# HTC Desire HD: christ alive that's a big screen!



## Kid_Eternity (Mar 28, 2011)

A colleague got themselves a Desire HD today, first impression was wow that's some screen! Heavy bastard though...


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 28, 2011)

Had mine a few months now and still think it's a great bit of kit, other then it's a pain in the arse to get the battery cover off. It is slightly heavier then some phones, but it is made from metal! 

Don't think I could go back to a 3.7" screen now.


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 28, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> , other then it's a pain in the arse to get the battery cover off.



TELL me about it! That's why I knew about the new phone, none of us could get the damned thing open...


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## editor (Mar 28, 2011)

It's an absolute beaut of a screen. I'm pretty sure my next phone is going to be a bit of a big screen number.


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## ChrisFilter (Mar 28, 2011)

Nothing compared to my Dell Streak.


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## editor (Mar 28, 2011)

ChrisFilter said:


> Nothing compared to my Dell Streak.


But that's not really a phone it it?


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## cliche guevara (Mar 28, 2011)

How is the Dell Streak not a phone? It makes calls, it sends text messages, it does the same job as any other Android 2.1 phone.


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## ChrisFilter (Mar 28, 2011)

Yeah, it is. It's a big phone rather than a small tablet.


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 28, 2011)

editor said:


> It's an absolute beaut of a screen. I'm pretty sure my next phone is going to be a bit of a big screen number.



It's very nice, although it's a bit bigger than I want a phone to be...


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## Badgers (Jun 24, 2011)

Using this thread for a question on cases. 

Was going to get the Otterbox Commuter Case HD Desire HD as it was recommended. The only snag is that there is no slot for the headphones which seems a bit shit at £16.26! 

The other Otterbox case is the Defender which is £21.50, better reviewed, but seems a bit hardcore for my needs. 

Anyone got/used these two or know of an alternative for a clumsy chap?


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## Quartz (Jun 26, 2011)

My brother has one of the rubber surrounds for his and it's proved its worth with the children around.


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## Badgers (Jul 6, 2011)

Badgers said:


> The other Otterbox case is the Defender which is £21.50, better reviewed, but seems a bit hardcore for my needs.


 
Went for this one in the end.
Ordered on the 25th June 2011 from Amazon. 
When the thing finally turns up I will post a reveiw


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## Badgers (Jul 8, 2011)

Badgers said:


> Went for this one in the end.
> Ordered on the 25th June 2011 from Amazon.
> When the thing finally turns up I will post a reveiw



It has arrived, first impression was that it is VERY BIG on an already pretty big phone. 

Fits like a glove though and feels indestructible. 
The camera, flash, volume and speaker line up perfectly. 
The power button on the top does not feel as responsive but does work ok. 

There is a thick polycarbonate outer clip-on case (with detachable belt clip) which covers the camera, flash and rear speaker totally when on. Inside that there is a softer silicone case soft case which covers a thinner polycarbonate case that covers the whole back and side. The screen cover actually forms part of the inner case. Only ones I have used before have just stuck on to the screen and this looked like it might be a problem. It has lost a tiny bit of input feedback but it amazingly good. 

There is flap you need to open to plug in headphones and charger which fits well enough but mildly annoying. Should the phone be dropped in water this flap would probably give the phone a better chance of surviving.

Best of all there is a picture of an Otter on the box it came in


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 8, 2011)

Have you had the fun of trying to open to get to the memory card yet?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jul 8, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Have you had the fun of trying to open to get to the memory card yet?


 
How often do you do that though?


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 8, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> How often do you do that though?


 
Not the point I was making. Doing it once showed up a design flaw.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jul 9, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Not the point I was making. Doing it once showed up a design flaw.


 
Compromises I say rather then design flaw. Do you know where the memory card reader is on the HD? Would add a fair bit to the cost of the unit to make a box which was hinged and also waterproof.


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## Badgers (Jul 13, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> Compromises I say rather then design flaw. Do you know where the memory card reader is on the HD? Would add a fair bit to the cost of the unit to make a box which was hinged and also waterproof.


 
Yup. Pretty much my feeling.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 13, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> Compromises I say rather then design flaw. Do you know where the memory card reader is on the HD? Would add a fair bit to the cost of the unit to make a box which was hinged and also waterproof.


 
Design flaw/compromise...I seriously doubt anyone is going deep sea diving with the phone.


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## Badgers (Jul 14, 2011)

Did the first 'in Otterbox' drop earlier. It was a potential screen smash drop but scott free


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## Badgers (Oct 12, 2012)

HTC Desire HD update since purchase April 2011... 

Annoyed by the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade being promised then dropped  
The phone has become slower than I would like and has started to freeze a bit more of late 
Battery gives me about an hour of commuting use (radio on, surfing web) and goes down 50% during the night while I am asleep so that needs replacing really. 

The volume button on the side broke off (about 17 months after purchase) mainly due to me rotating batteries which is a bit annoying but I rarely have the ring volume on. This is a shame as I have kept it in the Otterbox case since new and apart from this the phone is mint condition  

It has been a good servant this phone but it is well behind the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and others.


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

A bit of help, I keep putting off rooting my HTC DHD because I am rubbish. 

It has been posted before but can someone link me up on what to do? 

Also I have managed to download HTC Sync Manager to my laptop (Sony Vaio running Windows 7) but when I try to sync my phone can't find it. Is it anything to do with the 'USB debugging' being switched on?


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

HTC Sync - Installation Procedure

Note:
Always download the latest version from the HTC Website.

Check in Add/Remove Programs (XP), or Programs and Features (Vista and 7), and make sure that you have removed both the HTC Sync and HTC Driver options before installing a later version.

When installing on Windows 7, disconnect from the internet before beginning this procedure.

Also you will have to deactivate the firewall and antivirus when installing.

*Installation Process*
Once the InstallShield wizard has started, click Next.
Click OK on the pop up box.
Read the HTC Software License Terms, if you agree, select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next.
Select Complete and click Next.
Click Install.
The files will now be installed, once complete, click Finish.

The HTC Sync software is now installed.

*Connecting the device for the first time*
If the device is already connected, unplug and re-connect it.
Drag down the Notifications bar and select HTC Sync.
The device will now connect to the computer, this may take a few minutes.
Once connected, the Phone Connection Wizard will appear on the PC
Click Next.
Enter a name for your device and click Finish.
If prompted about the Date & Time, select the required option and click OK.

The HTC Sync Application will be displayed. The device is now successfully connected.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 21, 2013)

It's funny how just a few years change things...I'd fogotten about this thread, but my Desire HD looks pretty small now compared to many android phones, in fact it's like a toy next to my mates Note.

Badgers can't remember what software I used at the moment, but if you've not worked it out, I'll have a look later when I get home. Do you know what ROM your using? I tried one of the ICS ones, but went back Cyangenamod as it was much faster.


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## editor (Mar 21, 2013)

Android certainly pioneered the growth of bigger screens. I thought my S2's screen was too big when I bought it but now it looks very underwhelming.


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Global Stoner said:


> Badgers can't remember what software I used at the moment, but if you've not worked it out, I'll have a look later when I get home. Do you know what ROM your using? I tried one of the ICS ones, but went back Cyangenamod as it was much faster.


 
Hi GS, I am running Android 2.3.5 currently.


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Can't get this bastard HTC Sync to work


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Ahhh. I think I may have it. 

I had HTC Sync 'Manager' on my laptop. 
The HTC DHD runs on HTC Sync which I need to move from my phone memory card to my pc


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 21, 2013)

It looks like the Ace Hack Kit that I used has been retired.


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Now I can't find HTC Sync on my phone or on Google Play????


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## stuff_it (Mar 21, 2013)

editor said:


> Android certainly pioneered the growth of bigger screens. I thought my S2's screen was too big when I bought it but now it looks very underwhelming.


Imagine how I feel with my Galaxy Ace. 

*screen envy*


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Found it on the HTC website 
https://support.htc.com/alerts_downloads/en/HTC_Sync_for_all_HTC_Android_Phones

Hopefully _this time_ it works


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Seems to be ANOTHER fucking problem


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

HTC Desire HD


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Giving up on the HTC Sync nightmare. 
Have emailed the contact_us@htc.com asking for help.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 21, 2013)

Umm, there is something you have to do first. I had this problem and can't remember what it is. Go through a few other faqs/tutorials and one of them should mention it. This is post is useless I know.


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Global Stoner said:


> Umm, there is something you have to do first. I had this problem and can't remember what it is. Go through a few other faqs/tutorials and one of them should mention it. This is post is useless I know.


 
I have been going over and over it. 
Posted on the Android/XDA forums to no avail


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 21, 2013)

Bollocks. I wish this guy hadn't spat his dummy out, cos it was how I did it.


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Global Stoner said:


> Bollocks. I wish this guy hadn't spat his dummy out, cos it was how I did it.


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## twentythreedom (Mar 21, 2013)

I've still got my DHD (and an iphone 3GS) sitting unused on a shelf. I feel like they should still be in use somehow


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

twentythreedom said:


> I've still got my DHD (and an iphone 3GS) sitting unused on a shelf. I feel like they should still be in use somehow


 
I have an emergency £7.99 Nokia on the shelf in case I lose the smart phone. Does seem a shame to leave two perfectly decent smart phones unused though. Sell on or find a worthy friend to take them/one off your hands?


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## twentythreedom (Mar 21, 2013)

Badgers said:


> I have an emergency £7.99 Nokia on the shelf in case I lose the smart phone. Does seem a shame to leave two perfectly decent smart phones unused though. Sell on or find a worthy friend to take them/one off your hands?


I have a Nokia 6300 too  

Are old smartphones worth much?


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## newbie (Mar 21, 2013)

I've had real problems getting HTCSync to work, eventually given up.

WiFi Transfer Pro does everything I need


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

twentythreedom said:


> Are old smartphones worth much?


 
It depends on the condition.
Have a look on Gumtree and eBay at the prices for a rough guide. 



newbie said:


> I've had real problems getting HTCSync to work, eventually given up.
> 
> WiFi Transfer Pro does everything I need


 
WiFi Transfer Pro sounds like a ball-ache to back everything up in one go?


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

Just had a look at WiFi Transfer Pro reviews. Almost all very positive but many saying the downside is not being able to move folders around.........



> This programme is very reliable and worth the money but as a few other reviews have said there is some room for improvement - especially being able to select folders or groups of folders for transfer rather than just individual files (makes a big difference if transferring a large music collection for example). Having said that no other app seems to have cracked that yet...


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## newbie (Mar 21, 2013)

all fair, it zips things up for transfer but that's not as convenient as using explorer. Since I can't, because HTC Sync simply refuses to play, it's what I've settled in to using.

I'd prefer explorer to just work. It did, for a while, on one W7 machine and then stopped, and still works on an XP laptop, but never has on this (W7) PC. 

That's with 3 different handsets btw.  I hoped changing PC and/or handset would sort it but no.


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 21, 2013)

A mate had one of these the other day, first thing I thought while looking at it was 'Jesus this doesn't feel anywhere near as big as it did when I first saw one!'


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## Badgers (Mar 21, 2013)

newbie said:


> all fair, it zips things up for transfer but that's not as convenient as using explorer. Since I can't, because HTC Sync simply refuses to play, it's what I've settled in to using.
> 
> I'd prefer explorer to just work. It did, for a while, on one W7 machine and then stopped, and still works on an XP laptop, but never has on this (W7) PC.
> 
> That's with 3 different handsets btw. I hoped changing PC and/or handset would sort it but no.


 
Shame. 

HTC did reply but only a C&P of what I was already doing. 
Did get a reply on the Android Forums but no further ahead. 
Posted on the XDA Forums but no reply to date 

Tempted to walk into the Three store in town and see if I can blag something there..


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## Badgers (Mar 23, 2013)

From HTC:



> Despite having the latest HTC Sync version installed on the computer the following error sometimes occurs on the phone when trying to sync : "Cannot find HTC Sync on your PC, please go to www.htc.com to download it"
> 
> The steps below have been known to have solved this issue:
> 
> ...


 
First attempt to ''Manage applications' and HTC Sync does not appear to be on my handset at all?
There is an HTC Sync 'set up' file on the phone but no actual HTC sync.
Still the same error message on the phone when trying to Sync.
I have searched on Google Play for the HTC Sync App but unable to find.


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## Badgers (Mar 24, 2013)

Going to take laptop and phone into the Three shop. Tell them that the Sync and tethering problems started when I moved to their network. Worth a punt as NOBODY (including HTC) seem to have a solution this.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 25, 2013)

Clutching at straws slightly have you tried xda developers?


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## Badgers (Mar 25, 2013)

No response from xda on their forum. 

The guy in the Three store sorted it


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 25, 2013)

Result. Doubly so that you found phone staff who knew what they were doing.


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## Badgers (Mar 25, 2013)

Global Stoner said:


> Result. Doubly so that you found phone staff who knew what they were doing.


 
I had low expectations but the guy there was really on the ball.


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## Barking_Mad (Mar 29, 2013)

twentythreedom said:


> I've still got my DHD (and an iphone 3GS) sitting unused on a shelf. I feel like they should still be in use somehow


 
I used my old HTC Desire as a remote for XBMC through my Raspberry Pi. Also doubles as a music player through my stereo (Google Music).


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## newbie (Mar 29, 2013)

what did he do?


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## Badgers (Mar 29, 2013)

newbie said:
			
		

> what did he do?



The Three guy? I noted it down. Will have a look in a sec


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## newbie (Mar 29, 2013)

ta.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 29, 2013)

Did you get it rooted and new rom installed then?


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## Badgers (Mar 29, 2013)

Global Stoner said:
			
		

> Did you get it rooted and new rom installed then?



Not yet  I have the fear


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## twentythreedom (Mar 30, 2013)

Barking_Mad said:


> Also doubles as a music player through my stereo (Google Music).


How?


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## Badgers (Mar 30, 2013)

twentythreedom said:
			
		

> How?



Yes


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## Barking_Mad (Mar 30, 2013)

twentythreedom said:


> How?



I leave it connected to the stereo via the headphone socket. Leave the wifi on and play music via Google Music or from the phone itself.


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## Badgers (May 9, 2013)

I really need to stop failing and root the phone. I am stuck with this one till September at least and it is starting to creak a bit on Android 2.3.5 software.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (May 10, 2013)

I've mentioned before, but I found 4 a bit slow.


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