H
TC Surround (Windows Phone 7) rated 3.25 out of 5 by Wireless and Mobile News' Review of Reviews
The HTC Surround sounds like a great idea at first - a media-centric phone with slide-out speakers for cranking up the volume and kickstand for viewing video. However, reviewers found that, because of lack of landscape support for apps and the hefty weight gain for the speakers, the HTC Surround may not be the best option for AT&T Windows Phone 7 buyers.
The HTC Surround did get kudos for fast speeds, good-looking Windows Phone 7, Microsoft Office integration, HTC Hub features, speakers and kickstand. The media experience with Zune was well-liked for its ease of use, PC and Wi-Fi syncing. The home screen makes it easy to view tiles and was liked because you get all your needed information on one screen. Xbox gaming looked and felt great. Web browsing was good, and the onscreen keyboard with predictive text worked well.
The HTC Surround features 16GB of internal storage, 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor,
5-megapixel camera with HD video capture, slide-out speakers with Dolby surround sound and 3.8" touchscreen with a
kickstand. It runs Windows Phone 7 with a new user interface that
is supposed to make retrieving information faster (read review of Windows
Phone 7).
So should you buy the HTC Surround? The
deciding factor would be if you really need the added speakers for
presentations or listening to music. The music is loud enough to fill a
small room but wouldn't be enough to throw a dance party. The
kickstand feature can be replicated by a case with a kickstand for any
other phone. The Samsung Focus has a slightly larger screen with intense
Super AMOLED colors and the same Windows Phone 7 operating system.
If you need a lot of storage, you can add a microSD card to store more music or videos.
The HTC Surround costs $199 with a contract after rebates. If you are new to AT&T, use the AT&T Coupon-Link $50 Off AT&T Wireless with Plan for new customers with a contract (details).
Update 11/12/10 -Online retailers have started discounting the HCC Surround. This weekend Amazon Wireless Beta is selling the HTC Surround for a penny with a contract. Wirefly this weekend has FREE activation from T-Mobile
with a special price for the HTC Surround.
Release Date is 11/08 with the Samsung Focus (read review). See Windows Phone 7 Comparison Chart.
Bonnie Cha at CNET rated the HTC Surround 3.5 out of 5 for its surround sound speakers, kickstand, processor, camera and fresh user interface. She didn't like that the speaker phone volume is low, the lack of expandable memory, limited landscape support, slow game loading and lack of direct Microsoft Exchange syncing (done via the cloud). The speakers make the HTC Surround heavier and harder to carry. The speakers with Dolby Mobile and SRS WOW HD do make the audio sound richer and fuller. You need Windows Live ID to start using the phone and for Windows Phone live backup. Each email address has a separate inbox; there is no unified inbox. You can set email-checking times. You can view, edit, and create Word and Excel documents, while PowerPoint files are limited to just view and edit. There is no Copy/Paste, but it is coming in a future update. The browsing experience was good. The HTC Surround excels in music and video. To see what's playing, press the volume rocker for music controls. Syncing to your computer music is easy via cable or Wi-Fi. Photo quality was OK, and call quality was decent.
Sascha Segan at PCMag rated the HTC Surround 3 out of 5 for its speaker, kickstand and Windows Phone 7 great looks. He didn't like that OS didn't work in landscape, that the big speaker can't be used as a speaker phone, and the short battery life. Windows Phone doesn't meet the needs of the entertainment hardware. Segan thought that the Samsung Focus is better suited to Windows Phone 7. Phone signal quality was weak, while sound quality was good with excellent noise cancellation. With Windows Phone 7 in the Surround, you "get a clean, bright interface that runs smoothly,
with a full Web browser, Xbox Live gaming, Zune music capabilities, and
great email and Microsoft Office support." Since the kickstand is for landscape viewing, and landscape is not supported, it doesn't make sense. The sound from the speaker is not that good. The camera isn't great.
Sean Ludwig at LaptopMag rated the HTC Surround 3 out of 5 for good build quality, fast running, HTC Hub and full speaker sound. He didn't like the short battery life, weight, low app selection and lack of multitasking with third-party apps. He liked the sound in the speakers better without enhancements. Games looked and felt great. Internet Explorer is good but not as fast as iPhone; landscape viewing is limited. Voice command search worked accurately. Outlook mobile is a good-looking app with easy-to-read text. There is no unified inbox. The camera is on par with the Samsung Captivate. Music and video in the polished Zune interface is well-organized. A Netflix movie displayed clearly. Call quality was average.