Using your Windows Live ID

During the initial setup of your HTC HD7, you might have been asked for your Windows Live ID. This is used to sync with services such as Hotmail, Messenger and Xbox Live. If you didn't, enter your Windows Live ID information from the outset then you can just go to Settings, then to email & accounts. Tap Windows Live and enter your address and password.

Once your info is authenticated, your phone will start to import contacts, inform you of unread emails and even allow you to make purchases on Xbox Live. Tap on People and you'll see your Windows Live contacts, sorted alphabetically. Tap the search button to search for a contact or add a new contact by tapping the + sign. If you swipe your finger left from people, you'll see the what's new menu that displays recent updates from your contacts.

Of course, you can also

access your email

associated with your Windows Live ID. You'll find this button on the start screen. In our example, we're using Hotmail. Tapping that icon will open a list of your received emails which you can sort in a number of ways including unread, all, etc. You can also compose emails, create folders and more.

Tapping Xbox Live icon from the start screen allows you to either

access your Xbox Live account

or create a new one. To create a new account, you'll first need to download the

free Xbox Live Extras application

. Once your account is loaded up, you'll see your avatar along with your information, you'll be able to contact friends and also download and try games.