HTC's HD7 Is A Windows Phone 7 Powerhouse for T-Mobile USA

Do you remember the HD2? It was arguably the last great Windows Mobile 6.x phone. People loved the hardware, but many were hoping to see Android on it instead of an aging Windows Mobile. HTC's newest touch screen phone isn't an Android-powered HD2, but it's close. The HD7 looks a lot like the HD2 that came before it, but in keeping with today's Windows Phone 7 announcements, this phone will also use Microsoft's newest mobile OS.


HTC and T-Mobile USA both seem happy to gloat about this phone having the largest screen of any Windows Phone 7 launch devices, with the 4.3" panel just barely beating Dell's Venue Pro, which has a 4.1" AMOLED. Other specifications for this giant include a 1GHz processor, 576MB of RAM, 8/16GB of internal storage, a 4.3" touch screen (800x480), quad-band GSM radio, Bluetooth 2.1, 3.5mm headphone jack, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, a micro-USB port, 5MP camera, 720p HD movie recording and a variety of motion/proximity sensors.

As with the other WP7 phones, this one also ships with Netflix streaming support, T-Mobile TV support, Slacker Radio, Xbox LIVE, Zune, and many more applications. Users can also use the TeleNav GPS Navigator to get from place to place, and IE8 is loaded on for browsing. The HTC HD7 is expected to be available in the U.S. exclusively to T-Mobile customers in mid-November, but no price has been given.

T-Mobile Introduces the HTC HD7, With the Largest Screen Available on a Windows Phone 7 Smartphone in the U.S.

T-Mobile Introduces the HTC HD7, With the Largest Screen Available on a Windows Phone 7 Smartphone in the U.S.

T-Mobile to Deliver Rich Entertainment Experience with Pre-Loaded Netflix, T-Mobile TV, Xbox LIVE®, Zune and Slacker Radio Applications

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the upcoming launch of the HTC HD7, one of the world’s first smartphones using the Windows Phone 7 operating system. Pairing rich mobile multimedia features with a 4.3-inch touch display — the largest screen available on a Windows Phone in the U.S. — the HTC HD7 promises to keep customers entertained and connected on the go.

“By delivering the largest screen available on a Windows Phone, T-Mobile is offering a top-notch smartphone entertainment experience,” said Paul Cole, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “With deep integration of entertainment brands, social networking capabilities and rich Microsoft services, the HTC HD7 intelligently brings together information and experiences that matter to customers all in a bold, sophisticated design.”

Jason Mackenzie, president, HTC Americas said, “With its huge, vibrant display, high quality sound and built-in kickstand, the HTC HD7 smartphone is the ultimate device to enjoy the outstanding entertainment services made possible by Windows Phone 7. With the HTC HD7 smartphone, HTC and T-Mobile are once again coming together to deliver an outstanding smartphone experience to wireless consumers looking for both entertainment and productivity.”

The HTC HD7 is the first phone from T-Mobile built on Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s new mobile platform designed to bring together what customers care about most. Instead of the common icon displays on the screen, Windows Phone 7 uses Live Tiles, which allow customers to find out what’s going on, what’s happening next, and what they’ve missed without having to open an application.

Windows Phone 7 also delivers an integrated experience on the HTC HD7 through Windows Phone Hubs. Hubs bring together a related set of applications, services and content into a single view to simplify common tasks. Your contacts, music, games and work can be shared, synced and accessed virtually wherever you happen to be.

“T-Mobile has been a strong supporter of Windows Phones and we are pleased to continue our partnership with Windows Phone 7,” said Andy Lees, president of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft Corp. “T-Mobile has a deep understanding of its customers, and we’re thrilled to bring Windows Phone 7 to market on its network.”

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, offering consumers 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 for customers to create stations of their own.
    * Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of games and fun, connecting customers 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.
    * Zune for loading people’s favorite media — music, movies, TV shows and podcasts — and taking it wherever.

In addition to rich entertainment, the HTC HD7 also keeps customers connected throughout the day with a best-in-class productivity experience featuring the largest virtual keyboard available on a Windows Phone in the U.S. The HTC HD7 includes fully integrated Microsoft Exchange e-mail and calendar as well as Office Hub, which offers customers mobile versions of popular productivity programs, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace.

Running on T-Mobile’s super-fast mobile broadband network, the HTC HD7’s 4.3 inch capacitive screen with built-in kickstand is ideal for watching the latest movies and other video entertainment or experiencing a large selection of games and applications. The device also comes equipped with a blazing-fast Qualcomm® 1 GHz Snapdragon™ processor for a fast mobile data experience.

In addition to the comprehensive entertainment features of the device, the HTC HD7 delivers advanced phone features including GPS functionality with access to turn-by-turn navigation from TeleNav GPS Navigator™, Internet Explorer 8, 16 GB of internal memory, HD video recording, and an advanced 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash.

The HTC HD7 is also 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. Customers can write a note on a virtual chalkboard and add shared calendar events for their 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.

Availability

The HTC HD7 is expected to be available in the U.S. exclusively to T-Mobile customers in mid-November. More details will be available at http://htc.t-mobile.com/hd7.

In addition to the HTC HD7, T-Mobile plans to offer an additional Windows Phone 7 smartphone option in the Dell Venue Pro, a stylish full-QWERTY slider featuring a 4.1-inch screen, 5 megapixel camera and a Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. The Dell Venue Pro is expected to be available in the U.S. in time for the holidays directly from Dell and select retailers with service from T-Mobile. More details will be available at http://www.dell.com.

Use of some features or services may incur separate, additional charges and/or require a qualifying data plan or access to a Wi-Fi connection. Coverage is available in locations nationwide but may not be available everywhere. For more details on where T-Mobile network coverage is available, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage.