HTC Arrive

The HTC Arrive brings the innovative and minimalistic Windows Phone 7 (WP7) operating system to Sprint (and CDMA networks) for the first time, and the spacious physical keyboard paired with solid construction and a tiltable screen earn this smartphone praise from reviewers. It also offers long-awaited updates for WP7, such as copy and paste. "It's not the thinnest and it doesn't pack the biggest display or the sexiest build," says Zach Epstein of BGR.com, "but for my money it offers a complete package that is unmatched by other Windows Phones at this point in time."

The HTC Arrive features a 480-by-800-pixel, 3.6-inch display, 16 GB of storage, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, and an older yet still responsive 1 GHz processor. The Arrive is at the "middle of the pack in terms of features," says anonymous reviewer "Brian K." of PhoneArena.com. It features Office Mobile and can connect to Xbox Live for gaming, both of which run smoothly on the phone. The 5-megapixel camera produces only "subpar" images and "lackluster" video, however, Epstein says. Web browsing is fine but reviewers lament the exclusion of 4G speeds. "The HTC Arrive is a solid Windows Phone 7 for Sprint, but it's stuck in the Internet slow lane," says Sascha Segan of PCMag.com. Call quality and battery life are decent.

What really sets the Arrive apart from other smartphones is a spacious physical QWERTY keyboard that leaves the Dell Venue Pro (*Est. $300), an unlocked WP7 smartphone, "cowering in the corner," says BGR.com's Epstein. Aside from its keyboard, the Arrive has another trick up its sleeve: the display can tilt to a 30-degree angle "for optimal typing and media consumption," CNET's Dolcourt says. Reviewers say that the slider mechanism is strong and won't break or slide closed from an accidental bump. The TFT LCD capacitive display offers bright colors, but it "doesn't have the richness or pop of the Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Focus," says Dolcourt.

PhoneArena.com offers the most comprehensive review of the HTC Arrive, comparing it to numerous other smartphones and breaking its review down by section. CNET and PCMag.com offer shorter but detailed views of the pros and cons of the Arrive. Engadget.com and SlashGear.com provide brief overviews while BGR.com offers a quick look at the Arrive's key features.