We have waited long for this device, but finally it’s here. There were a lot of rumors about the HD2, also known as HTC Leo. Some people believed it would be a (killer) Android device and others told us that it would be the first HTC device with the 1 Gigahertz Snapdragon processor and a capacitive screen. The last party was right.

The HTC HD2 has been released to the public with a Snapdragon processor, a large 4,3″ capacitive touchscreen, lots of ROM and RAM and all this in a 11 mm tick housing. Currently there is no other phone with these impressive specifications and comparing it to an iPhone 3GS only reveals that HTC has done a very good job and beats the iPhone in every single way !

1.  First impressions

Let’s have a look at this new device and we’ll start as always with a first impression. Designers at HTC must have thought that you’ll never get a second chance for a first impression. So they added some exciting features to the HD2.

First, it is big ! Bigger than a Touch Pro2 and bigger than a normal HD. In fact it is close to the size of the HTC Universal. When thinking of the Universal, you are thinking about a bulky device, but the HD2 is only 11 millimeters thick ! That is only 1 millimeter less than the first HD, but devices tend to get smaller and smaller and the HD2 is a great example of this. With the size of the devices also comes the huge 4,3″ screen. There is only a small edge besides the screen so it looks like the complete front of the device is a screen.

The HD2 also features the new HTC Sense interface with Twitter integration and Footprints. All this runs on Windows Mobile 6.5 and with the help of a 1 Gigahertz Snapdragon processor, this device is a dream to work with ! There is absolutely no lag at all in any menu or when using the Sense interface. It feels snappier than ever !

The device furthermore features a 3,5″ headphone jack and instead of Mini-USB, there is a Micro-USB connector at the bottom of the HD2. On the backside you will find only the lens of the 5 Megapixel camera. Next to the lens there a two very bright LED’s that should give you sharp and well-lit pictures in the dark. All together, HTC did a great job by packing all these features in one device. There’s only one surprise: No stylus ! But you wont need it because of the capacitive screen. Now let’s get a bit more into detail and see what the exact specifications are.

2.  Specifications of HTC HD2

On the HTC HD2 product page you can find a detail overview with specifications, and you directly notice that this Windows Phone is a powerhouse:

3.  What is in the box ?

Although our HTC HD2 arrived in a white (review) box and only contained a charger, a synchronization cable and a headset, the contents of the retail package are the same with the addition of a manual, a warranty card, a quick start guide and a accessory guide.

You are probably also looking for a screen protector because every HTC device you bought in the past had one in the box, but you won’t find any in the box of your HTC HD2. The reason for this is probably that the screen of the HD2 is made of different material than a normal screen and should be unscratchable, just like the screen of the HTC Hero. Only time will tell if this is the correct assumption. A screen protector could also interfere with the capacitive display and your finger. Therefore it might not react as quick and smooth as without a screen protector.

Chris Davies, Editor from SlashGear, has compiled an unboxing video which provides an additional overview of what is in the HTC HD2 box.

4.  Functional hardware design

After the first impressions and an overview of the items which are included in the box it is time to strongly focus on the functional- and hardware design of the powerhouse.

4.1  Front side of HTC HD2

Of course the first thing everyone will notice is the massive 4.3″ VGA screen, based on capacitive screen technology. The HTC HD2 is, as far as I know, the first Windows Phone which is designed on this capacitive screen technology.

Steve Litchfield, Editor on All About Symbian.com, has written  the article: “Resistive vs Capacitive: the invisible tech war in which both opponents can win?” in which you can find a comparison chart of resistive an capacitive screen technology.

Just above the screen you find a grille behind which you have the front speaker and for example the charging LED. On the left of this grille you find two sensors just below the glass surface. At first the proximity sensor and second the back light sensor.

Below the screen you see one single row of five buttons, with the same layout as we have seen on the HTC Touch2. The front of the HTC HD2 is relatively “clean” compared to other windows phone or in other words a minimalistic design of buttons.

If you look on the screen from a side angle you can see that there is one single flat glass surface, except for the button row and the grille who stand out. However this is some excellent engineering work.

4.2  Right side of HTC HD2

If we have a look at the right side of the HTC HD2, you can see that there is no single button there. You can see how the metal battery cover “snaps” on the sides of the HTC HD2. In the metal battery cover you see a slit where you can put in your finger nail to remove the battery cover.

4.3  Bottom of HTC HD2

The picture above shows the bottom of the HTC HD2, where you can see both the Micro USB port and a 3.5 mm. headphone jack. Some time ago the following article was published: “Micro USB and 3.5 mm headphone jack to become mobile standards ?“, and in fact this is the first HTC device that features both of these standards. Some people might argue in favor of the Mini USB which powered almost every HTC device until the release of the HTC HD2.

4.4  Left side of HTC HD2

On the left side of the HTC HD2 you can just see the dedicated volume control buttons. I’m happy see these buttons in order to change the volume during a voice call, for example when you walk into a noisy environment.

Furthermore you can see that the metal battery cover also snaps around this side of the HTC HD2, but I would like to point you to a detail. The metal battery cover features a contour that perfectly fits/snaps onto the volume control buttons.

4.5  Top of HTC HD2

The picture above shows a perfectly clean topside of the HTC HD2 without any buttons. The topside used to be the place where you could find dedicated power buttons in the past.

4.6  Backside of HTC HD2

The backside of the HTC HD2 is mainly dominated with the brushed metal battery cover. In the upper part you notice a 5 Megapixel camera. Remarkable is the fact the camera lens sticks a few millimeters (+/- 2.5) out the surface of the backside. However there is a minor edge which protects the camera lens from scratching if you put the device on the table.

Furthermore you notice that on the right side of the camera lens, there is a dual LED flash which supports the camera is less light conditions. Despite you can’t compare the camera with a specialized SLR camera it is a nice addition of improvement.

On the left of the camera lens you see the grille of the speaker on the backside.

5.  Detailed look at HTC Sense

The HTC HD2 is the first Windows Phone with HTC Sense installed and has (just like other HTC devices) different tabs. The tabs available in HTC Sense are:  (1) Start, (2) Contacts, (3) Messages, (4) Mail, (5) Internet, (6) Calendar, (7) Stocks, (8) Pictures and Video’s, (9) Music, (10) Weather, (11) Twitter, (12) Footprints, (13) Settings.

All the tabs (except for Start and Settings) can be enabled or disabled, and apart from the Start-tab all the tabs can be re-ordered at your own will.

5.1  Start / Home

The Start Tab shows directly on the top the Carrier. Under the carrier-bar there are several widgets which can’t be turned off (like the Android Sense Widgets).

The most top widget is a widget which shows the current time, the current location and weather information about the current location. When you tab on this widget a separate application within sense opens with 2 tabs:

1. World-Clock application and
2. Alarm-clock application.

The world-clock application shows the time from different places around the world. Of course there is an option to add your own city here. Next to the world clock application there is the “Alarm” tab. The alarm tab has 3 alarms. Each alarm can be set to a specified time and day.

Below the “Time-widget” on the Start Tab there is another widget which shows the date, the next time the alarm will go and the next appointment. When you click on the date you can select an other date and timezone.

The alarm-button brings you to the same “Alarm”-tab described in the widget above. And when you click on the next appointment you go the the “Agenda-tab” of the HTC sense interface.
Below this widgets there are 3 widgets which can be used as a shortcut to an application, contact or a bookmark.

When you swipe your finger up, while you’re in the start-tab 6 more widgets which can be used as a shortcut are shown.

5.2  Contacts

The contacts tab, shows 9 directly access shortcuts to your popular contacts. If you scroll-up you’ll see 6 more shortcuts. So in total in the contacts tab there are 15 contacts which can be set a favorite.

5.3  Messages

The messages tab shows all the text messages. When you’re selecting a message, you’ll see the message tab from the “people-centric communication” like the HTC Touch Pro 2. In this view you get an overview of all the text messages sent from and to this contact.

The people centric communication has been reviewed in the HTC Touch Pro 2 review and is exactly the same on the HD2.

5.4  Mail

The mail tab show all the mailboxes you’ve configured. When you select a message you’ll see the complete message with some additional features, which again we first found in the HTC Diamond 2 and the Touch Pro2. You’re able to go to the people centric communication from the person who wrote you.

5.5  Internet

The Internet tab is different form the HTC Touch Pro2. There seems to be no push-internet available on the HD2. On the top of the internet tab there is a search-bar. In this bar you can enter a search term and push the search button. This will automatically open Google ad gives you the search results.

Under the search bar there is a large button to open the Internet Browser. On default this will open Opera (Although there is also Internet Explorer installed on the device).

Under the internet browser button there are 2 shortcut button in which you can add a favorite website. When you scroll up this tab you’ll find 8 more shortcut buttons to enter favorite websites.

5.6  Calendar

The calendar tab has five different views: Agenda, Day, Week, Month and Year.

The agenda view – gives you a chronological list of items in your agenda.The day-view shows you all the appointments on a specific day, and the weather of the location of you appointments, if these can be retrieved from the internet.
The week-view shows all days of the week, so you can have a good overview of your (work) week.
The month-view shows all the days of the month and shows a little icon on the days that have an appointment set. When you click on a specific day you go to the day-view of the selected day.
The year-view shows all the months. When you select a month, you’ll see the month-view of the selected month. Of course you can than select a day, which brings you to the day-view of the selected day.

5.7  Stocks

The stocks tab shows a list of all the stocks you’re interested in. Stocks can be added, removed or re-ordered.
In the settings of the stocks it is possible to automatically update the stock information with an interval from 5 minutes to 8 hours. It is also possible to select an option that lets you download stock-update information while you’re roaming. The last setting is the color of the stocks when the price of the stocks rise. This can be set to green or to red.

5.8  Pictures and Video’s

The pictures and video’s tab lets you go through the pictures and videos on the device. When you swipe your finger up you’ll see the next picture or video. The pictures and videos tab can be rotated. This view gives you a very nice sleek overview of the pictures and video’s on the HTC HD2.

5.9  Music

The music tab shows all the music on the device. When available the album-art of the device is also shown. In the music tab it is possible to play, pause, and go to the next and previous song. The music tab also has an landscape view. This shows a view very similar to the iPhone’s Coverflow. In the landscape view it is also possible to play and pause the song and skip to the previous and next song.

5.10  Weather

The weather application shows a full-screen overview of the weather. The top part shows the temperature high and low, and the temperature at the moment. Of course it also shows the nice animated weather information when it’s sunny, clouded or when it rains.

The bottom part shows the same information (temperature high, low, and a small picture of the expected weather forecast) for the next four days. When you swipe your finger up the weather of an other location is shown.

5.11  Twitter / HTC Peep

Twitter has grown very fast over the last couple of months. HTC made a decision to add a Twitter tab to their HTC Sense. When you have set your Twitter credentials in the Twitter tab you see your timeline in the tab. At the very top there is an input text field where you can enter a tweet and update your status. The 2 soft keys are “Menu” and “All tweets”. The menu has some shortcuts to the basic twitter functionalities. These menu items are “update timeline”, “new tweet”, “new message”, “update location”, “my profile”, “Settings” and “Search”
All these menu items are self explanatory.
At first it looked like there was no difference in the menu options “new tweet” and “new message”, but it turned out that the option “new message” has a extra input field and you have to add a recipient. The message is send as a Direct Message to the recipient. The twitter tab is strongly connected to the “Peep” application, which is also installed on the HTC HD2.
Also the soft key button “All tweets” brings you in the application called Peep.

Peep has 4 tabs

1) your twitter timeline
2) your @replies
3) your Direct Messages
4) your favorite tweets

The “Menu” soft key in Peep is exactly the same menu as in the Twitter tab.

5.12  Footprints

With footprints it is possible to add meta-data to photo’s. This meta-data includes a rating, Category, GPS-location, Phone number, web-address and more.

The tab Footprints let you flip through the footprints which you created in the past and lets you add new footprints. A particular nice feature of footprint is the integration with Google Maps and CoPilot. Google maps shows the street view (if available at that location) and CoPilot Live lets you navigate to that location.

5.13  Settings

The tab settings gives you a quick access to the most used setting. In this tab you can change the settings of HTC Sense itself but also other phone settings like  Wireless settings, Sound settings and other settings.

6.  Other software highlights

HTC has put a lot of efforts in the HTC Sense interface but there are a lot of additional (third party) applications included as well.

6.1  Wi-Fi-Router

The first highly interesting application, developed by HTC themselves, is the Wi-Fi-Router application. This is a simple one-click solution to turn your Windows Phone into a router. This can be a really helpful application since, in for example a project group working in an out-of-the-office-location can work on a project and stay in touch with the corporate infrastructure, in a simple way.

Windows Mobile was already known for its Internet Sharing application, in which the Windows Phone becomes the modem of your Windows powered notebook. However this Wi-Fi-Router application takes it one step further, and you can easily now share your cellular data connection with others as well.

6.2  WorldCard Mobile

I think the Wi-Fi-Router application already emphasizes that this a well balanced device that is perfectly suited for application in business as well (and I not only mean the Exchange ActiveSync).

HTC has included Worldcard Mobile from PenPower on the HTC HD2, which lets you easily take a picture of a business card via the build-in 5 Megapixel camera, and transforms the information into the details of an Outlook Contact. In other words, take a picture and the contact details are imported into your Windows Phone.

This application normally costs $25,– and is certainly a valuable addition to the HTC HD2.

6.3  JETCET PRINT 5

Another valuable application is the the JETCET PRINT application v5. With this application you can print documents stored on your HTC HD2 to a bluetooth or network printer. On the Westtek website you can read the following product description:

“Experience the best mobile printing solution on the market! JETCET PRINT lets you print documents, photos, email and much more from your Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone. Quickly add printers, browse to files and voila! Print! No more complicated configuration steps or additional software required.”

6.4  Adobe Reader LE

Probably not amazingly shocking is the availability of Adobe Reader LE version 2.5 on the HTC HD2. I must admit that I work a lot with pdf-files, since most of the scientific articles are available in pdf-format. However the massive and ultra clear 4.3″ screen of the HTC HD2 makes it possible to read pdf-files easily, and without hurting your eyes or scrolling like hell.

Again this is an example which shows the versatility of the HTC HD2 and the balance of work and life coming together in one device.

6.5  CoPilot

Also a 14-day trial of the CoPilot navigation software is included on the device, which was also the case on the HTC Touch2 and Touch Pro2.

6.6  Facebook

Some time ago Microsoft release a Facebook application for Windows Phones, to keep track of your Facebook page while on the go. This application is included with almost every Window Mobile 6.5 device, and you might want to check out our detailed review.

7.  Camera- and video use on the HTC HD2

At first I need to start with the remark that there is no dedicated hardware button for starting the camera application on the HTC HD2.

The main reason for this is probably the excellent integration into the HTC Sense GUI, in the pictures and video tab as you may have seen in section 5.8 – A detailed look on HTC Sense.

Furthermore HTC is working for some time on their own camera- and picture album software (to my knowledge from the time the HTC Touch and the HTC Touch dual were released). All these different applications are very well integrated including (shortcuts into) HTC Sense.

In the specification list you can see that the HTC HD2 has a 5 megapixel color camera with Auto focus and Dual LED flashlight. When you start the camera application you can see and hear the auto focus doing its job before taking the picture.

The dual LED flashlight does an “ok” job, because when you are to close to an object you get an overexposed picture. However for an overview picture from “a distance” the flashlight is ok. In fact the pictures in less light conditions are pretty well, but certainly not as good as on a digital SLR camera.

However for a mobile device certainly excellent, and the picture below gives an example of a picture taken outside (without the flash), and on the link below the picture you can open the original sized picture as well.

Click here for the original-sized version

8.  Multitouch on the HTC HD2

One of the new exciting features of the HTC HD2 is multitouch. Multitouch is one of the methods you can use to interact with the screen.

It allows you to use two or more fingers to interact with the HTC HD2 by placing them directly on the screen. Any movements you make with your fingers will create a gesture, which sends a command to the screen. Gestures can be used to rotate or to scale a photo or picture.

When you use the photo gallery on the HTC HD2, you can use your fingertip to browse through the pictures. When you move your finger from right to left across the screen, the next picture will be displayed.

If you see a picture that you want to scale, you can use multitouch, by placing 2 fingertips on the screen and slowly moving them away from each other. This causes the picture to be enlarged. You can reduce it by moving your fingertips in the opposite direction. You can also rotate a picture by placing your fingertip on the screen and slowly make a circle. This will cause the picture to rotate.

You can also use the scale or zoom function in the Opera browser to zoom in or out on web pages. This gives you the advantage to view a website in normal layout and if you want to read an article, just zoom in on that particular part.

Multitouch is a very handy feature on the HTC HD2 and I hope in the future this will enable users to use multitouch more to interact with the device.

9.  Haptic feedback, Proximity Sensor and G-Sensor

The HTC HD2 also features haptic feedback just like the Touch Pro2. This means that the device gives you tactile feedback when you press the screen within TouchFLO 3D. With every screentap you will feel a little vibration that confirms that you have touched the screen. It is enabled by default and cannot be turned off.

The HTC HD2 also features a Proximity Sensor. An extremely cool and useful feature of the HTC HD2. It senses whether the device is being held next to your ear. Once the device is raised up to your ear, the Proximity sensor immediately turns off the screen in order to save battery life. Moving the device away from your ear turns the screen turns on again. PDA screens by nature are one of the biggest battery drains, especially when a screen is as large and bright as this one.

The HTC HD2 has also a built-in G-Sensor. We have seen this feature before in other devices such as the Touch Pro  (2) and Diamond (2). The G-sensor automatically turns the screen to landscape when you turn the device over. This is very useful when you want to type a message in landscape.

However HTC has developed another cool application based on the sensors available in the device, which is a digital compas. A screenshot is shown above (right).

10.  Overall conclusion and wrap-up

In the concluding section of this review we would like to take a different approach and combine three (different) perspectives on the HTC HD2.

Mark Briggeman

Quietly brilliant. I would rather say quite brilliant. I was really impressed when I saw a pre-production version of this new HTC flagship. First I thought it would be to big for my hands, but it fits perfectly. The vivid capacitive 4,3″ screen reacts extremely fast and this is also due to the latest Snapdragon processor. I am more a hardware keyboard user, but a quick demonstration of the onscreen keyboard showed me that I might not need a hardware keybaord anymore.

I now use a Touch Pro2 and I was finding things to compare it with, but to be honest, there weren’t to many. The HD2 is bigger, faster, more stylish and packed with the latest HTC features like HTC Sense with Twitter integration and HTC Footprint. Multitouch is a great addition to this device and makes it even more usable.

HTC is showing again a great new device with a great design and I can’t wait to start using it !

Paul Willen

The HTC HD2 can be named the new flagship from the Windows Phones portfolio from HTC without a hardware keyboard.

The capacitive touchscreens works brilliantly. I think HTC set a new standard with this capacitive touchscreen. Due to the snapdragon chipset, the device is really fast. In fact it feels like it’s the fastest Windows Phone I’ve seen.

In my opinion there is only one thing missing on this device and that is a Large build-in storage. Of course there is a possibility to insert a Micro-SD card, but that needs to be purchased separately. 8 or 16GB internal memory would be great to store some music or video’s on.

Overall I would say this is really the best Windows Phone without a hardware keyboard currently on the market.

Remo Knops

Every mobile technology geek must be excited about this powerhouse fresh from the HTC factory, and so was I during the review process. I was very curious about the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1GHz. The experience is a blazing fast device, and we have done some comparison scenarios with the HTC Touch Pro2.

Furthermore the massive ultra clear 4.3″ capacitive WVGA screen is really awesome. With such an amazing screen you hope even for resolution larger than 800×400. You might recall the example where I could read an article in pdf-format without any problem, so this has really amazed me.

The capacitive technology works really well, and it’s the first Windows (touch) Phone without a stylus -a true milestone in Windows Mobile history. Also the onscreen keyboard, especially in landscape mode works fine, but in my opinion it can’t beat the HTC Snap hardware keyboard.

The HTC HD2 is a very well balanced Windows Phone for various usage scenarios, and with a bulk load of added value not only in terms of technology and hardware but also in terms of software innovations as well. HTC has done an amazing job and set the bars significantly higher.

Overall conclusion:         Quietly Brilliant !

A few short remarks:

At first we haven’t covered one important feature of the HTC HD2 which was announced, which would be the carkit for- and carkit mode on the HTC HD2. Chris Davies, Editor at SlashGear, had a similar experience:

“What we don’t have – and we hear won’t be available until December – is the HTC Car Kit for the HD2, which adds a powered windscreen/dashboard mount, new docking battery cover for the phone itself and automatically kicks it into navigation mode whenever it’s clicked into place.”

Second the received HTC HD2 has a localized Dutch ROM preloaded on the device, so therefore the screenshots consist of Dutch translations. However I honestly do hope that you will be able to get an idea of the device software and its functionality. We plan to exchange these with screenshots of a HTC HD2 with a WWE ROM in the upcoming future.

What we like about the HTC HD2 ?

• Huge screen
• Super fast processor
• HTC Sense
• 3,5″ headphone jack
• Design. Only five buttons on the front panel and a touchscreen is all you need

What we like a little less about the HTC HD2 ?

• Position of the camera lens.  I think the lens will damage quickly because the device rests on it when it is placed on it’s back.
• Again no camera hardware button. I really miss that.
• No Video-out.
• Not a real disadvantage, but switching to Micro-USB requires me to carry an extra cable to charge in the office or on the go. Until now I could perfectly manage that with one Mini-USB cable.

11.  Postscript

HTC’s Quietly Brilliant Campaign focused on HTC HD2

HTC Sense is based on three principles. Make it mine, stay close, and discover the unexpected.

Make It Mine

HTC HD2’s expansive display is like a canvas on which you create a phone that is just right for you. Customize the phone by prioritizing essential features like mail, calendar, messaging, browser and more. Next, with just a tap, put shortcuts to the most important people, favorite websites, or most used application right on the home screen. And if you feel like something is still missing, visit Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, and install fun and useful applications.Your phone doesn’t only reflect your personality; it also tunes into your location. The clock automatically updates to the local time wherever you are. You can see the outside temperature and weather at a glance. And, if you choose the weather wallpaper, you’ll get a brilliantly lifelike animation that lets you virtually feel the sun’s rays or the chill of the breeze without setting a foot outside.

Stay Close

With HTC HD2, communication is focused around people rather than applications, so all of your interactions like email, SMS, phone logs, and even updates from Facebook are all in one place. Right where your instinct tells you to look – next to the photo of the person with whom you want to stay in touch with.In business, a phone call often has the power to prevent a mile-long pile up of inconclusive emails. HTC HD2 makes it simple to go from reading an email to calling the sender. All it takes is a single tap on the large phone icon right from the email. And if you need to get everyone involved in the discussion – just tap next to the images of everyone to create an instant conference call.Forget the challenge of jumping from your calendar to your phone application while trying to find and memorize the number for your next conference call. On HTC HD2, conference call reminders conveniently appear with a big dial button ready for you to press, even the PIN is displayed, so you’ll never miss out on the latest strategy session.

Discover the Unexpected

Some design features of HTC HD2 are far better experienced than can be explained in mere words. Like the ringer volume level that immediately scales down when the phone detects that you have picked it up, or the display that automatically adjusts to the light level in your surroundings and turns off to prevent false screen touches during a call.HTC HD2 is built for pure finger touch control. Zoom in and out of documents, web pages, pictures or emails with just a simple pinch. Type up responses faster and more accurately on the large onscreen keyboard. The capacitive touch experience combined with an interface optimized for the spacious display, lets you easily adjust the settings, set up calendar appointments, browse through photos, and navigate through menus with only the touch of a finger.Carry the HTC HD2 in your pocket and you’ll never have to worry about finding a Wi-Fi access point for your laptop. Your phone simply connects to superfast 3.5G cellular networks and becomes your personal wireless access point – anytime, anywhere.HTC HD2 has you covered when it comes to taking and viewing pictures wherever you may be. The 5 megapixel auto-focus camera is perfect for capturing the beauty of the great outdoors; combined with the dual LED flash it’s also ideal for capturing images in dim conditions. And when you’re ready to move from behind the lens and start sharing your collection, you’ll dazzle your audience with the large beautifully displayed pictures in the new river-flow gallery.

About a week ago, we told you about the Quietly Brilliant campaign from HTC which involves YOU.
HTC has made some great commercials from which you can see one them below.

Early september 2009 the HTC Touch2 was announced by HTC as their first device with Windows Mobile 6.5 pre-loaded, together with the additional services Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft MyPhone.

During the local Windows Phones launch event on October 6th in Amsterdam, Netherlands the HTC Benelux was present as one of the strong partners of Microsoft Windows Mobile in addition to Samsung, LG, and Sony Ericsson.

In addition of the local announcement of the HTC HD2 by Mark Moons, HTC Benelux provided MobilityMinded with a HTC Touch2 to experience Windows Mobile 6.5 in combination with TouchFLO 3D. In the following article an in depth review of the HTC Touch2 is conducted, while hardware, functional design as well as software are addressed.

Specifications HTC Touch2

In order to provide an overview of the possibilities of the HTC Touch2, a detailed specification list is shown schematically below:

• Model:  HTC Touch2 (T3333)
• Processor:  Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528 MHz
• Operating System:  Windows Mobile® 6.5 Professional
• Memory:  512 MB ROM / 256 MB RAM
• Dimensions (L x W x T):  104 x 55 x 12.9 mm. (4.1 x 2.16 x 0.51 inches)
• Weight:  110 grams (4 ounces) with battery
• Display:  2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution
• Network:  HSPA/WCDMA: Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz, Up to 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds;  Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Europe/Asia: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.
• Device Control:  Zoom bar
• GPS:  Internal GPS antenna
• Connectivity:  Bluetooth® 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets, Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g, 3.5 mm audio jack, HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0)
• Camera:  3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
• Audio:  supported formats AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, M4A
• Video:  supported formats WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, AVI
• Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, Capacity: 1100 mAh
• Talk time:  Up to 370 minutes for WCDMA / Up to 440 minutes for GSM
• Standby time:  Up to 500 hours for WCDMA / Up to 370 hours for GSM
• Expansion Slot:  microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• AC Adapter:  Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz, DC output: 5V and 1A

In the upcoming hardware section the main hardware pieces and functional design of the HTC Touch2 will be adressed, but some key features are already highlighted in the list above.

Furthermore I would like to recommend an excellent review of Chris Davies, Editor at Slashgear, “HTC Touch2 Windows Phone review“, in which a demo video of Windows Mobile 6.5 can be watched! Let’s start quickly with an in depth look of the HTC Touch2 hardware and design.

1.  HTC Touch2 Hardware

In this first section I would like to have a detailed look at the HTC Touch2 hardware, the content of the retail box in which you get the HTC Touch2 and furthermore discuss the functional design of this Windows Phone.

In the picture above the contents of the HTC Touch2 retail box is shown. In addition to the device itself and the battery, a headset, a sync and charge cable, the wall charging plug and various manuals are included. Although you might find the box small, it is packed with a complete set of hardware (everything an end-user needs).

The picture below shows the front(side) of the HTC Touch2. The upper black part just above the HTC logo is a grille, behind which the charging LED and the front speaker are placed.

The middle part, which looks a little more dark grey is the 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen featuring a 240×320 QVGA resolution. Between the actual screen and the row with keys on the bottom, there is a touch sensitive zoombar, which we also know for the HTC Touch Diamond2 and the HTC Touch Pro2.

Below the screen and zoombar there is a row with keys, in a minimalistic design. From the left to the right: (1) the talk button, to start a voice call or pick-up a phonecall (2) a home button, to easily get back to the homescreen (3) a Windows “logo / flag” button, to open the start menu (4) a Back button, which is typical for a Windows Mobile Standard device normally,  and (5) the end button, to end voicecalls.

The material of this bottom part including the keys is of brushed black aluminium. A similar minimalistc key implementation and layout can be seen on the recently announced HTC HD2, which was locally announced a few days ago by Mark Moons (HTC Benelux).

The picture below shows the clean right(side) of the HTC Touch2, while you just see a non-telescopic stylus on the left side in the picture. The middle part of the casing has a chrome finish, while the front and backparts have a metallic silver finish.

The bottom(side) of the HTC Touch2 is shown in the picture below. On the right you can see the non-telescopic stylus again, while in the middle the HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0) port is shown. In comparison with for example the HTC Snap this is the right position for the mini ExtUSB-port. Furthermore I’m happy that the ExtUSB port is not covered with some rubber flap, which makes it easily accessible !

The left(side) of the HTC Touch2 features a set of dedicated volume control buttons (on the left) for turning the volume up and down. In the middle the cover of a microSD™ memory card expansion slot is shown. The microSD card slot is SDHC or SD 2.0 compatible, while it is remarkable that the microSD card slot cover “snaps” under the batterycover.

The top(side) of the HTC Touch2 only features a 3.5 mm audio jack, which is shown in the picture below. I’m really happy that end-users are able to use their own high quality headsets -for example Etymoyic Research ER-4-.

This implementation certainly shows that HTC listenes to the feedback from its users. Some time ago I wrote the article: “Micro USB and 3.5 mm headphone jack to become mobile standards ?” While an HTC employee told Jason Dunn, Windows Mobile MVP and Editor in Chief of PocketPC Thoughts, that the 3.5 mm. audio jack would become the standard on upcoming HTC devices, I’m really curious if HTC will adapt to the microUSB standard as well.

In addition to the 3.5 mm. audio jack you can see a small groove (slightly out of the middle) which makes it able to easily release the backcover of the HTC Touch2. A very simple but clever solution, that does the job perfectly in everyday practice.

The back(side) of the HTC Touch2 has a metallic silver finish. on the backcover of the HTC Touch2 you notice directly an element with a chrome finish, which protects the 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus. The dark grey slit on the left of the camera is a speaker, which is used when you play music or put the phone in speakermode.

2.  HTC Touch2 Software

I already mentioned in the introduction that the HTC Touch2 is the first device on the market (certainly in the Netherlands) that features Windows Mobile 6.5.

In this section I will have a detailed look at both Windows Mobile 6.5 and the combination with HTC’s TouchFLO 3D user-interface. Finally I would like to show you some additional pre-loaded third party software as well.

REMARK:

The received HTC Touch2 has a localized Dutch ROM preloaded on the device, so therefore the screenshots consist of Dutch translations. However I honestly do hope that you will be able to get an idea of the device software and its functionality.

2.1  Windows Mobile 6.5

In February, earlier this year I was able to cover the announcement and key features of Windows Mobile 6.5 in teh article: “MWC 2009: Windows Mobile 6.5 announcement & screenshots” In this paragraph I will look back at the key features of Windows Mobile 6.5 in a step-by-step way.

The left screenshot above shows the lockscreen of the HTC Touch2. This screen not only lets you unlock the HTC Touch2, but you can also take direct one-click action in the case of an incoming e-mail, sms or voicemail. In the right screenshot above you see the basic Windows Mobile 6.5 homescreen layout, with its Microsoft Zune-like influences. This renewed homescreen is to some extend pretty basic, however works well from a functional perspective.

Furthermore the screenshots below show you the new start menu with integrated settings menu, in the renewed honeycomb structure optimized for fingerfriendly use. More extensive background information about the new start menu an be found in the article above.

In addition to the direct touch-related improvements on Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft launched two services as well. Directly after Mobile World Congres the first beta of Microsoft MyPhone was launched, and with the official Windows Phones launch on October 6th Microsoft MyPhone is launched with new premium features! The screenshots below show some on-device screenshots of the Microsoft MyPhone service, which is bundled with every new smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.5

The screenshots below show you some of the new premium features, like “locate your phone on a map” and sharing your pictures on you social networks. A more extensive article about the premium service and new features is written by my colleague and good friend Paul Willen.

The second bundeled service which was launched together with Windows Mobile 6.5 is the service called Windows Marketplace for Mobile -an online application store where you can directly purchase applications on the go-. The screenshots below show you the homescreen and an application specific screen in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

In a sequence of articles I tried to cover different aspects -for example the payment mechanism- of the Microsoft online application store: “Windows Marketplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0” and “Windows Marketplace for Mobile – Payments and Operators“

Arne Hess, Windows Mobile MVP and Editor in Chief of the::unwired, has written an interesting article as well about a “localization issue” of Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Unfortunately I have a similar experience with the local Dutch Windows Marketplace for Mobile, and I truely hope that there will be a fix / solution for this.

2.2  HTC TouchFLO 3D – A detailed view

We all know that HTC has heavily invested in the development of their HTC TouchFLO 3D / HTC Sense userinterface. In the left screenshot above you can see that “only” TouchFLO 3D version 2.0 is included, while for example you can see TouchFLO 3D version 2.1 on the HTC Touch Pro2. You probably directly notice that this version has colored icons in the bottom TouchFLO 3D “navigation” bar. TouchFLO 3D on the HTC Touch2 consists of  11 (!!!) different tabs which will be shown in a step by step overview.

A.  Start

The first tab is labelled “Start” and provides a true overview of your Windows Phone, showing time, weather, your agenda, alarm status and operator. When you push the home button on the bottom of the HTC Touch2 this is the screen you will get, since it gives you the actual status.

B.  Contacts

The left screenshot above shows the second tab called contacts, which is nothing more than a customizable grid in which you can add 12 preferred contacts. It are “just” shortcuts for dailing these contacts, and since this is TouchFLO 3D v2.0 it lacks the people centric communication approach, which was implemented first on the HTC Touch Pro2. If you are used to a certain feature it is hard to live without and, more because it lets you easily switch between the various communication modes.

C.  Messages

The right screenshots above shows you the latest SMS messages, which makes the name of the third tab “Messages” nothing more than a logic choice. With the use of gestures you can easily swipe or flip through the SMS messages, while via the Windows Mobile softkeys you can enter Pocket Outlook, or directly reply to a SMS message.

D.  Mail

The fourth tab is devoted to mail, and analogue as in the messages tab you will get an overview of your last e-mails. However right next to the message you can see a few envelopes, which feature the different configured mail accounts. In this example it my Microsoft (Hosted) Exchange account and the MobilityMinded e-mail account are added on the HTC Touch2, so I can easily switch between accounts and swipe/flip through the different messages. Despite the relative small area the SMS messages and e-mails are very good readable !

E.  Internet

The right screenshot above shows the 5th Internet tab, which lets you easily open the Opera Mobile webbrowser, the YouTube viewer, or any other website which is configured under the favourites in this tab. Later in this review you will read more about the comparison of Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile and Opera Mobile 9.5.

F.  Pictures and Video

The 6th tab in the HTC TouchFLO 3D GUI is called Pictures and Video’s and is closely integrated with HTC’s custom camera- and camcorder applications, as well as their own picture viewer. On the right you see thetouch buttons to open the applications, while you can easily flip through your pictures, in a same way we have seen with e-mails and sms messages.

G.  Music

Tab 7 is dedicated to playing and managing music on your HTC Touch2. Again touch buttons are used to go forward to the next song, or go backward to the previous song, and obvious you can play and stop the current song. However the Music tab is integrated with an Audio Management application that HTC includes on their devices.

H.  Weather

Very helpful and something I use on a daily basis is checking the weather-forecast. Bassed on Accuweather information HTC has developed a really nice weather tab within TouchFLO 3D, which is shown in the left screenshot above. A similar approach is seen for example in the recently launched SPB Mobile Shell 3.5, in which weather forms a significant part of the GUI.

I.  Search on map

I’m not 100% sure if this was already included in TouchFLO 3D on the HTc Touch Pro2, but this tab cleverly combines Google Search and Google Maps. The example text shows the search string “pizzeria in Amsterdam”, and I personally tested with the search text “mcdonalds”. After you hit the search button, your current location is calulated and the nearest options of mcdonalds restaurants are shown in a list view on your device. I have seen a similar concept with Microsoft Live Search and customer-driven features !

J.  Settings

The left screenshot above shows the settings-tab within TouchFLO 3D. It let’s you quickly configure and access the most important settings from you Windows Phone from withint TouchFLO 3D. Even with the improved start menu of Windows Mobile 6.5 the “shortcuts” witthin the settings-tab are one-click faster to access the specified settings.

K.  Programs

The right screenshot above shows the final Progams-tab of TouchFLO 3D. I can configure 18 (!!!) shortcuts to my most used programs, and therefore it helps in everyday life. Although it was not part of TouchFLO 3D on the HTC Touch Pro2 as a separate tab, the concept of this programs-implementation was seen on this device as well.

However if you look back at the released Windows Mobile 6.5 with improved start menu, in which settings and programs are merged, it is a little contradicting to see a HTC implementation which keeps these separated. Furthermore I do think that this might be a field of tension between the standard Windows Mobile 6.5 solution and the custom HTC TouchFLO 3D overlay. Closely related to this topic is also the fact that two browsers are pre-loaded on the HTC Tocuh2, which I will discuss in the section below.

2.3  Additional out-of-the-box software

You already noticed that the HTC Touch2 is a feature rich device, featuring the latest version of Windows Mobile as well as the well developed HTC TouchFLO 3D interface. In addition the HTC Touch2 is packed with a large bundle of third party software, and in this paragraph I will quickly discuss the most important software titles.

At first there are two browsers pre-loaded on the HTC Touch2: (A) the standard browser of Windows Mobile 6.5, which is Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile; and (B) the standard browser of the HTC TouchFLO 3D interface, which is  Opera Mobile v9.5. Both the screenshots below provide some background information about the browsers’ version and buildnumber.

The screenshots below show both the browsers during “normal” use of looking up a website. While at first sight the overview might look the same, the menu’s are a little differently structured, and you can see furthermore that the Opera Mobile browser features a Google search box in the center of the screen so you can easily type in the URL or simply search based on keywords.

You might think “Does it make sense to pre-load two browsers on your Windows Phone?”  Personally I do think it doesn’t, however I do understand the underlying dynamics of the combination Windows Mobile and HTC ThouchFLO 3D which both feature one browser. I honestly hope that in future it becomes more easily to exchange browsers and provide the end-user more choice. In this case it would mean work for both Microsoft and HTC since, Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile should be made available for download by Microsoft, while HTC should include the option within TouchFLO 3D or HTC Sense to “plugin” Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile easily.

Allright enough browser thoughts, lets look at some additional preloaded software. It is not really new, but certainly worthwhile to mention is the included RSS  Hub application. In fact it is the familiar Iliumsoft Newsbreak application, which is included on your device for free. In the right screenshot below an excellent YouTube viewer is shown, and if I’m informed correctly the credits for this application fully are HTC’s development work.

However also a relative simple application like the calculator seems HTC’s development work, and therefore the company adds innovation both in terms of software and hardware. However I must admit that the calculator application is optimized for fingerfriendly use, and it works really well in practice.

New to me is the included MSN Money Widget, which shows me the latest important financial information like the situations on the world’s most important stock exchanges or simply the US Dollar / Euro exchange rate.

The left screenshot below shows a great addition since a PDF reader is not standard in the Microsoft Office Mobile suite. Adobe Reader LE v2.5 is the pre-loaded PDF-reader, and to my experience this is a must have application for business users. So my compliments to HTC for bundling this piece of software with the HTC Touch2.

Finally a 14-day trial of the CoPilot Live Navigation software is included on the HTC Touch2, while similar downloads were made available for the HTC Touch Pro2 in the recent history. I haven’t spent much time testing it, but it is a nice move to include a well known Navigation Suite on the HTC Touch2 so you are ready to go !!

3.  Conclusions and first overall thoughts

After this extensive review addressing the different aspects of the HTC Touch2 I can only concluded that this is a very feature rich device packed with a bulk load of helpful software. Despite the fact that the HTC Touch2 is aimed at the middle end of the market, I strongly believe that it is a very powerful device that gets most things done for a business professional as well.

Furthermore remark that this is the first Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone on the market (in the Netherlands), while Samsung for example announced the Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for the Omnia II on October 6th as well. I can only compliment HTC for packing a lot of features and connectivity options in a small formfactor, with an excellent combination of Windows Mobile 6.5 and the HTC TouchFLO 3D GUI. For example the lockscreen and the Microsoft MyPhone & Marketplace for Mobile services perfectly complement the HTC TouchFLO 3D interface.

I personally I do miss the people-centric-communication concept, but that is a matter of positioning and pricepoint. Furthermore the HTC Touch2 is also the first device where I can “feel” some tensions between the basic Windows Mobile 6.5- and HTC TouchFLO implementations.

In the review I made some points on these tension fields, but its good to summarize them here:  (1) Internet Explorer 6 for Mobile vs Opera Mobile webbrowser, (2) New Windows Mobile 6.5 start menu vs. Settings and Programs tabs in HTC TouchFLO 3D, (3) the Windows Mobile 6.5 homescreen vs. HTC TouchFLO 3D GUI. I’m curious to see how these tension fields will evolve over time, -and on different devices.

I would like to wrap-up that the HTC Touch2 is an excellent feature rich device that gives you excellent value for money! If you want to make the switch from a classic Nokia 3210, the HTC Touch2 is a perfect step to explore the smartphone market!

Finally I would like to recommend an excellent review of Chris Davies, Editor at Slashgear, “HTC Touch2 Windows Phone review“, in which a demo video of Windows Mobile 6.5 can be watched!

Pricing and availability

“The HTC Touch2 will initially be available to customers on October 6 with broad availability in a variety of European and Asian markets in early Q4 2009. According to the local HTC Touch2 press release the pricepoint will be E299,- without a subscription.”

Today SPB Software has announced a major upgrade for SPB Mobile Shell to version 3.5, their award winning-next generation user interface- application. It has been some time since I extensively reviewed SPB Mobile Shell in the article: “SPB Mobile Shell v3.0 User Interface Step-By-Step Review“.

This new version builds further upon version 3.0, however SPB Software has added a massive load of new features which I will try to cover in this article. Let’s start with a video-overview from the SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 product page:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGrfQ7IKGBs

What is new in SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 ? 

When I first saw the impressive changelog  on the SPB website I really wondered why they just marked it as a .5-release instead of naming it SPB Mobile Shell 4.0. In this section I will focus on the most important new features, which are the result of a further “widget-ization” of the application in the different screens of SPB Mobile Shell.

Two improved homescreens: Professional and Lifestyle

One of the basic concepts introduced with SPB Mobile Shell was having two homescreens: Professional and Lifestyle. The reasoning behind this approach hasn’t changed:

“Windows Mobile devices are traditionally popular among mobile professionals, users that need the power of this platform in their daily lives. Very often you need the professional features of a Windows Phone at work, and in your free time you still want to use the same phone, but with a more generic “consumer-ish” angle.”

The left screenshot above shows the Lifestyle homescreen, while the right screenshot shows the Professional homescreen. At first sight you would expect just minor changes, but that is completely wrong since both the homescreens are fully widgetizable.

Especially for the Professional homescreen this is something new, as you can see in the left screenshot above. In the right screenshot a settings window is shown for the homescreens.

You can see that both the homescreens are enabeled, and that the Professional homescreen consists of 1 page, while the Lifestyle homescreen consists of three pages (in fact you have 3 Lifestyle homescreens). Finally you are able to set commands, which the buttons in the bottom row should open.

3D viewers for e-mail and sms messages

A second set of new feature is the addition of 3D viewers for e-mails / mms / sms-messages, which make it more easy to manage and read your e-mails / mms / sms-messages from within SPB Mobile Shell. On the top left you see a counter with new messages and the account name you are viewing.

Furthermore you see a “carousel” of e-mails, which in concept we also see in the TouchFLO 3D interface. The main difference in my personal perception is that the amount and size of the text is better implemented in SPB Mobile Shell. With swipes and gestures you can easily glance forward and backward through your e-mails. By hitting the button in the bottom right corner you open up a quick menu to reply, delete or forward a message (again without opening Pocket Outlook).

The same concept is also applied to the sms-messages, while you can easily select an account bit click the “account-bar”. If you don’t want this new feature, you can also set the widget on the homescreen to simply open Pocket Outlook as a default action. It is simply done by tap and hold on email widget and choose the corresponding default action. This is shown in the right screenshot above.

Facebook- and Twitter widgets

While we could see a Facebook integration in SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 in the contact card, with the goal to grab a picture from Facebook and add this picture to the person’s contact card. A same approach has been seen on TouchFLO3D of the HTC Touch Pro2. In the top left screenshot I have added both a Facebook- and a Twitter-widget to the Lifestyle homescreen.

These widgets can be used to update or post statuses to your Facebook-page, or in the case of Twitter simply sent out tweets from within SPB Mobile Shell. The great advantage is that you don’t need to install an additional Twitter- or Facebook client, but you can grant SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 to access you account (details). Again a clever improvement of SPB Software.

Integration with SPB Weather and SPB Traveller via widgets 

We all know that SPB Software always had an excellent integration of various applications into SPB Mobile Shell and SPB Pocketplus as well. While in the previous version of SPB Mobile Shell already one tile or screen in the carousel was for weather and weather forecasts, we can see an extention in SPB Mobile Shell 3.5.

Additional functions and information known from SPB Weater are now integrated with SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 via various widgets. Furthermore parts of SPB Traveller are as well integrated via widgets. SPB Mobile Shell now more and more becomes the overall umbrella for the different (specialized) applications of SPB Software.

Complete list of other widgets

The video and screenshot above show the complete list over selectable widgets, and the list below provides the most remarkable in addition to the widgets covered in the paragraphs above:

• Tasks (customizable task list on your home screen);
• Picture Frame (widget and full-screen slideshow);
• Four instant wireless switches (WiFi, Bluetooth, Flight Mode, Phone Switch);
• Internet Search (with instant suggestions);
• Birthdays reminders (never forget about your friend’s birthday again);

Looking back at the basic concepts from SPB Mobile Shell 3.0

Some coolness added in SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 was the so called carousel to easily switch between the different screens of SPB Mobile Shell, in addition to the other “tiles” option. Both concepts are still in place and are further improved. The carousel now has some nice shadows and mirror images, and can be manipulated around with the fingers (also up and downwards so you can look into the carousel).

Matthew Miller, Editor of ZDNet Smartphones and Cell Phones blog has published a great SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 demo in which the new graphics and this new carousel behavior are clearly shown.

If you look at the number of titels in the tiles-overview, I can count 12 which is different from the previous version. The following list of screens is present in SPB Mobile Shell:  Professional Home, Lifestyle Home, Launcher, SPB Menu, Call Log, Favorite Contacts, SPB Contacts, Contacts Carousel, Weather, Weather Conditions, Agenda, Time.

The main changes within SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 have been on the widget front, so in the basic idea’s there weren’t extreme changes. If you want to know more about the launcher or SPB Menu I highly recommend to read through the review of the previous version: “SPB Mobile Shell v3.0 User Interface Step-By-Step Review“.

Conclusions and thoughts

With the release of SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 and the developer’s focus on using widgets a next level in personalization of your Windows (Mobile) Phone is set. The extensive amount of widgets and options make it possible to create a unique user interface that suits your personal needs at best, without losing the basic concepts of SPB Mobile Shell version 3.0.

For the people who have had the chance to play around with an Android powered devices, as well as a HTC device with TouchFLO 3D on it see influences of both user interface on the design of SPB Mobile Shell. Homescreen widgets is something that can been see on Android devices as well. It is good that the different available UI’s learn from each other (look over the wall) and deliver the end-user a better experience !

There is one small remark that I haven’t figured out yet. In the Lifestyle homescreen you can customize the background as well as the colors. However the color of topbar (in the screenshots of the review shown in Windows Mobile Green) stands-out from the rest of the Lifestyle homescreen, and personally I do think the application loses some of its elegance on this point. I hope the topbar will be skinned as well in an upcoming release.

Finally I would like to recommend the SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 review from George Ponder, Editor of WM Experts, as well as the excellent video demo and review of Matthew Miller, Editor of ZDNet Smartphones and Cellphones blog.

Pricing and availability

SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 is available for Windows Mobile touchscreen devices (works on WM 5 or higher) from September 30th and on. A free trial version working for 15 days with some restrictions can be downloaded, or the full version can be purchased for $29.95 from www.spbsoftware.com. All registered user of SPB Mobile Shell 3.x can upgrade it to the version 3.5 for free.