Starting Lineup: The First Windows Phone 7 Devices

The First Nine

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch will kick off with nine devices: four by HTC, two each from LG and Samsung, and one from Dell, with at least one from each manufacturer headed for the U.S. Here's a look at the incoming devices. For a look at Monday's Windows Phone 7 launch event in New York itself,

HTC HD7

The HTC HD7 has a 4.3-inch touchscreen with 1 Ghz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor and a 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and HD video with 720p capture. It offers media capabilities ranging from Netflix and Slacker Radio to T-Mobile TV and Zune. It'll be available in the U.S. through T-Mobile in mid-November, and it also offers the first-ever instance of T-Mobile Family Room, an application for families and small groups who want a one-touch app for messaging to each other and coordinating get-togethers.

HTC 7 Mozart

Another T-Mobile entrant into the Windows Phone 7 gallery, the Mozart sports a super-snazzy 8-megapixel camera with Xenon flash, offers HD 720p video capture, and includes virtual surround sound. It has a 94-mm touchscreen display, a 1 Ghz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor and 5 hours of battery life. Sorry, U.S. fans: this one's only available in France, the U.K., Germany and Australia.

HTC 7 Surround

For the sound lover in all of us, the HTC 7 Surround has 16 GB of internal storage, and a slide-out Yamaha speaker for surround sound. It's a 3.8-inch display, offers a 1 Ghz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor, sports a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture in 720p, and offers 4 hours of battery life. The HTC Surround was one of three phones announced to U.S. customers by AT&T, and it'll be available in mid-November for $199.99 and a two-year lock-in.

HTC 7 Trophy

Another gamer-geared phone, the HTC 7 Trophy offers a 97-mm touchscreen, rounded edges that Microsoft says are more ergonomic for gamers, a 1 Ghz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor, 6 hours of battery life, a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture in 720p, and a kick-stand. No U.S. availability though; this guy's headed for four European countries and Australia.

LG Optimus 7

Another Windows Phone 7 option for international customers, the Optimus 7 offers a 97-mm touchscreen, a 1 Ghz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor, a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture for 720p, seven hours of battery life and voice-to-text capability. It also has a new feature, "Play To," that lets users share multimedia files with other devices. No U.S. availability; the Optimus, on Orange, is headed for Canada and Mexico, 5 European countries, Australia and Singapore.

LG Quantum

LG's U.S.-based Windows Phone 7 option is the Quantum, on AT&T. It has a 3.5-inch screen, a 1-Ghz Snapdragon processor, a slide-out, horizontal Qwerty keyboard, the Microsoft Office Mobile suit, a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture for 720p and a battery life of seven hours.

Samsung Focus

Samsung's snazzy Focus was the third AT&T-carried phone launched for U.S. consumers Monday. It includes a 4-inch super AMPLED screen, a light load (at 110 grams, or about 0.25 pounds), a 1-Ghz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor, battery life of three hours, a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture at 720p and similar XBox Live and Zune content bells and whistles as other new Windows Phone 7 devices.

Samsung Omnia 7

The boxy Omnia is similar to the Focus in that it offers a 102-mm super AMOLED touchscreen, a 1 Ghz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor, a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture at 720p, XBox Live and Zune multimedia capabilities, and enhanced photo features such as panorama, smile detector, BeautyShot and Lomo mode. Battery life is three hours, and the Omnia is headed for Europe on Orange.

Dell Venue Pro

Dell's Venue Pro includes access to Xbox live games and Zune multimedia, has a vertical Qwerty keyboard, and sports a 1-Ghz Qualcomm QSD8520 processor. It offers a 4.1-inch screen, a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and HD video capture at 720 pixels, and offers seven hours of battery life.

The Dell Venue Pro will be available via T-Mobile in the U.S. Exact release date is unknown but according to T-Mobile will be "in time for the holidays."