My First Impressions Of Windows Phone 7 On The Samsung Focus

Although I’m an Android guy through and through, I find myself sitting here and thoroughly enjoying a Windows Phone 7 device. To make the matter even stranger, it’s an AT&T phone! So how did a Verizon-fearing Android lover like myself get caught up in this conundrum, and why am I staying in it for so long? I’m glad you asked.

Over a week ago Klout offered both entrance to a Windows Phone party as well as a Windows Phone 7 device just for being influential. I gladly took them up on the offer, and while I wasn’t up to going to the party last minute, I was definitely up for giving the phone a try.

I opened the box as soon as it arrived and never looked back. Its 4″ Super AMOLED WVGA screen caught my eye and the super-thin form factor paired with its near weightlessness captured my heart. I’m not afraid of a mobile with some mass and girth (I carry a Droid Bionic), but with a phone this smooth and powerful, there’s no need. 1 GHz worth of a Snapdragon processor and 512 MB of RAM make for a pretty powerful combination for most things you throw at it.

Windows Phone 7 is seemingly the best of all mobile OSes combined. It’s a nice middle ground between the customization factor of Android and the simple/sleek appeal of Apple’s iPhone. The stock setup of the phone covered everything I needed, but I had the option to modify, so I did. A couple of extra home screen tiles (kind of like widgets), including one dedicated to my wife and I was set. I’ve also never had such an easy time adding an exchange mail account – not even on Blackberry. Businesses that require mobile users to have email access would avoid frustration and save time during setup by utilizing Windows Phone.

This sort of integration has to be one of the best features. Windows Phone is exactly what the title says: Windows (and thus Microsoft)… on a phone. Outlook is just one example. It has the Windows start icon as a home button, which just makes sense. It has a mobile version of the Microsoft Office suite. The music/video service is powered by Zune. Bing is integrated into the search. The default browser is Internet Explorer. I can interact with Xbox Live on my device; I can check my achievements, edit my profile, send and receive messages, and even play games.

So, will I switch? Probably not. But I definitely will keep recommending it to users displeased with their various mobile phones.

Eric Wilborn

Eric has been writing since 2000, covering topics from computers to phones to cars for various websites. He studied computer science and photography at Olivet Nazarene University and has more than 10 years in the information-technology field. He will be primarily covering the Android niche of mobile phones for pinglio.

Anonymous

Why would you not switch? You offer nothing in the way of criticism (Windows Phone is not perfect, yet!), yet seem to portray you adore the Focus. I’m a Windows Phone supporter, and love my Samsung Focus.
- http://www.ericwilborn.com Eric Wilborn
  
  I would not switch because of my sheer love for Android. I’m not a true fanboy because I don’t believe that everyone would benefit from Android, but at this point in time it’s hard to imagine permanently using something else. I honestly have no complaints about the phone; no lag or glitches, wonderful picture quality, and very responsive.
Anonymous

Why would you not switch? You offer nothing in the way of criticism (Windows Phone is not perfect, yet!), yet seem to portray you adore the Focus. I’m a Windows Phone supporter, and love my Samsung Focus.
- http://twitter.com/Chrome262 Chrome262
  
  I wouldn’t switch just yet, I think Eric is smart to wait it out till 8 comes out. Besides which he kind of explained himself in the beginning ”t’s a nice middle ground between the customization factor of Android and the simple/sleek appeal of Apple’s iPhone.” he likes the customization of his Android, and windows will probably be like that in the future. Although as a Jailbreaker my iPhone isnt simple anymore lol.
- http://twitter.com/Chrome262 Chrome262
  
  I wouldn’t switch just yet, I think Eric is smart to wait it out till 8 comes out. Besides which he kind of explained himself in the beginning ”t’s a nice middle ground between the customization factor of Android and the simple/sleek appeal of Apple’s iPhone.” he likes the customization of his Android, and windows will probably be like that in the future. Although as a Jailbreaker my iPhone isnt simple anymore lol.
Lorenz

so you’re posting and reviewing wich such a nice good review that got yourself amazed about the phone, but your last sentence is ‘I will not switch to Windows Phone’…. wow
I don’t know what to think about you!
- Eric Wilborn
  
  Think what you want! I’m just a lover of Android. Originally, it was exclusively HTC Android but now I’ve branched out to Motorola. I’m already out of my comfort zone!
Anonymous

The lack of Windowsphones with more than 16GB is a disappointment to me. It’s funny that Apple offeres a better array of choice when it comes to storage on a smartphone than Microsoft.

The Dell VenuePro and the Fujitsu are the only windowsphones I’m aware of that come with 32GB. Cloud storage is nice, but why do we not get the option to have more GeeBees?
- Eric Wilborn
  
  I’m personally a fan of external, removable storage. Built-in is nice, but as long as I can expand I’m good.
- NorwegianDude
  
  So help me out here – exactly what do you need all those GeeBees for, again? Music has long since moved on to streaming, at least on my phone. That was really the only thing taking up space. I’ve had my 16GB Samsung Omnia 7 for close to a year, and it still isn’t half full.
- Andy
  
  Huh? The Samsung Focus lets you put in an internal flash card of any size you wish. It’ll cost you a lot less than Apple charges, and it becomes a permanent part of the phone. Get a clue.
  - Anonymous
    
    Your right, I missed one. The Focus will accept a 32GB microSD card. Thanks for kindly pointing that out. Can you think of any second gen Windows Phones that allow up to 32GB of storage? I can’t.
http://twitter.com/wasim117 Wasim Shaikh

Well I switched from iOS to Android to WP7. It does not matter number of applications OS have. Its require quality of apps. Happy with this SamFocus
http://twitter.com/wasim117 Wasim Shaikh

Read Author’s Bio below article “He will be primarily covering the Android niche of mobile phones for pinglio.” This might be the case.
- Eric Wilborn
  
  Thanks for pointing that out!
http://www.facebook.com/gadzgamz Ryan Gadz

you like it but you wont switch? why not?
Anonymous

Don’t need no dual core refineries to be smooth eh. Just need a few helpings of Mango.
Anonymous

Glad you gave it a fair chance! Maybe some new hardware or the next version of the OS might make you stay on our side
Олександр Карімов

WP7 is just terrible for me. I miss for many WM-6.0 features (though it was hard to use with fingers), not to say compairing WP7 to Android or iPhone.
Still I’ve got my WP7 for free, and Android has to be paid for
And that is the only reason for me using WP7.

WP7 has few pro’s, of course — fine hardware, quick responsiveness, simple interface. But it has quite a few serious con’s as well.
- NorwegianDude
  
  You don’t actually list any cons. You realize that, right?
http://www.thestrategicinsight.com/ Outsourcing web development

I love thier android sets more like Samsung galaxy. They are giving a tough competition to Apple
Anonymouscoward

The Windows Phone you are so impressed with – the Samsung Focus - is over a year old. Perhaps you should check out the Focus S… you might become a full fledged convert yet.
http://discountvoucher.co/ Discount

Will be interesting if Microsoft gains market share in the online market.