Slider brings speakers, not a keyboard

Many of the first Windows Phone 7 devices offer only slight variation from existing handsets, except for the HTC Surround. Electronista took a closer look at HTC's niche offering in the WP7 category. When deploying the slider mechanism, we expected a QWERTY keyboard to reveal itself from beneath the display. We were therefore surprised to find a wide speaker grill instead of a keyboard.

An 800x480 touchscreen and 1GHz Snapdragon processor appear to be the standard among WP7 devices, and the Surround is no exception. The device boasts large speakers for a mobile phone, along with Dolby Mobile/SRS processing.

We didn't have any problems with the Surround, but the speaker feature will likely appeal to a very small number of users. Despite its extra loudness, the device is still a mobile phone with mobile-size speakers. Most buyers will find other Windows Phone 7 devices that bring a better set of essential features for the same price.

The Surround is expected to arrive as the first Windows Phone 7 device on AT&T, with a $200 price tag that matches most of the crowd.

By Electronista Staff