB file to your HD2, please see these tutorials on how to install CABs to Windows Mobile devices.
Enjoy your new HTC HD2!
Thanks Jenn
Now this is a really informative piece—-thanks so much.
more fuel to my gadget lust!!!!
how’s the HD2′s websurfing experience compared to the 3GS? would really appreciate if you could write a review or expound on it.
thanks!!
Can the HD2 play MKV videos with subtitles?
WOW. Very nice write up. I didn’t know You browse XDA too jenn. Great job!
Web browsing on the HD2 is better in some ways and worse in other ways compared to the 3GS.
Better on the HD2 for me: bigger screen, higher resolution, different web browser options, Flash support, text reflows at all zoom levels (ideal for wide single column sites like forums and company websites).
Better on the 3GS for me: smoother scrolling, double tap zooms into entire column (making text and photo equally visible – ideal for multi-column sites like blogs), tapping top of screen brings you back to top of page (I use this all the time, so I miss it when it’s not there).
Pinch zooming in Opera is the same as in Safari to me. The speed is about the same as well, with websites loading at around the same rate, give or take a second or two on either device (so no clear winner on speed).
I haven’t tried it myself, but I have read that MKVs with subtitles play fine (depending on subtitle format) using TCPMP with the subtitle plugin.
CorePlayer also plays MKVs, but I don’t know if it supports subtitles. CoreCodec’s knowledge base indicates that SMIL support would be coming in a future version of the player, but I don’t know if it was really added. The KB entry is dated July 2007 so either they forgot to update it or adding subtitle support is still on their to-do list.
XDA is the first place I go when I have a question. The answer can sometimes be hard to find since single threads can be over 100 pages long, but it’s usually worth spending the time to dig around.
If what I want to do on my phone doesn’t have a solution at XDA, then it’s probably just not possible yet. Amazing talent over there.
So much for me getting the HTC HD2 as a MID/PMP. Hopefully, the Archos Phone Tablet actually gets released. The Archos 5 Internet Tablet was great except it was too big for my pocket.
Looks really nice, I wonder if we’ll see more phone companies make phone/tablets like this.
Would love to see Nokia with a maemo device like this with 4.3 inch screen with a keyboard, or another htc device with android as a comparasion, heck i’ll even take the same specs as the U.S. version.
Yup. XDA guys are incredible. I have a touch pro 2. It was born and raise in XDA and PPCgeeks. =D
What’s the HD2 like outside in sunlight? I’ve been playing with a Winmo device and wanted to compare the GPS and maps with the one in my Nokia E90 (new OVI maps). Unfortunately, once outside in the sun I couldn’t read the screen of the Winmo device! No problem at all with the E90, obviously. Made the whole point of having a device with GPS and map software pointless.
Last week I bought hd2 and this is so informative, especially information about BsB tweaks. Thanks for the support
thanks again jenn!! c”,)
now if i could just test one myself so i could compare it with my 3GS and decide. tsk tsk tsk..
when you said “3GS has smoother scrolling”, is it because HD2 scrolling is bad or just 3GS scrolling is really good?
have you tried the HD2′s phone functionality? what’s your opinion on replacing the 3GS with the HD2+itouch?
TIA
No, HD2 scrolling isn’t bad. Not at all. It’s actually very good. I just think 3GS scrolling is a tad smoother. The fluidity of flick scrolling just seems better to me on the 3GS, even though the HD2 scrolls a bit more (i.e., farther down/up the page with a single flick), though maybe that’s an illusion because of the screen size.
I bought the HD2 to use solely as a non-phone MID, so I haven’t tried any of the calling features. I hear they’re quite good, though.
There would be a lot of overlap in functionality if you replaced the 3GS with the HD2 and iPod touch, and you’d probably end up using one much more than the other. Even for non-phone tasks, I still reach for my 3GS more often than the HD2 because of the browser and all the apps.
Sunlight visibility is pretty good, IMO. The screen doesn’t wash out the second you go outside (like some devices), but it’s difficult to see on very sunny days in direct sunlight with no shade.
Have you seen an iPhone in sunlight? Visibility is better on that than the HD2.
What’s an iphone?
It’s an obscure device from this small company with no advertising budget. You really have to be into technology to have heard about it. Any old person off the street would never know about it because it gets no mainstream exposure. It doesn’t even have any huge billboard advertisements. Quite sad, really.
I find it very odd that no one mentions SPB Mobile Shell whenever they speak of windows mobile. If ever there was a necessary add-on to a UI, that would be it.
I’m not trying to plug a product, I just wonder a lot when engadget, gizmodo et al keep insisting on how crap WinMo is and they never talk about third party addons. I’m glad to see this article bring up BsB, but there are a whole bunch of simple options available to the average user.
I mentioned SPB Mobile Shell in my older AT&T Tilt and Xperia X1 tips articles. I didn’t include it for the HD2 because of HTC’s Sense UI, which is very good and makes the interface incredibly finger friendly.
If it was plain WinMo, I definitely would’ve recommended SPB Mobile Shell. That’s one of the first things I install on all WinMo devices (I have it running on my Samsung Mondi ATM).
Hi,
just my 2 cent’s worth as I’ve moved from a 3G/GS to a HD2..call quality on the HD2′s excellent..loud and clear via both earpiece and speakerphone. BT works well with my BMW’s E46 model BT system.
My only gripe with the HD2 is that it’s almost impossible to operate 1 handed unless you have massive hands. So trying to retrieve a contact on the HD2 with 1 hand could be a frustrating experience.
Hope that helps!
Cheers, jamesfongster (J from the vilivboys)
Totally agree with Jenn’s comments here..
SPB Mobile or Point UI (http://www.pointui.com) were mandatory on all non HTC Sense UI WM devices that I used to own.
Im in Sydney Australia & have just exchanged my touch diamond which was great for the HTC HD2 which is better. However, Telstra has added some of its own programs to the quick link section on the home page and these are locked!!! Does anyone know of an easy way to unlock these programs from my home page and remove them?
Thanks
I’ve signed up to xda-developers and keep getting the message
‘Adam1980, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:
Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else’s post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.’
What am i doing wrong?
Jenn, You did a hell of a job with this tutorial. If I could, I’d hug You. I can’t so I’m gonna say: ‘Warm thank You from the bottom of my heart’. I gotta tell You that after 2 months of having HD2 I was starting to wonder If I’ve made good decision chosing HTC instead of iPhone. But Your work made me believe the choice was right. Thanks a lot once again and keep up good work. ^__^
What a fantastic, sarcastic sense of humour
Nice one, love it ^^’
Did you receive the email to activate your account?
I assume that message only appears when you’re trying to view an attachment. Have you been able to successfully log in?
I cant find the games, when i go in to my HD2 i scrool down to file explorer in my case filutforskaren, then directly im taking to windos i cant pick my device or something but icant find the mapp Games in there or anything assoisiated with it. plz help :/
thnx bro nice help
im so happy to have learnt that solitare is on my hd2. i had a winmo phone years ago and used to play it alot. but following the instructions above is not working for me.
when i try pasting them into the games file it says it cant because its an executable file or something like that. help!
forget my above problem… ive done it now.lol my fault i didnt read your instructions carefully enough.ha thanks for the tips they are awesome! keep it up!
I’ve had my HD2 for about a month now and I’ve been loving the new tech after having the Samsung Omnia!!! Been using Omarket for apps and now these tips have improved the whole experience, big thanks to you Jenn.
Im in Melbourne Australia & have just purchased the HTC HD2.
Quoting Dollipop: Telstra has added some of its own programs to the quick link section on the home page and these are locked!!! Does anyone know of an easy way to unlock these programs from my home page and remove them?
Could we get a response on this as it would be great to do away with Telstras unwanted and locked programs on the quick link.
Cheers
jenn i just want to ask you , is it better to change my htc hd2 to an android system !! i want your advice man … And these 10 steps wat do they change after doing them on my hd2 ?? plz reply
As far as I know, no one has been able to install Android on the HD2 yet. There’s some interest in trying to get it done over at the xda-developers forum, but I don’t think there has been any progress. The upcoming HTC EVO 4G is often referred to as the Android version of the HD2, so you may want to look into that if you want HD2-like hardware with Android instead of Windows Mobile.
I don’t know if your second question is a serious one, as it’s pretty clear in the post what each step accomplishes. For example, if you follow the “apply official updates” tip, then you’ll literally apply official updates to your HD2.
Thanks Jenn K. Lee, It useful for me. First time using Mobile Phone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=596682
good tips! i like that ereader pro
damn when ever i try tro copy the game from windowz–>bubblebreaker to –>programs–>games it says something about executable programs cannot be copied from the rom or something…evn more anoying im dutch so i have a dutch langaueg so i have no idea of some of the stuff is going to work or where to find it :/
copy it as a shortcut not the actual file then rename it to bubblebreaker, then do the same with solitaire.
paste it as a shortcut rather
Great stuff! Thnx
regarding tip number 3, did you actually go thru the process of installing the fixOpera exe yourself? I tried this and it makes no difference – looks to me like Abobe have done everything possible to stop video working through flash player for windows mobile. If you were successful, please let me know.
i recently upgraded from a my touch to a hd2 and i have to say i hate this stupid phone it has transformers and great camerea it has pretty cool features but its lacking the markert. the windows market sucks and the apps are expensive and not alot of apps available i miss the android market if the hd2 had android market i would keep this phone but i am really considering selling my hd2 and buying a new my touch
Wow…this was really informative. Didn’t know there were so many things that I could do. Just bought a new HD2 and would try a lot of these for sure.
that is great, thank you, im just bought this phone last night and they where out of stock, but i get to pick it up tonight, im so exited!!!
I’ve tried to copy the games sollitaire and bubble breaker, but I couldn’t copy them I’ve got an error because I couldn’t copy any programs in ROM/RAM.
What could I do??
hi.
i tryed to copy and paste the bubble breaker and solitaire games to the games folder, but i get an error screen that says it cant copy executable files and resource file in ROM. can someone please help me?
thanx!
im from denmark so sorry if you dont understand my translation of the error message,
Dear Sir recently i bought HTC HD 2
i am India i am having Aircell connection i also received Aircell internet but i am not able to activate internet they guided me but they said there in setting no connection option
pls advice to connect ASAP
Thanks egards
VENKTESH
DI VIKAS COURT APATMENT
BARATHY NAGAR
GANAPATHY
COIMBATORE 641006
TAMIL NADU
INDIA
Thank you for all the information, VERY CLEAR even for me (65y/o)
Walter.
question? why is it when i installed bsb, CHT editor and start menu grid i lost my alarm function for snooze and dismiss and personalized ringtones?
I cannot access the quick links page because they will not allow me to download the links so please post another website that has a working download for step 5
Excellent feautre, done
most of these on my O2
branded HD2 and had no
problems, only thing is
VistaHide Battery Gauge.
wont stay on if you
reboot the phone,
BattlineSvc will.
htc hd2 is a very powerful device. It has 1 ghz processor and you can use a lot of programs on it, and it has very nice widescreen.
i have both the HTC HD2 and 3GS 32G Iphone, put it this way if the HTC HD2 had apple written on it they would fly off the shelves. It’s so much more responsive, less lag and all in all a better pocket pc. the only downside i have found is that the Facebook app is pants.
Can any1 help in looking for a free UnZip app for HTC HD2 i cant find a decent 1 anywhere. lmao iv spent the last 2 days look :S
i have downloaded divx app just need to unzip it
any help would be appreciated
many thanks
I’ll add an 11th one… DO NOT DROP IT
so good tip. but it would be more better if you add how to download youtude video on htc hd2
Youtube App doesn’t start when I click on it can anyone help?
Hello,
Thank you for the info. Unfortunately I am not a PDA expert. There is a new Opera 10 beta 3 software. Can I use fixOperaFlash for it? As I know there you can enable the plugins in the advanced options menu… In the Q&A the answer was referred to the lack of this option.
As I am not an expert, I do not want to try it without any expert’s permission, so I am asking your help…:)
i need some serious help. i bought hd2 in United arab emirates and these phone are equipped with english with arabic support. some of the icons are in english and some of them are in arabic. i tried disabling the multilingual option but the changes are not taking place. anybody who can help me out in switching the language to ENGLISH only. thanks.
Doc.
the first thing i would suggest is to download opera 10 mobile for touch @ m.opera.com
imo many times better than the default 9 on the hd2
i dont know how many tabs it allows, but i used more about 20 after a google search.
it also allows pinch zoom
I have downloaded the applications from NET in the form of zip file but m not able to run the games/applications..Can anyone help..
thnks mate
i have a questionabout my hd2…
if i send a text message to myself, and get it a minute after, how come my inbox would say 11:20pm while my sent my
messages would show 11:23pm yesterday…
you can find some useful hints for htc hd2 here http://htc-hd2-apps.blogspot.com/search/label/hd2%20hints
dear sir,
please solve my problem about my HTC HD2, not install skype and nimbuzz.
thanks
So should I get HD2 or Desire?
fix flash tool does not work. i need upgraded opera and int explor for it to work
hi. i have htc hd2. aple iphon hase orginal yahoo messenger. if my device with windows mobile 6.5 had it? if yes where can i find that?
This is a tips which is very comprehensive to me, is very useful to have a new HTC smartphone.
Simply desire to say your article is as astounding. The clarity in your post is simply great and
i could assume you’re an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the gratifying work.
Which type of files that hd2 can install in it…