HTC Mozart

HTC Mozart Price: $ 790

Throw away your preconception about Windows phones, or HTC phones, because the HTC Mozart, a multimedia device that is one of the launch handsets for Windows Phone 7, is now here. It is newest cell phone and like all its Windows phone siblings, it toes the party line when it comes to what Microsoft expects of it – and that’s not a bad thing.

There are some minimum requirements for the hardware of a Windows Phone 7 handset – for a start it must have a 3.5-inch touch-screen with WVGA resolution. The Mozart review gets its own message across with its anodised aluminium cover (rather like the HTC Legend), which curves around part of the phone. The remainder of the phone is crafted from Teflon (like the HTC Desire). It exceeds the minimum requirements with its 3.7-inch screen, although an inch of that is a touch-sensitive area for search, back key and the Windows Start button. It won’t take you long to realise this latest cell phone is an Orange exclusive – turn over the handset and you’ll get the branding message – with logos for HTC cell phones, Windows Phone 7 and Orange. You’ll also find the eight-megapixel camera lens, a speaker vent (there’s also one on the front) and the Xenon flash. 

 Microsoft has decided that one-look-fits-all, so manufacturers are unable to add their own skin to the operating system. However, we don’t think that’s a bad thing. The phone book proves itself excellent, with an integrated contacts list that is mixed with a Facebook feed and your recent contacts. Microsoft has taken note of what other operating systems offer, and you’ll find you can sync Facebook, Hotmail, and Google as well as connect your friends’ contact details across all of them.

There’s a unique styling to Windows phone 7, with its best homescreen of ‘five tile’ widgets.A O2 Germany leaked document we stumbled upon today lists the HTC HD7  The Marketplace tile, for instance, can tell you when an app has an update waiting. It's also possible to add shortcuts to contacts, apps, or places to navigate to. You’ll see lots of fades as you swipe between screens – it’s very different from the old, unintuitive Windows Mobile
 It’s just a shame that making an actual phone call is such a long-winded process. Unless you’re calling someone you’ve contacted recently, it takes four clicks just to get to the contact book, and then you have to input a few letters, choose the correct contact, and then…decide if you’re going to text or call them.