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HTC HD7 with Windows Phone 7: Sleek, Polished and Middle-of-the-Road
by Nicholas Kolakowski
HTC HD7
HTC’s HD7, running Windows Phone 7, features a 4.3-inch touch screen (480 x 800 WVGA) and 1GHz processor.
Battery Life
The HTC HD7’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery lasts for roughly a day before needing recharging, provided you go relatively light on the phone calls.
Camera
The 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and dual LED flash offers 720p HD video recording.
Kickstand
The integrated kickstand sets the HTC HD7 in landscape mode.
Lock Screen
Windows Phone 7’s lock screen.
Passcode Protected
Unlike Google Android, which has its users draw a shape to access their phone, Windows Phone 7 takes the traditional pass-code approach.
Hubs
Windows Phone 7’s interface centers on six subject-specific Hubs.
Apps
Users can pin new apps (such as the Facebook and Twitter apps, seen here) to their Start screens.
More Options
By flicking their finger to the right, users can access a variety of tools not present on the Start screen, including their apps.
Bing Maps
Windows Phone 7’s maps, powered by Bing, offer a satellite view when zoomed in close to ground level.
Office Hub
Microsoft hopes its Office Hub will attract business users.
Document Editing
The Office hub offers light editing for Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel workbooks, as well as access to OneNote.
SharePoint
Microsoft is also betting that its smartphone platform’s tight SharePoint integration will appeal to businesses.
Outlook Integration
Windows Phone 7 integrates fairly seamlessly with Outlook e-mail, at least in eWEEK’s testing. Users can also add their Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail and other e-mail accounts to their phones.
Phone Calls
Windows Phone 7’s interface for making phone calls.
Multimedia Phone
HTC and carrier T-Mobile are selling the HD7 as a multimedia phone, with a "T-Mobile TV" app and integration with the user’s Zune account. Netflix also exists as a preloaded app.
Calendar
Windows Phone 7’s calendar interface.
App Marketplace
Windows Phone 7’s app marketplace reportedly has close to 5,000 apps.
Xbox Integration
As befitting a Microsoft product, Windows Phone 7 features tight Xbox Live integration. Here, the user’s digital (and customizable) avatar.
Photos
Windows Phone 7’s photo-taking interface offers control over effects, resolution, "Metering mode," "Flicker adjustment," and flash.
HTC Hub
Elements of HTC’s Hub for WP7 bear a curious resemblance to Google Android’s user interface, no?
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Microsoft hopes its Windows Phone 7 smartphones will allow it to reclaim market share in a mobile space currently dominated by the likes of Google Android and the Apple iPhone. In order to accomplish that goal, the company has teamed with manufacturing partners to produce a series of smartphones whose large touch screens and minimal buttons are heavily reminiscent of the iPhone or Droid X. But how does one of those flagship Windows Phone 7 devices, the HTC HD7, compare to those bestselling rivals? Windows Phone 7 is largely free of glitches, despite lacking certain key features such as cut-and-paste (expected in January), but it still feels like a first-generation operating system in need of a few tweaks and add-ons. The hardware is handsomely constructed, with no glaring errors. In short, the HTC HD7 is a device that most people would be happy to own—and yet nothing about the smartphone stands out in a way that would necessarily drive someone to purchase it in place of a similar Apple or Android device.