HTC Imagio XV6975 Windows Phone

Worst Cell Phone I've Owned in 20 Years
The purchase of this was a huge mistake--I doubt I can tolerate it for a year before replacing. It has three most pressing flaws:

-- The user interface system is horrible. The slightest touch makes things start opening, spinning and moving. It is literally unusable without pulling out the stylus, and even that is difficult. The interface system is so much worse than an Iphone or Android that it's not even like talking about the same thing.
--The browser is unusable. Whether connecting wireless or 3G, it takes a matter of minutes to load every web page. Then when they do load, they are in a miniature font and I have to struggle with the zoom to try and see anything. I have just given up using the browser all together and rely on my Blackberry from work.
--The number of applications is minuscule compared to the Iphone or Android, and most of them are poor.

This is a disaster that I cannot recommend for anyone.

Great phone - picked over Droid, Blackberry, Palm Pre & Pixi
After finding some standout features we decided on the Imagio.
First with Windows based phones we can view our security cameras at home on our
phone, for the first time with Verizon. (wi-life online) It is also the
only phone with actual live Mobile TV like Fox News which is an extra a month,
but I am very happy to watch the news as it is happening. I really liked the Google maps on the Droid, but I was able to download and install that easily enough (m.google.com). The Droid (Motorola) has more features with Navigation, but I find the navigation to be unreliable so I started looking at the Imagio again.

When we started looking at all of the phones, I did not see many reviews on the Imagio. One said there was hissing during calls, but in fact the calls are great, clear, and reliable for the most part. (We tried iPhones which were the worst reliability in our area as well as driving from LAX to Disneyland, especially at Disneyland - just awful!) The Imagio as a phone is not the most ergonomic feel in your hand, but the speakerphone is great and there's always bluetooth.

The email is not supercool. It was confusing to set up because they have it in two places. I actually had to call Verizon for help. Now that it is set up, it is still not the most user friendly. I read in a review to try downloading and using SPB Mobile shell to replace the existing interface, so I plan to try that but haven't done so yet.

The Imagio touch screen is sensitive as the other reviewer says. I was very hesitant about having only the touch screen but it works fine overall. The setup for synching to my computer went on and on but eventually I figured it out.

As far as battery life goes, Verizon sells an extended battery and cover. I bought that and it doesn't add too much weight or size to the phone. The battery adds the extra time you need to make it not so bad on battery life. Removing the micro-sd is not that user friendly because you have to take the battery cover off and take the stylus out before replacing the cover or you will lock the stylus in and will have to take the cover off again to get to it.

Having less to do with the Imagio:

If you are buying your first smart phone I would just recommend that you find 3 really cool features about the phone that make you excited and want to put up with the phone's shortcomings. They all had some. This is where I found my peace with picking and feeling happy about a phone. We looked at Blackberry's which are probably the best for emailing and had cool radio station apps. We looked at the Droids which are really cool and have great potential. The Motorola was fun to scan the map, look for restaurants in the area. The screen is really nice on that phone. After comparing it to the Imagio however, the Imagio was just as cool.

Fantastic tool for business
I received this phone just days after Verizon released it, replacing a TouchPro as my personal phone. I also have a Blackberry Tour and was testing an iphone 3GS for our company at the same time. So I had three of the latest technologies in my hands.

The iphone was my first experience with touch-screen only, and I was really hesitant. But after using it for a couple days, I realized that it was actually very quick to learn to type with. I was sending decent sized emails quickly. But dang, the web browsing speeds were so incredibly slow compared to the other phones. The iphone interface was very easy to learn, and one strong point was moving from app to app didn't seem to slow the phone down at all. But I have multiple email accounts (work, and two personal), and to move between accounts takes several taps. Another thing that I did not like was the back cover is a shiny plastic, only way to keep it decent looking is to cover it. I don't like that.

The BB Tour had a learning curve that I was not expecting, it was not nearly as intuitive as either WM6.1 or the iphone, to move from function to function takes several clicks or motions with the trackball, move here, then there, then here, press this, then that, however, once learned, it is an incredibly quick phone. Lots of finger motion, but it is extremely fast to move from app to app. The fastest of the three, but it really feels that you have to work for it. This phone feels well made, a decent keyboard (though I preferred the keyboard on my TouchPro) so typing is decent.

Now, my newest toy, the Imagio, my first interaction with WM6.5. The phone feels really solid in the hand, much more substantial than any of the other phones. Plus the back cover has a textured surface, it is very easy to grab, and will not scratch easily, so no protector needed. The HTC navigation is very similar to my TouchPro, but it is even easier and faster. The screen is stunning, truly. I love the tactile feedback when typing (a very nice compliment to the touchscreen typing, a step up from the iphone in this way), the screen is extremely touch sensitive, slightly more so than the iphone, so it takes a while to learn just exactly how to brush the screen to initiate a scroll rather than selecting something, iphone was better at this. Rotation of the screen seems to take about the same amount of time as the iphone, no winners there, but the multitouch (expand, open, close, etc) of the iphone is nice, something that the Imagio does not do. There is a zoom slider area, but it only works in some apps, so it helps, but no match for the iphone in this way. But the killer piece, to go from email account to email account takes a single touch, I love it. This phone feels much more business oriented in the navigation than the iphone, I feel that it is a superior tool for my usage, and again, I love the screen, stunning. The kickstand feature is cool, but I really have no intention of watching stuff on it, but my 10 year old daughter thinks it is cool. One drawback, as you open lots of apps, the phone does slow down, so I often go in and actually close the apps rather than just switching apps (iphone excelled at this). Oh, and battery life is fantastic, better than the ipone, but not quite up to the BB Tour. First phone that I have had that I didn't have to recharge every single night.

Bottom line, the AT&T rep picked up the iphone, and I turned in my BB Tour, we just call forward to my personal Imagio, and for the first time in seven years, I carry a single phone (personal, it is my home phone too, and for work).

Yes, I am a very happy customer.

ken