From the moment that Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7 at Mobile World Congress back in February, owners of Windows Mobile 6.5 devices felt left in the cold a little bit. No one felt the chill more than owners (and prospective owners, as it wasn’t even released yet in the US) of the HTC HD2. It was an absolute monster of a device with a 4.3” capacitive screen (in fact it is the only Windows Mobile device with a capacitive screen), 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 448MB of RAM, 5MP shooter and all the typical smartphone bells and whistles (3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, etc.).

With these specs and the timing, many held out hope that Microsoft would provide an official update path to the new OS for the HD2 but that was quickly shot down when word came down that the HD2 did not meet the requirements for a Windows Phone 7 device and would not be updated. From that point on, it seems that all the WinMo community has been trying to do is prove them wrong. The first few pictures and videos of the HD2 running WP7 were clever fakes but soon there were some real ports, however, none were what you would call usable (unless you don’t mind your device taking 90 seconds to boot up each time you turn it on). Now comes video out of China (where else?) showing that great strides have been made.

The roughly 2 minute video shows the HD2 booting up with the Windows Phone splash screen and we then see the smooth scrolling and transitions of WP7’s MetroUI. We also get a quick glance at the Pictures hub to demonstrate that multitouch is working fine as well. Let me just let the video speak for itself though.

Now if this ROM does get ported to the HD2 successfully and everything works the way it should, this may spell trouble for HTC’s flagship Windows Phone 7 device, the HD7. The HD7 is an HD2 clone to the fullest, save for an extra 128MB of RAM and the new OS, and also a T-Mobile USA exclusive and will probably launch at a price of $150-200 on contract. Now consider that a brand new HD2 is available for as low as $49 on contract. Do you see where I’m going with this? Is an extra 128MB of RAM worth $100-150 to you? Sound off in the comments below.

Update: A new video has surfaced that shows the HD2 running Windows Phone 7 once again, this time side-by-side with a Telus branded HTC Surround 7. This video demonstrates the HD2 successfully making a phone call as well as showing that the HD2′s hardware keys work just fine despite Microsoft’s claims that it did not have the necessary hardware keys to run its new OS. Enough talking, the video is below.

Kyron John has written 13 articles for The Mobile Fanatics.

Your favorite blogger's favorite blogger coming at you live from Toronto, Canada. One of the original BMEs and a cell phone fanatic. Find Kyron on Twitter @EverythingBlaxx. Email him at kyron.john@themobilefanatics.com.

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