After the battery on my HTC Libra started to croak, it was time to upgrade. I picked out the Imagio from Verizon after doing some research, and I'm proud to say this is the best phone I've ever had. It's truly a no-brainer for anyone with an Exchange server or any professional that just needs a solid piece of equipment that won't break every time an update comes out.

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If you look through the above images, you'll see that the phone's 3.6 inch, 480 x 800 screen is amazing. Everyone iPhone user I've shown it to agrees that the image quality is far superior. It's really not hard to imagine since the iPhone's screen is only 3.5 inches and 480 x 320 resolution. That's a whopping 2.5 times more pixels for the HTC in a screen that is just a little taller than its rival.

Other impressive stats include a 5 megapixel camera, complete with autofocus and tap to focus, although we don't get a flash here which is a bit disappointing. The physical dimensions are very close to the iPhone's 4.5" x 2.4" x 0.48" at 4.65" x 2.43" x 0.55". It also weighs in just a little heavier at 5.3oz versus 4.8oz. To make up for some of that weight, we get almost a full hour longer talk time than the iPhone on 3G 5.8 hours versus 5.0 hours. There is also an extended battery available from Verizon for $50 that boosts the 1500 mAh to a huge 2100 mAh. And of course, the battery is totally user-serviceable.

The above video shows how responsive the device is while navigating around the menus. It really has been designed to stay within the confines of the 528mhz Qualcom CPU, so much so that I've not even been tempted to overclock it, which is possible thanks to the open nature of the Windows platform. I've read that these can get up to 800mhz with the help of nueClockControl.

The new Windows Marketplace really shines in here also. With my HTC Libra, I was forced to use either a third party like Handango or Microsoft's own dismal Windowsmobile.com for apps. Now, Windows Marketplace delivers with everything from Tiger Woods to Facebook in a very easy to use application. Of course for apps like PocketPutty, you can go straight to the web and bypass the store, which is also nice.

Google Maps works like a charm with the built-in GPS system, as does a little application I downloaded called Joggah. Joggah follows you during a hike or jog and keeps a KML file of your location, as well as timing you and suggesting how many hours a week you should aim for to get to your weight loss goals. It's very useful and surprisingly well written. Thanks to Windows Phone's multi-tasking OS, you can listen to music while it runs too.

Of course the big seller is Exchange support. Everything is there like Direct Push, Mobile Wipe, group policy for password requirements, and more, but with this screen, reading emails is so much easier. There's a new option to save attachments to the storage card also, although I'm certainly not pressed for space with the huge 256MB NAND that's built in. I can easily sync 2 weeks of emails, calendar appointments, and notes with over 100MB left over. Writing emails is also a piece of cake with the included stylus and XT9 support. While I'm no where close to as fast as I am with a 104-key, this on-screen keyboard is easily just as quick as my old Libra's input method, if not faster. Do I miss the keyboard? Sure, a little, but this improved on-screen input will certainly grow on me much quicker than the little keys did.

So after a couple weeks of hard use, how do I feel about this phone? Easily, hands-down, it's the mobile professional's dream. Not only is it better than an iPhone, it's got Verizon's 3G network behind it, and all the Exchange features that will make you and your IT department happy. If you rely on email, Exchange with Windows Phone is the only way to go.