Sprint Thursday introduced its first phone that uses Windows Phone 7, the HTC Arrive, leaving Verizon Wireless now as the only major U.S. carrier without a phone using Microsoft's new mobile operating system. (Verizon says it plans to add Windows Phone 7 to its lineup later this year.)
HTC's device is also the first Windows Phone 7 that uses the CDMA technology employed by both Sprint and Verizon; AT&T and T-Mobile use another standard known as GSM.
The Arrive arrives at Sprint March 20 for $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement or "eligible upgrade and after a $100 mail-in rebate (taxes not included)," according to the carrier.
HTC already has Windows Phone 7 devices with AT&T and T-Mobile. AT&T also sells two Samsung Windows Phone 7 models, the Omnia 7 and the Focus. The Samsung phones have been given the ixnay for now for Microsoft's first mobile operating system update because of problems that resulted in the phones being bricked, or rendered useless once the update took effect. Microsoft, which co-owns msnbc.com, says it's working to resolve the issue. (Msnbc.com is a Microsoft-NBC Universal joint-venture.)
The Arrive has a 3.6-inch capacitive touch screen with a slide out QWERTY keyboard, and it uses Qualcomm's 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and has 16 GB of internal memory. The phone has a 5-megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, digital zoom and a 720p camcorder. Sprint says the camera button "will snap photos fast, even if the phone is locked."
Like Sprint's other new smart phones, the Arrive will require using one of Sprint's Everything Data plans (starting at $69.99 a month) plus a $10 "Premium Data" add-on charge. For more information about the Arrive, see Sprint's website.
More about Windows Phone 7 on Technolog:
- Windows Phone 7 software update bricks some phones
- The first Windows Phone 7 apps you should grab
- Microsoft launches Windows Phone 7
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