It is official: Arrive has arrived. We have posted a video of HTC Arrive when it came out and now let’s take a closer look. The new HTC Arrive is the latest Windows Phone 7 offering and the great thing about it is that the new phone is quite impressive. Therefore we should skip on the mambo jumbo and let us get started with the review.

The look

Upon first sighting, if you are aware of previous HTC phones, you might also have the same idea that it looks quite a lot like the HTC Tilt2. When it comes to size, feel and weight, it is quite similar to other phones that utilize the Windows Phone 7. Overall, the shape and overall look is impressive. The materials used were quite good and the build was solid. The general look is quite simple. Looking at technical elements, Arrive measures at 4.63×2.32x.61 inches and it weighs just beyond 6 oz. This new phone is quite larger than the Tilt2.

Specs

Let us go now to the substance of it all. HTC Arrive uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It has a 16GB memory and boasts of a 1500mah battery. It has the standard features of most smart phones like the Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi as well as other Windows related elements. The memory card was deeply buried into the hardware and so it will be very tough to swap it. If you try it, your warranty will be void. The battery power was quite decent and a full battery can last a full day even with heavy usage.

Keyboard and other specs

What makes the HTC Arrive a lot more different from the other HTC phones is the keyboard. When you slide the keyboard, the screen will automatically create an angle, making it easier to type on a flat surface. The keyboard has the standard 5 row set up but it does not have any shortcut keys. There is a smiley key and arrow keys which becomes very useful when editing your work. The screen is quite good and well lit. The sliding action of the keyboard into and out of the back is quite rough so it is one of the less impressive details that they should have been able to address.

Software

The HTC Arrive has the standard software components from Windows Phone 7. Other software components include the HTC Hub as well as the Sprint Zone. There are tips and tricks, suggested apps and the Sprint news. The company kept the phone a lot clean from other apps so that the customers can make their own decisions regarding the extras that will be installed. Actually, for those who do not want the Sprint apps, you can uninstall them if you want. When it comes to the loading of the apps, Arrive tends to offer a much faster load and resume.

Camera

The camera feature is quite solid though it has the problem of reverting the settings back to default which could get a little annoying.

Overall

The HTC Arrive gets very high marks for its speed, functionality, customization of apps and its overall performance. If you love the Windows Phone 7, you might want to try it out with this phone.

Here is a HTC Arrive in a review video by MobileTechReview:

Enjoy some gorgeous HTC Arrive pictures:

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There have been recent news and updates regarding him Windows Phone 7 that will certainly interest you guys not matter if it’s favorable or unfavorable for your tastes. There are some major updates as well as the plans of Microsoft as to how they will be rolling out the new updates.

No Donuts
The very first update for the Windows Phone 7 is given the code name, No Do. It will roll out within the coming weeks in time for the CES. However, shipping for the new update will be held until February. This update will include copy and paste, support for the Qualcomm Chipset, a location stack for CDMA as well as additional fixes for the software.

Mango
This new major update will enable this smart phone to include Internet Explorer 9 as well as Trident 5. This update for the Windows Phone 7 will also include gesture support, Silverlight and HTML5. This is called the 75xx code so there is the possibility that this is the Windows Phone 7.5 but that is just a speculation for now.

As you can see with the carrier system, Microsoft will not do individual shipping of fixes like it is normally done for smart phones. It will come along as service packs which could be a massive issue. The phone still has a lot of fixes to work on and it would be best to have individual fixes instead of packaging them and rolling them out slowly.

HTC HD2 gets a new camaraderie- Vodafone Spain. Vodafone made an official announcement regarding the multi-touch device entering Spain. The speculation for release is seen in December. The phone running HTC Sense UI is projected more of a business smartphone than a personal one.

Have a glimpse at the press release:

Specs

“Vodafone has launched the HTC HD2 smartphone in Spain. HTC’s first Windows smartphone running the HTC Sense interface runs on a Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and Windows 6.5 OS and provides access to the Windows Marketplace for applications. The slim handset features a 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, 5 megapixel camera, HSPA and Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS. Other features include HTC Peep for Twitter, Microsoft Exchange sync and access to the Microsoft My Phone service for storage.”

About the availability

“Starting December, Vodafone Spain will offer the HTC HD2 smartphone exclusively for business customers. Users will be able to acquire the HTC HD2 handset at Vodafone shops across Spain, along with a Vodafone mobile internet tariff plan subscription. Customers can opt for Vodafone’s Real Mail package available for EUR 15 per month, or for the Windows Mobile E-mail service with a monthly fee of EUR 22.”

Via Slashgear

Verizon may be one of the carriers that looks pretty much interested in Windows Mobile 6.5 world which opens on Oct 6. The device is HTC Imagio XV6975 aka HTC Whitestone that has Touch Flo 3D interface, but no QWERTY keyboard here.  The smartphone is a debutante for Verizon that has the ability to handle VCast MobileTV. Other specs of the CDMA/GSM device are:

• Opera Mobile browser
• WiFi Connectivity
• 3.5mm headset jack
• 3.6inch touchscreen(WVGA)
• Auto-focus camera(5 MP)
• 528Mhz qualcomm processor

The first week of October is speculated to unveil the price and other details. The wait is about to over.

Via Phonearena

Now here are some more wild pictures of HTC Leo which has already been amusing many by the name ‘HTC PRO. Three’ scripted on its back. The very first benchmarks of HD2 have been discovered at xda.

Have a quick synopsis of what the has found out so far:

• 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• 1,230 mAh battery(1.5 days battery life), allowing 1hr video playback, 2 hrs music listening, 1hr web browsing with 3G on constant run
• Misses on TV-Out support and built-in compass
• 3.5 mm headset jack
• 4.3-inch WVGA display
• A better auto-focus camera(8 MP) and VGA videos
• USB Host support

The Leo is speculated to unveil in late November or early December. Let’s wait when the final word comes out.

Via Softpedia