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The HTC Trophy, Verizon's first Windows Phone 7 phone, arrives next week. But will anyone care?

While Verizon's first Windows Phone 7 phone is a big move for the company, the announcement is perhaps more significant for Microsoft, which has seen lackluster sales of phones running its mobile OS.
Written by Ricardo Bilton, Contributor

This morning Verizon announced that the HTC Trophy, the first Windows Phone 7...phone will arrive on May 26. While Verizon is months late to the Windows Phone 7 party, the Trophy is still an impressive device, featuring a 1GHz processor, 3.8-inch touch screen, and, of course, Windows Phone 7.

Verizon's announcement comes on the same day as another interesting bit of news, this one from the analysis firm Gartner. According to Gartner's research, Microsoft only shipped 1.6 million Windows Phone 7 phones during the first quarter of 2011. (Google, by comparison, activates just as many devices every four days.) This means a lot of things, and very few of them good. For one, it's clear from the numbers that consumers just aren't catching onto the Windows Phone 7 scent, opting instead for devices from Apple and those running Android. No surprise there.

But Gartner's numbers also put a particular onus on Microsoft to make its recent deal with Nokia bear significant fruit, not just for Nokia, but for the future of Windows Phone 7 as well. Of course, working with Nokia is sure have major positive affects on Microsoft's smartphone ambitions  - but the companies' first device isn't expected until late this year or early 2012. That translates to lost momentum - that is, unless devices like the Trophy catch on.

Which is why the Trophy is such a significant device. Not only does it mark Window's Phone 7's first foray in to Verizon's trove of happy customers, but it may also mark a shift in Windows Phone 7's paltry sales numbers. Can it happen? That depends: How much do you care about HTC's Trophy?

Here are its specs:

  • 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
  • 3.8-inch WVGA touch screen
  • 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
  • 720p HD video capture
  • Virtual surround sound with SRS WOW HD
  • 16 GB on board storage
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

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