Thursday, December 23, 2010
Give up! We have you (HTC) Surrounded!
Posted by Don Tolson in "HTC Windows Phones" @ 08:00 AM
Product Category: Windows Phone 7 Smartphone
Manufacturer: HTC
Where to Buy: Expansys [affiliate]
Price: $589 USD unlocked (my unit was $450CAD from Future Shop with no contract)
System Requirements: Windows Phone 7. You'll need a Windows Live account to take full advantage of the social media and marketplace.
Specifications: 1Ghz CPU with 512MbROM, 488MbRAM, 16Gb internal storage; 3.8 WVGA (480 x 800) screen; Quad band (850/900/1800/1900), GPS, 5mp colour camera w/autofocus + flash, 720p HD video recording; BT 2.1 w/A2DP, 802.11b/g/n; 3.5mm stereo audio jack; microUSB 2.0; digital compass and G-Sensor; 120mm (4.7in) x 62mm (2.4in) x 13mm (0.5in); 165g (5.8 oz). Full specs are available at the HTC site.
Pros:
- It's Windows Phone 7!;
- Comes with 16GB of user available storage;
- Very useable, high quality phone and multi-media device.
Cons:
- The slide-out speakers are gimmicky and don't really improve the sound;
- Overall build quality is a bit 'soft' especially around the screen edges and the fit of the back cover;
- The available applications are clearly lacking some polish.
Summary: The HTC 7 Surround is among the first of the Windows Phone 7 smartphones to appear on the market, and clearly HTC is aiming this one toward people who like to share music and videos with others (or don't want to bother with earbuds :-). But how does it fare as an actual phone? ... and does the addition of extra speakers and Dolby Surround Sound (TM) really create a '...richer listening and viewing experience'. Let's take a closer look (or listen). Read more...
