back to article Vodafone drops top-of-the-range HTC

Vodafone has stopped selling HTC's flagship, the HD2, citing problems with reliability and stock. Plus the forthcoming iPhone makes the HD2 redundant. The HD2 is a Windows Phone, with an enormous screen and price to match, but has been well reviewed and was selling well. At the start of December Vodafone said it was selling so …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Megaphone

    Sensationalism?

    It seems like they have moved the phone to their Business section instead. And they seem to offer better feals there.

    Here is the link to HD2's new home in Vodafone:

    http://www.vodafonebusinessshop.co.uk/Details-Phone-HTC-HD2-3120.html

    I think it would help to do a little more resarch before publishing hearsay. Also, what made you believe they would comment about the future models?

    1. Bill Ray (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Sensationalism?

      The HD2 will shortly vanish from those pages too - Vodafone has confirmed to us that it won't be selling the HD2 any more.

      We have managed to speak to HTC briefly, and hopefully we'll have some more details on what happened next week.

      Bill.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sensationalism?

        We will see if these people's sources were more accurate:

        http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/vodafone-and-htc-speak-out-over-hd2-withdrawal-657570

        From the response I have seen from Vodafone staff on the forums, it applies to consumer range and they are keeping it as an option in Business section.

        The title was referring to your conclusion than anything else though.

  2. Scott Mckenzie

    The reason...

    ....could of course be that in my experience every single Windows based mobile phone i've used since the TyTn II has been an unreliable steaming pile of shite that is about as useful as a phone as El Reg is at getting the facts from Apple.

  3. Christopher Rogers
    Thumb Down

    Well screw them

    The Samsung 360 is not much to use and is infact an attempt at voda only social networking as far as i saw (from the sales guy in the vodafone shop).

    I like HTC. If they keep rolling out phones like the hero, they are going to remain a player.

    Windows Mobile however needs to become seriously shit hot very quickly, or their game is over.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Rogers is right, but Vodafone's attitude stinks

    "Windows Mobile however needs to become seriously shit hot very quickly, or their game is over." is spot on and the reason I left for Android, despite the SenseUI.

    I can boot my Windows Mobile 6 phone and my Smartphone 2002 (or 2003 - I can't remember) phone and aside from a few gradients here and there, they feel identical.

    That said, if I went into a Vodafone store stating that "I want a Windows Mobile phone" and was then told I should buy an iPhone, thanks, bye. If I wanted an iPhone, I'd be asking for one.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Vodafone shouln't be allowed to sell handsets at all

    Nor should any other network operator.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Gates Halo

    Dumbed Down Dicks

    Why is everyone so f***g hot on iphone and Android and every other pretty interface. Are you all girls or something?

    I want functionality and I cannot find anything more useful, overall, on a mobile other than WM 6.1.

    Sure enough if I wanted to literally d!ck around with my screen then the screen is definitely too small for my d!ck. Similarly with my greasy finger. I am a grown up, I want precision and details and I want to use an effing stylus! Give me WM 6.1 any day!

    Anyone disagreeing, well just go and sit in a corner and play with your...digit

    1. h 6

      Yes

      Yes, we're all girls.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    why does it always

    return to the 'effin jesus phone....

    every time a article appeard regarding a mobile phone or a mobile operator the comments very soon go to ether a iphone bashing session or a apple bashing session...

    the iphone is good at what it does, if it doesnt suit you, get somthing else... i dont have one and i dont want one but i am not gonna start riping people to bits overthere chioce of phone,,

    mines the one with the nokia e63 in the pocket !! 15 quid a month for unlimited (read limited to 3000 ) texts and unlimited (read limited to 1,5GB) 'tinterwebs will do me fine thanks !!!

  8. Tezfair
    Thumb Down

    bloody HTC

    Im at my wits end with my touch diamond, so much so that I I went and got a Nokia 6300 just so that I could actually make calls. My touch is a royal PITA at the moment. despite numerous hard resets it kills all incoming calls within 2 rings, crashes constantly and is sluggish, whereas the nokia is up and running in seconds, goes for days on a charge and is simple.

    I miss push emails, but since using a mobile for phone calls is pretty much required im having to drift away from HTC. Shame as I have been with them since the KJam

  9. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    HTC

    My TYTN II has gone from being the worst phone i've had to the best, when I flashed it with a cooked WinMo 6.5.3 ROM from xda-developers. Finger friendly, but with all the config and accuracy of Windows Mobile.

    Imagine my dismay when I dropped it down the toilet on tuesday! It's still drying out in bits in the airing cupboard.

    Anon because i'm not sure how legit flashing the rom is, license-wise. Fail for the loo incident.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Mr HTC

      Mr HTC, please post the link to the exact download location for 6.5.3 for the Tytn II. You are a star! Hope it dries out! If not, there are plenty on offer for a great price. I bought a brand new one, ex Swisscom surplus stock, sim unlocked, for 200 Swiss francs (120 quid) 2 months ago on www.ricardo.ch. Came with Tom Tom pre installed. Brilliant.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Happy

        XDA

        http://forum.xda-developers.com/ search on XDA that's where I get my Cyanogen mod for Android :-)

  10. pctechxp

    RE: Vodafone shouln't be allowed to sell handsets at all

    What do you suppose your non-phone fanatic person does then?

    Who should sell handsets?

  11. IT specialist
    Stop

    It was the Pink camera issue

    There were faults with the phone. Apart from being hobbled by its Windows Mobile operating system, constantly needing restarts, all of the HD2 units had a defect with the camera that put a large pink spot in the middle of every photo.

    So, you can see HTC had to quickly recall all of those faulty units that it had stockpiled ready for launch day. This caused supply problems (notice that supply problems were mentioned by Vodafone). HTC has a software patch for the camera problem, but it's not easy to install, and must be retro installed on all units.

    Vodafone has just given up in frustration. Besides, there will be a myriad of new Android handsets on the market in the coming weeks, which are more appealing to consumers.

  12. JPC

    Sounds right

    I was promised an HTC HD2 in November as an upgrade, albeit it would be when more stock was received. On the strength of that and a Samsung with Vodafone 360 for my daughter I was persuaded to stay with Vodafone. I need a phone supporting MS office for business so the HTC seemed useful. Today, still not having had the HTC I was told they had no more HTCs. Basically, I feel misled. I would have left them if they had been straight with me.

    However, after going through numerous levels of "Customer Care" and being told they have no more HTC HD2s they eventually admitted they had some. Vodafone talked me through their They have more or less admitted they are desperate to retain custom, having missed the boat on Iphone for the consumer and high end users. I am now locked into a contract on the Samsungbusiness shop online. Ordered an HTC HD2. Let's see if it arrives in 2-4 days as promised.

    Having regard to the way the Samsung was pushed this article looks pretty accurate.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      How about some posts from people who actually have one?

      I managed to get an HTC HD2 from Vodafone albeit after a two week delay and its fantastic. Fast as hell, looks gorgeous and does everything I could possibly want. Yes some people are reporting the pink spot issue but HTC have released an easy patch for that, (drop it on the phone and run it then reboot), but how many people dont use a seperate digital camera for 'proper' photos anyway?

      I too have a Tytn2 that was totally transformed from a sluggish alright phone into a not-so-sluggish great phone by Windows Mobile 6.5, the xda-developers guys can do some really amazing stuff when they want to.

      Looking forward Microsoft are promising Windows Mobile 7 in 2010 which the HD2 will be able to use and it wont be long before the HD2 will be able to run Android 2.0 natively thanks again to the xda-devs guys.

      Like anything good it takes time for it to mature (in this case the software) but it will get there, so how about some love for the HD2 instead eh?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        There's a patch for that

        See title ^

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    loads here

    http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=378

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How about some facts?

    HD2 is a fantastic Smartphone, from someone who actually owns one has owned a dozen plus Smartphones. Pink camera issue already resolved. So much dis-information here about the HD2 is staggering. Very few reliability issues have been reporyed at xda-developer web site, the main place for HD2 owners to visit. Most of my colleagues with iPhones were super impressed with the HD2, especially call quality :-)

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    had my

    HTC Hero for a month now - what a great phone! Touchscreen is great and synching with my calendar a cinch, Just a shame the camera a bit rubbish but not a massive problem.

  16. Jim Coleman

    HTC HD2

    I've got an HD2 and have just finished customizing it - the iphone users at work are dead jealous and I'm very happy with it, it's an awesome phone. Don't let the naysayers put you off, just go read all the Internet reviews - pretty much all 85-90%.

    This phone is going to put a very serious dent in iPhone sales, even without Vodaphone's support.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Hurting my Profits

    I sold a lot of HD2's for Vodafone in the last few weeks - was the best selling phone of the year, so it is a bit annoying that it has now been taken off their website. It seems to still be available from another website with a Vodafone tariff though, for some reason.

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