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HTC HD7
WinPho 7 gets the big-screen treatment
Good performance
Very unusually for a non-Apple smartphone at this level, there's no option to expand the 16GB storage using memory cards.
The browser is guaranteed a fast connection over 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi or HSDPA 3G, and rotates to landscape mode when you turn it on its side. Bizarrely though, navigation options only seemed to be available in portrait mode. You can display multiple pages and search for key words, but it lacks the scope of options you'll find on Android handsets.
Stands up well against the competition
To sync the smartphone you use Microsoft's Zune software, which takes a bit of getting used to but integrates neatly with Windows, linking up automatically with your pictures and music folders as well as Outlook.
I could list a number of WinPho failings, but don't forget that this is version 1.0 and it's a platform that will evolve and grow. Microsoft has already promised an update early next year that will bring on board the absent cut'n'paste facility, and hopefully it's learned enough from Apple to know that punters want regular, free updates.
For a phone with so much connectivity, a fast CPU and a big screen, the HD7's battery life held up fairly well, delivering a little over a day of fairly intense use. I had no complaints about call quality and the HD7's ability to pick up and keep a signal
Verdict
The HTC HD7 with Windows Phone 7 - available in the UK exclusively on O2 - may not be the game changer that its creators would have hoped for, but it's a powerful, capable device with an OS that stands up well against the competition, and offers a strong range of multimedia capabilities. ®
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