Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Launch

The stage is set for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 to take its place in the race to regain its smartphone dominance. At its official launch, we got a whiff of the updated mobile OS, loaded on the newest and fastest devices that will be reaching our shores very soon.

By Seow Tein Hee,Wong Casandra - 12 Oct 2010

The Wait is Over

It has been a long, hard road for Microsoft. And the journey has only just begun. Just several hours ago, Steve Ballmer gave the official unveiling to the long awaited update to its mobile platform, welcoming Microsoft Windows Phone 7 into the limelight. Amidst the fanfare and hype that has been built upon this new and improved mobile operating system (OS), the important question is - where forth are the changes and updates?

Announced during Mobile World Congress 2010, we were given a . Nearly six months down the road, news came in pretty slow for the new Microsoft mobile OS until a shed some light on the updates that has been implemented. And after a series of device information leaks, and some early hands-on experience with the new Windows Phone 7 devices, the stage is finally set for its debut.

Windows Phone 7 showcases a simple UI that allows you to create Hubs for faster and seamless connectivity with your social networks, documents and even, favorite songs.

If you've read our earlier reports on Windows Phone 7, you'll find its basic premise to be unchanged - built around the Hub concept and a strong emphasis on integrated social feeds, Windows Phone 7 devices will be focusing on a fully integrated and connected experience, both offline and online. If you haven't yet seen how this would look like, here's a visual advertisement from Microsoft that clearly shows the various hubs brought about in the Windows Phone 7 interface:-

What we are able to share today, is the actual user experience that we've been reserving our comments on. In one word - smooth. Compared against its Windows Mobile 6.5 or even 6.1 predecessors, Windows Phone 7 is a far cry from its earlier days. Its UI has been vastly improved, and showcases some of the finer details from . Speed, efficiency and smooth transitions have been clearly demonstrated by Windows Phone 7, and is even more apparent as we pushed through with multiple apps during our hands-on time.

The Hubs haven't seen any major remodeling, but what impressed us further was a definite improvement in its speed and overall performance on its UI.

Vendor specific hubs, such as LG's Panorama shot, will be preloaded as a Hub on their Windows Phone 7 devices. These apps will also be available for download in the Marketplace.

We were duly impressed at its keyboard, which gave us one of the best accuracy and speed in typing.

At the launch, we also had our first taste of the the Xbox Live integration on Windows Phone 7. Games are aplenty for you to download and try before purchasing. They are also tied to your personal account, and can be registered to no more than five phones.

Applications will be one of the core focus points for Windows Phone 7, and you can expect more apps coming your way on the revamped Marketplace for Windows Phone 7. Telcos and phone manufacturers, like LG for e.g., will be contributing their fair share of apps to the Marketplace as well.

Of course, what is Windows Phone 7, without its accompanying devices? From the earlier announcement, a total of nine Windows Phone 7 devices have been announced globally, some of which will be making its appearance in Singapore. During the Windows Phone 7 launch event, we had a glimpse of the devices from Microsoft's old and new partners - HTC, LG and Samsung. We share some of our initial impressions of these Windows Phone 7 devices in the next few pages.

Hands-on with HTC Windows Phone 7 Devices

As a show of its strong partnership with Microsoft, HTC has also announced three Windows Phone 7 devices to be launched in the early days of November. This includes the mammoth HTC HD7, the flagship model and successor to its previous HTC HD2 sibling. On the lower (but equally impressive) spectrum, we have two new entries in the Windows Phone 7 lineup - the HTC 7 Mozart and HTC 7 Trophy.

HTC HD7 Hands-on

Following its HD lineage, you can expect the HD7 to be a colossal multimedia device. You'll find a similarly sized 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen to fulfill your mobile video needs. At this size, the HD7 is a device that will take the full size of your palm to behold, but fortunately it doesn't have the weight or the girth of a giant device. Like the recently introduced , the HD7 will also come with Dolby Mobile and SRS surround sound for maximum audio enjoyment. This, on top of the 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 16GB internal storage and an impressive 768MB RAM to run the show, is a definite winning combination. Surprisingly, it's not asking for an arm and leg at the moment and it's retail price is set for S$938.

The combination of a big, high resolution screen at 800 x 480 pixels and Dolby Mobile audio and SRS surround kept our eyes and ears glued to the HD7.

An integrated kickstand (surrounding the 5-megapixel camera and dual-LED flash) at the rear to prop the HD7 at an appropriate viewing angle highlights its positioning as a multimedia device.

While you won't get an absolute remodeling of the Windows Phone 7 interface, you'll find an app known as HTC Hub that brings up an alternative user interface. From what we've seen, you'll be dazzled by its 3D-like user interface, which was surprisingly smooth and thus showcased the prowess of its processor and memory. Though it is a separate user interface, HTC Hub has a tight integration with Windows Phone 7, giving you direct access to all the features and functions of the Microsoft mobile platform with just a few easy clicks.

While we were mightily impressed with the Windows Phone 7 user interface, it doesn't hurt to have an alternative (and equally smooth) eye-candy of an user interface to play with. In fact, it's so smooth, we wished the device had an option for users to choose which interface the user would like to have by default. Alas, that's not possible because of clauses present in Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 licensing agreements.

HTC 7 Mozart

The HTC Hub isn't just one of the apps that will be provided on HTC Windows Phone 7 devices out of the box. Due to our limited time with the demo sets, we'll have to give a more detailed overview of the various additional features when we receive the test units. But one thing's for sure, you'll get the same HTC Hub across all HTC Windows Phone 7 devices, thus bringing us to both the HTC 7 Mozart and HTC 7 Trophy.

According to HTC, the Mozart puts design as its core focus, adopting the unibody design that has been seen on the and . Besides the single-aluminum clad concept, the Mozart is also built with a 3.7-inch screen, and enhances its imaging capabilities with an 8-megapixel camera and Xenon flash. To sweeten the deal, the Mozart will also come with an 8GB internal storage and will retail for a relatively cheaper price of S$868 (compared to the HD7).

The unibody design, as seen on the HTC Legend and Desire HD, makes another appearance with the HTC 7 Mozart.

Located at the rear is an 8-megapixel camera with Xenon flash, an option that's reserved for HTC's higher-end devices.

HTC 7 Trophy

To prove that HTC is serious in the Windows Phone 7 arena, there's also a mass-market device dubbed as the HTC 7 Trophy. Adhering to Microsoft's stipulated requirements, the Trophy will also sport a 1GHz processor and comes with a slightly larger screen than the Mozart at 3.8-inches. However, you'll get a tamer imaging function with a 5-megapixel camera complemented with an LED flash. Although it's marketed as a mass-market device, at a recommended retail price of S$798, it's not as mass of a price point we would have liked. Lets hope the telcos can do something about that soon with their price plans.

Though it has a slightly larger screen at 3.8-inches, the Trophy comes with a modest 5-megapixel camera and LED flash to accompany it.

Hands-on with the Samsung Omnia

Fresh from its Android-heavy devices, Samsung looks set to take a stab at the Windows Phone 7 OS and join the rest of the bandwagon with its Samsung Omnia 7. Like its Android sibling, the , the device showcases a large 4.0-inch capacitive Super AMOLED screen and comes with a 122.4mm x 64mm body with a slightly thicker girth of 11mm. The device comes in both 8 GB and 16 GB versions, so users who don't need the extra storage space can opt for the former. It's expected to be available by late November (Singtel has confirmed, with M1 and Starhub yet to respond) and has a recommended retail price of S$998.

Omnia's differentiating point is pretty obvious: the device was the only one with a 4-0-inch Super AMOLED screen amongst the WP7 smartphones released today.

While it comes with ample screen space, the Omnia 7 still showcases a slim profile not unlike the Samsung Galaxy S.

Hands-on with the LG Optimus 7

As part of a plan to further diversify the Optimus lineup, LG has also introduced a pair of Windows Phone 7 devices, the LG Optimus 7 (LG E900) and the LG Optimus 7Q (LG C900). Unlike its previous entry-level Android siblings, these phones are targeted at serious smartphone users. While the targeted date for the Optimus 7 is slated for end of this month in Singapore (price TBC), news on the Optimus 7Q is still tightly under wraps, with no sign of a physical set at the event.

Those familiar with the existing lineup might find the LG Optimus 7 a bit different from its distant relatives. From the onset, the smartphone looks drastically different, fronting a larger capacitive screen of 3.8-inches on a sturdy metallic body. Definitely catered to high-end users with a strong emphasis on 'multi-tainment', the smartphone comes with the latest Qualcomm QSD8650 1GHz processor, 16GB internal storage and 512MB RAM that should satiate an entertainment junkie. While the phone feels a tad heavy due to its metallic back, thankfully the device isn't too big and uncomfortable to hold; in fact, the device is relatively sleek and thin at just 11.5mm thick.

While its 3.8-inch screen isn't the biggest amongst the contenders, it is definitely sizable and yet, comfortable to hold. The smartphone boasts of a streamlined button layout, showcasing only back, home and search controls on a single panel.

The choice of retaining a 5-MP camera is questionable on a high-end phone like the LG Optimus 7, but as usual, it is found at the rear accompanied by a LED flash.

While LG hasn't done anything drastic to the interface, they have preloaded a couple of interesting exclusive apps that can be easily accessible from the homepage. These include a Scan Search app, an augmented reality app that displays information about your whereabouts and the weather, as well as the Play To app which allows you to easily share and play your multimedia content through an existing Wi-Fi connection with other DLNA DMR compatible devices. LG has indicated that it will provide more apps through the Windows Phone Marketplace, so stay tuned for more details.