Windows Phone 7 Hardware First ImpressionsWindows Phone 7 Hardware First Impressions

HTC Surround

The HTC 7 Surround is one of the more interesting form factors to launch with Windows Phone 7. It looks and feels similar to the HD7, but is thicker to accommodate the slider mechanism. Rather than offer up a QWERTY keyboard under the slider, the Surround offers two stereo speakers for media playback and a kick stand. It's not many phones that ship with stereo speakers, and even fewer that hide them under a slider, but that's exactly what the Surround does.

The slider mechanism felt a bit stiff. It was work to get it to open. It only slides about 1 or 1.5cm, and the two speakers are teensy. The kickstand on the back and the speakers on the front, mean you can sit and watch movies with no problem.

It has the same three buttons on the front, each of which worked well. The camera button and volume toggle also had a good feel to them. The lock key and 3.5mm headset jack were on top, and the camera and flash were on the back.

It has an excellent display, but it doesn't quite match the 4.3-inch monster on the HD7. I can't say if the video-centric form factor will appeal to everyone, but it will definitely appeal to some.

LG Quantum

The LG Quantum is the only sideways slider Windows Phone 7 device that offers a full QWERTY keyboard. It is probably the thickest of the Windows Phone 7 devices being displayed by U.S. carriers. Despite the thickness, it has a small-ish footprint due to the smaller screen. It has a nice, rounded feel to it, and feels like a bar of soap, a trend I've noticed among phones of late. It won't be a problem to put in a pocket.

Underneath, the keyboard felt roomy and easy to work with. The keys were a bit on the flat side, making them somewhat difficult to tell apart, but they had good travel and feedback. It was a four-row keyboard, and had navigation keys, but not specialized buttons for internet characters.

The buttons along the right side of the device worked fine, and the 3.5mm headset jack on top rounds out the hardware features.