Mystery HTC Windows Phone 7 device: in the wild and lacking any Sense

A candybar slate from HTC with a 3.7-inch SLCD and 1GHz Snapdragon processor -- sounds about right for the Desire, but this little puppy is actually running Windows Phone 7 (presumably a developer build, given the apps catalog). According to our tipster, the three buttons under the screen are touch-sensitive à la Nexus One, the camera boasts 8 megapixels of memory retention, and the "hardware is ready." What you're not seeing, however, is any sign of skinning -- no Sense on this one, we're afraid. The company is apparently in talks with two US carriers, including Verizon (we'd presume Sprint given the CDMA connection, but we've no insight here). Are we looking at the rumored VZW-bound HTC Spark from June? Unfortunately we can't confirm anything at this point, so for now, just enjoy the tantalizing snapshots.

Mystery HTC Windows Phone 7 device: in the wild and lacking any Sense

[Thanks, anonymous]

[kevlars9 Posted Jul 25th 2010 5:58PM]

I like how they switched the magnifying glass around. Different side on android

[Plazmic Flame Posted Jul 25th 2010 5:59PM]

Clever Title +1

[RhymeMaster Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:02PM]

@kevlars9
Screen cleaner FTW?

[skyblaze Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:04PM]

@kevlars9

are you sure? my nexus has it on the right too

[chabig Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:05PM]

@skyblaze

Yeah. It's on the right, but Microsoft tilted it the other way. That's standard MO when Microsoft copies--make the copy backwards (and in the case of Windows, upside down).

[AdamSpruijt Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:10PM]

@chabig
So they copied the use of a magnifying glass, I think that's a bit of a stretch.

[kramer Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:12PM]

I want to like it but somehow I am not able to . . :(

[maddawg579 Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:15PM]

@chabig
Yeah, because clearly Windows Phone 7 is all about copying other phone operating systems. I mean look at all the resemblances to iOS and Android. Total rip-off!

Oh wait, it looks and functions nothing like those. Nevermind.

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:26PM]

@kevlars9

those 3 buttons are the optimal design. android phones have 2 for the homescreen, thats just pathetic.

[petebob796 Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:28PM]

@maddawg579 +1 Yep a magnifying glass to symbolize search android invented that obviously :-)

[Mike10010100 Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:30PM]

@skyblaze

Sorry. I know that this has almost nothing to do with the article, but HighestRanked2 has been banned! Finally! Thanks Engadget!

Secondly, I'm liking the look of WP7. They need to bring some hardware to Sprint, because it's looking like the choice is between WP7 and Gingerbread! Go Competition!

(Side note: I would really love to see what HTC is gonna do for WP7 skinning...)

[uckApple Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:33PM]

@kevlars9

Windows 7 OS or w.e u call it looks - so - dam - boring..

i dont care if this gets downranked or w.e, but it just isnt as 'cool' as android at all, not even ios, and that os isnt even intriguing.

[CarlosMobile Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:33PM]

@kevlars9

Not a sexy phone... feeling bad for WP7 right about now. I still hold hope though. Maybe Samsung sends something sexy for Sprint.

[DefPoet Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:37PM]

@uckApple
your comment is borings of looks , animations, fluidness ios is rows UI is bland and ugly, without the transitions it would just be rows of icons and thats it

[tonyprince Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:38PM]

@uckApple its the HUB that makes it sexy.

[VAVA Mk 2 Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:38PM]

@Mike10010100
How do you know he got banned? He will just come back as highestranked3 btw.

[Federaly Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:40PM]

I hop the screen is a bit wider then taller. Like the Samsung even though it's 3.7 the screen width is less then the iPhone which makes typing more difficult.

[HotFuzz Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:42PM]

MS just can't resist making the Xbox Live icon look like a banner ad. :(

[Mike10010100 Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:43PM]

@VAVA Mk 2

I really hope that Engadget has IP banned him this time. 3 strikes (accounts) and he's out. I know he's banned because his account has been cleared out. Did you know that he has made, in his account's short time of existence, as many comments as I have since 2006??

[DefPoet Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:58PM]

@Mike10010100
:( this is my 1666 comment on engadget I'm DOOMED!!

[Walker Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:00PM]

@maddawg579 You idiot, clearly they copied both. Everyone knows that Apple invented the phone, Google invented the internet. At this point they should just give up on life. Heck, they even used icons, and we all are well aware that the Russians invented those!

[SometimesJones Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:04PM]

@DefPoet

But it does have the transitions, Blanch. And it's a beautifully fluid OS.

[DefPoet Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:19PM]

@SometimesJones
ios and the like lok slow compared to WP7 just watch the videos everything is instant, well execpt mobile ie

[rackdude Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:35PM]

@MicrosoftOwns

If that were true it would be funny, but they only have one to go to the homescreen. Fail.

[Wjackson25 Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:38PM]

No 4G radio = Not a Sprint phone =/

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:43PM]

@uckApple

how is android cool? go bing search "taskiller" and proceed to laugh thats the most downloaded android app

[Anku Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:49PM]

@SometimesJones

Agreed. WP7 looks very fluid, and quite elegant actually. Except the panel home screen, which is a hate it/ love it kinda deal. The OS in general looks very promising, I just hope MS can tighten the overall experience and add a couple of key features before launch.

[Mike10010100 Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:50PM]

@MicrosoftOwns

Actually, it's not. It's the 3rd or 4th most downloaded. Please update your talking-points.

[Ignoramus Posted Jul 25th 2010 7:57PM]

@maddawg579 YES!!!

[Celz Posted Jul 25th 2010 8:00PM]

@CarlosMobile The phone is more sexxy than the OS.. WinMo Sense was easily the best homescreen ever.. Still a salty taste in my mouth that its going away like that.. Guess Ill be on Android where I can make my own homescreens

[techSage Posted Jul 25th 2010 8:02PM]

@CarlosMobile I've seen it said before (and I believe it was one of MS' core designers) that the beauty of WP7 is when you see it in motion - because it is not a static UI like the competition, so don't knowck simple-looking hardware. After all, that's what's sold so many iThings - well, that and pure ignorance of marketing propaganda.

[techSage Posted Jul 25th 2010 8:08PM]

@HotFuzz Well, I bet it's doing its job though - or are you going to try to claim that Xbox Live isn't successful? Also, at least it won't be a static icon in real life like some other mobile OSes.

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 25th 2010 8:32PM]

@kevlars9
i like how its 3 simple buttons unlike android, 4 stupid ugly piece of shit buttons, 1 for home screen, another for the homescreen, 1 for back, and another for the clunkiest search interface

[techSage Posted Jul 25th 2010 8:35PM]

@Mike10010100 And yet that was the extent of your comeback defense of Android...

[Mike10010100 Posted Jul 25th 2010 8:57PM]

@techSage

Because that's all he pointed out. Try again, please?

[Mike10010100 Posted Jul 25th 2010 9:01PM]

@MicrosoftOwns

ZOMG 1 ADDITIONAL BUTTON!

[Pookiewood Posted Jul 25th 2010 9:11PM]

@cwalters74 Add Keyboard and I'm with you!

[KennyR Posted Jul 25th 2010 9:21PM]

Capacitive buttons? WHYYYYYYYYYYY???!!! Why do manufacturers think we like capacitive buttons? Even though they work well on my Droid, I dislike them.

[CarlosMobile Posted Jul 25th 2010 9:31PM]

@techSage

I'm ok with the OS but how can HTC put a phone like that out after the Dell Lighting Leak MONTHS ago. Dell is going to eat them for breakfast if in fact that "harward is ready". HD2 is sexy as hell so perhaps they should go back to that. I'm not impressed with that phone at all.

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 25th 2010 10:34PM]

@CarlosMobile

this is such a lame round phone. ill be getting a lightning or samsung.

[anus1220 Posted Jul 26th 2010 2:56AM]

@Plazmic Flame Does anybody else realize that "Fri 18" (I think) is reffering to Friday June 18th?

[Billy Posted Jul 26th 2010 4:46AM]

@Plazmic Flame Looks alot like Nexus One, at least with the black part. Maybe it's gonna be called the Nexus Two!

[AbsoluteDesignz Posted Jul 26th 2010 5:13AM]

@Mike10010100 lol I think at least 60% of Android users are in the same boat right now...Gingerbread or WP7 when it comes to a next device...I'm trying to go all out and get them all...but that's just me.

[Petro Posted Jul 26th 2010 6:47AM]

@kevlars9

Hey +1 to kevlars9 you guys just misunderstood. The magnifying glass is mirrored so that the handle of it is on the other side of the magnifying glass when compared to HTC android phones ;)

[Leegh229 Posted Jul 26th 2010 7:02AM]

@Walker Personally I think they (ms) took the smooth ios and combined it with the feature complexity of the android os and put together something that they would claim a new groundbreaking innovative os when clearly they had copied part of the two best os's and added there own little touch.

[fredphoesh Posted Jul 26th 2010 8:14AM]

@maddawg579 sorry mate
but IMO you talk rubbish about copying the iOS.
there are NO widgets in iOS
and the widgets in winmo7 has all these squares and rectangles, a lot more like samsung wizz than android, but really not like either.
it seems pretty original to me.

[browserspot Posted Jul 26th 2010 11:29AM]

@Plazmic Flame
bah bah black sheep.
have you any tool?
no sir no sir
zero bags full

stop sleeping MSFT, get your first phone to the market ASAP if you want to survive.

[CrazyLegs Posted Jul 26th 2010 11:38PM]

@Mike10010100

"...it's looking like the choice is between WP7 and Gingerbread!"

Don't forget WebOS 2.0!

[JonCha Posted Jul 25th 2010 5:59PM]

Is WP7 even coming to the UK? First a lack of Mac support, and now these phones are going to be US-exclusive! Lame.

[Apple Legal Posted Jul 25th 2010 6:02PM]

@JonCha

That's HTC's fault, not Microsoft's. WP7 is going to go global, but it is up to the OEM if the phone goes to your country or not.