I have been a avid user of Microsoft products since the days of Dos & Windows 3.1, original Xbox to Xbox 360 and from Windows Mobile 6.1 to Windows Phone 8X by HTC.
My previous phone was a Windows Phone 7, specifically the HTC HD7 handset. The HTC HD7 was a decent enough phone, unfortunately I had the phone for about a year before Microsoft announced that there would be no upgrade path for current Windows Phone 7 users. This made a lot of users annoyed including myself and I knew that I would have to upgrade to get the benefits that Windows Phone 8 would bring.
Several weeks ago I purchased the Windows Phone 8X by HTC, I have become familiar with the handset since using it from day 1. The specs of this handset are as follows:-
Windows Phone 8 Operating System.
1.5GHz Dual Core SnapDragon S4 Processor.
1GB Ram.
16GB Internal storage (No Micro SD Card Slot).
1280x720 LCD2 4.3inch HD Display.
NFC (Near Field Communications).
8mp rear F.20 camera with 1080p video recording.
2.1mp Front Facing Camera with 1080p video recording and a ultra wide lens.
Resizable Live Tiles.
Unfortunately the European model doesn't support 4G LTE supported by EE.
The phones OS is stable and the operations of the phone and smooth and responsive. The main area that I feel needs improvement is the apps, although the Microsoft store on the OS has thousands of apps free and paid, there are still some much needed apps (e.g. Official YouTube and Instagram apps).
Although there isn't an official YouTube app there are some 3rd party ones, the best one being MetroTube and it works well. The other app is Instagram, a lot of Windows Phone users are hopeful about this app since Facebook recently purchased Instagram.
The Image quality on the 8X is good, the 8mp rear camera does a decent enough job, but unfortunately doesn't offer the image stabilization currently offered in the Nokia Lumia 920. The 2.1 Front Camera is good if you want to get more than one person into a picture or if you use Skype.
The 1080p video recording is also decent enough as I found out when recoding my 8yr old daughter on Christmas Day.
HTC has added a dedicated image chip to handle these features.
Beats audio needs no introduction, however on the handset you are required to use a set of headphones to get the benefits of what Beats brings. Without the use of headphones, the Beats audio is turned off and audio is played through the 8X's mono speaker. When Beats Audio is activated, the sound is clear and crisp thanks to HTC's built in amplifier.
Kid's Corner is a great feature if you have children, this allows parents to setup games and apps for children to play that doesn't interfere with the rest of the phone. Therefore children can't alter settings or access apps not specified by the parent.
Although every user is different and requires different needs, I have found that Windows Phone 8 has done everything I have needed, with intergrade Facebook, including Facebook chat, Twitter. I can also access my Xbox Live account and play games access achievements.
Pinning my Wife's and family tiles to the Home Screen so I can have easy access to those who are important to me.
we will play Xbox games on our Android device and all is OK 
