HTC Windows Phone 8X (california blue, 8G - AT&T)

Pros: Excellent phone design/sleek/easy to handle
LTE
Unlimited Music with Microsoft LIVE
Experience of entire Microsoft ecosystem better than any previous
NFC
SKYDRIVE
Excellent audio
Live Tiles
Excellent screen
Wireless charging
Personal Hotspot

Cons: Battery not replaceable by user
MMS messaging (This is a Verizon issue with a "fix" in the works)

Summary: As a user of smartphones including all of the Iphones and one Android, I have had the experience of each system's +/-'s. First, I am certainly thankful for all the initiatives brought to us by Apple. I consider Apple to be first to offer a "best" total smartphone/ecosystem experience. Android followed with an impressive alternative to Apple....but now.....I am asking /telling everyone that we have a new "best" choice for the total smartphone/system experience.....Microsoft Windows Phone 8....and on an HTC Windows Phone 8. First...the phone has excellent design features...sleek, and easy to handle....and then starts the user experience....there's LTE... LTE 4G offers vastly improved internet experience.....very fast. Second.....join Microsoft LIVE ($99 annually) and get access to unlimited music. just one part of the Microsoft ecosystem.....XBOX 360, Videos...all the system offerings....entertainment at a max. You connect to all of this...... Then there's the phone's NFC......so easy to use tap & send to share files....and things like payments via CC.....little used but will gain acceptance.....hence, the phone statement "futuristic phone". The use of Skydrive.....makes using the cloud so available for everything from pictures to audio/video to important documents. Skipping back to the mention of music....the phone includes the codec for Dr. Dre Beats audio technology.....huge sound whether into my earbuds or to audio input in my vehicle. From a professional use.....the inclusion of Microsoft Office.....and the Live Tiles updating constantly to show emails, messages..... The ability to tie all contact data into one location... PEOPLE... easily makes this the best "professional use" phone in my opinion. The screen quality is top notch...... easily matching/besting anything currently available. I will say that, perhaps, the camera is not as good as the Iphone 5 (I had this for 14 days before returning to buy the HTC). However, we're talking about "very difficult to measure" differences here. I did not feel that listing the camera item as a "Cons" was warranted....this is very subjective IMHO. I found all the APPS I wanted, or had been using with Iphone. Not that I don't believe that the number of APPS needs to be more plentiful at the Microsoft store.....these will continue to arrive. Thus far, the battery is lasting as I expect.....down to about 39% at the end of an average day. And that leads to one of my favorite "Pros".....wireless charging. I can't tell you how important this is.....as now, instead of fumbling around in the dark (trying not to wake my wife) to get the phone mounted on the charging unit on the bedside clock, I simply place it on the charging pad..... As I glean over my phone, I appreciate how much information is presented.....all part of the "Live Tiles"....new email(s), new messages, calendar summary, and more. The tiles are customizable as to location, and one of three sizes. This lets me keep my most important tiles at the top of the menu. Also, another phone "Pro".....use the phone as a personal hot spot....very easy to connect my Ipad or Microsoft Surface to this phone. So, overwhelmingly, I see this phone as a clear winner in the rather large offering of smartphones today. The combination of WP8 an HTC design.....we have some of the best technology ever offered......I look forward to using my HTC Windows Phone 8X everyday!

Updated on Dec 30, 2012

Question was asked about email accounts setup. I have my company MS Outlook account setup with all folders and also a GMail account. Both work without issue.

Updated on Dec 31, 2012

The combination of WP8 and HTC design.....

Updated on Dec 31, 2012

Add>> I have found that the Klipsch earbuds S4A work perfectly with this phone....all controls work as designed.....so, another choice of earbud/headphone gear beyond the Dr Dre offerings. Also.....call quality....didn't say a thing about it above....but it's excellent. I've tested this in several places where I knew that signal loss occurred with other phones.....and this phone had one more bar than the previous phone at each location.