[Windows Phone 7 General] JoePR31:
Good post. You made some valid points, but I got the impression that you believe MS dropped the ball with WP7, and I don't believe that to be a true..or even fair assessment.

It is the nature of version 1.0 of just about anything to be incomplete..to be a work in progress. In regards to smart phone OS's, its always been that way. iOS v1.0 was very limited, as was Android 1.0, and so on so forth. I was an early adopter of both platforms and was at times frustrated by the limitations. But, as an early adopter I understood that this was the way it usually is, and that things would gradually flesh out.

For me, iOS never did "flesh out" enough. I've always loved the smoothness and general quality of iOS and the iPhone, but I found myself bored by it. Android did grow and develop quickly enough to keep me engaged, and I still enjoy the control I have when using Android...and also enjoy that the relatively open nature of it allows be to constantly tinker with my device. But, even though I usually enjoy doing so, the main reason I'm always tinkering with my Android devices is because I've never been satisfied with how they felt. I hate the apparently inherent choppiness and occasional lag of Android, and my main motivation for rooting my Android devices had always been to try to get rid that.

Somewhere between those 2 extremes lies WP7. Yes, in some regards it is limited. But, I can accept this for now because, as I mentioned earlier it is v1.0 and I know these limitations are being worked on as we speak. Many people are refusing to accept that, though...and it seems that you're one of them.

The gist of the argument seems to be that MS came late to the party, so they had already known what the dress code was, and shouldve showed up fully decked out. That they shouldn't have released v1.0 until it matched its contemporaries feature for feature. I disagree with this. I think MS was right in getting a v1.0 that provided the basic user experience that they were aiming for out there as soon as was possible. Did this strategy suddenly propel WP7 to the top of the smart phone world? No, not even close. But it has managed to grab just about everyone's attention...and has solidified it's position as a viable player. I believe that is all MS wanted to accomplish by rushing to release v1.0 just before the holiday season...and I also believe that it was better for them to do so than for them to sit out until after the holidays.

I am convinced that WP7 v1.0 is the best 1.0 smart phone OS released to date. I think that MS got the basics incredibly right...and that the limitations are going to begin to be addressed very soon. Yes, MS was late to the party, but they've shown up with more style than anyone else, if not with as much substance...and they are moving much faster than both Google and Apple did to provide said substance. WP7 is a joy to interact with. It is beautiful. It's fun. So much so, that despite the current limitations, I choose to use my HD7 as my daily driver...and to leave my Android phones at home.

WP7 is in many ways very good right now, and it has an extremely bright future. I can understand that some of you don't have the patience to wait for WP7 to catch up in the few areas that it's lacking in, but such patience is a prerequisite of being a happy early adopter. If you can't enjoy experiencing the growth process of a new platform, then maybe being an early adopter isn't for you. But, please people, don't make it seem like MS blew it in regards to WP7, because that couldn't be further from the truth.

Oh, one last thing. How in the world does the HD7 have horrible build quality?? Yes, as you tilt the phone away from the optimal viewing angle, the colors somewhat fade. It is not an AMOLED screen and the black levels pale in comparison..quite literally. But, when I use my phone, I tend to keep it within the optimal viewing angles...and within those parameters, the HD7's screen displays good and VERY natural colors..unlike the overwhelmingly oversaturated colors that my Galaxy S displays...and without any banding.

Also, I love the 4.3" screen. Those extra .3" make a real difference. Do I prefer the outrageously deep blacks and the incredibly effective viewing angles of the Super AMOLED screen? Yes, if course. But, I prefer my HD7's spacious, natural looking screen in every other way.

Outside of the screen though, I don't see how anyone can critize it's quality. I've owned MANY top of the line mobile devices, and none have felt better in the hand than the HD7. It looks good and feels good because HD7 uses high quality materials..unlike Samsung. People complain about the thinness of the back cover. It is just as thin..or thick, as the one on the Evo...and I don't see anyone criticizing it's quality. Despite being thin, it feels great when attached to the phone. The soft touch surface is great.

I'm also aware of the complaints about a relatively large gap between the removable and fixed portions if the back of the phone. I found this to be an optical illusion caused by the unfortunate location of the white sim card right where it's partially visible through the gap. But, I found an easy fix. I pulled my SIM card and colored the upper third of it with a black sharpie. Guess what...after that, the so called huge gap magically disappeared. The gap itself is no larger than on most phones. The location of the sim card was the problem. It looks great after taking a sharpie to it.