Turn your old HTC Touch into an HTC Hero for free

Remember the HTC Touch Dual, one of the first Windows Mobile smartphones that actually looked good? The keywords here are “Windows Mobile”, as it turns out you can also run Android on it, too – and not just any old Android, but a version of Android with HTC’s own shiny new Hero interface.

These pics show just such a weird chimera, with the HTC Touch Dual booting up under Linux and then the familiar HTC Hero interface bursting into life.

Impossible? No, not a bit of it. It’s one of the benefits of the openness of Android, the hackability of HTC’s phones, and the almost obsessive devotion to getting Android on virtually every device out there by the members of XDA-Developers.

Sure, it sounds geeky, but if you have an old HTC Touch and want to put some extra life into it, go ahead and install Android on it – jusrt don’t ask me how ;)

More pics and details after the jump.


These pics come from my brother Dave, who’s previously installed the HTC Hero interface on the G1. Now he’s managed to squeeze Android onto his old HTC Touch, following the not-exactly-easy instructions on the XDA-Developer’s forum.

If you want more details on how this works, talk to Dave (@terminal7).

Hmmm, Android running on Windows Mobile? Anyone brave enough it to port it to the iPhone?!