Sometimes the world of mobile tech is wonderfully full of surprises. Take Microsoft and their smartphone OS that became a dirty word in a world captivated by the iPhone, Android and even a somewhat OS 6-revived BlackBerry. It's been many months since a Windows Mobile device was released, and no one (beyond us tech reviewers) seemed to notice or care. Windows Mobile devices disappeared from the parade of new releases because Microsoft has been hard at work on a completely new OS, Windows Phone 7, and it's finally here, at least on GSM carriers. CDMA users (Verizon and Sprint in the US) will have to wait until Q1 of 2011 for a Windows 7 Phone.
The screen looks more faded in photos than it does in person thanks to
screen glare that the camera picks up.
screen glare that the camera picks up.
At launch, T-Mobile US offered up the HTC HD7, an HTC HD2 reborn with a new OS. Why can't you upgrade your otherwise capable HD2 to Windows Phone 7? Because Microsoft has strict minimum hardware and design specs, and these include a hardware camera button that the HD2 lacks. Storage is also handled differently with all but the Samsung Focus on AT&T omitting the user-accessible microSD card slot (more on that later). Your other November 2010 T-Mobile option is the Dell Venue Pro, a QWERTY portrait slider that Dell will sell direct (it likely won't be in T-Mobile stores).
Design and Display
The HD7 is a lovely piece of hardware with judicious use of metal and techno-modern design elements that give it a classy look and feel. The HD7 is the highest end looking Windows 7 phone at launch in terms of materials and design (the Samsung Focus is great looking but screams plastic). Like the HD2 and HTC Evo 4G Android smartphone on Sprint, it's a beast of a phone since it has a 4.3" capacitive display. If you're looking for a cuddly and pocketable smartphone, the HD7 shouldn't be your first choice. But if you want big screen movies that actually do fit in a roomy pocket, easier to read text and a bigger and badder phone than your buddies carry, the HTC HD7 is it.
The display is indeed large and movies and videos take on a whole new level of enjoyment when you add those extra tenths of an inch vs. 3.7" and 4" smartphones. But the story is bittersweet because the HD7's display looks, feels and is in fact the last generation TFT used on the HD2. It isn't just the fierce competition from Samsung's Super AMOLED display and Apple's Retina Display that makes the HD7 look a bit dull on the color front and faded. In comparison to the HTC's T-Mobile G2 display (a recently released Android smartphone on T-Mobile), the HTC Surround and the Dell Streak, which use current gen SLCDs, the HD7's blacks aren't as deep and the colors are faded, especially if you shift your viewing angle. Part of the problem is the excessive glare because this is one of the glossiest-screened phones on the planet-- it's truly a mirror. That said, when not viewed next to a phone with a superior display it looks OK and it's quite sharp. The HD7's display is leagues ahead of Motorola's recent QVGA Android displays and resistive displays on old Windows Mobile phones.
