NiniaPimp Magazine

The appeal of the numerous niche video services (Sports Illustrated, The Minisode Network, blip.tv, style.com, howcast.com, video podcasts, etc., etc.) is heightened somewhat by the ability to search across all of them. Unfortunately, that search doesn’t include any of the mainstream services like Netflix, Amazon, or YouTube, and is a pain to use with the TV remote.

Sony’s audio, widget ,and photo service selection is top-notch–there’s Slacker, NPR, and an exclusive classical music/video service (Berlin Philharmoniker); numerous Yahoo and Framechannel (the second also a Sony exclusive) widgets; no less than four onboard photo sharing options (if you count the Flickr widget).

And, yes, the EX720 has a Web browser, although it’s even slower and more annoying to use than the one on the PS3. After a few minutes of frustrated waiting for it to load hulu.com, it finally crashed the TV, and we never got it to load a video. It should be avoided unless no other Internet access method is available in your living room.

We’ll take a closer look at Sony’s 2011 connected TV platform, and compare it with the competition, in an upcoming feature.

Sony divides its picture presets into two groups: General (with three choices) and Scene (with eight, including Auto). Two of the Scenes, Cinema and Game, have two separate modes of their own, as well. The total number of adjustable modes hits double-digits, which should be enough for just about everybody.

The company didn’t add the option to adjust dejudder processing beyond the four presents. Other options are fairly standard, and don’t include any of the wacky processing extras found on higher-end Sonys.

Minimal analog inputs is nothing new, and four HDMIs is standard at this level. We appreciate the headphone jack and the fact that you can adjust its volume separately from that of the main speakers.

Performance

Among edge-lit LED based LCDs the EX720 performed well–about average from a 2D picture quality standpoint. Overall, it matched the score of the significantly less-expensive, non-LED Samsung LN46C630, for example. Strengths include solid color accuracy in bright areas, very good reflection control in bright rooms, and fine video processing. Its black levels were a bit lighter than the competition, however, and uniformity fell toward the bottom of the pack.

Picture settings:
Sony KDL-46EX720

The EX720′s Cinema preset delivered relatively good color, although it was a bit skewed toward red. A few tweaks during calibration to the 2-point white balance controls brought the grayscale to near perfection, aside from the very darkest areas of the picture. We were also able to improve gamma and thus shadow detail at the expense of some black level. For our image quality tests we used “Hereafter” on Blu-ray.

Download the Sony KDL-46EX720 pre- and post-calibration charts (PDF)

The EX720 delivered one of the lighter (worse) shades of black in our lineup, outdoing only the 2010 EX700 and looking visibly lighter than the UND6400, for example. We saw the difference in the letterbox bars, as well as in dark scenes like the dim apartment in Chapter 2. Shadow detail was good, however, beating out the LNC630 and ST30.

The Sony held its own relatively well in this category, trumping the LNC630 and the ST30 overall. On the downside, it did evince a bluer tinge in very dark and black areas (5 percent black and lower) than any of the others, aside from the EX700. Grayscale tracking and primary/secondary colors in bright scenes were very good, however, as seen in the pre-tsunami, sunlit market from Chapter 1, with its natural-looking leaves, fabrics, and Marie’s skin tone.

No major issues were visible with 1080p sources. The Sony did fail to de-interlace 1080i film-based material properly, which might manifest in some jaggies or other artifacts in films seen on the TV, but we doubt most viewers will notice. As usual, disabling dejudder (smoothing) cut down motion resolution significantly, but again, visible blur was all but non-existent to our eye even with dejudder off.

We prefer to keep dejudder off for films, but people who like the smooth effect can choose from four Motionflow presets. Standard mode preserves some judder, providing a sort of compromise, while Smooth removes as much as it can. Clear splits the difference, whereas “Clear Plus” uses backlight scanning to improve motion resolution at the expense of some light output. We didn’t see too many halos or other artifacts in most material in any of these modes.

Uniformity: The Sony’s image varied across the screen more so than with the C630, the EX700, or the Vizio, although it was comparable to that of the two Samsung LEDs. The bottom edge, especially the corners, appeared brighter than the rest, and the top corners were also slightly brighter. Minor vertical banding could also be seen on some material, mainly flat fields with movement across the screen. From off-angle, the Sony lost black-level and color fidelity at roughly the same rate as the other LCDs.

Bright lighting: Along with the matte-screened LN630, EX700, and Vizio, the matte EX720 did a better job reducing glare from reflections than the glossy-screened Samsungs or the plasmas. It also preserved contrast (black level) better than the plasmas and about the same as the other LCDs.

Tests were fine in HDMI mode. Via VGA we saw some flicker in test patterns and fine areas, but it wasn’t an issue on most PC material.

Power consumption: We did not test the power consumption of this size TV in the Sony KDL-EX720 series, but we did test the 46-inch model. For more information, please refer to the review of the Sony KDL-46EX720.

How we test TVs

The appeal of the numerous niche video services (Sports Illustrated, The Minisode Network, blip.tv, style.com, howcast.com, video podcasts, etc., etc.) is heightened somewhat by the ability to search across all of them. Unfortunately, that search doesn’t include any of the mainstream services like Netflix, Amazon, or YouTube, and is a pain to use with the TV remote.

Sony’s audio, widget ,and photo service selection is top-notch–there’s Slacker, NPR, and an exclusive classical music/video service (Berlin Philharmoniker); numerous Yahoo and Framechannel (the second also a Sony exclusive) widgets; no less than four onboard photo sharing options (if you count the Flickr widget).

And, yes, the EX720 has a Web browser, although it’s even slower and more annoying to use than the one on the PS3. After a few minutes of frustrated waiting for it to load hulu.com, it finally crashed the TV, and we never got it to load a video. It should be avoided unless no other Internet access method is available in your living room.

We’ll take a closer look at Sony’s 2011 connected TV platform, and compare it with the competition, in an upcoming feature.

Sony divides its picture presets into two groups: General (with three choices) and Scene (with eight, including Auto). Two of the Scenes, Cinema and Game, have two separate modes of their own, as well. The total number of adjustable modes hits double-digits, which should be enough for just about everybody.

The company didn’t add the option to adjust dejudder processing beyond the four presents. Other options are fairly standard, and don’t include any of the wacky processing extras found on higher-end Sonys.

Minimal analog inputs is nothing new, and four HDMIs is standard at this level. We appreciate the headphone jack and the fact that you can adjust its volume separately from that of the main speakers.

Performance
Among edge-lit LED based LCDs the EX720 performed well–about average from a 2D picture quality standpoint. Overall, it matched the score of the significantly less-expensive, non-LED Samsung LN46C630, for example. Strengths include solid color accuracy in bright areas, very good reflection control in bright rooms, and fine video processing. Its black levels were a bit lighter than the competition, however, and uniformity fell toward the bottom of the pack.

Picture settings:
Sony KDL-46EX720

The EX720′s Cinema preset delivered relatively good color, although it was a bit skewed toward red. A few tweaks during calibration to the 2-point white balance controls brought the grayscale to near perfection, aside from the very darkest areas of the picture. We were also able to improve gamma and thus shadow detail at the expense of some black level. For our image quality tests we used “Hereafter” on Blu-ray.

Download the Sony KDL-46EX720 pre- and post-calibration charts (PDF)

The EX720 delivered one of the lighter (worse) shades of black in our lineup, outdoing only the 2010 EX700 and looking visibly lighter than the UND6400, for example. We saw the difference in the letterbox bars, as well as in dark scenes like the dim apartment in Chapter 2. Shadow detail was good, however, beating out the LNC630 and ST30.

The Sony held its own relatively well in this category, trumping the LNC630 and the ST30 overall. On the downside, it did evince a bluer tinge in very dark and black areas (5 percent black and lower) than any of the others, aside from the EX700. Grayscale tracking and primary/secondary colors in bright scenes were very good, however, as seen in the pre-tsunami, sunlit market from Chapter 1, with its natural-looking leaves, fabrics, and Marie’s skin tone.

No major issues were visible with 1080p sources. The Sony did fail to de-interlace 1080i film-based material properly, which might manifest in some jaggies or other artifacts in films seen on the TV, but we doubt most viewers will notice. As usual, disabling dejudder (smoothing) cut down motion resolution significantly, but again, visible blur was all but non-existent to our eye even with dejudder off.

We prefer to keep dejudder off for films, but people who like the smooth effect can choose from four Motionflow presets. Standard mode preserves some judder, providing a sort of compromise, while Smooth removes as much as it can. Clear splits the difference, whereas “Clear Plus” uses backlight scanning to improve motion resolution at the expense of some light output. We didn’t see too many halos or other artifacts in most material in any of these modes.

Uniformity: The Sony’s image varied across the screen more so than with the C630, the EX700, or the Vizio, although it was comparable to that of the two Samsung LEDs. The bottom edge, especially the corners, appeared brighter than the rest, and the top corners were also slightly brighter. Minor vertical banding could also be seen on some material, mainly flat fields with movement across the screen. From off-angle, the Sony lost black-level and color fidelity at roughly the same rate as the other LCDs.

Bright lighting: Along with the matte-screened LN630, EX700, and Vizio, the matte EX720 did a better job reducing glare from reflections than the glossy-screened Samsungs or the plasmas. It also preserved contrast (black level) better than the plasmas and about the same as the other LCDs.

Tests were fine in HDMI mode. Via VGA we saw some flicker in test patterns and fine areas, but it wasn’t an issue on most PC material.

Power consumption: We did not test the power consumption of this size TV in the Sony KDL-EX720 series, but we did test the 46-inch model. For more information, please refer to the review of the Sony KDL-46EX720.

How we test TVs

Previous page

The appeal of the numerous niche video services (Sports Illustrated, The Minisode Network, blip.tv, style.com, howcast.com, video podcasts, etc., etc.) is heightened somewhat by the ability to search across all of them. Unfortunately, that search doesn’t include any of the mainstream services like Netflix, Amazon, or YouTube, and is a pain to use with the TV remote.

Sony’s audio, widget ,and photo service selection is top-notch–there’s Slacker, NPR, and an exclusive classical music/video service (Berlin Philharmoniker); numerous Yahoo and Framechannel (the second also a Sony exclusive) widgets; no less than four onboard photo sharing options (if you count the Flickr widget).

And, yes, the EX720 has a Web browser, although it’s even slower and more annoying to use than the one on the PS3. After a few minutes of frustrated waiting for it to load hulu.com, it finally crashed the TV, and we never got it to load a video. It should be avoided unless no other Internet access method is available in your living room.

We’ll take a closer look at Sony’s 2011 connected TV platform, and compare it with the competition, in an upcoming feature.

Sony divides its picture presets into two groups: General (with three choices) and Scene (with eight, including Auto). Two of the Scenes, Cinema and Game, have two separate modes of their own, as well. The total number of adjustable modes hits double-digits, which should be enough for just about everybody.

The company didn’t add the option to adjust dejudder processing beyond the four presents. Other options are fairly standard, and don’t include any of the wacky processing extras found on higher-end Sonys.

Minimal analog inputs is nothing new, and four HDMIs is standard at this level. We appreciate the headphone jack and the fact that you can adjust its volume separately from that of the main speakers.

Performance
Among edge-lit LED based LCDs the EX720 performed well–about average from a 2D picture quality standpoint. Overall, it matched the score of the significantly less-expensive, non-LED Samsung LN46C630, for example. Strengths include solid color accuracy in bright areas, very good reflection control in bright rooms, and fine video processing. Its black levels were a bit lighter than the competition, however, and uniformity fell toward the bottom of the pack.

Picture settings:
Sony KDL-46EX720

The EX720′s Cinema preset delivered relatively good color, although it was a bit skewed toward red. A few tweaks during calibration to the 2-point white balance controls brought the grayscale to near perfection, aside from the very darkest areas of the picture. We were also able to improve gamma and thus shadow detail at the expense of some black level. For our image quality tests we used “Hereafter” on Blu-ray.

Download the Sony KDL-46EX720 pre- and post-calibration charts (PDF)

The EX720 delivered one of the lighter (worse) shades of black in our lineup, outdoing only the 2010 EX700 and looking visibly lighter than the UND6400, for example. We saw the difference in the letterbox bars, as well as in dark scenes like the dim apartment in Chapter 2. Shadow detail was good, however, beating out the LNC630 and ST30.

The Sony held its own relatively well in this category, trumping the LNC630 and the ST30 overall. On the downside, it did evince a bluer tinge in very dark and black areas (5 percent black and lower) than any of the others, aside from the EX700. Grayscale tracking and primary/secondary colors in bright scenes were very good, however, as seen in the pre-tsunami, sunlit market from Chapter 1, with its natural-looking leaves, fabrics, and Marie’s skin tone.

No major issues were visible with 1080p sources. The Sony did fail to de-interlace 1080i film-based material properly, which might manifest in some jaggies or other artifacts in films seen on the TV, but we doubt most viewers will notice. As usual, disabling dejudder (smoothing) cut down motion resolution significantly, but again, visible blur was all but non-existent to our eye even with dejudder off.

We prefer to keep dejudder off for films, but people who like the smooth effect can choose from four Motionflow presets. Standard mode preserves some judder, providing a sort of compromise, while Smooth removes as much as it can. Clear splits the difference, whereas “Clear Plus” uses backlight scanning to improve motion resolution at the expense of some light output. We didn’t see too many halos or other artifacts in most material in any of these modes.

Uniformity: The Sony’s image varied across the screen more so than with the C630, the EX700, or the Vizio, although it was comparable to that of the two Samsung LEDs. The bottom edge, especially the corners, appeared brighter than the rest, and the top corners were also slightly brighter. Minor vertical banding could also be seen on some material, mainly flat fields with movement across the screen. From off-angle, the Sony lost black-level and color fidelity at roughly the same rate as the other LCDs.

Bright lighting: Along with the matte-screened LN630, EX700, and Vizio, the matte EX720 did a better job reducing glare from reflections than the glossy-screened Samsungs or the plasmas. It also preserved contrast (black level) better than the plasmas and about the same as the other LCDs.

Tests were fine in HDMI mode. Via VGA we saw some flicker in test patterns and fine areas, but it wasn’t an issue on most PC material.

Power consumption: We did not test the power consumption of this size TV in the Sony KDL-EX720 series, but we did test the 46-inch model. For more information, please refer to the review of the Sony KDL-46EX720.

How we test TVs

Previous page

The appeal of the numerous niche video services (Sports Illustrated, The Minisode Network, blip.tv, style.com, howcast.com, video podcasts, etc., etc.) is heightened somewhat by the ability to search across all of them. Unfortunately, that search doesn’t include any of the mainstream services like Netflix, Amazon, or YouTube, and is a pain to use with the TV remote.

Sony’s audio, widget ,and photo service selection is top-notch–there’s Slacker, NPR, and an exclusive classical music/video service (Berlin Philharmoniker); numerous Yahoo and Framechannel (the second also a Sony exclusive) widgets; no less than four onboard photo sharing options (if you count the Flickr widget).

And, yes, the EX720 has a Web browser, although it’s even slower and more annoying to use than the one on the PS3. After a few minutes of frustrated waiting for it to load hulu.com, it finally crashed the TV, and we never got it to load a video. It should be avoided unless no other Internet access method is available in your living room.

We’ll take a closer look at Sony’s 2011 connected TV platform, and compare it with the competition, in an upcoming feature.

Sony divides its picture presets into two groups: General (with three choices) and Scene (with eight, including Auto). Two of the Scenes, Cinema and Game, have two separate modes of their own, as well. The total number of adjustable modes hits double-digits, which should be enough for just about everybody.

The company didn’t add the option to adjust dejudder processing beyond the four presents. Other options are fairly standard, and don’t include any of the wacky processing extras found on higher-end Sonys.

Minimal analog inputs is nothing new, and four HDMIs is standard at this level. We appreciate the headphone jack and the fact that you can adjust its volume separately from that of the main speakers.

Performance
Among edge-lit LED based LCDs the EX720 performed well–about average from a 2D picture quality standpoint. Overall, it matched the score of the significantly less-expensive, non-LED Samsung LN46C630, for example. Strengths include solid color accuracy in bright areas, very good reflection control in bright rooms, and fine video processing. Its black levels were a bit lighter than the competition, however, and uniformity fell toward the bottom of the pack.

Picture settings:
Sony KDL-46EX720

The EX720′s Cinema preset delivered relatively good color, although it was a bit skewed toward red. A few tweaks during calibration to the 2-point white balance controls brought the grayscale to near perfection, aside from the very darkest areas of the picture. We were also able to improve gamma and thus shadow detail at the expense of some black level. For our image quality tests we used “Hereafter” on Blu-ray.

Download the Sony KDL-46EX720 pre- and post-calibration charts (PDF)

The EX720 delivered one of the lighter (worse) shades of black in our lineup, outdoing only the 2010 EX700 and looking visibly lighter than the UND6400, for example. We saw the difference in the letterbox bars, as well as in dark scenes like the dim apartment in Chapter 2. Shadow detail was good, however, beating out the LNC630 and ST30.

The Sony held its own relatively well in this category, trumping the LNC630 and the ST30 overall. On the downside, it did evince a bluer tinge in very dark and black areas (5 percent black and lower) than any of the others, aside from the EX700. Grayscale tracking and primary/secondary colors in bright scenes were very good, however, as seen in the pre-tsunami, sunlit market from Chapter 1, with its natural-looking leaves, fabrics, and Marie’s skin tone.

No major issues were visible with 1080p sources. The Sony did fail to de-interlace 1080i film-based material properly, which might manifest in some jaggies or other artifacts in films seen on the TV, but we doubt most viewers will notice. As usual, disabling dejudder (smoothing) cut down motion resolution significantly, but again, visible blur was all but non-existent to our eye even with dejudder off.

We prefer to keep dejudder off for films, but people who like the smooth effect can choose from four Motionflow presets. Standard mode preserves some judder, providing a sort of compromise, while Smooth removes as much as it can. Clear splits the difference, whereas “Clear Plus” uses backlight scanning to improve motion resolution at the expense of some light output. We didn’t see too many halos or other artifacts in most material in any of these modes.

Uniformity: The Sony’s image varied across the screen more so than with the C630, the EX700, or the Vizio, although it was comparable to that of the two Samsung LEDs. The bottom edge, especially the corners, appeared brighter than the rest, and the top corners were also slightly brighter. Minor vertical banding could also be seen on some material, mainly flat fields with movement across the screen. From off-angle, the Sony lost black-level and color fidelity at roughly the same rate as the other LCDs.

Bright lighting: Along with the matte-screened LN630, EX700, and Vizio, the matte EX720 did a better job reducing glare from reflections than the glossy-screened Samsungs or the plasmas. It also preserved contrast (black level) better than the plasmas and about the same as the other LCDs.

Tests were fine in HDMI mode. Via VGA we saw some flicker in test patterns and fine areas, but it wasn’t an issue on most PC material.

Power consumption: We did not test the power consumption of this size TV in the Sony KDL-EX720 series, but we did test the 46-inch model. For more information, please refer to the review of the Sony KDL-46EX720.

How we test TVs

Previous page

The appeal of the numerous niche video services (Sports Illustrated, The Minisode Network, blip.tv, style.com, howcast.com, video podcasts, etc., etc.) is heightened somewhat by the ability to search across all of them. Unfortunately, that search doesn’t include any of the mainstream services like Netflix, Amazon, or YouTube, and is a pain to use with the TV remote.

Sony’s audio, widget, and photo service selection is top-notch–there’s Slacker, NPR, and an exclusive classical music/video service (Berlin Philharmoniker); numerous Yahoo and Framechannel (the second also a Sony exclusive) widgets; no less than four onboard photo sharing options (if you count the Flickr widget).

And, yes, the EX720 has a Web browser, although it’s even slower and more annoying to use than the one on the PS3. After a few minutes of frustrated waiting for it to load hulu.com, it finally crashed the TV, and we never got it to load a video. It should be avoided unless no other Internet access method is available in your living room.

We’ll take a closer look at Sony’s 2011 connected TV platform, and compare it with the competition, in an upcoming feature.

Sony divides its picture presets into two groups: General (with three choices) and Scene (with eight, including Auto). Two of the Scenes, Cinema and Game, have two separate modes of their own, as well. The total number of adjustable modes hits double-digits, which should be enough for just about everybody.

The company didn’t add the option to adjust dejudder processing beyond the four presents. Other options are fairly standard, and don’t include any of the wacky processing extras found on higher-end Sonys.

Minimal analog inputs is nothing new, and four HDMIs is standard at this level. We appreciate the headphone jack and the fact that you can adjust its volume separately from that of the main speakers.

Performance
Among edge-lit LED based LCDs the EX720 performed well–about average from a 2D picture quality standpoint. Overall, it matched the score of the significantly less expensive, non-LED Samsung LN46C630, for example. Strengths include solid color accuracy in bright areas, very good reflection control in bright rooms, and fine video processing. Its black levels were a bit lighter than the competition, however, and uniformity fell toward the bottom of the pack.

Picture settings:
Sony KDL-46EX720

The EX720′s Cinema preset delivered relatively good color, although it was a bit skewed toward red. A few tweaks during calibration to the 2-point white balance controls brought the grayscale to near perfection, aside from the very darkest areas of the picture. We were also able to improve gamma and thus shadow detail at the expense of some black level. For our image quality tests we used “Hereafter” on Blu-ray.

Download the Sony KDL-46EX720 pre- and post-calibration charts (PDF)

The EX720 delivered one of the lighter (worse) shades of black in our lineup, outdoing only the 2010 EX700 and looking visibly lighter than the UND6400, for example. We saw the difference in the letterbox bars, as well as in dark scenes like the dim apartment in Chapter 2. Shadow detail was good, however, beating out the LNC630 and ST30.

The Sony held its own relatively well in this category, trumping the LNC630 and the ST30 overall. On the downside, it did evince a bluer tinge in very dark and black areas (5 percent black and lower) than any of the others, aside from the EX700. Grayscale tracking and primary/secondary colors in bright scenes were very good, however, as seen in the pre-tsunami, sunlit market from Chapter 1, with its natural-looking leaves, fabrics, and Marie’s skin tone.

No major issues were visible with 1080p sources. The Sony did fail to deinterlace 1080i film-based material properly, which might manifest in some jaggies or other artifacts in films seen on the TV, but we doubt most viewers will notice. As usual, disabling dejudder (smoothing) cut down motion resolution significantly, but again, visible blur was all but nonexistent to our eye even with dejudder off.

We prefer to keep dejudder off for films, but people who like the smooth effect can choose from four Motionflow presets. Standard mode preserves some judder, providing a sort of compromise, while Smooth removes as much as it can. Clear splits the difference, whereas “Clear Plus” uses backlight scanning to improve motion resolution at the expense of some light output. We didn’t see too many halos or other artifacts in most material in any of these modes.

Uniformity: The Sony’s image varied across the screen more so than with the C630, the EX700, or the Vizio, although it was comparable to that of the two Samsung LEDs. The bottom edge, especially the corners, appeared brighter than the rest, and the top corners were also slightly brighter. Minor vertical banding could also be seen on some material, mainly flat fields with movement across the screen. From off-angle, the Sony lost black-level and color fidelity at roughly the same rate as the other LCDs.

Bright lighting: Along with the matte-screened LN630, EX700, and Vizio, the matte EX720 did a better job reducing glare from reflections than the glossy-screened Samsungs or the plasmas. It also preserved contrast (black level) better than the plasmas and about the same as the other LCDs.

Tests were fine in HDMI mode. Via VGA we saw some flicker in test patterns and fine areas, but it wasn’t an issue on most PC material.

Power consumption: The EX720 is the most efficient TV we’ve tested so far at CNET, edging out the former champ, Sony’s own KDL-46EX700 from last year, by a mere 11 cents per year. We’ll see how other 2011 LED-based LCDs compare, but for now the EX720 holds the energy-saving crown.

Juice box
Sony KDL-46EX720
Picture settings
Default
Calibrated
Power Save
Picture on (watts)
80.45
64.85
54.16
Picture on (watts/sq. inch)
0.09
0.07
0.06
Standby (watts)
0.074
0.074
0.074
Cost per year
$17.69
$14.28
$11.93
Score (considering size)
Good
Score (overall)
Good

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Editors’ note: This review focuses on the HTC Arrive’s design, performance, and differentiating features. For more on its operating system and core functions, please read our full review of Windows Phone 7.

Photo gallery:
HTC Arrive

First known as the HTC 7 Pro at its New York unveiling, the HTC Arrive is Sprint’s inaugural foray into the brave new world of Windows Phone 7. And the Arrive also represents two other minor “firsts”: it’s the first CDMA Windows Phone 7 phone in the United States, and it’s the first Windows Phone 7 model to ship with Microsoft’s cut-and-paste update.

As a result there’s a lot riding on the Arrive’s rounded shoulders, and for the most part it succeeds in carrying that weight. Like the HTC Surround, the Arrive is a thick chunk of handset, but that extra bulk makes possible a responsive keyboard and a screen that tilts for optimal typing and media consumption. While the data speeds are fine, we were a little disappointed that 4G WiMax isn’t an option.

While there’s a lot to like, the Arrive also has its drawbacks, some having to do with the handset’s construction and some stemming from the Windows Phone 7 OS. For the most part, though, it acquits itself well as a Sprint newcomer.

Design
The HTC Arrive looks good, and looks strong. Rimmed with shiny, dark-gray paint, the handset has a glossy appearance and feel. It has barely rounded corners, like the iPhone 4, and two cut-outs that reveal the front-facing speakers. On the back, a swath of brushed stainless steel and a decorative screw reveal that this is not a phone to be trifled with. And if there were any doubt, the phone’s dimensions (4.6 inches tall, 2.3 inches wide, 0.6-inch thick) and weight (a whopping 6.4 ounces, nearly half a pound)–attest that the Arrive is one brick of a phone. Its bulk makes it a little less comfortable to slip into a pocket, but you won’t have to worry much if you drop it. We noticed, however, that the gray paint that rings the face easily flaked off in our bags and under our nail.

At 3.6 inches, the WVGA capacitive touch screen is slightly smaller than that of the HTC Surround, but has the same 800×480-pixel resolution. While it’s a fine screen that shows off bright colors and sharp edges, it doesn’t have the richness or pop of the Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Focus.

Below the screen are three touch-sensitive buttons for Back, Home, and Bing search. A camera trigger button is on the right spine, and the Micro-USB charger and a large volume rocker are on the left. Up top there’s a standard 3.5-millimeter headset jack and the power button. The Arrive’s back houses a 5-megapixel camera and a flash. As with all Windows 7 phones, there’s no card slot for expanding the phone’s memory, but the 16GB built-in storage should be enough for most casual users’ needs.

More than anything else, what makes the HTC Arrive stand out is its tilting screen. HTC is no stranger to this design; it brought us the ATT Tilt and HTC Tilt 2, much ballyhooed back in 2007 and 2009, respectively. Those two handsets ran Microsoft’s earlier Windows mobile operating systems.

As with its predecessors, the Arrive’s screen slides out to expose a full QWERTY keyboard before tilting up 30 degrees (previous models tilted up 40 degrees.) You simply push the front face flat and slide it back over the keyboard when you’re done. It takes a fair amount of pressure to open, and our thumb kept slipping on the phone’s square design on our first few tries. The Arrive’s tilting mechanism appears to be fairly sturdy, and makes a metallic click when you lay the face flat.

The tilted display is best when you’re typing with the phone in your hand or setting it down to watch a video play; be aware, however, that the handset will rock back slightly if you put it down and then tap on the screen in the open position.

Below the display, the Arrive’s keyboard manages to be spacious without being overly wide. Keys are fully separated, but barely rise above the surface. The backlit buttons are smooth and very responsive, although a skosh less comfortable than buttons with a more rubbery feel. There are dedicated buttons for emoticons and diacritical marks, and for adding currency symbols for euros and pound sterling.

Interface
We’ve examined Windows Phone 7 in depth elsewhere, but there are several features worth noting here. First, the Arrive comes with Microsoft’s copy/paste feature installed, the first Windows Phone 7 device to ship with it. Touching a word on a Web page or in a document presents tags that you can easily drag to select an area. Highlighting a word also causes a “copy” icon to pop up. Tapping it then saves the selected text to the clipboard for later pasting. Finally, a “paste” icon appears when you tap an input field, like a Word document or a search field.

Copy/paste works intuitively and smoothly, and we love the visual panache. You can paste the same text multiple times. However, the functionality isn’t strictly systemwide, although it does appear in the obvious locations, like the browser, e-mail, documents, maps, contact cards, and search results. For instance, copy/paste doesn’t appear as an option in some of the settings menus, so you can’t use it when configuring your e-mail–something we could do with both Android and iOS.

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