The world of smartphones has undoubtedly evolved over the past three years. With the introduction of Apple’s iPhone, the bar was brought to new heights. It challenged competitors to engineer a device of function and performance while also offering elegance in its design. I mean, how often has a new smartphone been dubbed as the “iPhone Killer”?

Well the latest addition to possibly claim this title will come from HTC in just a few short weeks as their highly anticipated launch of the HD2 is expected to hit T-Mobile stores on March 24^th. T-Mobile has continued to market this phone as “a larger than life entertainment powerhouse” and have set its expectations very high for the success of this handset.

While the specifications of this device definitely seem promising, much of the hype was surrounded by the fact that the HD2 would be running Microsoft’s latest OS; Windows Phone 7. Unfortunately, it has been confirmed by HTC that the phone will be shipped running Windows Mobile 6.5 and will be incompatible with Windows Phone 7 software. In a recent report from Comscore found on www.phandroid.com, Microsoft’s growth trend showed a drop of -20.30% from Oct. 2009-Jan. 2010. Given these details, it will be interesting to see how these metrics will fluctuate once the phone is released.

Despite this, the HTC HD2 exhibits some amazing specifications that are still sure to amaze and awe. T-Mobile is working to claim supremacy in their high speed coverage as they push to complete their launch of HSPA+ by the end of this year; boasting up to 56 Mbps on the downlink and 22 Mbps uplink. Doing so will complement the HD2’s capabilities nicely as T-Mobile’s current 3G offers are merely a fraction of that at 7 Mbps downlink and 2 Mbps uplink. The HD2 is expected to be priced at $199.99 with a 2-year contract agreement or $449.99 at full retail price. Here’s a slight overview of the HTC HD2 along with a few un-boxing pictures (courtesy of : TMONews.

Hardware:

-       Dimensions: 0.43”x2.64”x4.74”

-       4.3 inch capacitive touch screen (currently largest on the market)

-       1 GHz Snapdragon processor  with 512MB ROM and 448MB RAM

-       5MP color camera with auto focus and dual LED flash

Software:

-       Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional (with HTC Sense)

-       Native twitter app; HTC Peep

-       Windows Media Player

-       FaceBook Integration

For more information on the HTC HD2 visit: http://www.htc.com/europe/product/hd2/specification.html