Windows Phone 7 Devices Go On Sale In The U.S.: HTC HD7, HTC Surround, Samsung Focus

Three Windows Phone 7 devices are now available for purchase in the United States, Mashable reports.

The HTC HD7, which features stereo speakers and a kickstand, is available for $199.99 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile.

The HTC Surround, featuring slide-out speakers, and the Samsung Focus, equipped with a Super AMOLED screen, are each available for $199.99 with a two-year contract from AT&T.

Without a contract, the devices will set buyers back $500, according to Gizmodo.

The devices are currently available in the Microsoft Store.

For more details on the Windows Phone 7 platform, click here. And check out our Windows Phone 7 review roundup to see what critics think about Windows Phone 7 devices.

Comments

[WurrdUp]

06:51 PM on 11/10/2010

Zzzzz

[dtrobert]

11:25 AM on 11/10/2010

Meh

[dmsdzinr]

03:37 PM on 11/09/2010

Multiple Glitches and HACKS within One Month!

[hypnotoad72]

10:41 PM on 11/08/2010

Having used Windows Phone (nee "Windows Mobile", nee "PocketPC") for years, the best thing going about Windows Phone 7 right now is the advert I saw during "The Simpsons" yesterday.  (the ad was essentially saying people using iphones and droid devices were addicts, with Windows Phone keeping a person to set tasks.)  
It was a clever ad (as was the T-Mobile one where they're openly mocking iPhone+AT&T), but having used previous iterations of the operating system, I am less than enthused at WP7 is going to be much better - not without an overhaul and making it less resource-intensive.  Amongst other things.
Still, one thing is clear - regardless of provider, mobile web development (not games) will be a pragmatic field in the future.  http://wmpoweruser.com/average-iphone-app-only-earns-2-per-day-or-why-the-app-store-is-a-fools-errand/
Let's hope that HTML5, currently being pimped by all the major players, won't be splintered in the same way previous versions were, meaning HTML5 developers will hopefully NOT have to diddle with something like (("if browsertype='Ie' or browsertype='opera' then _____ else _____")) coding crap all over again and I'll bet real money that will end up being the case, again... (just how we ended up with a dozen Linux distributions, each of which not being fully compatible with others...)  That's why Java, Flash, and other solutions were created to begin with - because no browser/OS developer really made an effort to conform to a universal standard, and added in "enhancements" which were little more than attempts at vendor lock-in.

[Brian Callery]

09:47 PM on 11/08/2010

How many people will lock into a new 2 yr contract to get the first iteration of an unproven phone line? MS hopes to get to 40-50% markets share. You need more than 1500 apps to to reach that. I guess we will see how developers take to it. Here is a link to a survey to get peoples votes on what they think will happen to it. Check it out if you want - http://www.interaskit.com/viewPublicPoll.php?PollID=675

[MrVee]

10:05 PM on 11/08/2010

Whats your point here Brian? How many locked onto the iphone's first iteration of a smart phone for 2 years with AT&T? A phone I might add with NO experience at making phones nor any app store to speak of? Any clue on this or does your point of reference begin and end at the edge of the walled garden? Android was also an "unproven" phone with less than 1500 apps. But it took Google's Android less than 12 months to kick Apple from the top spot into second place with it's first iteration OS. Mobile operating systems are not new to Microsoft.

[tenderlung]

12:39 AM on 11/09/2010

I think the smartphone market was pretty much wide open when Apple brought out the iphone. There were smartphones that preceded it but the average consumer had no real awareness or desire for them. So it wasn't that difficult for Apple to gain a foothold considering the strength of their marketing machine + people's pre-existing addiction to their iPods. Android built upon the desire kickstarted by iPhones. Now Android and iPhone have a head start, the market isn't anywhere near as open as it used to be and WinMo doesn't have much of a reputation outside business customers and their marketing is nowhere near as strong as it should be.

I don't think it's impossible for them - and parts of the OS look really cool, the live tiles are awesome - but it is definitely going to be more difficult for them than it was for iOS and Android.

[Morgantheaxe]

12:41 AM on 11/09/2010

Understand your point MrVee but really when the Iphone came along there was nothing like it. Microsoft faces the challenge of trying to eat in to market share of companys that are already making good products. Really, the only think Iphone had to kick the heck out of was Crackberry. Remember when Crackberrys were cool? Yeh me neither. Windows better have one stellar product or this thing is likely to top out at 10% market share at the most. Its hard coming in to the game this late.

[sazbad]

03:02 AM on 11/09/2010

Are you kidding? It's name is Microsoft who has an OS called Windows which runs over 90% of the world's computer. An phone OS is nothing compared to the complexity of Computers. This is not their first OS. Even long before Apple's IOS Microsoft invented OS for handheld devices called windows CE. So whoever is thinking MS is an infant in this phone OS domain they don't know what MS can do. You will see it in coming years. Windows 7 is a huge success worldwide and many of those features are in WP7. Apple has a good fan base but from the productivity point of view they don't have that many software integration tools. It's basically a fancy device. But if you think of the interoperability then they still refuse to support Flash.

[Joshua Hansen]

06:47 PM on 11/08/2010

Got my Samsung Focus this morning. It's been a blast to play with so far. Lots of oooohs and ahhhhs from the coworkers.

The phone itself is nice, but not perfect. The handset's only real fault IMO is the case. It's all plastic all the time. It's not bad hardware by any means, and it does feel sturdy, but it would certainly have benefited from some aluminum.

The OS is gorgeous. I thought it looked great from videos and demos, but now that it's in my hand, I really think this is something special. Anyone who has researched the phone or read any reviews of the OS knows there's a few basics missing, but it nails it for the most part, and the omissions are such no-brainers that I have to believe they'll be fixed sooner than later. Navigation is speedy and I haven't run into any major bumps yet.

If M$ gets it together before too long, and the app store takes off, I'd say the only reason to get an iPhone over this is pure, personal aesthetics. I myself greatly prefer Zune software to iTunes and this new OS has got me hooked.

If anyone has any questions about it, I'd be more than happy to answer.

[MrVee]

09:23 PM on 11/08/2010

Joshua, I stopped by the AT&T store today for the express purpose of laying hands on this phone that has been only available to me in video. I have to say this, the video DOES NOT do this phone justice.
Every video I've seen, and I've seen many on Pocketnow and Engadget but you cannot get the flavor of this phone from watching videos. It simply cannot be done. After actually using the live demo phone at AT&T, this phone if hella fast and smoother than melted butter.
I used the browser to get to the pocketnow website and popped up fast, fully loaded. But what really sold me was pinch to zoom. You could pinch and zoom as fast as your fingers can pinch and zoom and the browser never once broke stride. I have never seen that on any iphone or ipod touch do that. It made the iphone 4 feel like a feature phone. Obviously the iphone 4 is not, but comparatively speaking, it is. You'll have see it for yourself lest you think I'm hating.
But I understand about being hooked Joshua. When I left the store, I found myself planning a return visit to see if what I experienced was real.

[Joshua Hansen]

10:19 PM on 11/09/2010

For sure. Glad to know I'm not the only one lol.

In fact, after re-reading my first post, it wasn't positive enough. This phone is young, but it's an absolute joy. And you're dead on about the responsiveness of the screen. The videos don't do it justice, not at all.

[philp71]

05:53 PM on 11/08/2010

EPIC FAIL

[LightShadow62]

03:17 AM on 11/09/2010

You really shouldn't be so down on yourself. It isn't good for you.

[Saidas]

09:08 AM on 11/11/2010

Seriously Philp....it's time to grow up.

[OS2Guy]

01:55 PM on 11/08/2010

DOA. Why on earth would anyone want a lame Microsoft phone?

[hopefull2008]

03:44 PM on 11/08/2010

To call their mother.

[hypnotoad72]

10:45 PM on 11/08/2010

The same reason some want Droid phones, or iPhone phones, or - no way - a standard "made for only phone calls" phone like my happy little low-end Nokia, which gets reception in areas my iPhone, Fuze, and Tilt never had...
Having used Windows Mobile (renamed 'Windows Phone') devices in the past and working with WM's predecesor, originally named "PocketPC" (or Win CE), if all MS did was change the UI but didn't clean up the underlying code, it may not succeed.
I will have to stop in a store and spend a few minutes looking at one.  The UI looks okay, I suppose (at least the typography is far better than the blue squares), but the operation and feel are what count the most.