Windows Smartphones Launching November 8 -- Redmondmag.com

Windows Smartphones Launching November 8

By Jeffrey Schwartz
11/05/2010

Microsoft will be launching its newest entries into the smartphone market on Monday, Nov. 8. Featuring the new Windows Phone 7 operating system, the HTC Surround, Samsung Focus and LG Electronics Quantum will be available at launch and all three are priced at $199.99 with a two-year contract. Here's the breakdown of what to expect from each device:

HTC 7 Surround: If you want to use your device to listen to music or watch movies and you don't want to listen with headphones, this phone is worth a try. It comes with built-in, Dolby-powered surround-sound speakers from Yamaha Corp. and a kickstand allowing for hands-free use. The Surround is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor and 16GB of storage. It has a 3.6-inch touchscreen display.

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Samsung Focus: This phone is the thinnest and lightest of the three and has the highest-quality display. It has a 480x800 Super AMOLED screen and, like the other two, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor. However, it only has 8GB of internal storage compared to the 16GB of the other two phones. For those who want the highest-quality display and the slickest form-factor, however, this phone stands out among the three.

[Click on image for larger view.]

LG Electronics Quantum: This is the only phone of the three with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Quantum has a 3.5-inch 800x480 touchscreen display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor. Equipped with 16GB of storage, it has a 5-megapixel camera that also supports 720p HD video. If you're not ready to use an on-screen keyboard and want a Windows Phone, this will be the device for you.

[Click on image for larger view.]

If you can wait and want something a little more rugged, T-Mobile will be offering the Dell Venue Pro, which will have a larger, 4.1-inch AMOLED display and a portrait slide-down keyboard.

About the Author

Jeffrey Schwartz is editor of Redmond magazine and also covers cloud computing for Virtualization Review's Cloud Report. In addition, he writes the Channeling the Cloud column for Redmond Channel Partner. Follow him on Twitter @JeffreySchwartz.

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