Video: Windows Phones Review, Smartphone Round Robin

on 21 Dec 2009 12:40 PM

Week #2 of the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin has me sampling some Windows Phones, in the form of the AT&T Tilt 2 and the HTC HD2. You can check out the video below as I pick up these devices for the first time and get guided through what's going on in the land of Windows Phones by our expert Phil Nickinson of WMExperts. I gotta say, in this video I come across a little loopy and distracted.... the reason is the MASSIVE SCREEN on this HTC HD2. It's FRAKK'n RIDICULOUS.

To get some guidance on my Windows Phone experience, I've created a forum thread over at WMExperts.com. As for BlackBerry in the Round Robin this week, it's our old pal Rene Ritchie of TheiPhoneblog that's taking the Bold 9700 and Storm2 for a spin. He has created a forum thread in the CB forums to get some help from CrackBerry Nation. Be sure to post on these forum threads daily for your chance to win a new smartphone. Contest details here.

Enjoy the video and stay tuned for the full CrackBerry on Windows Phones later this week!

Video: CrackBerry Goes Windows Phone

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

Filed Under: SPE Round Robin; Tags: AT&T Tilt 2, HTC HD2, round robin 2009, Windows Mobile

37 Comments

Posted by webmastir Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

after the xv6900. you can't say sorry enough for that lackluster piece of *#@$

Posted by ownzyouall Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

i'm in love with that HTC HD2!
i would so sell my 9700 over that.

Can't wait til it comes to NA.
any chance of that hitting Canada?

Posted by Snowman81 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

Why do you never seem to use the highlighted tab to slide through touchflo 3d, you end up making it look really bad when you don't use it the way it was meant to be used....which isn't fair.

Posted by ChiWo Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 781 days ago

Exactly what I was thinking... it's like he was trying to make it look bad on purpose or something...

Posted by Tony Bag O Donuts Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

just that wm devices are so pricey......
wish that os was on a berry.

Posted by phoneboy101 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

Ewww! Really? Have you used WM? The worst thing about WM devices is the OS. (I'm not a hater, just a WM refugee, having used it up through 6.1 on multiple devices.)

I'd love just the opposite, Blackberry OS or even Android running on that sexy hardware.

Posted by phoneboy101 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

That was a nice teaser, but it left me wanting to see more interaction on the HD2! That looks awesome!

Posted by BBThemes Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

had a good play with my mates HD2 today, and yea its awesome, if their app selection was anything like blackberry or apples then it would get alot more recognition

Posted by Snowman81 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

I love blackberry's as much as the next man, but Windows Mobile has much more apps than Blackberry....come on man, keep it real.

Apple's iPhone app catalog can't be matched ever though, not by BB, Android, Symbian or Winmo.

Posted by BBThemes Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

i should clarify that, i mean as a new user to a device if you pick up a bb then app world is there, if you pick up windows phones then the marketplace is there, we as smartphone lovers know of other places to go, but the `average joe` user doesnt, and might think that marketplace is all there is, as an example lots of people didnt even know about app world until it came onto the device app store, and thats what i meant, sometimes people only use it if its infront of them, its an ease of use thing

Posted by Snowman81 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

To be fair Rim's App World launched way back in March, where as MS's Winmo Marketplace launched in October and we're now only in December now.

That's not a very long time for them to be able to match other app stores on other platforms.

Posted by lions80 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

can't say that i have ever really been interested in a win mo phone, and unless they step their game up then i doubt i will in the future.

Posted by Snowman81 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

While I think HTC has done a really good job, MS has been dragging their feet for a really long time now...and are unlikely to ever change.

I mean the OS does everything, but its the way it does it...just not very slick. They've fallen very behind Apple and Google. A bit sad for a company with so much resources as Microsoft.

Posted by sigmamason Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

i like the versatility of WM vs BB. Not too mention having a device that doesn't leak memory.

Posted by smoothwis Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

kevin can u plz stop throwing down the phones especially the bbs, my skin crawls when u do, plz stop i beg u, thx.

Posted by Dafunkhead Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

I want a HTC HD2....that screen is amazing!!

Posted by BB_Storm4me Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

That HD2 looks awesome. Would love to see something like that with BlackBerry OS6 sometime soon...but I think it will be Android 2.1 well before BB has hardware like the HD2. The Storm3 perhaps?

Posted by stallions35 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

I am still loving my bold 9700....that's all I got to say about that!

Posted by lapya Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

Hi Kevin, you have just said in this very informative video that blackberry is on the Skyfire's agenda. Could you give us more information on it? Thank you...

Posted by devildrifterX Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

Skyfire has been in Private Alpha for awhile now, there are select Bold users who have it and are under NDA to keep from discussing it.

Skyfire is available on WM, but the HD2 comes with the new Opera Browser (a serious contender to both Skyfire and Safari)

If the HD2 makes its way over to AT&T i will be off the Berry wagon in a heartbeat until something sways me back (possibly the Magnum...)

Posted by R1cE Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

cool a big piece of glass. Not really amazed with it or typing on touchscreens in general :/

Posted by xolanir Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

Wow that screen is huge. Well I guess if you like watching movies on the go, the HTC HD2 will be a good phone for that.

Posted by kwkid Monday, Dec 21, 2009 781 days ago

It is rather sad that HTC had to build a front end in order to exploit the power of WM. Hopefully when WM7 debuts and the Samsung Omnia debuts we can see where Microsoft sees themselves in the mobile market. Until then, I have to admit the HTC gigantic screen is rather awesome. Nice review!!!

Posted by Bekure Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 780 days ago

The iPhone is like a Porsche with all the bells and whistles such as a killer stereo system, five point star chrome wheels, heated and cooled leather seats, a dependable navigation system etc...but if it is equipped with an engine equivalent to a Mercury Tracer it won't matter much at all. The iPhone is a well manufactured piece of hardware no doubt, but the phone is crippled by ATT lackluster service. I don't care how many apps your throw at me, if I can't make a phone call or send/receive a text or email when I good an well please or at least 95% of the time (like you can on Verizon's network) then it doesn't matter in the least bit. All the apps in the world are not going to help you when you experience car trouble out in the middle of nowhere and you have no cell phone service to call for help.

Posted by kevin5377 Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 780 days ago

I also come from WM devices including a Treo, HTC PPC-6800 and stand-alone PDA. While there are plenty of apps available for these devices, few simply work as they do on a BB. Also, when I had my HTC, I had to have it replaced 3 times in one week! I certainly hope the quality in these phones has improved since I've owned mine.

I will stick with my Tour until I have enough proof to convince me to switch from Blackberry.

Posted by Snowman81 Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 780 days ago

How well does Blackberry Connect work on Windows Mobile? The HD2 with Blackberry Connect might be the perfect device for those who want a touch screen Blackberry.

Posted by Furballz Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 780 days ago

God I hate winmo. soooo slow and glitchy

Posted by Nash_Vegas Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 780 days ago

I'm a new BB user after developing for WM for a looong time. I like the simplicity of the BB OS, but the flexibility of WM is sorely missed. Any problem or tweak could be fixed with a simple .cab file, much less the custom rom community, and best of all for a geek like me, the awesome emulators! Talk about a gaming device...I had the entire catalog of older systems on my phone!

Posted by Planning Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 780 days ago

I like it. I didn't use to but the more I get irritated with my Storm I'm thinking I should consider...

Posted by Corfeld Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 780 days ago

If Android ever makes it onto the HD2, I'd switch in a heartbeat. I'm surprised they didn't discuss the processor on that. It's quick and has no slowdown at all handling Sense UI.

Posted by ReccaKun Thursday, Dec 24, 2009 779 days ago

damn that screen is nice...

Posted by laurenmac Thursday, Dec 24, 2009 779 days ago

Such a heartbreaking dilemma I have.. Do I love the BB or the TP2? I still have yet to decide..

Posted by a2002cmacg Thursday, Dec 24, 2009 778 days ago

I currently own a HTC Touch Pro2 running Windows Mobile 6.1. I have previously owned or used a dozen or more other smartphones for work and personal use. Quite honestly, I was very strongly biased against anything Windows Mobile. I thought they were buggy, slow, not innovative, and an afterthought of Microsoft. Not that I'm a Microsoft hater (I'm actually a longtime PC), but I wouldn't go near a windows phone from personal experience and second-hand info. With that being said, the TP2 is easily my favorite smartphone. I need a phone with a physical keyboard, expandable memory, lots of apps (new and legacy), open development, strong productivity and multimedia, a nice screen, and most of all, a good PHONE. In my opinion, the TP2 does everything well. It may not be the best at everything, but it is certainly the most complete phone on the market. The manufacturer has now picked up where Microsoft has fell behind.

My two choices were the TP2 and the Bold. I took a chance on the TP2 and you should too! You won't regret it!

-Satisfied WMExpert:-)

Posted by Mamamia416 Thursday, Dec 24, 2009 778 days ago

It could be an outstanding phone if AT&T would perfect their network.

Posted by justintoom Thursday, Dec 24, 2009 778 days ago

Just a contest entry here

Posted by micah_lane2001 Friday, Dec 25, 2009 778 days ago

good video

Posted by micah_lane2001 Friday, Dec 25, 2009 778 days ago

i need it