My Adventure into Windows Phone 7 - First Impressions

My first review hardware arrived tonight, two Windows Phone 7 devices. The Samsung Focus Flash and Focus S. (Talk about some bad product names.) I’ll be looking into the software and OS more than I am the actual devices, it’s Windows Phone 7 that interests me, not Samsung hardware. As someone whose only ever owned an iPhone, I’m excited to see if I can make it work with the competition.

Right now I’m still getting things set up and learning my way around. So far I like what I see; here are some quick first impressions.

• The Focus S is huge. 4.3 inches is pushing the limits of screen size for me. (I only have normal sized hands)
• The Flash on the other hand is almost the exact size of the iPhone 4/4S and feels more familiar to hold. I’m interested to see if I’ll adjust to the bigger screen size.
• The screen on the Focus S is beautiful, colors pop and blacks are deep. WP7 really shines on these SuperAMOLED displays.
• I don’t like removing the back cover, I feel like it might break. I’d gladly sacrifice the removable battery for a little better build quality. I guess I can pretend it doesn’t come off.
• No hardware home button means you can’t activate the display while the phone is laying on a table. Quite annoying on the Focus S with its capacitive home button. You have to grab the sides and squeeze to turn on the display when locked.
• You don’t have to enter a password when downloading free apps, a huge annoyance on iOS. Also there are paid app trials, devs might hate them, but for someone like me, it helps to not get burned testing unknown apps. Something that happens quite often with the App Store.
• Animations are neat but sometimes can look awkward. The bouncing at the end of lists isn’t nearly as natural/polished as iOS.
• Keyboard is easy to type on, I like how/where suggestions pop up as well, much easier to pick the correct word and fix typos.
• I’m really liking the digital, Metro UI. It’s utilitarian, clean and minimal. I’m a fan of the tiles and swiping between panels, but I can see how some might not like it. Little things like selecting date and time look much better than their iOS counterpart.
• The typography is beautiful but sometimes the icons can be difficult to decipher.
• The save icon is a floppy disc; it made me laugh.
• I like the dedicated, two stage camera button. I’m not sure if Apple would ever add an extra button to the iPhone, but it would be a welcome addition.
• There is no linen, anywhere.

Stay tuned for more. This is going to be fun.