Where to buy Windows Phone 7
It's 21 October -- happy Trafalgar Day! Also, today's the day the Windows Phone 7 launch devices have been shipped to phone shops across our great nation, ready and willing to be felt up.
The wait is over. If you've been harbouring the urge to cradle a Microsoft mobile in your hand, you'll be to grab a Windows Phone 7 handset today. You have a choice of five launch handsets, the Samsung Omnia 7, HTC 7 Mozart, HTC HD7, HTC 7 Trophy and the LG Optimus 7. Can you spot the theme?
If you're plumping for the Samsung Omnia 7, T-Mobile and 3 will cheerfully sell you one for £35 per month, while Orange is flogging it for £40. Big Sam's first arrival at the Windows Phone 7 party has a spiffy 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 1GHz Qualcomm processor and a 5-megapixel camera.
If you're a fan of HTC, you've got plenty of choice. The HD7 is exclusively available from O2. It has a monster 4.3-inch screen, so if you want to go big, this is the one for you. We already have a full review on it, and you can pick it up free on a £40 per month deal or pay as you go for £379.
The HTC 7 Mozart is only available from Orange. This is the phone to go for if you like your photography, as it has a generous 8-megapixel camera and xenon flash. The smallest and most portable of the HTC three, it's free on a £35 per month, two-year contract.
The final HTC phone is the HTC 7 Trophy. This will be available exclusively from Vodafone, and is the HTC middle child, its 3.8-inch screen smaller than the mighty HD7, and bigger than the 3.7-inch Mozart. It'll be the cheapest Windows Phone 7 handset at £25 per month, but Vodafone hasn't got around to putting in on its website yet.
Last but not least is the LG Optimus 7, also exclusive to Vodafone. We have just reviewed it, and felt it has a good build quality with its 3.8-inch screen, 16GB memory and 5-megapixel camera. It'll be free on a £30 per month contract.
All will be running on Windows Phone 7, which we've also fully reviewed. It's early days for the smart phone OS, but it has a pretty user interface and good Facebook integration, as well as Office, Xbox gaming and Zune music features all ready to go. The app store still needs work, but we'll give it time.
Are you going to be queuing for a Windows Phone 7 mobile today? Does the smart phone OS turn your head from iOS and Android? Let us know.
Image credit: Microsoft