WP8 ported to the HD2


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So Microsoft's claim about current WP7.x devices 'not having the required hardware' is essentially nonsense. According to them WP8 requires a TPM chip or some kind of encryption at the hardware level but that's not the issue. They just fabricated lame excuses because they're just too lazy. Even if WP8 truly required 'things' not present in current devices they could still have figured out a workaround and provide users with something better. Their greed is pretty much comparable to Apple's, always seeking to push users into buying newer devices in order to have a newer OS

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^ Yeah, hardware was given as the reason the HD2 didn't get an upgrade to WP7 way back when. Then some photos from Cotulla and the DTF team popped up...

I'm seriously considering getting my HD2 fixed while parts are still available.

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Just to clarify for everyone...the hardware claims are not nonsense. This is a PoC from the dev who (from what I've read) is using an emulated UEFI implementation that then kicks in a bootloader that allows it to load.

From what I've read it emulates the hardware functionality at initial boot, then kicks off a chain to load the OS once it has faked the necessary hardware requirement.

This sort of solution would NOT work properly for phones sold at retail. Just because something is possible doesn't meant that it can be done for the devices at market.

There's a difference between something being possible in the sense that it can be done, and it being possible in the sense that it can be done properly.

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When I was in Hong Kong a few years back I wanted to buy an HTC Tattoo, and I was almost sold an HTC HD2 because the shop keeper misheard me and wanted a bit of extra money for it. I should have paid the little bit extra if only I knew what a beast it would be past WM6 :pinch:

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My dad has the HD2 and the screen is not respawning that well anymore. It was a really good phone at the time but it's out dated with the spec. WP OS is a very well OS which is why it was the best thing for Microsoft to start over from 6.5

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Just because someone was able to get it running once on an HD2 doesn't mean it's actually usable - it's not a question of whether or not Microsoft "lied" but more an example of getting code to run efficiently on a given platform device.

Hell, you can run Windows Phone 8 in the emulator on a PC - so technically it DOES run in that emulator, but the experience is so slow, laggy, and generally useless that it's nothing like actually running it on an actual Windows Phone 8 certified device.

See the difference there?

I've owned several HD2 smartphones in the past few years, when I find one on the cheap I usually grab it because I know how awesome it is, but putting Windows Phone 8 on one is an exercise in futility for someone like me 'cause I can't stand Windows Phone at all.

Just because it can be done doesn't necessarily mean it should because of the lack of performance it'll have if and when they actually get a solid working ROM they can distribute.

Also, the HD2 has two versions: the International one with only 512MB of RAM and the T-Mobile US version that has 1GB of RAM - both have 1GB of internal ROM space but, for more current OSes, the amount of actual RAM in them matters. I doubt Windows Phone 8 would run worth a damn on the International version, and only slightly better on the T-Mobile edition.

As Cotulla has pointed out in posts since this info was posted, it was basically an experiment to see if it was possible at all, he really never had intentions of making it a serious project to pursue.

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