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T-Mobile HTC HD2: What a difference a carrier makes

Tmo_hd2_diff

It's not often that a carrier-locked phone bests an unlocked version in anything other than a subsidized up-front cost, so when rumors surfaced late last year that T-Mobile would be bringing the HTC HD2 to the US in early 2010, I went ahead and purchased an international model anyway. Sure, it wouldn't be able to hop on to any of the 3G networks we have here, but I was only interested in it as a casual-use MID for around the house anyway, so WiFi was good enough for me.

I sized it up when it arrived but while I was trying to make it better with a handful of tweaks, there was some talk about T-Mobile carrying a much improved HD2. I started thinking about selling my current HD2 to get the upcoming one after learning about its beefier specs and new media-centric focus, and once pricing was revealed, the deed was done.

My international HD2 was packed up and shipped off across the country to the gadget-buying folks at Gazelle.com, who paid me more than enough to fund the purchase of the contract-free HD2 from T-Mobile that was released today. Take a look at the comparison chart of both models below, and you'll understand why I have absolutely no regrets.

Tmo_hd2_diff (1)

Note: Many of the T-Mobile goodies have been extracted and baked into some custom ROMS cooked up in the xda-developers kitchen for other HD2s, but the chart reflects both model's out-of-the-box specs.

T-Mobile HTC HD2
International HTC HD2
Carrier
T-Mobile None
WCDMA/
HSPA
1700/2100MHz 900/2100MHz
Processor 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
RAM
576MB 448MB
ROM
1GB 512MB
Display
4.3" capacitive touchscreen (800 x 480)
OS Windows Mobile 6.5 with HTC Sense
Extra
Applications
and Media*
Barnes & Noble eReader,
Blockbuster Movies on Demand,
MobiTV, Gogo Inflight Internet,
TeleNav, Flashlight, Slacker
Radio, DoubleTwist, Visual
Voicemail, Mobile Backup,
Transformers, Transformers:
Revenge of the Fallen
WiFi Router
Games Teeter, Guitar Hero 5 Mobile,
Millionaire 2010 demo, Ferrari
GT Evolution demo, Prince of,
Persia HD demo, Tetris demo
Teeter
Virtual Keyboard Standard on-screen keyboard
Swype
Standard on-screen keyboard
Camera
5-megapixel (digital zoom, auto focus, dual LED flash)
Dimensions
4.8" x 2.6" x 0.4" 4.7" x 2.6" x 0.4"
Weight
5.54 ounces
Box Contents
16GB microSD card
Silicone case
MicroUSB cable
Travel charger
Stereo headset
2GB/8GB microSD card
Leather sleeve
MicroUSB cable
Travel charger
Stereo headset

* Applications that are common to both versions are not mentioned.

Tmo_hd2_diff (2) 

Tmo_hd2_diff (3)

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Jenn K. Lee

Jenn K. Lee is the founder of Pocketables. She loves gadgets the way most women love shoes and purses. The pieces in her tech wardrobe that go with everything are currently the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Sony Tablet P, and Nexus 7, but there are still a couple of vintage UMPCs/MIDs in the back of her closet.

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