The HTC Desire HD features everything you expect from a cutting edge smartphone in terms of both hardware and software. The latest version of the Android operating system is on hand to provide users with a versatile platform for both customisation and expansion. Hardware wise, this handset certainly does not disappoint boasting an 8 mega-pixel digital camera and huge 4.3 inch touchscreen.

The HTC Desire HD measures up at 123x 68x 11.8 mm, so considering its large screen it is relatively slim and also lightweight at 164 g. The screen boasts a pixel configuration of 480x 800 in which 16M individual colours can be displayed resulting in fantastic display quality of photos, videos and games as well as websites. Proximity and accelerometer sensors are included as standard, the latter of which allows users to view content in widescreen simply by rotating the handset. The user interface of choice is HTC sense, which is the manufacturer custom UI for the Android OS. This is highly customisable, allowing users to assign up to seven different homescreens for different scenarios. For example they could have one for the workplace, with appropriate widgets and apps on hand to help out with productivity needs, or a driving homescreen where you could place you are directional and SAT NAV applications.

In order to keep your files with you at all times, the HTC Desire HD comes with 1.5 GB of internal storage, however the presence of a microSD card slot allows users to expand this considerably, not only thanks to its pre-installed 8 GB card, also the fact it can accommodate a memory card of up to 32 GB. This means you can potentially store thousands of music tracks on your phone, essentially eliminating the need to carry a separate MP3 player. The versatile internal media player supports a wealth of different music and video file formats, meaning your music collection as well as your video clips are accommodated in the phone.

Browsing the Internet is an important part of the smartphone experience, and this is an area where the HTC Desire HD really delivers. Providing super fast download speeds of up to 14.4 MB per second (courtesy of an HSDPA) in areas where 3G coverage is available, users can load content rich web pages instantly. An even faster and more reliable connection is available whenever users have access to the appropriate cellular networks, thanks to full Wi-Fi connectivity. The full HTML browser even supports flash content such as games and embedded videos, whilst users also have the ability to pinch the screen in order to zoom in on a block of text. The text will then reshape and resize automatically, eliminating the need to constantly zoom and scroll, this is the case with many other Smartphones.

A fantastic 8 mega pixel digital camera is on hand to snap high quality still images, with auto focus, face detection and a dual-LED flash included to simplify the task of taking photos whilst simultaneously improving their quality. Users can also shoot high definition video footage in 720p quality, and this can even be streamed to compatible televisions thanks to DLNA.

The HTC Desire HD provides the epitome of Smartphone technology, and is one of the most advanced handsets available. The level of technology provided within means it looks set to increase in popularity very rapidly.