HTC and Microsoft go a long way back when the company used to exclusively make smartphones running Windows Mobile. Naturally, then, when Microsoft released Windows Phone, HTC was onboard with some really neat devices at launch.

Once again, HTC was onboard at launch with two new phones, the 8X and the 8S.

Today we are going to take a look at the 8X, the company’s flagship Windows Phone device.

Design

If there is one thing you can always expect from HTC, it is to produce some attractive looking devices. At times, however, the company truly outdoes itself and the 8X is one such example.

Despite a number of PR gaffs and thus far stagnant sales, Microsoft looks to finally make a dent in the mobile market with the Nokia Lumia 900 — easily the most anticipated Windows Phone release to date.

The striking design, 4G LTE compatibility, and top-of-the-line specs certainly make this the most compelling Windows Phone yet, but will it be enough to smoke our top Android pick for AT&T, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket? Read on for a side-by-side spec comparison.

Pros

Attractive design. Strong reception. Very fast LTE speeds. Fun, easy to use OS.

Cons

Lacks some popular apps from other platforms. Camera isn’t the greatest.

Bottom Line

The Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T is a powerful, easy-to-use Windows Phone. It’s great, as long as you don’t need Words With Friends or some other apps you might find on an iPhone or an Android phone.

Microsoft’s current “Smoked by Windows Phone” challenge took a sour turn when an Android user who beat a Windows Phone user was told he lost the challenge “just because”.

The challenge allows other mobile phones to face up in a test of speed against a Windows Phone in retail stores around the U.S.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), the world’s largest software maker, said its Windows Phone operating system will propel it past Apple Inc. (AAPL) in China’s smartphone market as its partners release devices costing as little as $158.

Passing Apple is an “interim goal” as the company’s longer-term objective is to supplant Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android as the local market leader, Simon Leung, Microsoft’s chairman and chief executive officer for the Greater China region, told reporters in Beijing today. He didn’t give a time frame for reaching the targets.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone “Mango” update adds new features for consumers and the enterprise. But can it help Microsoft challenge Google Android and the iPhone?

Will Microsoft’s upcoming software update for its Windows Phones, codenamed “Mango,” affect the company’s smartphone prospects?

Certainly Mango represents a substantial revamp of Microsoft’s mobile platform, which is struggling for adoption in the face competition from Google Android and Apple’s iPhone. In contrast to those platforms, which offer grid-like screens of individual apps, Windows Phone consolidates Web content and applications into a set of subject-specific Hubs, including “Office” and “People.”