Mobile Review: Smartphone HTC MTeoR: lightweight steel Breeze from the shores of Taiwan

The company HTC, it seems, continues to increase the rate of production of new devices are constantly reducing the period between the presentation of models. Current 2006 promises to be a particularly "fruitful" in this regard: at the beginning of the year was presented to the communicator Qtek S200, not so long ago - an elegant folding Smartphone Qtek 8500 (HTC Star Trek), and now the world saw another new line of smartphones - HTC MTeoR (pronounced "meteor"). Until recently announced re-branding of this device was planned to enter the name Qtek 8600 on the basis of the well-known to you through our news platform HTC Breeze. Frankly, I personally do not think smartphones running Windows Mobile riding comfort, though, I know there are people ready to argue with that hoarse. However, it should still recognize that from a technical point of view of the latest smartphones from HTC is very, very bad, and even the design of devices is getting better from model to model. But back to the hero of our review. MTeoR I definitely attribute to the category of business models: a rigorous metal body, good communication capabilities (but no support for Wi-Fi), comfortable keyboard, the latest version of Windows Mobile 5.0 with support for service Push Mail. Looks like the phone is very representative, this is not ashamed to pull out an expensive jacket at any business meeting. Closest competitors MTeoR, perhaps, will be the business of Nokia smartphones based on Series 60 Platform, such as the recently announced E50.

Operating system: Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone
Processor: Samsung 2442 with a 300 MHz
Memory: 128 MB ROM (ROM), 64MB RAM (RAM)
Screen: 240x320 pixels, diagonal 2.2 inch, 262000 colors TFT LCD with LED-backlit
Expandable memory: microSD slot
Wireless interfaces: UMTS 2100MGts 3-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz; infrared; Bluetooth 2.0 (no support EDR)
Battery: Lithium-Ion battery, 1200 mAh
Audio: microphone, speaker jack for stereo (combined with built-in miniUSB)
Camera: CMOS, 1,3 M
Dimensions: 112h49h14.8 mm
Weight: 115 g with battery

A small note on the M / V. Since the MTeoR is designed to work in UMTS, originally planned to equip it with a second camera with VGA on the front for video calls. Described in this review unit is a - with two cameras. However, as it became known, in the final version of the HTC declined from the second chamber. As we have seen, characteristics MTeoR (except support for UMTS) is fairly standard for smart phones today. Some very frustrating lack MTeoR support Wi-Fi, but it is, in my opinion, while too much for the phone. On the other hand, with the development of VoIP services and the expansion of Wi-Fi coverage such option may become more urgent.

Completion

Actually phone
Charger
Cable to synchronize with your desktop PC
Battery
Wired stereo headset with call answer key and a volume control (with built-in miniUSB - there will be problems in the event of a breakdown, a similar finding would be clearly difficult!)
Waist pouch with belt clip and magnetic clasp, very decent quality
User Guide
CD-ROM with ActiveSync 4.1

Appearance

I've been thinking, what epithet is more appropriate for MTeoR, but in my head but stupid "trendy" did not come. Perhaps the most appropriate word - "solid". Sleek machine will not name, but solid - yes. Again, a business phone, which, however, is more appropriate for men. Classic, and I would even say conservative design would limit the potential user audience almost immediately at the first look at the device.However, the charges brought against you in the photo sample does not quite match the final product, changes in appearance - a little lower. In the meantime, we note that a thin (14.8 mm) metal body is made in two colors - metallic and black. The upper section is made of rubberized plastic, very pleasant to the touch.

Button in the test sample are also black, but in the final version they will be light, and covering the metal part of the body slightly change color. Fairly standard set of buttons for smartphones with Windows Mobile: in addition to alphanumeric keys there are two "soft keys", a joystick, the navigation buttons on the main screen (Home), call the browser "Back", "Defiance", "Reject".

On the upper side of the device is placed shutdown button (also fairly standard for smartphones HTC). The right of the screen - the buttons run the camera and voice dialing, as well as infrared.

To the left of the screen - another innovation HTC: scroll wheel jog-dial. Actually, this is not the wheel - it does not rotate 360 degrees, such as smartphones Sony Ericsson, but simply rotated through an angle up and down, and may also pressed as a button, for which it made a small ledge. Usually jog dial is used for scrolling text and control device, and during the conversation also controls the volume of the speaker. I can not say that it is very convenient to make (the wheel would have been better), but overall, not bad. Also on the left side of the hull bottom is a connector for microSD cards with a rubber stopper (card can be removed and inserted without powering down the device - clear progress compared to previous models of smartphones, where to set or change the card had to remove the battery).

Behind is a connector for external antenna (under rubber plug), camera lens cover, battery compartment and SIM-card. In MTeoR used rather strange connector for SIM-card: he hid deep in the hull and remove the SIM-card can only be pulling the plastic "tongue" (it is visible in the photo), just as some devices made for the battery. The reliability of this mechanism is questionable, especially when frequent changes of SIM-cards.

At the bottom we see the miniUSB connector for connecting to a computer (he used to connect a headset). Above the display are two LED indicators - Network / charger and Bluetooth.

The quality of manufacture and assembly - perfect: no backlash, cracks, etc. Still, this device business class, position, as they say, oblige. It is also very pleased with the joystick - much nicer than in the same 8300/8310. The only caveat is perhaps only to the scroll wheel - it tonkovato and not too convenient for depression (cut into finger). In the photos we have put a number of HTC MTeoR and Qtek 8300, which with some stretch of the imagination be called the predecessor (also a metal case). MTeoR thinner his colleagues, though somewhat greater than its width and length. Again, the final version of the device will look spectacular present.

HTC MTeoR and Qtek 8300

Processor and memory

In MTeoR HTC has finally renounced the use of a relatively slow processor TI OMAP (incidentally, the reason for this is likely that the use of radio production with support for Qualcomm UMTS). MTeoR works on the Samsung 2442 with a clock speed of 300MHz. In addition to higher clock speed (300MHz vs. 195 in 83xx), this processor has a 32-bit memory bus (as opposed to 16-bit processors from TI). Taken together, this leads to what MTeoR runs significantly faster than their "colleagues" - Qtek 8300/8310 and Qtek 8500. Despite the higher clock speed, CPU from Samsung is not so much "hungry".

Memory capacity is also more than decent: a user get around 77Mb of flash memory (from 128MB) and about 28Mb of RAM to run programs.

As mentioned earlier, MTeoR equipped with a slot for memory cards microSD (formerly TransFlash). Standard, this relatively new, so cards larger than 1GB I have not seen (but have heard that there have 2GB), but this, in my opinion, is more than enough. In addition, the card can be installed in the device, turning off the phone and not removing the battery, which is also a very big plus (it's one of the first smartphones from HTC, where to change the card does not need to remove the back cover and battery).

Screen

Screen is simply gorgeous MTeoR (the same used in the model 8500), it is much brighter and gives a richer picture than the device's screen series 83xx. In general, this is fairly standard TFT LCD screen with a diagonal of 2.2 inches and 240x320 pixels. Backlight level is not regulated (standard on all smartphones HTC).

Battery

MTeoR features powerful enough for a phone battery capacity 1200mAch. As shown, it is enough that the regime of intensive use (always active GPRS-connection for Push Mail, phone calls, etc.) lasted somewhere and a half to two days. Quite a decent result, especially considering the fact that not everyone will enjoy the features Push Mail, and therefore, and GPRS-session will not be permanently active. Without using GPRS device on a single charge lasted me about 3.5 days. Of course, constantly connected with Bluetooth-headset, listening to music, reading books, etc. time will be reduced very significantly - to about one-half days.

Wireless interfaces

In all new models HTC present application Comms Manager, which manages the communications capabilities the unit. Our hero - not the exception. In general, all standard: a telephone and Bluetooth. There is also a button on the function of Microsoft Direct Push, is responsible for the work of Push Mail. The service appeared in Windows Mobile 5, version AKU2 (something like Serivce Pack 2 for Windows Mobile). Now, if your company uses a mail server is Microsoft Exchange, you can enjoy the benefits of the new service Push Mail. All that is required - this is GPRS-connection, and no additional settings. When using the service client e-mail program does not need to constantly check e-mail - the mail server itself downloads the messages to your mobile phone as they arrive. The process itself is simple enough: through ActiveSync installed HTTPS-connection that the server and sends data directly to the machine. In practice, it works quickly and without problems.

Support Wi-Fi, as mentioned earlier, no, and maybe it is quite a serious omission in view of the active development of services to VoIP. As far as I could understand a closer acquaintance with the device, Wi-Fi module is physically unable to place on the motherboard.

Phone

In MTeoR used a tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM / GPRS / EDGE module, and 2100 MHz UMTS module is manufactured by Qualcomm. The phone can automatically switch between GSM and UMTS, in addition, you can manually specify which of the standards is preferable. You can also manually specify which frequency band (Europe / America / Japan) should be used.

The phone also supports all the standard features of cellular networks, such as: prohibition / forwarding / call waiting, a fixed set, STK, etc. Plus, as befits the phone, there is the possibility of profile control (which for some reason still do not have a communicator).

Bluetooth

HTC is committed to Microsoft - in the MTeoR is used all the same teeth on nauseam stack from Microsoft, with all its "charm" in a not too user-friendly interface. The only innovation - support for Bluetooth 2.0 (but without EDR) and the presence of the profile A2DP, which allows listening to music through wireless headphones, which should please the fans.

Generic Access Profile - basic profile of Bluetooth, is responsible for maintaining communication between devices, the identification of other available profiles, as well as for security.
Serial Port Profile provides emulation of an RS-232 interface or USB.
Object Push Profile controls the exchange of electronic business cards.
DUN (Dial-Up Networking) Profile allows you to use your smartphone as a modem, for example, to access the Internet from a laptop.
Handsfree Profile - headset.
A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) - a wireless audio playback stereokachestva.
AVRCP (Audio / Video Remote Control Profile) - wireless control playback of audio and video.
HID (Human Interface Device) Profile - connecting wireless peripherals such as keyboards.

I did not raise any problems with either the headset or the exchange of data with a desktop computer and other devices. Everything worked more or less stable.

Infrared

Despite the fact that the IR port is already becoming an anachronism in the MTeoR it is still present in normal (SIR) version.

Luggage

In MTeoR, oddly enough, use a camera with a resolution of 1.3 megapixel, while the majority of new products have already passed the version with 2 MP. The camera is called a single button on the body and gives the picture itself that neither is mediocre quality (I have not found specific differences from the camera Qtek 8310). Macro mode, as in the latest Communicators (S200, etc.), no flash is also absent. For mid-2006 smartphone, of course, rather weakly, but it seems to me, a potential user MTeoR camera never will be especially needed. Moreover, in a corporate environment cameraphones lately are not welcome.

Permission (Small, Medium, Large, 1M)
Quality (Basic, Normal, Fine, Super Fine)
Shooting mode (Photo, Video, MMS Video, Contacts Picture, Picture Theme, Sports)
Effect (Grayscale, Sepia, Cool)
Zoom (1x, 2x)
White Balance
Self-timer

Here are examples of photos taken with the camera HTC MTeoR.

Sound

Audio path the device is fairly standard - the sound of the internal dynamics of a clear and loud, the maximum level is enough to hear the interlocutor, even in conditions of strong noise. Built-in voice recorder program, Voice Notes is very ascetic, and only allows to record, play, rename, and delete records. No adjustments in the program there. The quality of voice records, in most cases is quite normal if the distance to the interlocutor does not exceed 5 m.

Pre-installed software

In addition to the standard for WM5 Smartphone applications, MTeoR ROM includes a set of programs for viewing office documents (Word / Excel / PowerPoint / PDF) ClearVue Suite, which, in general, once again underlines the business-oriented device (same Qtek 8500 software is available CD-ROM, and it must be installed separately). ClearVue program will be useful to those who receive the e-mail attached documents, and wants to be able to view them. On the editing of speech, of course, is not. However, and view documents on a small smartphone screen - an occupation for a strong spirit (although others are unlikely to take in business:). In general, however, ClearVue not bad enough to cope with their responsibilities.

Everything else is standard: the browser Internet Explorer, Task Manager Tasks, player Windows Media, daily Calendar, a program of messaging Messaging, Address Book, Contacts, ActiveSync, call log Call History, Settings Panel Settings, Voice Recorder Voice Notes, graphics viewer, and video Pictures & Video, a program using the camera, Camera, Comm Manager, File Manager, File Explorer, a program to work with Java-applets Midlet Manager, Pocket MSN, SIM Manager, Speed Dial Speed Dial, Task Manager, Task Manager, a program recording Video Recorder, Calculator , retrieves files Download Agent, wireless modem, and two games - Bubble Breaker with legendary Solitaire Solitaire. MTeoR will be shipped to Russia for a full Russian localization, from Microsoft. No innovation is not here - all the usual wryly translated, and the mass of healthy laughter lovers of the Russian language is provided. However, in addition to Russian, the firmware contains a user interface in several European languages, including English.

Conclusions

The new smartphone has turned in some sense a compromise: on the one hand, a conservative appearance, decent battery life, a good set of built-in software, support Push Mail, and on the other - slightly abridged communication capabilities (no Wi-Fi). The high cost of HTC MTeoR (original price for it in retail outlets is not less than $ 650) makes it purely a niche device that is aimed only at a narrow group of users. However, it seems to me, HTC is this and achieved. In the Russian retail smartphone will appear in late summer.

Lack of Wi-Fi
High price

Metal case
Beautiful screen
Fast processor
Good battery life
Supports Bluetooth 2.0 and A2DP

The authors, translation:

LF Goresky