Product Description
One of the world's first smartphones using the Windows Phone 7 operating system, the HTC HD7 for T-Mobile pairs rich mobile multimedia features with a 4.3-inch touch display--the largest screen available on a Windows Phone 7 handset in the U.S. Its size not only gives you an extra-large virtual keyboard, but also allows you to enjoy your favorite videos and movies in cinematic style. It's also powered by a blazing-fast Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon processor for a fast mobile data experience.
 The HTC HD7's large 4.3 inch screen makes multimedia come to life. |
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Enabled for T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, the HTC HD7 offers fast data delivery and an enhanced Web-browsing experience that lets you connect quickly to social networking sites. And the 3G-enabled HTC HD7 will benefit from the enhanced speeds of T-Mobile's upgraded HSPA+ network, which is being rolled out nationwide to reach up to 200 million people by the end of the year and offers speeds close to 4G connectivity (read more about HSPA+ below).
The Power of Windows Phone 7
The Windows Phone 7 operating system has been carefully crafted to help you get more done in fewer steps with a unique Hub and Tile interface. Instead of the common icon displays on the screen, Windows Phone 7 uses Live Tiles, which allow you to find out what's going on, what's happening next, and what you've missed without having to open an application. |
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Live Tiles on the Start screen dynamically update, so there is no need to open an app, and you decide the Tiles you want and where you want them. The Start screen includes the People Hub, which constantly refreshes with status updates from your favorite friends. The Me Tile lets you update all your social media sites, like Facebook--just type once and post everywhere with ease. Other Tiles allow you to quickly see new e-mails arrive in your inbox, play games via Xbox LIVE, and access recent photos and albums to view as well share with others. Swipe up to view more Tiles like music, Microsoft Office, and more.
In addition to Internet Explorer 8 for full HTML Web browsing, the HTC HD7 also includes fully integrated Microsoft Exchange e-mail and calendar as well as the Microsoft Office Hub, which offers mobile versions of popular productivity programs, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, OneNote, and SharePoint Workspace Mobile.
With Windows Phone 7 you can stay on top of your inbox and quickly cut through the clutter to see only unread, urgent, or flagged messages. Move or delete messages in bulk, and respond to meeting invites right from your inbox with Microsoft Outlook Mobile. Streamlined account setup works with Windows Live, Google, Yahoo!, and other popular providers. Windows Phone 7 also combines your work and personal calendars in a single, color-coded view, making it easier to spot conflicts and manage your life.
Microsoft Office Mobile is another reason you won't miss your PC when you're away from your desk. Windows Phone 7 has mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint on hand for reviewing or editing on the go. Notes in OneNote Mobile--grocery lists, meeting memos, spontaneous musings--can sync wirelessly to the web and include voice clips and pictures. SharePoint Workspace Mobile makes it easier to collaborate with your coworkers when you're out and about.
You'll also be able to personalize your phone with the Marketplace Hub. Read reviews, check out ratings, and test out content before you buy.
Entertainment To Go
With the new HTC HD7, customers can access their favorite movies, TV shows, games, music, and more on a large 4.3-inch screen. The HTC HD7's top pre-installed entertainment applications include the following:- Netflix for streaming thousands of movies and TV shows for Netflix members to watch instantly on the HTC HD7's large, crisp screen.
- T-Mobile TV offers access to live and on-demand TV, including free programming from ABC News NOW, FOX Sports, PBS Kids, Azteca America, family holiday movie favorites, and more.
- Slacker Radio for listening to free, personalized radio with over 130 genre stations and the ability to create stations of your own.
- Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of games and fun, connecting you to a global community of more than 25 million active Xbox LIVE members and offering easy access to Xbox LIVE features such as Friends, Avatars, Achievements, Messaging, and more (learn more below).
- Zune for loading your favorite media--music, movies, TV shows, and podcasts--and taking it wherever. With a Zune Pass subscription, stream millions of songs right to your phone--no need for extra memory.
T-Mobile Family Room
The HTC HD7 is the first device to offer T-Mobile Family Room, a new application exclusively from T-Mobile that helps families keep in touch and manage their busy lives. You can write a note on a virtual chalkboard and add shared calendar events for your Family Room group to coordinate get-togethers. Sharing pictures and interacting is easy, with real-time notifications alerting users when any family member posts something for everyone to see. |
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Key Specifications
- Fast 3G connectivity via T-Mobile's HSDPA/UMTS network. (1700/2100 MHz bands, UMTS/HSDPA; see more about T-Mobile's 3G service below)
- Windows Phone 7 operating system
- 4.3-inch touchscreen display (480 x 800 pixels, 16 million colors) includes light and proximity sensors.
- Full QWERTY virtual keyboard
- 5-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash gives you a brighter light source for taking photos in less-than-ideal lighting situations.
- HD video capture capabilities (720p)
- Digital media player compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ music formats and MPEG4 video.
- Ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go.
- Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1) includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.
- GPS navigation with access to turn-by-turn navigation from TeleNav GPS Navigator
- 16 GB internal memory
- Text (SMS) and picture/video (MMS) messaging
- Access to popular instant messaging services
- Access to personal and work e-mail (supports Microsoft Exchange corporate e-mail)
- MicroUSB port (2.0)
- 3.5mm headphone jack
Vital Statistics
The HTC HD7 weighs 5.71 ounces and measures 4.8 x 2.67 x 0.44 inches. It has a 1230 mAh lithium-ion battery that provides up to 6.3 hours of talk time and up to 310 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies, as well as T-Mobile's 3G network (1700/2100 MHz).What's in the Box
HTC HD7 handset, rechargeable battery, international charger, USB cable, wired stereo headset, quick start guide, user manualT-Mobile Services
High-Speed Data Connectivity via T-Mobile's 3G NetworkIn addition to its quad-band GSM connectivity, this phone is also compatible with T-Mobile's UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum. This phone is designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web.
In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and e-mail on the go.
While this phone is optimized for use with T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, many of its functions will also work well on the moderate-speed EDGE network. If you plan to access the Internet extensively on your phone, 3G network coverage may serve you best.
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T-Mobile's New, Expanding Super-Fast HSPA+ Network
As of June, 2010, T-Mobile has upgraded its traditional 3G network to HSPA+ in 25 major metropolitan areas across the U.S., and it plans to continue rolling out this network upgrade to over 100 metropolitan cities and up to 185 million people by the end of 2010. HSPA+ provides our fastest data speeds, up to 3 times faster than AT&T and Verizon's standard 3G networks, while allowing simultaneous voice and data capabilities for the ultimate wireless voice and data experience.
HSPA+ enabled areas will enjoy 4G-like speeds, with a theoretical capability of up to 21 Mbps peak download speeds (and typical download speeds averaging between 5 and 8 Mbps).
While this 3G-enabled mobile phone doesn't offer HSPA+ compatibility, it can benefit from enhanced speeds when connecting to the HSPA+ network today.
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Windows Phone 7 featuring Xbox LIVE
Windows Phone 7 lets you make the most of every moment by connecting and playing with friends wherever you are--using your avatar and gamer profile to keep track of scores and wins. Always be in the game with the only phone that lets you take Xbox LIVE mobile.Windows Phone 7 comes with a single destination, the Games Hub, where you'll find your favorite games, game invites from your friends, and your Xbox LIVE avatar. Find the latest tips, tricks, and gaming news in the Spotlight section of the Games Hub. And this Windows Phone 7 handset delivers the next generation of gameplay through immersive 3D graphics, multi-touch functionality, and advanced technology that brings your games to life.
More About Xbox LIVE
Xbox LIVE brings a world of entertainment to you. Connect for free to get the most from your Xbox 360 with free game demos, instant HD movies, and game add-ons like new songs and characters. An Xbox LIVE Gold membership gives you the best in entertainment. Enjoy instant HD movies and TV from Netflix or choose from 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events and highlights with ESPN on Xbox LIVE. Easily play games online with friends around the world. Plus, enjoy personalized music with a Zune Pass and Last.fm, connect with friends on Facebook, and post tweets on Twitter. And Kinect makes your entertainment even more extraordinary. Imagine controlling movies and music with the wave of a hand or the sound of your voice, or chatting on your TV with Video Kinect. Xbox LIVE is your connection to more games, entertainment and fun.
* Kinect, Video Kinect, ESPN on Xbox LIVE and Zune Pass coming November 2010. Broadband Internet required; service fees may apply. Games, add-ons and media content sold separately. Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for online multiplayer gaming, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm. Instant on HD available with select videos; requires minimum 4 mbps broadband speed. Xbox LIVE Gold membership and Netflix unlimited membership required to instantly watch movies streaming from Netflix. See Netflix Terms of Use for details about Netflix service. ESPN on Xbox LIVE requires an Xbox LIVE Gold membership; for live and on-demand sports Xbox LIVE Gold Members must have an ESPN3.com affiliated broadband provider. See ESPN3.com for providers. Zune Pass requires Xbox LIVE Gold membership and Zune Pass Subscription.
Hardware
On the whole, we like both the look and feel of this handset, but it's not without its flaws. Chief among them is the quality of its construction materials, with the back cover being made from a relatively flimsy plastic, which has a slight, albeit tangible, flex to it and is prone to creaking. It looks durable, mind you -- we don't expect its matte surface to degrade too badly over time -- but the phone's rigidity comes almost entirely from the metallic band around its sides and from the display itself. Not exactly ideal in our eyes. Then there's also the kickstand, which exhibits some lateral wiggling action we're not too fond of and does not sit flush with the phone when retracted. Beyond that, just to get all our bugbears off our chest, the pair of speaker recesses turned out to be absolute dust magnets and cleaning them out wasn't the easiest thing in the world either.
To flip things around and look at the positives, the biggest one for us was the HD7's basic feel in the hand. Its curved back is ergonomic heaven and we really couldn't find any disadvantage in using it as our daily workhorse versus our usual 3.5-inch device. This will of course depend on your own palms' dimensions, but we felt immediately at home with this oversized smartphone, and its pocketability was no less impressive. Additionally, while we may bemoan the battery's cover for being on the cheap side, we have to commend it for being easy to remove and replace, with HTC earning extra brownie points for the little insert it has underneath the battery to make extracting it even more foolproof.
Internals
The US (exclusive to T-Mobile on November 8) and UK (an O2 exclusive, available today) variants of the HD7 will pack 16GB of non-expandable storage whereas most other countries will have to settle for 8GB. You might consider that something of a limitation, and indeed if you have to have every episode of every season of House on your mobile device, maybe you'll feel the squeeze, but T-Mobile is coming to the rescue with Slacker Radio and Netflix apps preinstalled on the US HD7, while the Zune Pass all-you-can-listen music buffet service (coming to Western Europe right around now) can turn the cloud into your music collection guardian.What we're more concerned about, however, is the Qualcomm QSD8250 chip that resides within the HD7's confines. This was a celebrated 1GHz part back when it graced HTC's own HD2 this time last year, but today... not so much. And speaking of the HD2, it's pretty outrageous that HTC has gone and matched its spec almost entirely. Sure, the externals have been tweaked, the physical buttons have been dismissed in favor of capacitive keys and you've now got a slightly different frame around your jumbo display, but as far as the internal hardware is concerned, it's nearly the same phone. We imagine this was probably out of HTC's hands since Microsoft insists on the particular trio of WP7 buttons and has also been the one to mandate the processor within, but it still leaves geeks like us feeling less than overjoyed. After all, if not for a bit of red tape, we could just as well be reviewing the HD2 right now.
Looking at the HD7 and its Windows Phone 7 OS in isolation, however, we have to commend the final product. Whether we like the route by which Microsoft has gotten here, what we're looking at with all these launch devices is one hell of a smooth user experience. So, in spite of its aged hardware, the HD7 is by no means a performance slouch. Basically, we'd have preferred something beefier inside, but that's just because we like numbers, and we like them to grow higher, but in actual use the HD7 is more than nippy enough.
There was one truly noticeable hardware drawback to this handset, however, and that was the size of its battery. At 1,230mAh, it's on the small side for most smartphones nowadays, but particularly so for one that has to power a backlight spanning a full 4.3-inch display. The LG Optimus 7 comes with a 1,500mAh cell and there's no reason (other than perhaps a budgetary one) for the HD7 not to do the same. We definitely felt this shortcoming during our time with the device, finding ourselves looking for the charger before a full day of intensive use was through, whereas even the lightest of use would necessitate you tethering up by the end of the second day. Not terribly impressive.
A final note is also merited regarding the HD7's front-mounted stereo speakers. Not that it should be any surprise given that this is a mere phone, but their quality was pretty nondescript in our testing. We weren't impressed either by the loudness or by the clarity of the output and would describe them as mildly disappointing, given the hype that HTC has flourished upon them.
Display
On the one hand, the enlarged panel really makes your daily smartphone tasks so much easier. Yes, in terms of pixel density it's no better off than the more diminutive phones it's vying against, but the magnification of those pixels was a definitely improvement for us, allowing us to read webpages without necessarily having to zoom in on them every time, and also making navigation and text input appreciably easier. It's worth reiterating, perhaps, that this was simply our experience and others may find the large screen overwhelming and its contents unnecessarily inflated. What we're saying is that this just felt like the ideal size to us, not too large (hello, Streak!) and not too small (Motorola Flipout, anyone?).
In fact, on a couple of occasions we honestly got carried away reading on our commute and simply forgot we were using a phone. It felt more like browsing on our desktop with the added bonus of being able to scroll by flicking our fingers. It was a terrific sensation, even if it only lasted for brief moments, and of course it's not something we can confidently say you'll be able to experience on the smaller devices in the Windows Phone 7 stable. The Samsung Omnia 7 and Dell Venue Pro might come close to that, but the HD7 clearly sits at the top of the pile when it comes to taking your Windows experience on the move without resorting to a tablet or a laptop.
Alas, where HTC lets us down is in the quality of the panel it's chosen. We noticed viewing angles weren't all that hot in our first hands-on experience with the phone and nothing's happened to make us think differently since. It's just not a high quality display by today's standards; it can reach high levels of brightness when you crank it up, but if you care about faithful color reproduction, we'd advise looking elsewhere. It's saddening to see, really, since HTC has a much better display installed in its own 7 Mozart, as you'll see in the video above, and the only conclusion we can reach is that the particular screen in the HD7 represents a conscious choice of quantity over quality. It's a bigger panel, which gives you all the benefits you might expect, but it's also a worse one than any other WP7 phone available today. The choice, as ever, is yours.
Camera
HTC HD7 images
Software
Windows Phone 7 interface
Notes is a quirky, stylized take on your usual note-recording app. It gives you a board that you can "pin" little post-its to, which in turn age relative to their, erm, age. We could frankly take it or leave it, there's a character limit on each note so if you're a wordy sort of missive writer, it'll immediately discourage use, while its stylized elements feel somewhat forced and unnecessary. It's cute, and maybe some weird demographic that appreciates animated transitions more than rapid and easy data input will appreciate it more, but it wasn't for us.
Now the Photo Enhancer, that was another story. This image post-processing app doesn't really have any pretensions for the high office of actually enhancing your photos. Oh, sure enough, it has one preset for auto-correcting and enhancing your pics, but it's real title might be something closer to Photo Fiddler. It comes with a bunch of different after-effects you can apply to generate particular artistic conceits atop your images -- from making them look like monochromatic classic, to intentionally over-exposing them, to giving them warm or cold color casts. Honestly, it was a lot more fun than we expected it to be and its basic but varied functionality seems a perfect fit for the device it's riding on. Top marks.
Wrap-up
The build quality is a step below the finest we've seen, landing the HD7 in the "passable" category, while the display may achieve a high level of brightness, but it goes to waste thanks to its poor contrast and viewing angles. For a device aspiring to woo us with its multimedia features, this, along with middling sound output from its stereo speakers, renders the HD7 a failure if measured purely by the boasts of its promotional materials.
But we judge by our own standards here, and the reason we like the HD7 is that it seems to be just about the perfect size for us. It trades little in the way of added bulk for an awful lot in added real estate and general usability. We know we like to beat the drum about pixels on these pages, but sometimes inches matter just as much. And lets not forget that we're still living in a world where nobody has yet managed to deliver a truly impressive 4.3-inch display, never mind the fanciness of Super AMOLED, so HTC deserves commendation for at the very least trying, and we reckon we might be happy dealing with a less Super panel that just gives us more of what we want. Provided what we want is Windows Phone 7.
Customer Reviews
Reviewer: Liam
Had this phone for a few days now, not going to blab on in too much detail, all I will say is don't listen to all the bad reviews out there; try it for yourself!
I'll split a few of my favourite things up into bullet points:
- The phone is incredibly quick booting.
- The UI is beautiful and so smooth to use in comparison to other smartphones.
- The build quality is solid and it feels like a good phone in your hand with the metal surround instead of cheap plastic.
- The apps already on the store are of good quality and run very well on the phone, expecting a load more on the US release.
- Skydrive integration with the Office Hub and your photo's is very useful allowing super quick upload to the cloud.
- The one touch camera launch from the lock screen is very handy & the flash is super bright with double LED.
A few people have mentioned it doesn't have an AMOLED screen but for me the screen seems very good quality and is very nice to use with it being 4.3" it gives plenty to look at but this is just my preference.
Only real bad points at the moment are the lack of apps which should be fixed by the US launch as mentioned above and a few little buggy issues but nothing major as im guessing these will be fixed ASAP.
Liam
Reviewer: JackBurton
Ok I was originally skeptical about how this OS would turn out. But I have to say MS did a great job here. There is much to love with this 1.0 version of the OS. Some skeptics were saying it was too late to play catch up. Well they are wrong and all i can say is that the OS is beautiful and flows like a dream from one transition to the next. I find myself just flowing along as I check my facebook, email and news feeds etc. The live tiles are an excellent addition and make the phone feel truelly alive like a personal assistant rather than a device you make work for you. Initial claims by some tech sites that apps load too slow and that the OS is buggy are false. There are so many features here I could go on and on about how it all works together to make all of your services feel as one. At least take my advice and play around with one for a bit you will walk away with a good feeling for the product.
As for the hardware ,I think pretty good the large screen works well here and the phone feels pretty sturdy.
There are some things that need to be fixed as it is with any new OS but I can see what is in the near future for this phone. For one some apps will not run while the phone is locked. MS said they are now allowing 3rd party apps to do this as long as they demonstrate that it will not overconsume the battery..which I think is a good thing. I like how ou can get to past apps using the back button but there also needs to be some kind of fast app switching.
All in all I am extremely happy with my phone and OS. Take my advice, at least take a look at this OS first hand with an open mind before forming an opinion.
Reviewer: M. Lim "Ober" (Aurora, CO United States) -
I got this phone from tmobile store on release day (11/08/10) and I can't stop looking at it or stop using the new Windows Phone 7. It is just so freaking smoothing and fast!
some cons about this phone:
1. the battery doesn't full charge itself until you discharge/drain the battery 3 or 4 times. if this isn't done, the phone will never be fully charge
2. the camera, when shooting white background such as snow, you see a purple haze which is captured in the final output. Some people got it bad and some people, like myself, only see a bit of it, mostly in the center.
3. doesn't have HSPA+.
Reviewer: Hiruu (All around the World, baby!) -
I've been eyeing this OS for a long time (over a year), and I had an unlimited Blackberry thru work, so I really had no pressing need for a new phone, but WOW...what a difference. This found is simply amazing from both the hardware side, and the software side. I can rave about the OS to no end, but it does have a few glitches and areas needed for improvement. On the hardware front, this thing is super impressive, and I've found no major cause for compliant since getting mine on launch day from T-Mobile. Well, one actually, and it's the lack of accessories for the phone. The plastic case was $30 bucks, and they didn't even have screen covers, so I ordered a HD2 online, and will return this case when it arrives.
Pros:
- Super fast, Sleek and Powerful OS and Phone.
- Great Sounds and the Camera is pretty nice as well
- Unlimited plan for data rocks!
- Great amount of apps to start off
- Xbox Live integration is superb, and for any serious Xbox gamers, you have to consider this OS.
Cons:
- More Apps are needed, great start, but Microsoft needed to keep pushing this angle very hard.
- Battery life - but I'll use the tip provided be another reviewer to wear down my battery 3-4 times for a stronger charge.
- The opening tile screen is sleek, new and a great way to outlay functions, but the follow on screen for apps sucks. Once you have A LOT, it is going to be a pain to navigate thru them all. This needs to be fixed in the first update.
Windows Phone 7 is the real deal, and while I can't speak for the service or devices on AT&T, I can say that this HTC HD7 is as good as anything I've seen, and I've played around with IPhones, Nexus and Evo extensively.
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Tag: 4.3-inch, hd7, htc, htc hd7, HtcHd7, microsoft, review, snapdragon, video, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, wp7, xbox live, XboxLive, zune
