I said I was going to post a follow-up to my Windows Phone 7 review.  Like I thought the newness wore off and the harsh reality set in, Windows Phone 7 was not for me and here's why.  First, there were several apps that I had on my previous Android phones that did not have any alternatives in the Windows Phone Marketplace.  Secondly, I was very disappointed that the phone did not scan barcodes like Android phones.  You had to take a picture and then it didn't even detect the code in the picture half the time.  All of this led me to the realization that Windows Phone 7 just isn't up to speed with Android and I didn't want to find myself still waiting for those apps to be developed after 6 months or a year.

    So, I took the phone back and picked up US Cellular's best Android phone at the moment, the Samsung Galaxy S Mesmerize.  This phone is a great Android phone with an awesome battery life, a large vibrant screen, and plenty of apps via the Android Market.  If you saw my pictures and video of the Tesla concert I just attended, all those were taken with my new Mesmerize.  I was impressed most with the video quality.  This phone is amazing and I'm glad I finally have a nice reliable Android phone!

     After 4 long months of nothing but problems with the Sprint network and my HTC Evo Shift android phone, I finally convinced Sprint to let me out of my contract so I could go back to US Cellular.  US Cellular, from what I hear, has a very high approval rate.  Since the Windows Phone was supposed to be better on battery, I decided to give the HTC 7 Pro a try considering I have 30 days to return it for something else if I don't like it.

     When I started using the phone, I was surprised at how fluid the animations are and how user friendly it is.  I was expecting to be disappointed knowing that there aren't as many apps and is still pretty new and underdeveloped.  However, Windows Phone 7 is a breath of fresh air in this iPhone/Android world.  Instead of having numerous icons and widgets on 3-7 screens, Windows Phone 7 sports the live tiles which act as icons and some behave like widgets as well.  All of these live tiles are on one screen where you can put as many as you want, arrange them how you want, and scroll up and down to get to them.  There is also a list of apps on another screen if the app isn't on the start screen. This results in a less cluttered screen and all your information is right there at a glance.  I was not at all disappointed with the Marketplace and while there aren't as many apps as Android or iOS, the important apps seem to be there.  Also, I was surprised that HTC 7 Pro has 16 GB of internal memory, so there are no micro SD cards and no worries that I will run out of space for apps.  This is similar to how the iPhone/iPod touch works.  However, instead of using iTunes to sync up everything, Microsoft offers the Zune software to sync up apps, photos, music, and more.  I am very impressed with Windows Phone 7 so far and there is the Mango update which will arrive in September.  Mango will supposedly make the mobile OS even better should I decide to keep the phone.

      So far, I expect that I will keep the HTC 7 Pro, however I will post a follow up in about a month after the newness of the phone has worn off.  I suspect that I will know the phone's limitations by then.  I do not want to get stuck with a lemon like my last phone nor do I want to stay with something that doesn't work for me.  However, right now, I completely recommend the Windows Phone 7 and the HTC 7 Pro.  Like I said before, its a breath of fresh air in this iPhone/Android world.