One of the newest kids on the block, the HTC Desire HD, is an Android-powered force to be reckoned with. It’s the phone that the EVO wishes it could be. Today while fiddling around with the thing, I received a notification that a system update was available for it. The update is rather small, and addresses minor issues, but it’s still an update, and we’re fine with that.
The OTA update is only 18.1 MB and improves screen control of the device. This minor update also includes performance enhancements for the YouTube player. The battery on my Desire HD was too low to install the update, so I have yet to install it yet, but the fixes are minor and you likely won’t notice any difference.
We weren’t expecting Gingerbread for this thing, but the question surely looms as to when HTC’s Sense UI devices will actually receive the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS goodness. HTC is adamant that the new Android UI will not make them stop putting Sense onto their devices, which is a good and bad thing.
HTC Sense really stepped up Android’s game by providing a super slick and sexy UI that stock Android has never achieved. The Droid Incredible and EVO 4G are some of the best Android smartphones available, and both run Sense UI. The downside of having a heavily customized user interface on Android is that once a new version of the OS is available, the handset maker needs to go retool their UI to make sure it takes advantage of new features, most importantly, runs smoothly.
This is why the Nexus One receives updates faster than any other Android smartphone to date. It’s a pure Google experience, unhindered from carrier bloatware or manufacturer’s skin. Even the T-Mobile G2, which also runs stock Android, will be stalled in the updating process since T-Mobile has provided their own pre-installed applications within the device. That said, the G2 will receive the Gingerbread update much sooner than the likes of the MyTouch 4G, which has sports a T-Mobile customized version of Sense.
For now, we’ll happily take any update HTC throws at us, and with the beauty of the Desire HD, it’s hard to complain about anything.
How is the update treating you, dear Desire HD users? Are you noticing any significant improvements to the YouTube player and screen controls?