Microsoft Says, “No Phone 7 Upgrade for You!” to the HTC HD2

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…and it weeps profusely.

So Microsoft, in an interview with APC Magazine, says that the HTC HD2 does not have the criteria to be a Windows Phone 7 Series device. When questioned as to what that means, Natasha Kwan (General Manager for Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business in the Asia-Pacific region) replied, “It doesn’t have the three buttons.”

The three buttons she is referring to are the Home, Back, and Search keys that are now mandatory on all Windows Phone 7 devices. The thing is, though, that the phone has Call, Home, Start, Back and End buttons, so couldn’t we just use the Start as a Search button? But there you have it, no upgrade for the HD2, well, not from Microsoft anyway…

There are two reasons I wouldn’t be too concerned here. One is that by the time Windows Phone 7 comes out, their will be much more desirable phones than the HD2 that will come with Windows Phone 7 on them. Not too mention anyone that bought an HD2 with a contract when it comes out will be ready for an early upgrade by the time Windows Phone 7 comes out and can upgrade to a newer phone.

The other reason I wouldn’t be too concerned is that as we have seen time and time again, Windows Mobile versions (6.1, 6.5, etc.) tend to make their way to phones that they “cannot work on” thanks to some developers with some time on their hands over at XDA.

So anyone getting the HD2? This effect your decision at all?

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  • kevin

    man really? the HD2 will come to tmobile maybe in march, cant tmobile change something? so it’ll be compatible with WM7? if not im wont take HD2 (sux that i already got the money and everything ready) i’ll wait for a WM7 from HTC then (not even a year rite?) i have a touch pro2 now with leo custom rom, so i dotn think of any reason to change to HD2 and then later look at the WM7 phone and drooling lol, i know that the developer will make it happen but anyway the official rom is always smoother than custom rom. and since they dont have the button (its hardware, dont know if we can do anything about it) it’ll be even harder rite?,

    • Kevin,

      Not necessarily, should be an easy fix for the buttons. Just remap the Start button as the Search button and Viola! So that wouldn’t be a big issue, besides all the normal issues with porting a ROM.

  • Y314K

    If MS doesn’t let HTC upgrade this phone to W7… HTC should offer a Android 2.1 upgrade to the HD2 buyers..lol

    How u like them apples MS…

    I would be surprise if HTC and MS don’t figure out some way to upgrade this phone to W7 a few months after W7 comes out… Maybe to some lower student type of version of W7…

  • kevin

    wait lol i might rethink about that lol, since i found that they may already have WM7 running on HTC HD2

    http://htcpedia.com/news/htc-hd2-leo-windows_7.html

    only zune multimedia is not working yet

  • David

    It’s natural for the HD2 be seen around the traps running WP7 – there’s a long haul to the release stage and OEMs (and Microsoft) will want to be testing this on real devices, and as the HD2 is pretty much the latest-and-greatest Windows Mobile device (and meets most of the key Chassis 1 specs that we know about), when of course HTC and/or Microsoft would be running a beta of WP7 on the HD2. That doesn’t mean a thing about the device’s legit upgradability, just that technically the HD2 is capable of supporting WP7.

    • David,

      While normally you might be right (and there may actually be an HD2 with Windows Phone 7 running on it), that link he provided is a fake picture according to TMoNews and other sources.

  • Mr. O

    There is still hope
    http://goo.gl/9hSn
    Microsoft declined to confirm reports that smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.x will not be upgradable to Windows Phone 7 Series.

  • kevin

    🙁 thats the fake? wat a shame, and lol i know that our development team is capable of everything, but yea anyway u think should i wait till later? and c if there’re phones better for WM7 than HD2 or just get it wen it comes to tmobile (my contract ends this month too)? i just had my touch pro2 about a year

  • Nithin Jino

    Does it matter? WP7 UI looks way to simple and plain. HTC Sense is way better than WP7 UI and the devs will backport things like XBL and things like that to HD2 ROM and someone will make a WP7 ROM.

  • guna

    hello pl. help to find out which motherboard for htc t7278
    thank you

  • remixfa000

    its a shame. we got the dummies in the store. Even in dummy form the phone is damn sexy and big and THIN. I was highly impressed. I swear its thinner than even a mytouch so its quite pocket friendly. As nice as it is, and as damn feature packed that it is (blockbuster, ereader,ect ect ect) i cant buy a win 6.xx phone. they SUCK. When they get a 100% port of win7 or android 2.1 on it, id think about it.. LOL

    • Remixfa000,

      Ya, I have to agree completely. Can’t get myself to use an old Windows 6.X device. But Windows 7 will DEFINITELY be ported to it by the devs at XDA and that Android you wanted on it? Well, since the Touch Pro2 just got Android, I wouldn’t be surprised if the HD2 gets it right after launch lol

  • methodz

    Well it happened sooner than i thought.

    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=653836&page=10

    windows 7 folks. now UNLOCKR can you please do some HD2 vids pleeeeease!