Seventh Heaven from Microsoft

The HTC HD7 with Windows® Phone 7 launches exclusively on O2 today – it can be yours for free on a £40 a month 24 month contract or for £379 on Pay & Go but is it worth it? O2 Guru Dave’s taken one for a spin – here’s what he thinks.

My last Windows® Mobile phone was the O2 XDA Orbit in 2006, and with built in GPS, touch screen and WiFi, it was quite the innovator.

But, like many others, I left Microsoft in a hurry when other smartphones started coming on the market. So what did Microsoft do?

They wiped the slate clean and started again.

Windows Phone 7 is beautiful to behold, a complete overhaul from previous models. They've added tons of quirky effects to make it a completely immersive experience. For example, your music player background changes to include the artist you're playing and the search engine shows you a new picture with interesting facts each day.

You can work on your Microsoft Office ® documents on the move, and, best of all, it uses live, dynamic Tiles instead of static icons on the start screen to show your social network activity.

When it comes to applications, Microsoft is aiming for quality. And with 2000 apps available at launch including YouTube and Twitter, it’s a great start. Also bundled with the phone for the first time is Xbox LIVE ® integration allowing you to buy games, view gamer scores and go head-to-with your mates.

Now, a phone is only as good as its hardware. Luckily O2 has bagged the high end HTC HD7. It’s a powerhouse with a 1GHz processor, ample RAM, a giant 4.3" multi touch display, 16GB's of internal memory, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Micro USB connectivity and the cherry on top, a kick stand for video viewing convenience. Your own portable cinema complete with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

All in all, the phone is a pleasure to use. And being software version 1.0, this is the start of something big. I for one am very excited as to where Windows Phone 7 goes from here.

For more information on the HTC HD7 and Windows Phone 7 on O2, visit www.o2.co.uk/windowsphone7.