Screen Size / Brightness / Feedback:
The screen is much smaller than my last device (Samsung Epic 4G) but still bright and beautiful. The built in themes for the tiles / hubs are refreshing and different. ( You will hear me note "different" many times so brace yourself.) The sensor works pretty accurately in ambient light conditions as well outside. I noticed a slight glare but got over quickly after accustoming to the main Start screen. while not as big the screen packs quite a punch. almost as if the colors are popping up off the screen.
Set up / Sign In / Email:
I quickly signed into Windows Live over WIFI ( I used to own a HTC Touch Pro 2 running WM 6.5) as well as Facebook, Gmail, and Ymail. contacts syn pretty fast and the caller id pics look great with limited pixelation. A near perfect size on the People Hub. Email looks stunning. The WP7 interface makes everything so clean and accurate it's so hard to describe without experiencing it yourself. It's also very fast too. The sync used to take a few seconds on my Android devices but the sync is just a tad bit quicker.
Social Networking:
The Marketplace has more than enough social networking apps for free if you want to wet your beak little. I started off with Beezz bc of Live Tile Updates feature, Official Twitter for comparison, and Seesmic from prior Android experience. Seesmic won the 7 day bout due to customization of feeds on tiles and posting to multiple accounts. LOVE that feature (reminding you of Tweetdeck anyone?)
Official Facebook app is also robust but looks a bit like email in the long run. I can just hit up my people Hub for any q=on the fly updates I need. The drawback is the notifications button it's a tiny globe in the top right hand corner of the device and you just might miss it if you aren't keen.
Video streaming (over 3G) :
Must have video apps in order of awesomeness : MSN Video, DailyMotion, Break, Netflix, HTC YouTube. Some YouTube videos don't even play at times. I get "this video is not supported" very limited at times. IGN has a nice app with videos but I read they are using a backdoor to YouTube so the download times must be limited. Details to follow.
GPS and Location Based Apps:
GPS locks accurately inside and is amazing. I get a pretty accurate reading using apps like Gas Buddy, 4th and Metro (an amazing Foursquare Client), Telenav. I have been spoiled by google NAv but gave Telenav a chance. It's surprisingly accurate turn by turn. The maps are nowhere near as pretty as Google Nav. I am hoping for some Bing Nav in the future updates. I absolutely loved it on my HTC TP2. Endomondo and RunKeeper both get a decent lock before your workout and start up like champions. Allowing me to hop on my fixie and just go without worrying about anything. I like how the Internet Explorer browser as well as dedicated Bing Search gives me three feeds ( web, local, news) for every search. Sometimes it's way faster than scrolling through the phone for info. That's pretty convenient and a great add on.
Processor:
The Snapdragon processor handles my apps, texting, emails, and browsing pretty easily. Maybe because it's a brand new phone but it does not lag between menus, hubs, and is quite zippy. I like that alot!
Build Quality:
Upon receiving the phone in my hands I felt the weight, build quality, and loved the design. It felt similar to the HTC G2 build quality. The slider is strong and I like the recessed tilt feature. The keyboard is responsive just like all HTC keyboards. I like the QWERTY layout and the "clicking" is addictive.
Battery Life:
The phone got plenty of juice after unboxing and it had plenty of juice after getting crazy on some downloads. After another full charge at the beginning of my day it continues to blow my mind. the previous phones I owned never had such a good battery consumption even after more exploring with data heavy apps (video) and GPS location based apps in full tow. I let it die for testing purposes and got a ridiculous 18 hours on a single charge with heavy use all day long. ( calls, text, twitter, social networking, emails, live streaming, and gps navigation)
Overall:
I feel great about WP7. I feel great about the potential. There's something about it that makes you love it every time an amazing app blows your mind. I honestly have found every free app I need to satisfy my app needs and hunger. I found some decent games to hold me over too. More reviews on apps and games to follow in the future but I see this phone going places and the sky is the limit.
Drawbacks:
Of course there are drawbacks! I don't like the length of the micro USB cord. I do not like that the volume rocker is right where I hold the phone steady while using the keyboard. My biggest absolute hate is the recessed power button. The sliding mechanism pops out a bit and I always think it's the power button. It's not center. It's not off center. It's just weird! It takes me several tries in the morning in the dark to turn on the screen and that pisses me off beyond belief. I wouldn't mind a Tile to toggle WIFI on / off. I wouldn't mind a Tile for setting either bc I like to change the theme daily. No MASS Storage drive mode. What does this mean? I can't take my phone and use it as a usb hdd to steal er um trade music with my friends. I have to carry a flash drive with me everywhere now. Uber Fail. Small things to deal with when the rest of the phone is so dope.
sorry this review was long but I had to be as honest and robust as possible. If you have any questions hit me up. I look forward to many more months with this new device.
Cheers.
cezeOne
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