HTC HD7 BZZAGENT REVIEW - THE GOOD..... PART 1

HTC HD7 was HTC's first Windows 7 phone + also the first Windows 7 phone for T-mobile. I was given the opportunity to review it from www.bzzagent.com & received the phone free to test out. I've had the phone a few weeks now & have gotten to know it pretty well. There are still things I'm discovering on the phone. That makes this so much fun! Here are some basics & my insight. Keep in mind I'm not the most "technical" person out there. I've only had the Nokia Nuron smartphone before, and this phone was a step-up in all ways!! Here's some insight:

• There are 3 main sections. The homescreen, swipe the arrow to the second page to see the application sreen, swipe again & see the "HUB". The homescreen tiles are large and in a grid. The application page has a list layout. I can only see 11 tiles on the 2nd page at one time. 
• Large  LIVE tiles: the tiles are shortcuts for apps & are real time. For example, I have THE WEATHER CHANNEL app on my home page, in a live tile. I can see the weather temp. change as the temperature drops or rises. Can't wait to see what happens in the summer & any severe weather!  I can see why Microsoft advertised the "live tiles". You can create a tile within a tile (like I saved my favorite bargain board from IE & made it a tile in IE - so when I click on it, I go right to my bargain page. This is kind of like a bookmark but in one touch, you're there!).  
• The size is larger, with the 4.3" screen, it's larger than its competitors, the Iphone + Android phones. The larger size makes it a bit different and takes awhile to get used to. I bought a belt pouch on eBay and carry it on my belt at work & in my purse outside of work. It's securely in there & hasn't fallen off. This phone has the largest screen on a cell phone in the US.
• The headphone/audio jack is at the bottom of the phone. Works well when I plug in my headphones & listen to music at work, and the case has an opening so I can easily plug everything in, without having to take my phone out. 
• The Power button on top could use some improving, as it's flush with the top of the case & it is hard to know if you have pushed it or not. This button wakes up your phone or locks it after use. Because of the smooth shape, it's hard to press. Maybe this was designed to prevent accidental knocking/pushing of the button? I don't know but it's probably my biggest complaint on this awesome phone. 
• I LOVE the kickstand! I've never seen a phone that has a kickstand before! It has never popped out on its own & been in the way when I use it. It's designed very well this way.  My son loves to video tape himself finger-boarding & put it on YouTube. This phone has an app that allows you to upload to your You tube channel automatically + you can pop out the kickstand & the phone won't move when you're recording. Brilliant! 
• The Live Tiles are brilliant also, they give you up to the minute, instant updates on what is happening in your world. You can see everything that is going on with one finger touch to your tile of friends, without even opening up any application.
• Hubs: Wasn't sure what a "hub" was, but it was on my home page. A hub brings together pretty much everything on your phone (games, music, & other content). The HUB allows you to sync, share, and access anything, no matter where you are! 
• Great sound - it's like high def for your ears! 
• Slacker Radio - this comes pre-installed on your phone. This app is FREE and allows you to 130 stations to choose from or create your own radio station! Goodbye iTunes!
• Microsoft Office Mobile - pre-installed on the phone. Take your work with you, finish up a last minute document & then attach it & mail it, all from the comfort of wherever you may be! Use your email & sync your calendar. Much more convenient than your laptop! Included are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace.
• TeleNav GPS Navigator also comes pre-installed on this phone. There is a fee involved to this service. I un-installed this service as I had this on my Nokia Nuron, tried the 30 day subscription & forgot to cancel it. 3 months later, I realized that I had not cancelled it. OOPS! That was a waste of $30!
• Internet Explorer 8 is also installed on this. I'm not a huge fan of IE, I like Firefox or Chrome. However this IE is blazing fast!! Maybe it's the OS, or the IE??? 
• The back button (at the bottom of the phone), moves you back only one page at a time. To get back to the home page, you can click the center button on the phone. This will skip through everything you've got opened & your back to the home page. 
• Keyboard: it took me awhile to figure out that this phone had auto-correct on words - a built in spell check. I had some typo's that I couldn't figure out how to go back and correct before sending a text/message. I noticed that there is a line of words that will anticipate what word you will be writing. Just touch your mis-spelled word to highlight, touch the correct spelling, & the word is replaced! VERY FAST! 
• Sign up online at www.windowsphone.live & activate the "find my phone". Lose your phone or maybe it fell between your seats in your car - log on & GPS your phone & find it! 
• Voice activation: I realized that when you hold the middle button down on the phone, you can activate the voice activation. I now call my mom every day, on my way to work, using this button. Simply hold down for less than 5 seconds & say the "Call __________" (name must match what is in phonebook). This allows your eyes to stay up & not be looking down.
• This phone is quick, easy to use, user friendly to learn. I'm blabbing about it to everyone, carrying it around, and playing with it. It's become part of me, not just part of my life.

Watch out, this HTC HD7 is set up to take on the competition & be the best available phone out there, hands down. With a few minor tweaks, there would be no complaints from this user!