I’m thrilled with the easy integration with the Exchange server. All I had to do was enter my network ID and password, and the Exchange server name, and it immediately synchronized. You do this by choosing manual configuration. The phone also keeps track of my Hotmail and Gmail accounts, but allows me to keep them separate, which is good. My Outlook calendar has its own hub on the start page, and when I come out of stand-by the phone automatically displays my next appointment on Outlook. You don’t have to sync with Exchange on you desktop or laptop, the phone syncs automatically over the phone network.

I really like the People Hub. It synchronizes my contacts across Facebook, Twitter and my Outlook address book. I’ve pinned my wife’s icon to the start page, and with one click I can choose between calls to her cell, to home, text to the cell, email, or checking her last Facebook posting. Same for my kids.

There are great Facebook and Twitter apps available that do everything I want very easily. Also very satisfied with the weather, news, and tech news apps I’ve downloded. I’ve also added a really cool flashlight app that has my friends with iPhones jealous.

I was surprised to find an Office hub. It has mobile versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. I can open all the attachments I receive by email, and can even edit them and email them. There is an Adobe reader, as well, for PDF. The PowerPoint slides are very clear, and you can zoom them, as well. Haven’t tried to connect to an external display, but the output port is micro USB, so it should be easy.

The Pictures hub is really interesting. Not only can I use the Zune software interface on my PC to move pictures from my PC to the phone, but the hub also consolidates pictures from Facebook and I can browse my friends Facebook pictures from it, as well.

The phone comes with IE as the browser, but I have no complaints. It’s quite fast, though it doesn’t support flash, yet. Click on the hardware search button and if I’m on the start screen I go to Bing, but if I’m on the web it goes to Google. I’ve also added a Google search app that I’ve pinned to the start page.

The maps are beautiful and well integrated with the GPS, so it’s easy to locate yourself on a map of where ever your are, with good search options for local search. Much superior to the map/search integration on my old Blackberry Curve.

I’m not a gamer, but had no trouble finding Tetris, Solitare and Blockbreaker apps.

Overall, I give the phone 5 stars. It was worth the wait. It does everything I had hoped and has even exceeded by highest expectations. I’m looking forward to the first upgrades, as I do miss the cut-and-paste and Flash. But I’m quite happy with the phone and will gladly wait.

*** P.S. If you will buy this HTC HD7 I suggest at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046RERVQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=slashgear.com-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B0046RERVQ

1. There was no connection via USB to the available memory, so I have to keep carrying a thumb drive around.with me.
2. There was no way to exchange Word and Excel documents to or from the phone to the home computer via usb. They want me to use a web service for this? Any dumb USB thumb drive or MP3 player can do it.
3. There was no recognition of the device as a player when plugging into the computer via USB, even by Windows media player. One must load and use Zune to add media.

It seems to me that these omissions are intentional, eliminating simple and obviously needed functionality to force us to use unneeded services. I am so disgusted I could spit.

I am contemplating an eventual upgrade to analog, however, since I find the continuous problem solving, malware vulnerabilities and costly software upgrades associated with digitally-based activities to be a waste of my time. Additionally, there appears to be a movement afoot to raise the rates for IP services, and to charge by the gigabit instead of simply for the maximum data rate. I’m consequently preparing to abandon the net altogether, never mind the data gathering clouds and further complexity engendering developments. Ahhh, I look forward to quietly reading paper books again, writing letters in longhand to literate friends, and listening to music in the form of a bitless audio continuum. “Simplex ratio veritas est” (Simplicity is the language of truth) — Cicero (approximately 20 BC).

Honestly though guys… it just came out, anyone who is bitching about missing features try and remember how much of a piece of shit iOS was on the iphone when it first came out – no copy/paste, dropping calls (still does), no apps.

All with good time it will have everything and more. Hopefully they get flash going for the browser, that would be sick.

I just got it 2 days ago and been using it for a day. So far so good.
Just some really minor things are missing such as Copy/Paste (which is coming soon0 and the lack of apps (due to its fresh release).

Overall, I love it.
The look is really good, way better looking than the ones from ATT.

Oh, I have a Droid x and it doesn’t have a forward button on the phone. In fact, I don’t think I know of any that have it. Or were you talking about internet explorer? If you were, I’m pretty sure it would have one.

Frist, it doesnt give you an option to chnage your background, which, isnt i big deal, but is something i want to do..

I cant copy, select, or even paste anything. I remember, in my blackberry days, i was able to select a text or texts, copy it and then paste it. I cant do it for SMS or in or on the Internet….

Lastly the battry SUCKS….I work from 8am until 6pm. Hence from 8am to 9am im talking on my phone, but the remaining time, im just texting. My battery is dead by 12pm.

Lets get these things fix Windows and/or Tmobile

You CAN sync with outlook. Search for Microsoft Office Outlook Connector. You need an MS Live account. Outlook syncs with your account in the MS “cloud” and this syncs with your phone
This is much better then the old fashioned activesync as your phone is being synced all the time to the cloud, much better for backup. And you can sync to your desktop outlook anytime you want.

I bought Windows Phone so that I get a similar Windows experience…. sight. Hopefully HTC wil help fix this.

2) copy/paste will show up sooner or later, as for changing cell size in excel i’m not so sure i see the real use.

3) sounds dumb, and as such probably will be fixed. obv. you want the address bar available per request regardless of tilt.

4) for some reason they decided to run with 3 hardware buttons. some phones have less though. even so, i think you’re correct in ranting about poor history navigation, but wrong taking it out on the hardware.

1) while charging the phone, the phone CANNOT be turned off ! I turned it off, and it boots up again !!! What an idiot flaw ! This should NEVER happen !!!!

2) office excel does not allow cut copy or paste ! Nor does it have function to format the width or height of the cell to my desired size! And this excel is supposed to be “Windows” !!!!!???? the same excel windows that came with our desktop PC !!!??? Give me a break !!!!  

3) in Internet explorer, on landscape mode, the search address bar disappears. Even the shortcut ‘favorites’ icon disappears ! Therefore, to type in a web page, or to access your favorites which u had already stored the link at, you will need to tilt the phone back to portrait mode, only then will the address bar and the ‘favourites’ icon appear back on !!! This is unforgiveable !!!!!!!!!!!! What an idiot designer, and what an idiot manager or VP of HTC can even approve this without checking !!!!!

4) on the left bottom of the phone, there is the left arrow key which allows going back. BUT, there is no forward key to go forward !!! For example, after browsing 6  pages in internet explorer, I then use the left arrow key to go back to the say, 3rd page, but after that, if I decide to go forward to the 4th 5th or 6th page, I cannot bcoz there’s is no forward icon !!!!! So, either i type all over again the web address, or i have to open history (which require a number of steps). Is this stupid or what !!! You would expect designers, paid b the tens of thousands of dollars per month, to be smarter than this. These guys come with engineering degrees and what have you. And I am only an O level technician. What a waste of company resources hiring such idiots !

So far, in just  2 hours of use, the above is what I have discovered. I am totally shattered ! I forked out SGD999 without contract and I feel seriously cheated. If not for the tremendous amount of drop calls on my iPhone 3GS, I wouldnt have looked around for an alternative. HTC seriously needs to look at how iPhone functions if they want to be taken seriously. Just terrible this piece of garbage. 

…. Disappointed !