HD7 - How is it?

[micro]

What're the issues with the original batch of HD7's?

I got one on launch day and get some seriously weird things with mine, I haven't had a chance to return it yet though. Screen goes crazy every now and then switching between negative colours and regular, all live tiles going blank etc...

The issues with original batch are exactly the ones you speak of..

Return it asap to get gen 2 hardware.

[WA7ER]

Ahh perfect, thanks for the info.

I'll wait until it starts doing it again, and pop to the shop.

Thanks again!

[Mr. Gibs]

Well I got my refund from Dell, went to the t-mobile store and picked up an HD7 and all I have to say is wow :/

I should have done this a long time ago instead of trusting all the reviews :rofl: The screen is good, it feels awesome and WP7 is just fluid and silky smooth.

Only problem I've noticed so far is that I had to manually add my hotmail account to the email settings since I use a custom domain

[fix-this!]

i got to play with a hd7 at walmart today. the build quality is awesome but im not sure im sold on the metro UI though. feels like a dumbphone not a smartphone IMO. too locked down for me atm. when i can unlock it and put on custom UI's / themes /roms ill buy one.

right now im interested in the hd7, dell venue and samsung focus.

[neo158]

i got to play with a hd7 at walmart today. the build quality is awesome but im not sure im sold on the metro UI though. feels like a dumbphone not a smartphone IMO. too locked down for me atm. when i can unlock it and put on custom UI's / themes /roms ill buy one.

right now im interested in the hd7, dell venue and samsung focus.

The OS will get updates and even at this stage in WP7 life there is an enormous amount of functionality.

It sounds like you would be better off with an Android Phone if you want to use custom ROMs, as I'm sure that Microsoft won't allow that to happen with WP7.

[Prince Charming]

i got to play with a hd7 at walmart today. the build quality is awesome but im not sure im sold on the metro UI though. feels like a dumbphone not a smartphone IMO. too locked down for me atm. when i can unlock it and put on custom UI's / themes /roms ill buy one.

right now im interested in the hd7, dell venue and samsung focus.

I'd echo neo158's sentiments that you'd likely be better off with an Android handset. The point of WP7 is that you don't have to fight with your phone to make it work well, and it's all about experience. If you want to go fight with a phone platform, Android is by far your best option.

[neo158]

Better to get a HTC HD2 (T-Mobile version) instead of an HD7. Why? It's basically the same in terms of hardware (same CPU, RAM, Camera (720p recording is a driver update only), same size screen and possible the same type). Why is it better?

1. You can always get the latest version of Android, which works flawlessly on the HD2. Likewise, you can use any cooked ROMs.

2. You get a 1GB ROM+16GB Memory card, compared to 512MB ROM and 8 GB card with HD7 (apparently they weren't as cheap in Asia, where you get an equivilent 16GB SDHC card).

3. $100-200 cheaper for the same thing

The only reason to buy a HD7 is if you are a WF7 fanatic or its a really good deal. If you are a WP7 fanatic, I suggest a phone that isn't simply a cosmetic change to a phone that came out over a year ago.

1. Why not buy the Desire HD instead of buying an HD2 and using a gimped version of Android on it, which is emulated and can be complicated to set up. Flashing cooked ROMs is risky and can result in a non booting device, not really something a novice user would want to do. It really shows what a lame OS WM6.5 really is when you have to flash a cooked ROM or emulate Android on it to get the best out of it.

2. There is a 16GB version as well, available worldwide, which you'd know about if you bothered to do any research before commenting. Did you stop to think that the reason the HD7 has a smaller ROM, is because WP7 has lost the "bloat" that WM6.5 has. Also the ROM on the HD7 is not user accessible and therefore can't be used for storage like on the HD2.

3. The HD2 is cheaper for a reason, it's an older model. Mobile operators give hefty discounts on older devices to sell off the stock before recieving newer models.

You sound like either a disgruntled HD2 owner, ****ed off that HTC/Microsoft won't provide an upgrade to WP7 or an Android Fanboy.

[fix-this!]

The OS will get updates and even at this stage in WP7 life there is an enormous amount of functionality.

It sounds like you would be better off with an Android Phone if you want to use custom ROMs, as I'm sure that Microsoft won't allow that to happen with WP7.

xda devs will make it happen. even if spb mobile shell comes to wp7 ill buy one. and for your info i am a current android user "htc evo" but thanks. im not a fan of locked down phones. i bet within 6 months the wp7 line will be cracked, unlocked, custom roms and android ported to them.

I'd echo neo158's sentiments that you'd likely be better off with an Android handset. The point of WP7 is that you don't have to fight with your phone to make it work well, and it's all about experience. If you want to go fight with a phone platform, Android is by far your best option.

im a fan of all handsets and os's. i like to try out new platforms. webos and android are among my favorites. but im willing to give wp7 a try once it develops more. i used to be a die hard winmo user FYI. if you guys are happy with locked down phones such as the iphone and wp7 then more power to you. personally i like the freedom to make my phone look and act as i want it too. <---- this is where the xda community and devs come into play. sadly so far there isn't much going on with wp7 there yet.

[neo158]

xda devs will make it happen. even if spb mobile shell comes to wp7 ill buy one. and for your info i am a current android user "htc evo" but thanks. im not a fan of locked down phones. i bet within 6 months the wp7 line will be cracked, unlocked, custom roms and android ported to them.

im a fan of all handsets and os's. i like to try out new platforms. webos and android are among my favorites. but im willing to give wp7 a try once it develops more. i used to be a die hard winmo user FYI. if you guys are happy with locked down phones such as the iphone and wp7 then more power to you. personally i like the freedom to make my phone look and act as i want it too. <---- this is where the xda community and devs come into play. sadly so far there isn't much going on with wp7 there yet.

The reason the xda community haven't done much with WP7 is simply because they can't. WP7 devices require a certificate to even boot the device and if that's missing or invalid then the device will fail to boot. Custom UIs were needed on WinMo because of resistive touchscreens and the pure crapness that was the WinMo interface, now though, with WP7 devices having capacitive touchscreens and a UI more suited to touch they are no longer needed.

Not to mention the fact that HTC couldn't use Sense UI on their devices, because Microsoft prevent third parties from adding application centric UIs onto WP7 as the default. The reason for the design Microsoft have chosen is to put data front and centre, instead of apps, this means that HTC can only add a Hub to the interface and not replace it entirely.

It's not about liking locked down devices, I hate the iPhone being completely locked down and FYI I have an Android device as well, but trying something new and different, as well as WP7s "locked down" nature being somewhere between the complete lockdown of iOS devices and the Android open style system.

What I mean by this is that iOS devices allow you to change the wallpaper and create folders for apps. Android allows you to change whatever you like or even use a different ROM altogether. WP7 allows you to change the lockscreen wallpaper, ringtones, light and dark background and accent colours. Not bad for version 1.0 of WP7 and that will only get better with updates.

That's why you would be better off sticking with Android instead of switching to WP7 as you seem to like customisation more than putting data first, nothing wrong with that though.

[fix-this!]

I'd echo neo158's sentiments that you'd likely be better off with an Android handset. The point of WP7 is that you don't have to fight with your phone to make it work well, and it's all about experience. If you want to go fight with a phone platform, Android is by far your best option.

im not sure what you mean by fight with android to get it to work? i take it you have never used the platform?

no basically microsoft went the apple way and are dictating what you and i can do with our product. thank god for jailbreaking and good devs out there.

[Soulsiphon]

1. Why not buy the Desire HD instead of buying an HD2 and using a gimped version of Android on it, which is emulated and can be complicated to set up. Flashing cooked ROMs is risky and can result in a non booting device, not really something a novice user would want to do. It really shows what a lame OS WM6.5 really is when you have to flash a cooked ROM or emulate Android on it to get the best out of it.

2. There is a 16GB version as well, available worldwide, which you'd know about if you bothered to do any research before commenting. Did you stop to think that the reason the HD7 has a smaller ROM, is because WP7 has lost the "bloat" that WM6.5 has. Also the ROM on the HD7 is not user accessible and therefore can't be used for storage like on the HD2.

3. The HD2 is cheaper for a reason, it's an older model. Mobile operators give hefty discounts on older devices to sell off the stock before recieving newer models.

You sound like either a disgruntled HD2 owner, ****ed off that HTC/Microsoft won't provide an upgrade to WP7 or an Android Fanboy.

1.) Because in almost every case, the HD2 is running Android better than the native devices as evidenced in Quadrant scores, nothing much 'gimped' about these builds anymore. Gingerbread from the Nexus S is running on my HD2, in RAM, and I'll put it against any other droid phone out there.

2.) That 'bloat' you refer to, is stuff WM 6.5.x has had forever like multitasking, copy/paste etc etc etc

3.) The HD2 will run (and run *very* well) the latest Android roms from the Mt4G, Evo, Desire HD/Z, etc. In fact it still has a great 2nd and 3rd resale value because of the fact it is really, many phones in one.

You sound like someone who is talking about things you have no clue about and should go research a bit yourself tbh.

[BGM]

im not sure what you mean by fight with android to get it to work? i take it you have never used the platform?

no basically microsoft went the apple way and are dictating what you and i can do with our product. thank god for jailbreaking and good devs out there.

*sigh*

no, he means android is a fight.. and yes it is a fight. i had said based device for a mighty two months before getting rid because i was so fed up of it just being a general PITA.. (notwithstanding the whole interface inconsistencies and general bugginess)

microsoft have not gone the apple way they have gone a half way house way in which you can change some things, but not drastically alter the interface to such a degree as you can on android..

tbfh guys.. you pays your money you takes your choice, just select which device you like, and stick with it... simple?

[zivan56]

1. Why not buy the Desire HD instead of buying an HD2 and using a gimped version of Android on it, which is emulated and can be complicated to set up. Flashing cooked ROMs is risky and can result in a non booting device, not really something a novice user would want to do. It really shows what a lame OS WM6.5 really is when you have to flash a cooked ROM or emulate Android on it to get the best out of it.

I suggest reading up on it before replying. Everything you have stated is wrong.

2. There is a 16GB version as well, available worldwide, which you'd know about if you bothered to do any research before commenting. Did you stop to think that the reason the HD7 has a smaller ROM, is because WP7 has lost the "bloat" that WM6.5 has. Also the ROM on the HD7 is not user accessible and therefore can't be used for storage like on the HD2.

Wrong.

Read: http://www.htc.com/w...cification.html

Perhaps you are referring to a T-Mobile HD7 (if it exists), which is not a regular HD7. Just like a HD2 isn't the same as a T-Mobile HD2. At least not in the storage or radio.

If you knew anything about WP7, you will see it is simply Windows Mobile 6.5 with a newer kernel and overlay UI. It still runs the same WinCE core and is the same size basically.

You are right that it isn't user accessible, which is baffling to say the least.

3. The HD2 is cheaper for a reason, it's an older model. Mobile operators give hefty discounts on older devices to sell off the stock before recieving newer models.

You sound like either a disgruntled HD2 owner, ****ed off that HTC/Microsoft won't provide an upgrade to WP7 or an Android Fanboy.

This is too funny, you are resorting to personal attacks because you can't support your argument. What's next, a straw man argument?

[Mr. Gibs]

Wrong.

Read: http://www.htc.com/w...cification.html

Perhaps you are referring to a T-Mobile HD7 (if it exists), which is not a regular HD7. Just like a HD2 isn't the same as a T-Mobile HD2.

Um no the T-mobile HD7 is the exact same HD7 they sell abroad just with a slightly different color accent (hardware anyways). And even so you can upgrade the microSD card to 32gb (requires a bit of unscrewing though)

The t-mobile HD2 just had 512mb more ROM than the regular HD2...apart from that they were identical.

If you knew anything about WP7, you will see it is simply Windows Mobile 6.5 with a newer kernel and overlay UI. It still runs the same WinCE core and is the same size basically.

You are right that it isn't user accessible, which is baffling to say the least.

I've read that WP7 runs WinCE7 but then I've also read the opposite so.

http://wmpoweruser.com/windows-phone-7-is-based-on-win-ce-7/

[Prince Charming]

I suggest reading up on it before replying. Everything you have stated is wrong.

Wrong.

Read: http://www.htc.com/w...cification.html

Perhaps you are referring to a T-Mobile HD7 (if it exists), which is not a regular HD7. Just like a HD2 isn't the same as a T-Mobile HD2. At least not in the storage or radio.

If you knew anything about WP7, you will see it is simply Windows Mobile 6.5 with a newer kernel and overlay UI. It still runs the same WinCE core and is the same size basically.

You are right that it isn't user accessible, which is baffling to say the least.

This is too funny, you are resorting to personal attacks because you can't support your argument. What's next, a straw man argument?

I wouldn't run around telling people to read up on subjects and declaring everything they stated to be wrong. I'm going to lay out a few facts for you here:

• Windows Phone 7 is nothing like Windows Mobile 6.5 (or any other previous iteration).
• Windows Phone 7 does not run the same WinCE core.
• Windows Mobile was powered by Windows CE 5.2 (since WM5.0 through to WM6.5/6.5.3).
• Windows Phone 7 is powered by Windows CE6.0R3, with some cellcore components borrowed from Embedded Compact 7.
• Windows CE6 and CE5.2 are very dissimilar. CE6 was a major rewrite and overhaul for the CE family of operating system.
• Windows Phone 7 and WM6.5's app development models are extremely different.

Trying to pretend WP7 is 'simply' WM6.5 with a newer kernel and overlay UI is roughly akin to suggesting that iOS4 is like Mach/BSD with a newer kernel and overlay UI. Indeed, you could trace some kind of heritage, but it's such a tenuous link and the end product bares no internal or external resemblance. WP7's CE6 internals represent a similarly massive departure from CE5.2, and WP7 itself is also a lot of extensions to CE6.

It's the same size basically? Really? Where are you going with that?

[neo158]

I suggest reading up on it before replying. Everything you have stated is wrong.

Wrong.

Read: http://www.htc.com/w...cification.html

Perhaps you are referring to a T-Mobile HD7 (if it exists), which is not a regular HD7. Just like a HD2 isn't the same as a T-Mobile HD2. At least not in the storage or radio.

If you knew anything about WP7, you will see it is simply Windows Mobile 6.5 with a newer kernel and overlay UI. It still runs the same WinCE core and is the same size basically.

You are right that it isn't user accessible, which is baffling to say the least.

This is too funny, you are resorting to personal attacks because you can't support your argument. What's next, a straw man argument?

How did I not support my argument, I answered all the points rather well I think.

I'm not wrong, the 16GB version IS sold worldwide, how do I know, I own an O2 UK HD7 with 16GB of storage. I'll provide pictures if you don't believe me. It's no good quoting HTC as they don't have a clue what display is used in the HD7, let alone where the relevant devices models are sold.

I know far more about WP7 than most people, seeing as I OWN an HD7, as well as following development from a very very early stage.

Maybe I'm wrong about Android on the HD2 being gimped, it still has to be "emulated" and run in RAM which explains why it runs raster than native Android devices, however it really does show how lame WinMo 6.5 is when you have to flash a different OS to make the hardware usable.

We can get into a straw man argument if you want, but I'm not sure this is the appropriate forum for it.:D

TBFH, If you don't like the HD7 then WTF are you doing arguing in this thread as the OP asked what the HD7 is like!!!!!

[jakem1]

Here's a comparison between the HD7 and the Venue Pro.

The Venue Pro has some obvious drawbacks but the HD7 doesn't look that good either :(

[Prince Charming]

Wow, considering the HD7's main selling point is it's pow-huge-screen, the Venue Pro's screen is pretty much the same size, hard to tell size difference between them. And the Venue Pro's just pops so much more. Dimensions are similar, Venue is just a bit chunkier. I have a feeling if Dell got their launch together properly, they would have had massive sales of the device.

[jakem1]

Wow, considering the HD7's main selling point is it's pow-huge-screen, the Venue Pro's screen is pretty much the same size, hard to tell size difference between them. And the Venue Pro's just pops so much more. Dimensions are similar, Venue is just a bit chunkier. I have a feeling if Dell got their launch together properly, they would have had massive sales of the device.

Yeah, it's a shame about the banding on the Dell because its screen and camera really blow the HD7 away in every other respect. The colours on the HD7 look really poor in that video. IMO, there's not enough difference between a 4"/4.1" screen and a 4.3" screen to consider that a major selling point for the HD7.

It's a real shame because the HD2 was a great phone for its time but HTC have really dropped the ball since then. There's no way I could justify spending money on an HD7 when it's clearly fallen behind the competition.

[Legacy1188]

It's a real shame because the HD2 was a great phone for its time but HTC have really dropped the ball since then. There's no way I could justify spending money on an HD7 when it's clearly fallen behind the competition.

Let me ask you something: Have you used this phone personally?

[jakem1]

Let me ask you something: Have you used this phone personally?

I haven't used one but I've seen them and seen enough of them to know that I wouldn't buy one. It's also obvious that the HD7 represents nothing more than a software upgrade to the HD2 which I already have - in other words, it's not a worthwhile upgrade. Personally, I don't think the HD7 holds a candle to other phones such as the Omnia 7.

Take a look at the video above and tell me you think the screen and the camera on the HD7 are any good. The colours on the screen are terrible and the colour of the photo that the HD7 takes is nothing like the background that the photo is of. This is supposed to be HTC's high-end phone but it is built using dated, cheap parts. The kickstand on the back of the HD7 is also cheap and nasty and I'd be surprised if they last very long. That's just my opinion but I don't think the HD7 is worth buying.

[Mr. Gibs]

Yeah, it's a shame about the banding on the Dell because its screen and camera really blow the HD7 away in every other respect. The colours on the HD7 look really poor in that video. IMO, there's not enough difference between a 4"/4.1" screen and a 4.3" screen to consider that a major selling point for the HD7.

It's a real shame because the HD2 was a great phone for its time but HTC have really dropped the ball since then. There's no way I could justify spending money on an HD7 when it's clearly fallen behind the competition.

I can tell you from actually owning a HD7 that the colors don't look THAT bad.

LCD usually suffer from colors being washed out. AMOLEDs, however, oversaturate their colors. Color banding issues, however, are much much more apparent on an AMOLED screen (really sucks that MS didn't enable dithering in the browser or use 24-bit)

The best would obviously be in the middle, and S-LCD and super AMOLED try to do that. Now as to whether or not the HD7 uses an S-LCD screen or just a regular TFT...nobody really knows. Some people swear their phone has an S-LCD screen, others say it doesn't....and HTC isn't telling anyone either.

----

I was in the same boat as you, but after considering a couple of things I decided the venue pro wouldn't be worth my money:

1. I ordered the phone the day it was released. Since then my order has been canceled 3 times, and dell support couldn't even give me a reason as to why. So I lost out on the 15% off deal, and as of a few days ago my phone still hadn't shipped.

2. I thought Dell home support was retarded...their mobile division is even worse. The RAM incident? Nobody from dell has said how much RAM the device actually has (the amount listed on the tech specs has been removed) and the customer support reps are retarded (one even said the device has no RAM).

3. The venue pro just has too many issues. It's sad that Dell actually had the best WP7 device on the market and then ruined it.

4. There's no insurance available for this phone (at least in the US).

I was willing to overlook everything but the customer service. I'm sorry but if I'm spending $550 on a phone (I buy all of mine off contract) I better get some god dam answers as to why my phone hasn't shipped yet...even though there are people who ordered well after me and got their devices...I don't want you reading the same information that I am reading and telling me "my phone is in production."

Also you really can't talk about the phone being a worthwhile upgrade. I mean the hardware on all WP7 devices are exactly the same as the HD2...so really the only difference is the screen and WP7. I got a WP7 device not because I wanted some brand new hardware...I would have gone with the Galaxy S otherwise since it has the fastest mobile processor so far...but simply because I wanted WP7. I mean the Venue Pro is exactly like the HD2 except with a hardware keyboard and an AMOLED screen (if the RAM is actually 512mb that is).

Take a look at the video above and tell me you think the screen and the camera on the HD7 are any good. The colours on the screen are terrible and the colour of the photo that the HD7 takes is nothing like the background that the photo is of. This is supposed to be HTC's high-end phone but it is built using dated, cheap parts. The kickstand on the back of the HD7 is also cheap and nasty and I'd be surprised if they last very long. That's just my opinion but I don't think the HD7 is worth buying.

The HD7 does suffer from a blue tinge on white backgrounds (not sure if HTC has fixed this yet since I really don't give a crap about the quality of the camera on a cellphone). The kickstand was actually a surprise for me, since I was expecting it to be a cheap ****ty thing but it's actually well built and feels solid.

[neo158]

I can tell you from actually owning a HD7 that the colors don't look THAT bad.

LCD usually suffer from colors being washed out. AMOLEDs, however, oversaturate their colors. Color banding issues, however, are much much more apparent on an AMOLED screen (really sucks that MS didn't enable dithering in the browser or use 24-bit)

The best would obviously be in the middle, and S-LCD and super AMOLED try to do that. Now as to whether or not the HD7 uses an S-LCD screen or just a regular TFT...nobody really knows. Some people swear their phone has an S-LCD screen, others say it doesn't....and HTC isn't telling anyone either.

----

I was in the same boat as you, but after considering a couple of things I decided the venue pro wouldn't be worth my money:

1. I ordered the phone the day it was released. Since then my order has been canceled 3 times, and dell support couldn't even give me a reason as to why. So I lost out on the 15% off deal, and as of a few days ago my phone still hadn't shipped.

2. I thought Dell home support was retarded...their mobile division is even worse. The RAM incident? Nobody from dell has said how much RAM the device actually has (the amount listed on the tech specs has been removed) and the customer support reps are retarded (one even said the device has no RAM).

3. The venue pro just has too many issues. It's sad that Dell actually had the best WP7 device on the market and then ruined it.

4. There's no insurance available for this phone (at least in the US).

I was willing to overlook everything but the customer service. I'm sorry but if I'm spending $550 on a phone (I buy all of mine off contract) I better get some god dam answers as to why my phone hasn't shipped yet...even though there are people who ordered well after me and got their devices...I don't want you reading the same information that I am reading and telling me "my phone is in production."

Also you really can't talk about the phone being a worthwhile upgrade. I mean the hardware on all WP7 devices are exactly the same as the HD2...so really the only difference is the screen and WP7. I got a WP7 device not because I wanted some brand new hardware...I would have gone with the Galaxy S otherwise since it has the fastest mobile processor so far...but simply because I wanted WP7. I mean the Venue Pro is exactly like the HD2 except with a hardware keyboard and an AMOLED screen (if the RAM is actually 512mb that is).

The HD7 does suffer from a blue tinge on white backgrounds (not sure if HTC has fixed this yet since I really don't give a crap about the quality of the camera on a cellphone). The kickstand was actually a surprise for me, since I was expecting it to be a cheap ****ty thing but it's actually well built and feels solid.

Well said, I get a bit ****ed off sometimes with all the negative comments.

I'd swear that mine has an S-LCD display as the colours seem to be more vibrant than on the original Omnia that I had before. That 4.3" display, for the benefit of jakem1, happens to be the largest screen of any current WP7 device. I also don't care about the camera quality, it could be improved, but as I have an SLR for high resolution pictures it's not an issue for me. I only use the camera on the HD7 to upload to Skydrive and Facebook so it's not an issue.

[Mr. Gibs]

Well said, I get a bit ****ed off sometimes with all the negative comments.

I'd swear that mine has an S-LCD display as the colours seem to be more vibrant than on the original Omnia that I had before. That 4.3" display, for the benefit of jakem1, happens to be the largest screen of any current WP7 device. I also don't care about the camera quality, it could be improved, but as I have an SLR for high resolution pictures it's not an issue for me. I only use the camera on the HD7 to upload to Skydrive and Facebook so it's not an issue.

I really don't think the reviews and pictures do the HD7 justice. I mean a few weeks ago I was in the same mindset jakem1, and refused to even consider the HD7..but since things with Dell weren't going well and coupled with the replies in this thread...I went and actually tried out the HD7 and that sold me.

I'm not going to claim its the best WP7 device, personally I feel that the Focus is (I believe Samsung got it right with the NAND memory + microSD and then that screen) but it's a close second for me and nowhere near as bad as some of the reviews make it out to be. Pretty much the only problem I have with it is the battery life.

I do hope the HTC media link device will work with the HD7 though, I mean the implementation isn't as nice as LG's but if it works the same, then I got no complaints.

[neo158]

I really don't think the reviews and pictures do the HD7 justice. I mean a few weeks ago I was in the same mindset jakem1, and refused to even consider the HD7..but since things with Dell weren't going well and coupled with the replies in this thread...I went and actually tried out the HD7 and that sold me.

I'm not going to claim its the best WP7 device, personally I feel that the Focus is (I believe Samsung got it right with the NAND memory + microSD and then that screen) but it's a close second for me and nowhere near as bad as some of the reviews make it out to be. Pretty much the only problem I have with it is the battery life.

Absolutely agree, Battery life isn't it's strong point and i'm not sure if the Focus is available in the UK, only problem with the Focus is that Samsung haven't published a list of compatible microSD cards. As for the screen it could be one of two displays, S-LCD or an LED backlit TFT but I guess no-one will know as HTC aren't telling. I just think it would be stupid of them to announce they're using S-LCD displays in their phones and then use a regular TFT.