Looking to prolong the life of that ancient HTC HD2 (originally Windows Mobile) device possibly collecting dust in your desk drawer or seemingly outliving the expiration date the mobile world has placed on it? Install Android on it! But not just any 2.x build of Android. We’re talking Android 4.1 Jelly Bean!
The talented hackers/community at XDA have managed to take the ever-changing HTC HD2 and transform it (yet again) into a “new” device by porting Google’s latest and greatest built onto it’s creaky hardware.
But before you get too excited, be forewarned that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the HTC HD2 is labeled “pre-alpha” as a number of things don’t work, including: Google Now, the web browser, camera, and various apps. That said, what is working is actually quite impressive considering how young this port is and the age of the hardware: Mobile Data (2G + 3G), voice calls, WiFi, Bluetooth, SMS, Sound check, Video Playback and USB Mass Storage mode. If the HD 2 can be prolonged so far with the meager hardware within, just think how long a community like XDA can keep something like the Galaxy S III and One X going…
As good as we feel inside for the tech community as whole, the only thing we can honestly think about now is the sheer amount of BS carriers and manufacturers shovel in front of us regarding mobile hardware being “too old” to power through the latest Android updates. The HTC HD 2 is 3 years old and apparently is capable of running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean fine, despite debuting at a time when Android 2.0 was the new hotness.
So, carriers/manufacturers. What’s your problem?
