Did some googling on desire hd 2.50 and found this:
finaly root, s-off desire hd 2.50.405.2 - xda-developers
Haven't tried it out yet, my DHD is still stock, but rooting is getting more and more tempting :P
Just to comment some of the older posts. There are several cheap android devices with lower quality which explains the high return rate. Therefor it's not fair to compare an iphone against an htc wildfire for example.
Either way, it's up to the manufacturers to make it work and I think they will. There are many pros with on-screen buttons, they can be dynamic and change both icon and function depending on the application and allow larger screen size but not increase the overall size of the phone. Cons... I...
Whats the concern about not being able to fit in your pocket? I have been using a 4.3 for a long time now and it has never been a problem even though my phone and wallet share pocket! The bigger the better!