No, that shot of the HTC HD2 running Windows Phone is not real

This alleged snapshot of Windows Phone 7 Series running on the HTC HD2 has hit our inbox roughly a dozen times already, so I figured we’d go ahead and clear things up: No, it is not real.

I’m still in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, and it’s really, really late here (as in 4:30 AM), so I’ve got to make this quick for the sake of getting any sleep tonight.


Why it’s fake:

  • The fonts aren’t quite right. Microsoft specifically mentioned how much thought they put into the typography on the homescreen of Windows Phone while they were briefing us, and this just isn’t the same font.
  • The e-mail tile reads “Outlook e-mail” – the real tile reads simply “Outlook”.
  • A few of the elements, such as the right arrow indicating that you can swipe to the next page , just aren’t right.
  • “Foto’s”? It’s not the spelling we’re worried about (We’re in Spain after all, where it’s “Fotographia” rather than “Photography”) – but note the random and totally improper apostrophe. That panel belongs to Foto?
  • At least as far as we’ve been told, Microsoft absolutely requires that Windows Phone 7 Series handsets have Back, Start, and Search keys. The HD2 has the first two, but there’s no search key to be found. No search key = no certification, and no certification means no Windows Phone 7 Series.

If you’re rocking an HD2 and were gettin’ all antsy about the idea of bumping your handset up to Windows Mobile 7 Series, I’m sorry if we burst your bubble. Unless Microsoft changes their certification process or someone hacks WP7 onto the handset, it’s just probably not going to happen.