There’s Not an App for That: HD7 Phone Review

I’ve been an Android smartphone user for over two years now. I was an early adopter with the T-Mobile G1, buying one the first month it was available, but I kept that phone for two years and fell a little behind the times. This Christmas my wonderful husband surprised me with my dream phone, the T-Mobile G2, which has the latest Android updates and is as wonderfully awesome as I hoped it would be.

Imagine my surprise, though, when I also was offered a T-Mobile smartphone through BzzAgent.com. In the past I have reviewed small items like makeup and gum as a Bzz Agent, but this time they wanted to send me a top-of-the-line smartphone for free. Um, okay!

So a few days ago I received an HTC HD7, one of the first phones to use the Windows Mobile 7 operating system. I’m pretty devoted to Android, but I was curious to see what the new WinMo operating system was like. I used a Windows Mobile phone for a couple of years before Android came out, so I knew I would have an interesting comparison on my hands.

Out of the Box
So the HD7 is a very pretty phone. If you like how the iPhone looks but want a different carrier, an HD7 might be something to consider. I’m really surprised at how much I like the look and feel of the phone. The back battery compartment is too flimsy — it feels like an eggshell — but other than that, the HD7 is a very sleek device.

I’ve used a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard for over 4 years, and I didn’t think could live without one. The sleekness of the HD7’s design might tempt me to try a phone with no physical keyboard, but only if the software keyboard is really good (like Swype). The existing software keyboard on the HD7 is frustrating and desperately needs an upgrade. While the keys are a nice size, the software is not intuitive at all. I can’t imagine trying to take notes on it during a pediatrician appointment.

Home Screen
The main screen of the phone has spaces for “live tiles,” where you can place shortcuts and widgets for your favorite applications. That means when you turn on the phone, the home screen immediately displays the number of emails, texts, and voicemails you have waiting, as well as the weather and the latest pictures from your friends. You can also add links to applications you want to access quickly, like — if you are a pregnant woman — a contraction timer. The live tiles are an interesting feature, and one that has been much touted on the Windows Mobile commercials, but I don’t find them more useful than the Android home screen and notification bar.

Apps
Probably my favorite thing about the HD7 is the Netflix application, which is not available on Android at the moment. This will soon become irrelevant, since Netflix will be added to the G2 and other Android phones before very long. But watching movies and TV shows instantly on the Netflix app is a lot of fun, and I could see Netflix plus the screen size on this phone being useful for parents trying to entertain kiddos (or themselves) in airports. I’m thinking about taking the phone with me for my hospital stay for constant Doctor Who access (priorities, people!). Of course, if you aren’t a Netflix subscriber, this doesn’t really apply to you.

Other than a (very) small number of exclusive-ish apps like Netflix, T-Mobile TV, and the forthcoming Flickr app, the Marketplace is definitely the HD7’s downfall. I have grown addicted to my Android apps like Tweetdeck and GroceryIQ. Right now there is a very small selection of applications available for Windows Mobile, and I get frustrated as I try to find applications that to let me use the HD7 for my daily activities. The applications I do find often spend so much effort conforming to Windows Mobile’s pretty-pretty interface that they are slow and bulky.

Windows Mobile 7 is known for its smooth integration with Hotmail, Zune, and Xbox Live. Out of all those services, I only use Hotmail, and then only for newsletters and junk. Being able to check my Hotmail quickly is nice, but not essential for me. I’ve barely touched the Zune and Xbox interfaces at all, but that might be a nice feature for someone who uses those platforms. It is worth noting that the phone will sync with your Gmail and Google calendar, so it still works if Gmail is your primary e-mail account.


Hello, Hello
As far as actual phone function goes, I’ve found the HD7 to be frustrating. An accidental finger slide moves the phone controls off the screen and leaves me no way to hang up quickly, which is a problem when I accidentally dial my OB’s pager number (sigh).When the phone rings, to answer I first have to slide my finger to unlock the phone, and only then can I choose to answer or ignore the call. While this adds only a few seconds to the process, those are a frustrating few seconds.

The HD7 also seems to suffer from the iPhone antenna curse. While I haven’t experienced any dropped calls, I do notice call quality and data connectivity problems if I’m not vigilant about how I hold the phone.

One thing that absolutely baffles me about the HD7 is the lack of notification options. I think there is a status light that blinks if I have missed a call, but if I have texts or emails waiting I won’t know until I turn on the phone. What? Now that’s just silly. In this day and age the bulk of my communication is done through texts and emails, and I want to know right away when I receive something. Hopefully Microsoft will remedy this issue in the next update to the phone.


Summary
Windows Mobile 7 reminds me a lot of Android when it first emerged on the scene. In those early days, Android didn’t have a ton of apps and offered very few home screen widgets. The software keyboard was hard to use, and Google calendar and email support could be sketchy. Over-the-air calendar and email syncing plus the prospect of future applications seemed super-cool, but much patience was required as developers helped the platform become more user-friendly.

The thing is, this isn’t 2008. Android phones and iPhones are dealing with very established operating systems, and I can’t imagine consumers having the patience for Windows Mobile to catch up. I certainly don’t. I was planning to test the phone for two weeks, but that quickly shortened to 3 days because I found it so hard to follow my normal internet activities.

Windows Mobile might work well for someone who is new to smartphones and hasn’t bought into a particular platform yet. If you have the patience to grow with the operating system, you might find it rewarding. WinMo doesn’t allow the amount customization that the Android operating system does, but that simplicity might be welcome to someone who is looking for a phone mainly to access to Facebook, email, and cute pictures of babies. The phone also might be appealing to a businessperson who is looking for Exchange and Office integration, although Android seems to have enough functionality in this area for most people I know.

Really, I see the current target audience for Windows Mobile 7 and the HD7 as people who currently use feature phones — non-smartphones that still support email, calendars, mobile browsing, etc. This operating system seems to be a natural next step. However, as long as the phones and data plans are just as expensive as Android phones and iPhones, I think the Windows Mobile adoption rate is going to be very slow.

So that’s my take on the Windows Mobile HD7. I’d love to hear your questions and thoughts about it or the Android G2, so feel free to leave a comment and I’ll try to answer.

I received a free T-Mobile HD7 with Windows Mobile 7 from Bzzagent.com for review purposes. My opinions are my own developed after testing the product.