As the title suggests, I am going to talk about the T-Mobile HTC HD7 Windows Phone 7 today. Quite a mouthful, isn’t it; I will try to convince you that it might just be worth it.

Let us first be clear on goals. This, in no way, is a review of the HD7 or WP7 OS for that matter. I am a huge fan of how fresh Microsoft’s approach has been with Windows Phone 7 OS and the opportunities it presents for developers. And we are only getting started! As for the HD7, there are tons of official reviews online, some of which I shall mention in a bit. This post will simply be about sharing my experiences using the HD7 for a month now and what I like/don’t like. I am doing this at the request of a friend from our National Mobile Steering Committee, since he has folks curious about first-hand experience with HTC’s WP7 offering. In fact, this might be of interest to my fellow Sogetians wanting to tap into our partnership with T-Mobile as a corporate phone.

The HD7 has been reviewed extensively. Two of the gadget sites ran fairly comprehensive reviews as below:

Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/20/htc-hd7-review/

Gizmodo: http://gizmodo.com/5684068/htc-hd7-review-size-aint-everything

I’ll let you be the judge on how to interpret the reviews. As for my experiences:

The Good:

· Screen size: I have never had the HD2 or Evo stuff; so HD7’s 4.3” looks gorgeous to me. There have been several occasions where I had skipped picking up even my netbook in HD7’s favor and my last iPhone feels like a kid’s phone in comparison. So, trust me if you may, screen real estate DOES matter.

· Look & Feel: The metal band around and placement of hardware buttons feels natural. As with many other WP7s, the Back/Start/Search buttons being capacitive touch really works with tactile feedback. The curvatures are ergonomic for holding and I personally do not have any issues carrying it around at all times.

· Aesthetics: Don’t know how to describe this; but Windows Phone 7 just feels at home on an HD7. You might sometimes forget that you’re on a phone while using Outlook, Office or Xbox.

· Kickstand: Handy on a plane. Just don’t expect it to withstand any wobble.

· Keyboard: I believe WP7’s keypad is one of the best around and HD7’s size really makes a difference in landscape mode.

· Music Sound Quality: Really nice, even through a Bluetooth headphone.

· HTC Hub: The over-the-top animations can be hit-or-miss; but good to see someone trying buttery smooth effects on a WP7.

The Bad:

· NOTHING! Remember, I am a WP7 fanboy. We should just overlook the flaws; and gloat over!

· Build Quality: HTC does not seem to have used the best materials and some buttons may feel a little flimsy.

· Power Button: With the curved top, this can be hit & miss at times.

· Screen: As crisp as it is, I believe the Samsung Focus’s AMOLED has deeper blacks. Also, viewing angles aren’t always great; but if you’re like me, you would stare straight at your phone.

· The speakers: Neat idea to have them surround the upper & lower parts of the glass display; but they can be dust magnets. Also, HTC seems to have preserved the best for the slide-out Surround.

The Ugly:

· Jealousy of the other fanboys: I told you!

In all, I consider the HD7 to be a solid WP7 device whose size shines over everything else. And heads up advertising: The upcoming Sogeti Hub app we are writing runs gorgeously on the HD7. Do I have you interested? Please drop comments if you may.

Adios