Windows Phone 7 Series Upgrades: Now not possible?

“there are some hardware components that the HD doesn’t have”.

i seem to remember MS mentioning WP7 hardware requiring a GPU. It would certainly make sense considering MS requiring a high spec and the fact that other high end smartphones are bundling GPUs in their hardware now.

Wow. That's terrible news for sales of the HD2 here in the US. I am almost certainly not going to buy it if I can't upgrade. I guess I have a bit of a wait ahead of me....

One minute upgrades are up to the vendors and the next 5 is too many buttons - Just when you think the madness and disarray of winmo is coming to an end - they pull you back in. Terrible.

I seem to remember 3 buttons being the minimum requirement, 5 being the maximum (optional power and camera buttons were allowed).

I'm guessing it's more about the hardware than the buttons.

Hell, the LG prototype MS showed off the other day for engadget had more than three buttons.

MS says too MANY buttons?? My HTC Touch Pro2 has too FEW buttons. Man, I may yet go back to my Treo 650.

No more WM and HTC devices, all lies, they just want money, and they will not see more mine, comeone Palm with my future device....Palm Pre 3.

It might not be the number of buttons, but rather which buttons. The HD2 does not have a "search" button. Game over.

Seriously, though, Microsoft clearly doesn't care about any of its past relationships, whether it's with hardware partners (e.g. HTC) or its consumers. The people in charge of WinMo now probably think we're all losers for having stuck with WinMo for so long when significantly better platforms (in their opinion) were out there.

I wasn't planning on getting an HD2 anyway, but I understand that anger and frustration. They think they have to break us off in order to have a future. It's unfortunate that great blogs like this one are going to get screwed because Microsoft has screwed us.

--BEGIN TRANSMISSION--

I AM MICROSOFT. HEAR ME ROAR. HEAR ME FLEX MY MUSCLES.

SCREW YOU HTC! SCREW YOU WM6.5 USERS! YOU ARE ALL IDIOTS. WHY WOULD YOU USE AN INFERIOR MOBILE OS?! WE ALL USE IPHONES. WE DON'T CARE ABOUT IDIOTS USING WM6.5, BECAUSE YOU ARE IDIOTS.

PEACE OUT!

--END TRANSMISSION--

There is no "screwing over" going on like so many of you think. Its been known from the get-go that strict hardware requirements were going to be in place. Plus its obvious there is more to this than just the 3 button issue.

Anyway, looking at the HD2's buttons though you see send, end, home, windows and back. Search is to be tightly integrated in wp7 but there is no search button. You might say then "just have HTC make the home button the search button or something". No; inconsistent user experience. What sense does a home button have equaling search just because you're using wp7. So now just because you're using wp6.5, the home button should mean home? No, the average joe would not like this and it would be laughable to market a phone that supports wp7 search functionality with a button that on the face of it does not resemble search.

Microsoft is making a clean break from the past and the main focus in wp7 is the user experience, not just in software but hardware also. They want the name windows phone to actually mean something. They're going for the average consumer this time finally, not tech enthusiasts so your complaining is going to get you nowhere since they have no interest in keeping you happy with your every request. We are the small minority in smartphone owners so, quit your bitching.

The HD2 is a top notch 6.5.3 device that had 6.5 in mind when being built, otherwise it would have incorporated a search button. The closest thing you can hope for is for HTC to make a HD2.1 that has a search button added on to it, but again since this obviously goes beyond that, it would be pointless to make an underpowered wp7 device, which again is to the detriment to the windows phone user experience.

This is bullshit.

So the LG phone demoed at Engadget has over three buttons, but the ones on the sides and top don't count towards this "limit"???

Yes, I am calling MS representatives out on this notion.
A maximum button limit is RETARDED.

Too little too Late

MS will do fine. From the logic of half the posters above WebOS was a fail because it didn't work on a Treo 700.

Average user life of a smartphone is now 14 months. Average nubmer of people who upgrade OS (not update, upgrade) on a handset is what, one in a thousand if that?

I am happy with MS decision. Reverse engineering a new version to work with models all designed two years ago, and with 6.5 in mind would be a huge wast and overhead.

We'll see mister Crosoft, we'll see...

You don't want us, wHo cares !

xDa RULE2 :devil:

As a person that wants to get the HD2 this is not really a deal breaker as I really want to get away from the blackberrry platform but it is a little wired that they won't or can't find a way to make this work.

All I have to say is that if MS don't come to the table withh one bad ass device to run WMP7 on (instaed of the LG device) than I will say it was a very dumb mistake to not give the HD2 the update. I guess we will all see what happens but I for one will not be holding my breath.

Can I ask... will anyone buy a current Windows Phone after learning that they are not upgradeable?

Otherwise, it's Android or iPhone. Well, on second thoughts, make that Android.

People that say we should be happy with our HD2 running 6.5(.3):

You do understand that all developers are leaving? Flash has been canceled by Adobe (they are focusing on 7 Series)? There are almost NO applications in the marketplace?

Seriously, one of the best examples I have read:

We get a multi-touch device, with a superb snapdragon processor, a huge screen, etc etc etc... for what? If there is not software that uses it? There are almost no application out there (yes, online random cab's from the internet...) Seriously, this is so not right. If Windows Mobile 7 was an evolution, the HD2 would have gotten it, 100%. Now because MS decides to start over, we HD2 owners are victims? We get abandoned?

Again, all the 'no HD2 upgrade' going on right now is coming from ONE source. How can we know they are not just wanting traffic on their website? How can we no they are not just trying to get MS to say 'people you ARE getting the upgrade, this is false'?

IMO, this is no 100% 'NO'. As most major websites are now posting.

MS needs to keep going in the right direction, by LISTENING to us. Everybody was so happy with 7 Series, now they let us down again?

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Btw, for the guy that is not happy with 7 Series: you do understand that XDA is a community of 'non-mainstream' people? (a.k.a. people with a little geek inside of them, nothing wrong with that though) Believe me, most of XDA does not like 7 Series, but the MAINSTREAM people do.

Hopefully the T-Mo US HD2s come with a search button decal for the home button in the box.

There is some indication that the button issue may not be sole reason behind the HD2 not being upgradeable I guess we will all see what happens but I for one will not be holding my breath.