HISTORY HERE gets Windows Phone 7 travel apps off to a great start

by Scott Carmichael on

Windows Phone 7 may be relatively new, but the platform is already off to a great start when it comes to mobile apps. In the coming weeks, we’ll be reviewing as many of these as we can (along with a hands-on of the new HTC HD7).

One of these new apps comes from HISTORY (of the History Channel). Their HISTORY HERE application is designed to showcase historical points of interest at any given location.

The collection covers over 7000 national monuments, points of interest and roadside attractions. Each entry contains a comprehensive description and many include a variety of multimedia content.

In my own area, I’ve already found a bunch of places I normally would not have discovered, varying from your average national monument to the exact location of the “Home Alone House“.

Locations can be searched manually by city, state or zip, or by using location based searches. Once located, you can save locations to a favorites list.

Like most apps on Windows Phone 7, HISTORY HERE is extremely well designed, with a very consistent interface.

The app is available in the Marketplace and costs just $2.99.

HTC launches Windows Phone 7 in a big way – with five new handsets

by Scott Carmichael on

Today is the day that Microsoft officially unveils the phones it’ll be launching with the new Windows Phone 7 operating system . And unlike almost every new mobile platform in the past, Microsoft launches with ten new devices. The largest supporter of the new platform is HTC, who’ll have almost half of the new devices in their lineup:

  • HTC 7 Surround — 3.8-inch screen, dual Dolby surround speakers (launches on AT&T)
  • HTC 7 Trophy — 3.8-inch with HD surround audio
  • HTC 7 Mozart — Crafted out of a single piece of aluminum, Dolby Mobile audio
  • HTC HD7 – 4.3-inch screen (launches on T-Mobile USA in November)
  • HTC 7 PRO – Pro grade Windows Phone 7 device with sliding keyboard (First half of 2011 on Sprint)

Of course, as phones make their way to store shelves, we’ll be sure to get our hands on the best models, and will take a very close look at how this new platform can help travelers, and what the best travel apps are. To learn more about this new mobile platform and the handsets available on it, head on over to the Engadget Windows Phone 7 hub.