Three Windows Phone 7 Series devices, all in a row
By Nilay Patel 
posted March 15th 2010 8:36PM
posted March 15th 2010 8:36PM
Well, there they are, the only three confirmed Windows Phone 7 Series prototype devices that currently exist. From left, we have the new Samsung slate that debuted today, the just-for-demos unbranded Asus unit that was the star of MWC, and the LG slider that we got cozy with at the Engadget Show. We're still hoping for more time with the Samsung -- and we're pushing for more detailed specs on all of these -- but check out some high-res crops in the gallery below.
where is HTC at! common!!
@namyboyz44 agreed ive always liked HTC's phones, either way id like to see a couple more phones before i choose one.
@namyboyz44 Htc is probably mad Microsoft gave them the finger with the whole hd2 ordeal haha
@namyboyz44
I am waiting for them too, but the LG phone looks pretty great to me. All three look nice
@namyboyz44
Being sued by Apple.
@namyboyz44 You think the guy in the $6,000 suit is going to get a windows phone not made by HTC? C'mon!
@namyboyz44
i really dont care as long as the middle one (asus? acer?) is available. that is my kind of design.
@uevan you've made a huge mistake
@namyboyz44 in the kitchen cookin something verrry special.
@uevan
the guy in the $6000 suit already has a very nice BB and iPhone 3GS but thanks for comin.
@uevan +1 for Arrested Development reference
@Wesscoast -1 for not getting Arrested Development reference
@SmilinGoat Agreed. The Garmin-Asus phone is the best.
@Ankur Vashi
Yea I want to see what else they got coming out. But I'm really excited and sold on the LG Slider. That form factor to me is amazing, and if the keyboard functions as good as it looks then I wouldn't need to see what else they have coming out. I just hope that the OS can offer me just as much functionality as the iPhone OS.
@namyboyz44
Microsoft has made a HUGE mistake.
@namyboyz44 Developing best phone possible?
@namyboyz44 Screw HTC. They will probably release a WinPho7 in the US after MS announced WinPho8.
@scots79 Haha; thats true- it's a pity that WM7 (or should I say WP7?) isn't going to work on the HD2, I'd say to WP7's loss.
@namyboyz44
HTC is now bffs with Google
from left to right: Sprint, Europe-Destined, Verizon
@Peter F
two GOB references in one thread? love it
@namyboyz44
How mad is HTC that they will have almost no ability to differentiate and that their existing hardware is being excluded from upgrades? I can see why MS is doing some of the things that they are doing, but given that HTC is really the only manufacturer that has made decent MS hardware, I really feel like they are not happy with these changes. Lawsuits aside, HTC focusing more (all of their??) effort on Android would be a dangerous situation for MS.
@uevan Yeah, the guys in $6'000 suits don't have phones, they have sexy assistants that have generic Nokia's that survive for weeks without recharge.
When a woman walks into an electronics store, she is like a man walking into a apparel/shoe store.
@namyboyz44
Such a lame UI.
@scots79 Yeah Microsoft usually uses HTC for their device prototypes. HTC could have made a madd sexier device than ASUS could pull out of their ass. If Microsoft was working with HTC, they should have put Windows Phone 7 buttons on the HD2. That's the only thing really holding it back. Jus sayin
All P.O.S
@nwhat
Even with the i in my name, I am excited for these 7 Series phones. Microsoft has really pulled a good move here.
@iFargle
+1
@nwhat suck my 7phone vapors, iphone boy.
@iFargle And the UI looks incredible with OLED/AMOLED screens as the LG and Samsung both look to be. Owning a Zune HD, I gotta say...once you go OLED, you don't go.....back
@MONKEY
But you do go black...
@Nilay
"I want the one on the left, she's perfect...Which one do you want huh huh hahaha"
Can some1 explain to me why the OS's UI is like... not centered right or something lol? Like with every screen you instead of showing you the whole screen it shows u like half or part and then u have to like flick sideways to see the rest or something
@CJisohsocool It's Microsoft's new UI eye-candy thing. I personally don't like it, and find it very confusing. This is one the biggest gripes I have with Windows Mobile 7 Series. I mean, when I look at it, I'm just thinking "I wish there was a zoom out button".
@CJisohsocool
Because that's the design. I don't get it either, but I guess people want to spread words over two screens. Style>Substance apparently.
@ALBGunner04
It's rediculous. And what the hell is with the 2 black bars of nothingness on the home screen?
@macmann
Im all for style but thats just looks stupid lol
@CJisohsocool Actually it's kind of smart design. Look it this way: Home screen is start and every next menu unfolds from it. Look it like it's a crossword puzzle but with menus.
@macmann
But I don't get the "style" argument either. The single color button backgrounds with white icons... well, I don't think it's pretty.
In the third picture, the IE icon on red text makes me think of 1998 Geocities.
@macmann: then you don't get that the style is PART of the substance... by having text trail to the right of the screen, it gives the user a visual cue to compel them to move deeper.
Some people like 'sleek', others like big green gummi bear-like buttons. To each his own.
@Alan Strangis lol +1
@CJisohsocool
I don't see what's so hard to understand. The UI wraps around to form a continuous menu instead of having to drill down through menus. The edge is supposed to hint at more content to the side, but I guess some people don't get the hint.
@macmann
No one else sees the humor in a mac fan claiming a company is choosing style over substance?
@CJisohsocool yeah they should find a way to make use of that real estate.
@artissco
As a graphic designer, I personally love the design. It's a very modern design focused heavily on layout, negative space and typography. However, the problem I have with it is that a) the design may be too high-brow for the average person to appreciate and b) this design style really only looks good when done by a professional designer with a good eye. I'm just afraid that when small development shops get their hands on it, they will completely rape the design style and we'll end up with fugly apps. At least with a more conventional OS with chrome, such as Android, iPhone, WebOS or Symbian, a developer can throw a bunch of controls on an app and it comes out looking halfway decent.
@jon
+1 thats humorous alright
@catalysis: I agree the concept has promise but the visual execution is lacking in my opinion. I thought the PowerPoint launch deck won over many who felt it was distinct from the iPhone and Android, myself included. But with each reveal, I like it less and less.
Personally, MS is caught between a rock (Android) and a hard place (iPhone). To me the Windows/Office synergy is just not all the relevant for smartphones. Tablets? Maybe. Given the circumstances, WPS7 appears to be everything one expects, but there is not enough of the unexpected to stand out. By the time it launches, both the iPhone and Android will have major revs. If they initiate a very aggressive update cycle, perhaps they can give RIM and Palm a beatdown.
@CJisohsocool
When I look at one of those screens, I almost have the urge to, like you said, zoom out or straighten it out somehow.
The colored boxes with the tiny icon in the middle are also a really odd use of screen real estate. It doesn't look bad, just sort of....off, somehow.
@Ariel Bender
Yeah, the design seems to look OK with the middle phone because it's cleaner, but looks pretty awkward with the other designs.
Not sure if this makes sense, but the UI seems to look better by itself than on a phone.
@tonicboy if it's too high-brow for the average joe to appreciate, I might argue that it is in fact bad design.