HTC quitely (brilliant) released two hotfixes for the HTC HD2, that has been reviewed on this website a few months ago. In this short news item I will briefly discuss the hotfixes and provide a short overview of the installation process.

What are the hotfixes for ?

The picture above gives an overview of the HTC support website where you can download updates for your HTC branded Windows Phone.  The first hotfix is labelled “Update for HTC HD2 Facebook Albums” and has the following description:

“This update for your phone’s Facebook client restores the ability to view your friends’ photo albums.”

HTC has done quite some (pioneering) work in the area of people-centric-communication. Integration with social networks like Facebook and Twitter (and on Android Flickr), have been key developments.

Both the screenshots above show the Albums application on the HTC HD2. I addition to the camerashots in the left screenshot, you furthermore see avatars from my facebook friends and a Facebook tab in the bottom area of the HTC Sense GUI.

The second hotfix is labelled “Update for HTC HD2 Java Message Pop up“, and has the following description:

“This update for HTC HD2 prevents javascript messages from automatically opening when the message notification pops up. This will prevent your phone from opening unwanted and unwelcome applications that are sent to you.”

I must admit that I don’t use that many Java applications on a Windows Phone, but it seems like it is some kind of security measure. These are always good improvements, that I highly welcome.

On-device installation of hotfixes

On the HTC Support website you are advised to follow the installation instructions below:

Make sure you have Microsoft ActiveSync^® installed on your Windows XP PC or Windows Mobile Device Center on your Windows Vista^® PC. You can find Microsoft ActiveSync from this link or Windows Mobile Device Center from this link.

Connect and synchronize your device with your PC via Microsoft ActiveSync^® or Windows Mobile Device Center using the USB cable.

To download this update select the update below and the location closest to you then click Download.

Copy the update, which is an .exe file, to your device. To install the update, tap the .exe file and follow the on-screen instructions.

I would like to zoom in a little on step 4 of the installation instruction. In the left screenshot you can see that the hotfixes are copied on the storage card of the HTC HD2. In my preferred filemanager Resco Explorer 2010, I simply tap on the hotfix exe-file. You need to hit the left softkey with the setup label to install.

Te next step is to confirm that you will continue with the installation. Press ok in the pop-up window, and let the installation process continue. When the installation of the hotfix is finished a pop-up window appears again, where you need to hit ok and initiate a restart of your device to finalize the installtion.

Enjoy your upgraded device !