HTC Surround Coming to AT&T with Windows Phone 7

The HTC Surround has just been officially unveiled by AT&T Wireless' Ralph de la Vega. This will be one of the first crop of Windows Phone 7 models, and is going to emphasize music and video playback.

It is going to have a tablet shape, but with an unusual addition. Behind its 3.8-inch WVGA (640 x 800) touchscreen is going to be a panel that can slide to expose a pair of Dolby Surround Sound speakers.

There will also be a kickstand on the back to hold the Surround up for watching movies.

Windows Powered
This HTC smartphone is going to run Microsoft's new operating system on a a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor with  576 MB of RAM. It is also going to have 16 GB of internal storage.

The HTC Surround will sport a 5 megapixel camera with support for images and 720p video.

Its wireless capabilities are going to include 3G (HSDPA: 7.2 Mbps downloads, 2 Mbps uploads), Wi-Fi b/g/n, and Stereo Bluetooth.

AT&T says this model's 1230 mAh battery will be good for 4 hours of talk time -- below average.

Overall, it is going to be 4.7 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches and 5.8 ounces. 

More about Windows Phone 7
Despite its name, this new smartphone operating system has little in common with its predecessors. It will have a completely different user interface and won't run applications written for the earlier versions nor will any current models be upgradeable.

The focus for Windows Phone 7 has moved to consumers, and its UI emphasizes social networking, pictures, games, etc. It has also been redesigned to be controlled with a fingertip.

Still, it will include some hold-overs from Windows Mobile that business users want: Microsoft Office Mobile and support for synchronizing with Microsoft Exchange.

It will work with Microsoft's Zune music service, as well as the Xbox Live gaming service.

Pricing and Availability
AT&T is going to launch three models running Windows Phone 7 on November 8, including the HTC Surround.

This product will sell for $200 with a two-year contract.