How to Hard Reset the HTC HD2

The hottest Windows phone device available today is the HD2 from HTC. It’s beautiful large screen, fast processor, and ultra-thin design make it a joy to use. HTC’s Sense user-interface sure helps too. So there’s no question that this is the current smartphone that all the other Windows Phone devices will be judged against.

So you just picked up a device off ebay, or perhaps you’re getting ready to sell yours. Or maybe the unthinkable has happened – a 3rd party application is causing problems and the device will no longer boot. You’ll need to hard reset the device so it’s back to factory settings. Here’s the steps to get that done:

1. Turn the phone off
2. Press and hold both the volume up and volume down buttons
3. Press and release the Power / Hang-up button
4. The device will turn on – release the volume buttons when you see the tri-color screen. It flashes for a second or two
5. The device will then display a prompt asking you to confirm the reset of the device
6. Press the volume up button to continue with the hard reset, or press any other button to cancel.

If the device still boots up, you can perform the same reset using the software on the device. Just tap Start / Settings / Security / Factory Reset and then enter the 4 digit security code – 1234, and the hard reset will begin.

Be sure to charge the device prior to performing the hard reset. As well, it’s worth noting that all of your data will be erased from the device during the reset process. Be sure to backup any valuable files or information before following these steps.

HTC Announces Legend, Desire and Mini

At Mobile World Congress today, HTC announced 3 new devices based on Windows Mobile and Android operating systems.

The HTC Mini is based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and brings the experience of the HD2 to a smaller footprint. The HD2 experience is truly something special. If HTC can make this into a smaller device, it will be interesting to see and use. The single best thing on the HD2 is the screen. If they can pack the processor and power into a smaller footprint, will the device be as attractive? It’s a hard question to answer. With a smaller screen, they will need to make sure that the smaller screen is just as brilliant as it’s larger brother or it won’t succeed.

The HTC Legend and Desire are both Android based devices. The Legend is like version 2 of the Hero, adding a AMOLED screen LED Flash, optical trackball, a faster processor – 600MHz, and some more memory.  The Desire is HTC’s version of their Nexus One phone, but with an optical trackball and an extra button.

You can read check out the press release over at MobilityMinded – HTC Mini, and HTC Legend, Desire. And then let us know what you think of HTC’s latest devices.

How to Hard Reset the HTC Hero

The HTC Hero has quickly become a popular Android device. If you have picked up a used device, or perhaps you’ve managed to install too many apps and crashed the device, there is a way to restore it back to factory settings. In the past, Darren posted about how to hard reset an Android phone from the menus on the device. The steps he posted work perfectly on the Hero, but what if the device won’t boot? No need to worry, there’s still hope. Just follow the steps below, and you’ll have a factory fresh install on your device in no time at all.

If the device is on, turn it off.  If you can’t turn it off, remove the battery! Now, with the phone off, press and hold the Home and Back keys. Keep pressing on those keys and then press the Power/End button, but don’t hold that button down. The reset process will start after a short time, at which point you can release the Home and Back keys. That’s all there is to it.  Please post and let us know how it works for you.

CES: HTC Announces the new Smart Phone

HTC has launched a new phone based off the Brew platform called Smart. HTC’s Smart features the HTC Sense interface that everyone has come to know and love. As well you find 256MB RAM, 256MB ROM, weighing 108 grams, a 2.8 inch screen, QVGA resolution, Quad-band GSM/GRPS/Edge with HSDPA of 2100 for Europe and Asia, Bluetooth 2.0, a 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, along with a 3.0 megapixel camera. The Smart phone is set to be available across Europe in the summer.

The Smart has very few buttons on the device. There is the standard call and hang-up buttons. Between those you’ll find a back button and just between that row of 3 buttons and the screen of the device, you will find a small silver button to open the menu or start the navigation.

The new Smart from HTC is the latest non-Windows Mobile device to come from the manufacturer that at one point only dealt with the Microsoft based OS. HTC now has a number of Android based devices and with this announcement adds Brew to the list.

The full press release can be found after the jump.

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CES: HTC HD2 Coming to T-Mobile this Spring

Today, during the keynote at CES, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that the HTC HD2 will be coming to T-Mobile’s network in the spring. If you’re not familiar with this smartphone, it’s the latest HTC device running Windows Mobile 6.5. It features a Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor with a high-resolution 4.3 inch capacitive touch screen, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, GPS, and so much more.

While there is no word on the expected price or the actual date of availability, this is a significant win for T-Mobile, and will play a key part in growing their customer base.

For those of you north of the border, it’s worth mentioning that the HD2 on T-Mobile’s network would result in a perfect match for the new Wind network in Canada.

Let us know your thoughts on the HD2. Are you interested in switching to T-Mobile so you can enjoy this device when it arrives? The full HTC press release can be found after the jump.

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Experimenting with Something New

I’ve been using a mobile device of one kind or another since around 1994 or so. From Palm and Handspring, to Pocket PC and Windows Mobiles, to today’s Windows Phones. It wasn’t until Microsoft released their Windows Mobile Smartphone based OS that I really found something that I connected with. While I enjoyed using the different versions of the OS and the ever changing technology there was something about the touch screen devices that just didn’t work for me. I often felt that touch the screen was slower and more cumbersome than using a non-touch device. Windows Mobile Smartphone / Standard devices excelled in one-handed operation. There was no fiddling around with a stylus to tap around the screen in the same fashion as Pocket PC / Professional based devices.

I still use Professional for work and supporting customers, but my primary device, day in and day out, over the last 5 years has been a non-touch Windows Mobile Standard based smartphone. That was the case up to this past weekend when I added a new device to my collection.

After picking up a HTC Hero smartphone running Google’s Android operating system, I finally realized what was missing from my touch experience over the years – finger friendly interface. Everything I have done on this device has been very easy to do without a stylus. It’s still early but, for one-handed operation on a touch screen device, the HTC Hero running Google’s Android is the first device I have used that could be as easy to operate as a Windows Mobile Standard device.

The bottom line is this – Mobile Jaw will have a lot more Android content to come. It looks like this device will be my primary device for the foreseeable future.

Palm and Motorola Call it Quits on Windows Mobile

This past week word broken that both Palm and Motorola would stop using Windows Mobile on their handheld devices. That can’t be good news for Microsoft as they struggle to regain market and mind share as new mobile operating systems are moving in quickly. But is really all doom and gloom? Sure, it’s never good to lose customers to the competition, but did Palm and Moto really bring that much to Windows Mobile?

With all the handsets created by both Palm and Moto, only 1 device ever made Microsoft’s million plus sellers list – only 1. That device was Motorola’s Q, a ground breaking device for its time, even if it had a hard time making it through a day on a charge. Just like the RAZR, Moto has tried to recapture their success with similar styled follow-up devices without much luck.

As for Palm, their users a very loyal and typically love their handhelds. However, Palm was never able to get their popular Treo handsets into the million plus sellers club. It’s no surprise that once Palm was able to release their new, long awaited follow-up to the Palm OS, dubbed the WebOS that they would toss in the towel on Windows Mobile. The new Palm Pre running the WebOS is getting mediocre reviews on the street, but Palm.afford to continue working with 2 mobile operating systems. They need to curb the cash flow and cutting the mobile license fee that Microsoft asking for Windows Mobile is one sure fire way to save a little money in the short term. Can they last purely on their WebOS? We’ll have to wait and see on that one.

For me, I’m more looking forward to what Samsung, HTC, HP, etc… are going to release next, and what LG is going to bring to the table when they get their first devices out of the gate later this year.

The end of the Road for i-mate

Earlier this year, i-mate laid off all of their US staff, and as of a couple days ago they have notified the remaining staff that they would be taking an indefinite unpaid leave. That can’t be a good sign. i-mate busted onto the scene in early 2003 with a rebranded version of HTC’s Tanager.  They spent the next 3 years selling rebranded versions of HTC’s devices. Since the relationship between i-mate and HTC fell apart in 2006, i-mate has struggled to design and manufacture quality smartphone devices. Their most recent device was set to go on sale in August but never shipped to partners. According to ITP.net, the Dubai office is locked and calls to the company are not being answered.

While I’m not really surprised to hear this news, it does make me a little sad that one of Microsoft’s original partners in the mobile space is no longer able to operate.  It’s clear that they made some poor decisions and the breakup with HTC didn’t work out as nicely as it should have. Ultimately, i-mate was the primary source of many of my devices in the early days.  They were known for getting devices out the door quickly while still offering quality products.  They didn’t have the extra time spent dealing with carriers requirements and customizations. So they could get the phones out and in your hands faster.

In recent years it’s been pretty hard to get your hands on an i-mate device in North America. If you did manage to get your hands on a device, you ended up paying a pretty hefty premium for it. Carrier branded devices became significantly cheaper to own – even if you bought the phone outright.

Goodbye i-mate.

Build Quality Issues with HTC Touch Pro 2

It looks like HTC might be running into some build quality issues with the Touch Pro 2. Forum member MightyMike over at PPCGeeks has posted some pictures showing the battery door starting to bulge out on the sides of his Telus Touch Pro 2. If you look carefully, you can make out where the battery door is not sitting right. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but it is much more noticeable in person. This isn’t a “one-off” either, 2 of my co-workers are running the Touch Pro 2 and have noticed this very issue on their devices. It’s not clear if this is a heat related problem, or if it has something to do with wear and tear on the device. Mind you, wear and tear shouldn’t be something to be concerned about on such a new device. It almost looks like a heat related problem, but the phone doesn’t tend to get very warm.

It’s also not clear which devices are experiencing this problem. All the devices in the office, as well as the one posted by MightyMike, are Telus branded. So it could be an issue limited to that particular model. We won’t know if AT&T’s version is affected by this until after it’s launched and people have had a chance to run with it for a little while.

Hopefully the fix for this won’t be anything too involved. Perhaps a simple replacement for the battery door is all that is required.

HTC Announces First Windows Mobile 6.5 Phone

We don’t normally post news items here at MobileJaw; we figure people are already inundated with repetitious news. However, since this is the first device announced to be available with Windows Mobile 6.5 I figured we can get away with it.

The HTC Touch2 is a relatively small Windows Phone that will indeed ship with Windows Mobile 6.5 onboard. It is meant to be a simple and affordable (I’m assuming here) device with fairly generic features. Those features include a 528MHz processor, 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM and a 3.2 megapixel camera.

The screen is a 2.8 inch touchscreen but is only QVGA. I guess that’s not surprising but compared to so many other devices it is a rather anemic resolution. I enjoyed using my HTC Touch (first gen) and was fine with the screen but now that I have been using the Touch Pro (VGA screen) it would be hard to go back to QVGA.

One of the nice things announced with this device is that it’s browser, an IE 6 variant that comes with Windows Mobile 6.5, will support flash. That should make for a decent browsing experience.

The HTC Touch2 seems like it will be targeted to the budget-conscious or first time Windows Mobile users. It looks nice, if fairly uninspiring and will probably be a nice low end smartphone.

You can read HTC’s press release here.

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