14 DAY TRIAL // If you really like to have your music with you wherever you go, then perhaps Philips M200 is just the phone for you. Unfortunately, a release date and a price for it are yet unknown details but, meanwhile, some bits of info are available, so we might as well have a look at them.
The M200 is a bar-type phone, with a nice glossy black design, a dedicated media key that allows you access to your audio files, and a small 1.8-inch CSTN, 65K-color display. The device includes, alongside the MP3 player that uses a 3D sound system, an FM radio that you can use if you get bored of the songs you have stored on it.
Speaking of the storage space, the maximum capacity of the microSD card that you can insert in its slot is yet unknown, and you get only 30MB of internal memory, which, in all fairness, isn't that much. This and the fact that the phone apparently does not have a camera are some of the less attractive features but, hopefully, the pricing will compensate for them. I really don't expect to see this phone on the market for more than 50$ USD, which would be the price without a contract, of course.
Most of the mobile phones that are now on the market are all-in-one devices. Besides the normal phone functions, you also get a camera that also has video capabilities, a video player, TV and GPS receiver, MP3 player and radio - and let's don't forget about the Office functions. Philips M200 is nothing like that, and I really mean that in a good way.
Come to think of it, I only use half of the functions of my mobile phone, and I bet most of you do the same. M200 is a music phone that really gives you the basic and nothing more, which is just perfect for some, including myself.