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Hands-on with the AT&T HTC Surround and Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7 devices

Microsoft's newest smartphone operating system, Windows Phone 7, is rolling out around the world and will be kicking off in the US through AT&T. The AT&T HTC Surround and Samsung Focus are two of three devices we will see on AT&T with the LG Quantum being the third.
By Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer
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Microsoft's newest smartphone operating system, Windows Phone 7, is rolling out around the world and will be kicking off in the US through AT&T. The AT&T HTC Surround and Samsung Focus are two of three devices we will see on AT&T with the LG Quantum being the third.

Check out the full post over at the ZDNet Smartphones & Cell Phones blog to see videos of the device in action and some other posts on Windows Phone 7.

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The back shows the device, specifications, and features of the HTC Surround.

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Upon opening the retail package you will find some pamphlets and the HTC Surround nestled in its compartment.

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AT&T and HTC include a cable, battery, A/C charger, and wired stereo headset.

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The back of these two devices shows the required 5 megapixel camera and flash.

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The back of the HTC Surround slides up about 1/2 inch to reveal Dolby SRS stereo speakers. The sound out is actually quite good.

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The kickstand is revealed when you slide up the speakers and lets you prop up the device.

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The kickstand is thin, solid metal and provides a nice base to rest the Surround on.

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Here is another view showing the kickstand is fairly well centered on the device.

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Make sure you close the kickstand before sliding down the speakers. The kickstand will not close by itself in this situation and there is a risk that people will try to force the back closed on the kickstand. The design is pretty slick as the kickstand integrates well into the back.

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A 3.5mm headset jack and power button are found on the top of the HTC Surround.

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The required camera capture button is on the right side of the HTC Surround.

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A microphone opening and the microUSB port are found on the bottom of the HTC Surround.

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The camera and flash are centered near the top of the back.

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You can see the size of the HTC Surround in my hand through this back view.

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The speakers really do sound good and while I thought it was just a gimmick at first I have come to like the added feature.

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The camera and flash are quite small on the Samsung Focus and the word Focus is related more to the brilliant display rather than the camera.

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The 3.5mm headset jack and microUSB port are on the top of the Samsung Focus. Like the Samsung Galaxy S devices there is a slider door on the microUSB port.

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The volume rocker button is on the upper left side.

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A power button and obligatory camera capture button are found on the right side.

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The required back, Start, and Bing search buttons are all capacitive touch sensitive buttons on the Samsung Focus.

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The three required front buttons are also touch sensitive capacitive buttons on the HTC Surround.

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Yeah, that's right, the Start screen does NOT rotate into landscape orientation even if the device is optimized and setup to sit in this position. It makes it a bit awkward to control when it is like this.

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The HTC Surround has a 3.8 inch display while the Samsung Focus has a 4 inch display.

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The Samsung Focus is a big device, but the thinness helps make it feel comfortable in your hand and that Super AMOLED display looks fantastic.

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This photo shows how well the Samsung Focus fits in my hand.

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The HTC Surround is quite a bit heavier, but a bit smaller in outer dimensions than the Samsung Focus.

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The HTC Surround has a very nice display, even if it is not OLED and I have no complaints with it.

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The HTC Surround does have a smaller display than the Samsung Focus.

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There are some beautiful images that appear on Bing and I go check it out daily just to see those pictures and learn a few things.

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The Voice Command software works very well and is activated by pressing and holding the Start button.

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You can move the Start screen tiles around all you like to meet your needs.

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Here you can see a tile full of 3rd party apps. If you want to watch my video where I walk through many of these check it out here on my ZDNet Smartphones and Cell Phones blog.

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There are a few Twitter apps available for Windows Phone 7.

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The GoVoice application costs $2.99, but brings Google Voice support to the Windows Phone 7 platform.

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You can dial a number or send text messages through GoVoice on Windows Phone 7.

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You can view your Instant Queue and enjoy movies through Netflix on Windows Phone 7.

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Movies play well on Windows Phone 7 through Netflix.

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There are a couple Bible applications so you can take the Word with you on the go too.

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Shazam lets you tag music and then integrates into the Zune Marketplace to find the songs for you later.

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Slacker Radio lets you stream on Windows Phone 7 for free while the Zune Pass does have a subscription fee.

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The AT&T Navigator provides you with real time traffic and voice guided navigation on Windows Phone 7 since Bing Maps just gives you information for areas where you are at.

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