Microsoft’s tight design rules on the Windows Phone 7 (WP7) mobile operating system has meant that the LG Optimus 7 won’t be significantly different from the HTC HD7 or the Samsung Omnia 7. This is aside from any performance differences afforded by, say, a larger battery, faster processor or more memory. The new mobile OS is also unlike earlier Windows Mobile devices where phone-makers can include a custom user interface overlay (such as HTC Sense and Samsung TouchWiz) to differentiate their products from the competition.
For the Windows Phone 7 shortcuts list below, we’ve picked the LG Optimus 7 as a reference for Windows Phone 7.
Basic controls
| How to | Shortcut |
| Unlock phone | Slide up on the locked screen to key in passcode. |
| Set ringing mode to silent | Press the volume button to silence the ringer; press the power button to silence ringer and switch off screen. |
| Set ringing mode to vibrate | Press the volume button and tap on the Ringer icon. |
| Display the status bar | Tap the top edge of the screen. |
| Return to home screen | Press the Start button. |
| Open a context-specific menu | Tap and hold on the screen. |
| Pin a Live tile on home screen | Tap and hold on the screen to bring up "pin to start" option. This works for applications, pictures, songs, map locations, favorite Web sites, OneNote notes and contacts. |
| Unpin a Live tile on home screen | Tap and hold on the screen to highlight the tile then select the unpin icon on the top right corner. |
| Rearrange tiles on the home screen | Tap and hold on the screen to highlight the tile then move is to desired location. |
| Do a voice search | Press and hold the Start button. Typical commands include "callname", "call phone number", "find search term" and "openapplication". |
| Access advanced options | Tap on the row of three dots at the bottom of the screen. |
| Quickly call someone from phone history | Tap the Call icon to call the person at the current number. |
| Jump to a letter in contacts | In People, tap any letter in the colored box and then the desired letter in the alphabet grid. |
| To bring up in-call options | Tap on the Down arrow to access the speakerphone, mute, hold and add call options. |
Messaging
| How to | Shortcut |
| Access common punctuation symbols | Tap and hold the period button and slide your finger to any of the /, :, ", &, + or – punctuation. |
| Activate onscreen cursor | Tap and hold the screen near the text you want to change. |
| Delete multiple emails | Tap on the far left of an email to bring up the check boxes. |
| To quickly add a period | Tap Space twice. |
| Turn on Caps lock | Tap and hold or double-tap the Shift key. Tap once more to turn it off. |
| Replace word you’ve type | Tap on the word to bring up the suggested list. |
| Send a multimedia message | Tap on the Attach button to pick a photo or start the camera for a new picture. |
Web browser
| How to | Shortcut |
| Zoom in/zoom out on Web page | Pinch/reverse pinch or double-tap to zoom in on a particular section. |
| Bookmark a Web page | Tap on the Star icon with a + sign. |
| Toggle between multiple windows | Tap on the multiple page icon. |
| Access common domain names | Tap and hold .com button and slide your finger to any of the .org, .edu and .net selections. |
Multimedia
| How to | Shortcut |
| Zoom in/zoom out when viewing photos | Pinch/reverse pinch or double-tap. |
| Share photos via email/SMS/or upload to Facebook/SkyDrive | Tap and hold the picture or tap More and select the Share option. |
| Access music playback controls | Press the volume key to bring up a mini player control. |
| Activate the camera when phone is locked | Press and hold the camera shutter. |