This Windows Phone 7 device has an innovative design with a slide-out speaker

All Windows Phone 7 devices have minimum hardware requirements such VGP-BPS13 as a 1-GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera, and 720p video recording, so many people wondered how manufacturers would make their phones VGP-BPS13A/B stand out. In HTC's case, the company went with a unique a slider design with a speaker in the place where a QWERTY keyboard would normally be found. Available for $199 on AT&T, we like the idea of a phone with strong media capabilities, a kickstand VGP-BPS13A/S for watching movies and TV, and a big speaker that can fill a small room with Zune tunes. HTC also bundles an app that delivers some of the VGP-BPS13/Q company's Sense goodness. Still, the Surround must compete with the identically priced Samsung Focus and its brilliant Super AMOLED screen. Assuming you like what WP7 has to offer, which device is the best choice?

Design

The Surround weighs a hefty 5.8 ounces and measures 4.7 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches. The phone VGP-BPS9 feels well-crafted, with hard black plastic on the back and aluminum accents on the sides. The bottom half of the phone slides out a half-inch to VGP-BPS8 reveal the silver speaker grille, which is perforated with tiny holes. Several people we showed the phone to were perplexed that the speaker didn't extend further. "That's all there is?" was a common reaction. A solid metal kickstand is on the opposite side of the phone so VGP-BPS9A/B you can prop up the device on a table or desk.

The top of the Surround has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a sleep/power button, the right side VGP-BPS9/B has a volume rocker and a dedicated camera button, and the bottom has a microUSB charging port.

Display

The 3.8-inch capacitive LCD on the Surround screen VGP-BPS9/S looks good, with strong, accurate colors and nice contrast. It has a resolution of 800 x 480, so text and pictures were easy on the eyes. However, the screen looks a little dull next the Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Focus, another AT&T Windows Phone 7 device, VGP-BPS8A not to mention the category-best iPhone 4's 960 x 640 Retina display. Still, an episode of "30 Rock" streaming over the Netflix app looked VGP-BPS2 decent on the Surround.

Audio

When slid open, the Dolby-powered speaker on the VGP-BPS2A Surround is activated. The default sound on the speaker is Dolby Mobile, but there are two other options that can be accessed by pushing a small square button on the speaker. When the button is pressed once, it enables SRS WOW HD and when pressed twice, it activates no VGP-BPS2B effects at all. Both Dolby and SRS claim to offer audio enhancements, but we surprisingly found that the "no effects" option offered the most VGP-BPS2C volume and clarity. The song "If I Ever Feel Better" by Phoenix is a danceable rock song with guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums. good battery With Dolby Mobile or SRS WOW HD, the song sounded flat and it was hard to differentiate the subtle changes of the drum beats and key changes. With no sound "enhancements," the song came alive with pulsing bass and sony battery guitar licks.

In lieu of the button on the speaker, users can also select between the Dolby Mobile, SRS, and no effects audio profiles using the HTC VGP-BPS13B/B Sound Enhancer app. There's also an Equalizer which has presets (such as bass booster, treble VGP-BPS13B/Q booster, and more) but that's only available when using headphones or external speakers.

The overall volume of the speakers was enough to fill a small room, but not "take the party to another level," as HTC claims on its website. Oddly, games were much louder than music, but when the speaker is right in front of your face, it's not necessary to blast it. While VGP-BPS13/B it doesn't have as much treble and bass, the speaker on the Samsung Focus got almost as loud for music and video.

When using a pair of good headphones with the 3.5mm jack on the Surround, music VGP-BPS13A/Q sounded full, clear, and generally excellent.