Windows Phone 7 review

Have you been looking for the definitive review of Windows Phone 7? Well, look no further. Microsoft’s next (and perhaps final) opportunity to break back into the smartphone race has officially begun, and Engadget has been cranking on a variety of launch devices across several continents to see if the platform holds water.

Back in July we took a deep dive on Windows Phone 7 using a developer device that Microsoft handed out to journalists, and now we’re back for the full review. What we realized going into this process was that really very little had changed between the summertime preview and the new OS’ fall launch. Even though there have been tweaks and fixes in Microsoft’s mobile experience, there hasn’t been any addition so large that we felt the software required a completely fresh look. Instead, what we needed to do was go back to the observations made during our initial experience with the OS, compare it to the final product, and figure out where the company improved (or diminished) specific facets of the operating system. And of course, we finally had a real chance to use Xbox Live and third party applications — two of the crucial elements of this OS. So, below is our re-edited, refreshed take on Windows Phone 7, complete with real answers to nagging questions, and our definitive score of Microsoft’s great smartphone hope at version 1.0. Read on for the full story!

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 review

Windows Phone 7 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 7 Review: Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have Ourselves a Race [Video]

Let’s just get it out of the way: Windows Phone 7 is the most exciting thing to happen to phones in a long time. More »

Samsung Omnia 7 review

We knew Samsung’s been in the Windows Phone 7 game pretty much since day one, but the Korean giant’s managed to keep its Europe-bound Omnia 7 under tight wraps until mid-summer this year. Two months onwards, we find ourselves cradling this macho-looking device, and giggly flicking through the various tiles in its newborn OS. Just to freshen up your memory, we’re looking at a 4-inch Super AMOLED-donning slate, garnished with a dash of Tyrian purple aluminum on the back, and capped with some dark gray polycarbonate at the top and bottom. Well, you know the drill — join us after the break to find out how the rest of this phone fares.

This review is primarily of the Samsung Omnia 7 hardware. Check out our full review of Windows Phone 7 for our thoughts on the OS.

Continue reading Samsung Omnia 7 review

Samsung Omnia 7 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Surround review

Of all the Windows Phone 7 launch devices, AT&T’s HTC Surround is likely the most curious. It’s a landscape slider built on the same basic internals as the rest of its platform siblings, but there’s no keyboard under that screen — the quarter-inch slide reveals an aluminum speaker bar and integrated kickstand, which combine to create a tiny little stereo system of sorts. Mix in Windows Phone 7’s heavy Zune integration, add in a dash of Dolby Mobile and SRS Wow “virtual surround” audio processing, and top it all off with 16GB of internal memory, and you have what might be the ultimate phone for on-the-go media consumption. But does the Surround live up to all that promise? Read on to find out!

This review is primarily of the HTC Surround hardware. Check out our full
review of Windows Phone 7 for our thoughts on the OS.

Continue reading HTC Surround review

HTC Surround review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Focus Review: The First Windows Phone That Matters [Review]

Put bluntly, the Samsung Focus is the first Windows Phone that matters. But how good is it? More »

This Guy Bought the First Windows Phone 7 Handset

Win_Phone_7_NZ.jpg

In terms of sheer unchecked enthusiasm, this shot has nothing on this memorable image of the first guy to buy an iPad in China. Still, there’s something to be said about the civility of the whole thing–like a nice lukewarm bowl of oatmeal.

This is the first person in the world to purchase a Windows Phone 7 handset. The shot is from a store in New Zealand. Everyone seems pretty content about the whole thing. There may or may not have been an orderly queue involved. It’s hard to say for sure.

Windows Phone 7 now on sale… in New Zealand

Well played, New Zealand. Hobbit-infested scenery, Flight of the Conchords, the first in the world to get iPhone 3Gs… and now this. What you’re looking at is purportedly the first person to purchase a Windows Phone 7 device, and even if that’s not quite the case, it signals the launch of the phone for the island country, which would make it the first region in the world to put the device on sale. Have patience, non-Kiwi friends.

Update: After the break, a shot of a Vodafone NZ HTC Trophy, purchased at Aotea Square in Auckland. Thanks, Jonathan!

[Thanks, Stephen]

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 now on sale… in New Zealand

Windows Phone 7 now on sale… in New Zealand originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC 7 Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7 on sale tomorrow at 7am on Orange UK

We knew Windows Phone 7 was scheduled to land first internationally, but it’s always a treat to hear the particulars. Orange UK has just (re)revealed that it’ll be the exclusive carrier of HTC’s 7 Mozart across the pond, and it’ll be joined by Samsung’s Omnia 7 as both go on sale tomorrow morning in Orange’s Oxford Street shop — fittingly, at 7am local time. Naturally, the carrier is going to blow out the launch, with each customer buying a WP7 handset to receive a complimentary Bluetooth headset… while supplies last, anyway. You’ll also get a stockpile of Orange applications and services (like it or not), and we’re told that each phone will be offered for zilch with a fresh contract starting at £35 per month (7 Mozart) / £40 per month (Omnia 7). Jealous, North America?

Continue reading HTC 7 Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7 on sale tomorrow at 7am on Orange UK

HTC 7 Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7 on sale tomorrow at 7am on Orange UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Omnia 7 takes on HTC’s HD7 and 7 Mozart in battle for WP7 supremacy (video)

The alternative headline for this post was “a visual tour of the phones Americans aren’t getting,” but alas, the HD7 spoiled our macabre fun with its T-Mobile plans. All the same, there’s no disguising our disappointment at having to settle for Samsung’s Focus and LG’s Quantum in the US, while the rest of the world gets to enjoy the delights of the far prettier Omnia 7 and Optimus 7 from each manufacturer. Even HTC, which is also bringing the 7 Surround Stateside, is sending its aluminum-clad 7 Mozart to other, presumably sunnier, climes. Sadly, we can’t force these phones’ makers to bring them to you, but we can certainly live up to that promised visual tour. Check out the gallery below plus video after the break.

If there’s one thing that really stood out to us, it was the quality of the Omnia 7’s Super AMOLED display. It should be no surprise anymore that it delivers stellar black levels and eye-twisting viewing angles, but it still managed to take our breath away set against its WP7 contemporaries. The 7 Mozart doesn’t do too badly for itself, but the HD7 ended up a distant third in our eyes. Closeup video of all three displays follows after the break.

P.S. — LG’s Optimus 7 was too late in arriving to join the fray for this post, but rest assured that it, along with the other WP7 handsets featured herein, will be getting a full review in the coming days. If you’re curious about the (admittedly small) differences in specs between these phones, don’t forget we’ve broken them all down in our comparison from launch day right here.

Continue reading Samsung Omnia 7 takes on HTC’s HD7 and 7 Mozart in battle for WP7 supremacy (video)

Samsung Omnia 7 takes on HTC’s HD7 and 7 Mozart in battle for WP7 supremacy (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Show returns this Saturday, October 23rd with Windows Phone 7, Aaron Woodman, Google TV devices, and our first Halloween costume contest!

Attention all humans and empathetic robots: The Engadget Show is back in a big way this Saturday, October 23rd at 6:30pm! To get things started, Josh and the gang will be taking a first-hand look at the myriad Windows Phone 7 devices with Microsoft’s Aaron Woodman, then we’ll be demoing Google TV, and Engadget’s own Darren Murph will be joining Josh, Nilay, and Paul on stage, Guinness world record in hand. What’s more, we’re hosting our first ever Halloween costume contest! There will be giveaways at the show for the best costumes (as voted on by you, the audience), so get to work on your winning masterpiece now! We’ll also have the usual random giveaways, but why leave it to chance when you could win stuff with a little creativity and a black turtleneck? There will also be music from Kris Keyser and visuals from noteNdo and plenty of other giveaways at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person. We have a new ticketing policy, so if you’re coming to the live show, be sure to read about it below. If you’re geographically incapable of joining us in New York City, just tune into the stream right here on Engadget.

The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are — as always — free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served… so get there early! Here’s the updated info on our new ticketing policy that you need to know:

  • There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
  • The event is all ages
  • Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 2:00PM on Saturday, October 23rd, doors will open for seating at 5:45PM, and the show begins at 6:30PM
  • We now have assigned seating, so the first people to get their tickets — and the Sprint text-to-win winners (see below) — will get priority seating. This also means that once you get a ticket, your seat is guaranteed — you won’t have to get back in line to get a good seat.
  • We still had plenty of tickets left over at the last taping, so just because it’s 5:00pm and you finally finished Halo: Reach doesn’t mean you won’t get a seat at the show — so get your butt up to the Times Center!
  • Ticketing will continue until all tickets are given away
  • You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
  • Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we’re full, we’re full
  • The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break)
  • The show length is around an hour

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.

Subscribe to the Show:

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[Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

The Engadget Show returns this Saturday, October 23rd with Windows Phone 7, Aaron Woodman, Google TV devices, and our first Halloween costume contest! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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