HD7 From HTC Is T-Mobile's First Windows PhoneHD7 From HTC Is T-Mobile's First Windows Phone

HTC HD7

Microsoft bet large on Monday with its splashy debut of Windows Phone 7, its completely rebuilt smartphone platform. The HD7 from HTC is one of the first to be announced, and is going to be sold by T-Mobile starting in mid-November.

The specs of the HD7 read almost word-for-word like a high-end Android handset. It has a 4.3-inch display with a 1GHz Qualcomm SnapDragon processor. It can access T-Mobile's 3G network, but not its faster HSPA+ network (what a shame). Other connectivity options include 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, FM radio, GPS with navigation, and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

As for Windows Phone 7, it includes the new Start Screen and user-configurable tiles. The Start Screen is meant to provide users with a birds-eye view of everything their favorite contacts are up to. It integrates with all the messaging functions, including social networks.

Windows Phone 7 also boasts full integration with Microsoft Exchange. It supports enterprise email and calendar, as well as personal email and instant messaging. The Office Hub provides access to the productivity tools that business professionals might need. It also has a full HTML browser and tight integration with Bing Search and Bing Maps.

T-Mobile and HTC are sure to call out a lot of entertainment features. The HD7 will ship with Netflix, T-Mobile TV, Slacker Radio, Xbox LIVE and Zune software all on board. It will also come with new software from T-Mobile called Family Room. T-Mobile didn't provide a lot of details about Family Room, other than to call it "a new application designed by T-Mobile to help keep families in touch and manage their busy lives."

The HD7 has a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and dual-LED flashes. It can record video in High Definition, though HTC fails to mention support for DLNA or HDMI. The HD7 also has 16GB of built-in storage. It's unclear if there is support for microSD cards for additional storage. The HD7 also sports a kickstand for use when viewing media.

The device will ship to T-Mobile's existing customers starting in mid November. T-Mobile didn't say when it would be made generally available.

Stay tuned for a hands-on report about the HD7 and Windows Phone 7.