After two weeks with the HTC 7 Mozart Windows Phone 7 it’s time to wrap up this round of reviews.
After a great initial impression where the slick looking interface made me think that Microsoft were onto something and HTC had made a nice looking, lightweight handset with a decent camera, the gloss soon started to wear thin.
I found a number of flaws with the HTC 7 Mozart handset itself including bad placement of buttons and a screen that scratches way too easily. I had reader responses saying that the Mozart was a low-end phone and in a sense this is correct – HTC now have five Windows Phone 7 handsets in their range, however the Mozart is pitched on price to match Apple’s iPhone 4, so I stand by my criticisms.
Apart from just a new HTC handset this was also an opportunity for a first look at Microsoft’s latest version of the mobile operating system – Windows Phone 7.
Unfortunately Microsoft appears to have rushed the OS to market. It’s inherently unstable and missing features that have become essential on smartphones. There is a rumoured major update to Windows Phone 7 arriving early next year, which I will review when it’s available. There are also issues with their Macintosh connectivity software, however this is still beta and I assume it will become more stable fairly quickly.
Will I keep using the handset? I’ll keep it around and will probably use it for playing games on the go as I like the Xbox Live integration, however it won’t become my daily handset.
I won’t get a new SIM card for it – I have WiFi at home and a pocket WiFi for data when I’m travelling so I don’t really need one as I won’t use the handset for calls.
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Follow all the Telstra HTC 7 Mozart Windows Phone 7 social reviewers using the Twitter #TelstraWP7 tag and on Telstra Exchange.
Disclaimer: As part of the Telstra social review program, the HTC Mozart with Windows Phone 7 handset has been given to me free of charge by Telstra to review and the handset is mine to keep afterwards. Given the tight Xbox integration with the handset, I was also provided a Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade console. The comments expressed in these reviews reflect my own experience and personal opinion of the HTC 7 Mozart and are not made on behalf of Telstra, Microsoft or HTC.
A self-proclaimed geek, I have been involved in the IT industry since 1984. I designed and coded my first web site in 1996 and have seen the evolution of online content from text only to rich media. I am keenly taking part in the revolution that the convergence of devices and the rise of social media are creating in the fields of communication and collaboration for both personal and business connections...
2 people have commented on the article " Telstra HTC Mozart with Windows Phone 7 social review #6 "
Glad I’m not the only one – I like the handset for the games also and like you probably won’t buy another sim card. I can swap my everyday SIM and out IF needed but unlikely.
You are right – the handset IS MISSING some important pieces of technology – as you know tethering for me is a big issue and Mozart doesn’t offer tethering.
Something that I did FAIL to mention, the handset when placed face-up on the bench, lies flat, which is better than other ‘smart phones’ where the camera causes a wobble when playing games!
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