The exponential growth of the mobile phone market over the past few years is largely due to the wide variety of handsets available. The handsets differ in their hardware, their design, their working and most importantly the Operating System. Every OS has its ups and downs. Some have more ups and some more downs. Most of the Major OSes have an App Store that allows you to install/buy new apps that help improve the functionality of the device. Microsoft’s latest OS- Windows Phone 7 Operating system, has a thriving ecosystem with a variety of handsets from various manufacteres and a growing App Store. So when it comes to deciding which WP7 phone you want you’d have to make some decisions.
All WP7 phones work in the same way due to certain restrictions by the folks at Redmond.Microsoft has forbidden OEMs to customize their handsets thus eliminating the problem of fragmentation but unfortunately not leaving much room for manufacturers to differentiate their handsets. So as a customer you will be treated to the following irrespective of the handset.
1. A minimum of a 3.5” screen of WVGA resolution (800x480p)
2. A 1GHz Snapdragon Processor
3. 512 MB RAM and a minimum of 8GB of storage.
4. A 5MP auto-focus camera with a LED flash capable of 720p video recording and also a 2 step camera button.
5. 25 GB of free storage in Microsoft’s cloud, i.e. Skydrive.
Here’s a list of handsets and their prices in India and/or their unsubsidized prices.
1. HTC Mozart
The HTC Mozart is a quality handset with a cheesy namefrom the Taiwanese manufacturer. With a sleek brushed aluminum unibody it is a tough cookie. It also comes with a 3.7” S-LCD screen which claims to be more power efficient and much better viewing angles and contrast. It comes with HTC’s hub and Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancements. The camera is advanced to 8MP and comes with a powerful Xenon flash but performs worse than what is found in the Trophy and other handsets.
With 8GB inside and no microSD card slot you might find the memory a bit low. But as a handset it is quite flawless and there are no problems with updates that some phones have faced. Call quality is again reported to be quite decent with not much trouble catching signals. Battery life is said to be decent and might take you through a whole day’s of use
In India the official price is Rs. 26,000 and the unsubsidized price in the US is $550.
Rating in different sites:
Cnet: 3.5/5
TechRadar: 3.5/5
Engadget: 7/10
2. HTC HD7
The sequel to the widely successful HTC HD2 is this mammoth handset. With a massive 4.3” LCD screen it is definetly not meant for those with tiny hands. Unfortunately the screen is not to sharp or of good contrast and viewing angles.(A model with a S-LCD screen is coming exclusively to AT&T). It comes with a 5MP camera with dual LED flashes and kick stand (which doesn’t protect the lens). The Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancements make it an excellent device to watch movies on. HTC’s hub provides some nice apps.The memory on this device is 8 or 16GB depending on which you choose or is available. Performance is reported to be up to the mark of other handsets. Call quality is said to be decent but signal strength might suffer a bit if you hold it ‘wrong’. There have been no problem whatsoever with updates. The battery is questionably small. It appears to be incapable of carrying through the day without a recharge in the middle
It’s price in India is a whooping Rs.30,000. Outside it is available unsubsidized at $840.
Rating in different sites:
Cnet: 4.0/5
TechRadar: 4.0/5
Engadget: 6/10
3. Dell Venue Pro
Dell and Windows aren’t exactly a new combination. With certain hot notebooks under their belt, Dell’s consideration of WP7 wasn’t exactly a surprise. Dell’s first WP7 phone has a few cool features making it a good choice. With a potrait-keyboard and 4.1” 480x800 AMOLED display and end-to-end glass it is definitely one of a kind. However, unlike HTC handsets there is no sound enhancements of any sort and the camera fits the minimum requirement. There are two models 8 and 16 GB. Battery life is quite good and will be enough to last a day or so depending on the usage. Call Quality is reported to be good with no problems of any sort. There are no issues of the phone getting bricked while updating to NoDo.
//Rahul- Certain firmware issues are reported constantly though and Dell hasn't released a fix yet.
It costs a sky high Rs.34,900. Letsbuy on the other hand, offer DVP at just 23,999!
Cnet: 4.0/5
It costs a sky high Rs.34,900. Letsbuy on the other hand, offer DVP at just 23,999!
Cnet: 4.0/5
There are just three devices officially available in India and none of the above three devices have been marketed well (probably not even marketed at all!) so there is no surprise that Windows phone hasn't picked up in India. Another contributing factor would be lack of marketplace availability in India. Marketplace is supposed to launch this fall along with Mango update.
We will continue to provide you more information on Windows Phone devices making an entry into India. Do let us know what you think of our overview.
- Sameer Ramesh
