Not loving HTC's HD2

 The big-screen HD2 is available in the UAE for AED 3,299

You expect a lot from a phone that starts up with the message ‘quietly brilliant'. Or atleast I did.

HTC's HD2 is a remarkable piece of hardware and the most obvious feature is its more than generous 4.3" screen with a row of useful little buttons at the bottom. That, coupled with capacitive touch technology, means that playing with multimedia on this beast is a pleasant experience. And the battery life isn't as bad considering what it packs in.

 The 5 megapixel camera took crisp photographs in natural light, but less than stellar ones at night, even with a flash.  There isn't even a dedicated camera button on this device. Or a lens cover.

The HD2 operates Windows Mobile 6.5 and HTC's Sense user interface with big icons and classy visuals reflects the best of it. Navigation isn't quite as easy as you'd expect, with different menus and options to sift through before you can find what you're looking for. There is a customisable homescreen option so it's not like you'll have to keep looking for preferred applications, but I just feel there's no need for it be so complicated.

In fact, none of it made Sense to me in the end. For example, I had issues with network connectivity as well as basic SMS on the device: I couldn't send or receive messages. I initially thought it could be blamed on my SIM but I tried using it on another phone and it seemed fine. I tried fiddling with the Message Setting options and had other colleagues try their luck as well, but I gave up in the end. Maybe the issue has a quick-fix but that's not the point - it just shouldn't happen.

 I'd blame it on the software to be honest because I really believe HTC tried with this one. Maybe a little too hard even. Yes, it's fast and big and perhaps one of the most ambitious hardware designs I've seen in a while. But it's just not good.