Hasta La Gadget!

Want to see HTC’s potential answer to your landscape physical QWERTY dreams slide itself open on video? How about the Windows Phone 7 handset with a hidden speaker bar? You won’t have far to look — both the HTC 7 Pro and 7 Surround star in their own CG clips on YouTube today, and you’ll find both after the break. My, don’t they look fun? The HTC 7 Pro’s also got an official website now, though pricing and availability are still on the lam (save a mention of “early next year”) and will likely elude us for months.

Continue reading HTC 7 Pro and 7 Surround strut their stuff in official sizzle videos

HTC 7 Pro and 7 Surround strut their stuff in official sizzle videos originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So what if Microsoft’s nicest WP7 slate phones all went to Europe and the rest of the un-American world? At least we’ll have the HTC 7 Pro, the true Windows Phone 7 workhorse, with its tilt-sliding QWERTY keyboard and compact 3.6-inch size. Well, as it turns out, that device will be available in Europe too! We’ve just confirmed with HTC that the 7 Pro is definitely headed to the UK and its Euro neighbors, with the current roadmap set for “early next year.” It’s still too soon to discuss potential carriers, but we’re sure our British buddies will be chuffed just to know the handset’s coming their way.

HTC 7 Pro arriving in UK and rest of Europe ‘early next year’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 7. We came, we saw, we took lots and lots of photos. Today, Microsoft unleashed its global domination plans on the world, and we wanted to give readers some insight into what happens now, what happens next, and what the more distant future holds for Redmond’s smartphone play. As we saw today, the WP7 push is going to happen in multiple countries (more than 30), on multiple carriers (more than 60), and involve lots and lots of hardware. Ten devices to start — all announced today — and a slew of others likely to follow.

Overall, the first approach of Windows Phone 7 into the marketplace looks strong. Microsoft has built a surprisingly solid new OS (which we previewed in-depth back in July), has a strong set of carrier relationships in place, and is introducing hardware that if not revolutionary, is certainly competitive. So, where are the holes in the plan right now?

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 launch guide

Windows Phone 7 launch guide originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s Omnia 7, ladies and gents. Equipped with the only Super AMOLED display in Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 stable, the Omnia 7 provides suitably vibrant and richly saturated visuals. To be perfectly fair, we didn’t note a major advantage in using its display relative to the other WP7 devices, but that’s more a mark of distinction for the other phones on show today. The hardware really is looking polished to perfection on all these devices, and the Omnia 7 isn’t really breaking with that trend, showing off a remarkably lightweight body that combines straight lines with a nicely curved back that sits well in the hand. The power/lock button is curiously positioned on the side of the device, but all points of input seemed to perform very nicely once you know where they are. The depressed Windows key is basically identical to the iPhone’s, dare we say it, iconic home button. As to performance, we’ve nothing to say that we haven’t said about the other WP7 launch devices, it’s blindingly, ridiculously, delightfully quick.

Update: Hey, who wants to see Engadget being pinch-to-zoomed on a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen? How about a quickie size comparison between the Omnia 7 and the iPhone 4? Both are in the video now available after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Omnia 7 first hands-on (update: video!)

Samsung Omnia 7 first hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s yet another HTC handset from the WP7 launch today: the 7 Trophy. Features like the 3.8-inch WVGA LCD, 1GHz Snapdragon and the 5MP camera certainly sound familiar; even the phone’s battery cover has taken a design cue from the Desire — same peel-off method, and same matte texture. Not all that exciting, really, but the OS was running pretty smoothly except for the buggy HTC Hub and browser. For now, help yourselves with our hands-on shots below.

Update: Video added after the break.

Continue reading HTC 7 Trophy first hands-on (update: video!)

HTC 7 Trophy first hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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