14 DAY TRIAL // One of the first smartphones to feature 3G technology, HTC MTeoR was also among the first devices under the HTC brand. The Taiwanese company manufactured Qtek-branded devices until the end of 2006, when it decided to refresh its lineup with a brand new name; that's how the HTC brand was born. Starting with HTC MTeoR, all HTC devices received a codename besides the model number. "Breeze" in this case had no real rival when launched on the marked and was advertised as the first 3G Smartphone. The device surprised customers at that time, through its slim and compact design, in spite of the fact that it really was a smartphone running Windows Mobile 5.0 and having 3G connectivity embedded.
HTC MTeoR was announced in Q1 2006 as Qtek 8600, but was available on the market afterwards under the new brand name (HTC MTeoR) in June 2006. Smartphone fans should know that the device can be bought for about USD 500.
Design
Completely reshaped, the HTC smartphone lineup seems to be more obsessed by measures and looks than ever before. Only 2mm thickness makes the difference between HTC MTeoR and HTC S620 (Excalibur) smartphones, in favor of the latter. So, only second to Excalibur in thickness, MTeoR is slim enough to make a good impression on consumers and an excellent choice for smartphone fans. No spectacular innovations were brought to MTeoR except for the 3G and compact design.
The candybar look was not that hard to achieve, but let's see how its functionality performs. One of the heaviest smartphones, the device weighs 120 grams (10 grams less than Excalibur), including battery and measures 112 x 49 x 14.8 mm. The smartphone?s description is almost similar to that of all HTC devices. Maybe the jog wheel which eases the menu navigation and placed on the left side of the device can be the one and only exception. Otherwise, we can find on the same left side the microSD slot card for memory expansion.
The right side includes the voice command button, camera button and the Infrared port. The power button as usual is placed on the top of the device while the bottom embeds the miniUSB port. The back of the phone integrates the 1.3 Megapixel camera and the speakerphone. The phone is made of a glossy plastic which fortunately doesn't leave fingerprints. The keys on the front of the phone are pretty small, maybe too small and feature a low backlighting system. There are 4 additional keys that have specific purposes such as: Messaging, Internet, Home and Back. I'm not sure how much the small 5-way controller is going to "survive" in case of frequent use, since it seems pretty fragile.
The same Stereo headsets found in all HTC's packages are delivered with the smartphone, and nothing else out of the ordinary comes with it.
Display and Camera
HTC MTeoR features a nice TFT display which supports 65k colors and 240x320 pixels resolution. It's visible enough in the daylight as it features a Light Sensor which can be set On/Off. Furthermore, the home screen can be customized (background, theme), together with the power management settings.
The 1.3 Megapixel camera embedded is one of the worst on the market, as you can see from the samples below. Outdoors pictures as well indoors ones are full of noise, regardless of the environmental conditions. There's no way you can get better pictures with the camera, but even if noisy at least they're clear enough. Still, users will be able to choose from a wide range of resolutions: 160 x 120 pixels, 320 x 240 pixels, 640 x 480 pixels or 1280 x 1024 pixels.
The camera features self-timer, but lacks self-portrait and flash. Unfortunately, the smartphone doesn't embed a secondary front camera for video calls, so you'll be limited to 3G data transfers. Or you can opt for using a picture that will appear on the caller's screen when video calls are made.
Movies captured with the camera have a low quality and resolution (128 x 96 or 176 x 144 pixels), but they can be saved in 3 different file formats: MotionJPEG, MPEG4 and H.263. Both modes of the camera (photo and video) feature various effects that can be applied before taking a picture or capturing a clip, but with no connections whatsoever regarding quality. Overall performance was dissatisfactory in terms of quality and time of execution.
Menu and Software
HTC MTeoR runs Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone with AKU 2.3 which is somewhat different than the same operating system running on Pocket PCs. The lack of a stylus and QWERTY keyboard forced the developer to simplify the use of the operating system and to enable the possibility of controlling it with only one hand. The resulting operating system is simpler than the Pocket PC version and differs in many ways.
The main menu and the Start menu are a little bit changed in terms of design, and both were optimized so they can be accessed easier. HTC MTeoR further improves the functionality of the smartphone, because of the jog wheel it includes, and which greatly helps the navigation through various menus. Besides the Start menu, different applications and menus can be also accessed through the Quick bar which is displayed on top of the screen. The bar is customizable and you can select what applications you want to launch with a push of a button. Instead of the OfficePocket you'll be able to view .pdf, .doc and .xls files with a new set of applications called ClearVue, but you won't be able to take any notes or edit any text files with it. As a matter fact, you don't have any type of application to let you write or edit text documents; you can only use a simple Voice notes application, easy to use but not that efficient.
The usual stuff that you can find in a Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system are also included, except for the X-button function that enables users to close apps the moment they click on the X button. So, if you don't want to gather piles of apps and load up your memory you'll have to check every now and then the Task manager function which will list all your running apps and that will enable you to close any of it. You'll be pleased to find that Contact includes much more columns than usual such as: Custom ring tone, IM, Work phone, Work2 phone, Picture, E-mail and many more. The Java Midlet manager enables users to install and use Java compatible software or you can simply add smartphone compatible software.
HTC MTeoR seems to be a common 3G handset with Windows Mobile 5.0, the lack of a stylus and QWERTY keyboard making it much smaller than a usual Pocket PC, but which also lowers its functionality. It will take a rather long time to get used to the operating system and to the ability of working with it using only the keys of a usual phone, but once you achieve that you won't find any problems in operating it with only one hand.
Communication
One of the most appealing features of the smartphone is connectivity-related: the 3G technology. It would've been great if the device had embedded a secondary camera for video calls, but data transfers at higher speeds are also great.
As you can see from the screenshots, HTC MTeoR performed above average when we tested data transfers speeds on 3G network as well as on EDGE (310 kbps on 3G and 138 kbps on EDGE). That's a surprise, as the majority of HTC's device didn't score too well on these tests.
I was disappointed with the Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity which only managed to reach 14 kbps data transfer speeds. MTeoR also features GPRS class 10 and Infrared connectivity, but lacks WLAN or GPS capabilities. The smartphone is compatible with GSM900 / GSM1800 / GSM1900 / UMTS 2100 networks. All messaging capabilities are supported, such as: SMS, MMS, Push e-mail, Integrated mail client (SMTP/POP3/IMAP4), Instant messaging.
I have experienced problems with the 3G network signal reception which was only half its power. I suggest you to select GSM band network as the signal is much better and only use the 3G when you need to make data transfers.
Processor and Memory
HTC MTeoR is powered by a Samsung 2442 CPU which runs at up to 300 Mhz speeds. This is a rather powerful processor for a smartphone if we think that HTC still manufactures many Pocket PCs that feature 200 Mhz CPUs. You only need to take care how many applications you open because if you don't close them in Task manager you might experience lags or slower start-ups.
Other than that, the smartphone performed very well in terms of speed and menu navigation. The 64 SDRAM and 128 MB Flash ROM is more than enough for what this smartphone has to offer, but there's also the possibility of expanding the storage memory through a microSD card.
Multimedia
The device features 40 polyphonic sounds and it?s pretty clear that it was designed for communication and not for multimedia purposes. Still, the phone embeds an integrated music and video player compatible with MPEG4, H.263, MP3, AAC, AAc+, e-AAC AMR, WAV, WMA files. The usual Mobile Windows Media Player can also be used for running MP3 files, but the device can hardly be associated with an MP3 player.
Understandable enough, the sound is under average and the use of better headphones is pretty useless, but also hard to achieve as the device only features a miniUSB connector. The device also includes an external speaker and a built-in microphone. MP3 files can be used as ring tones for different contacts in your phonebook if you want to personalize your calling tones. Maybe the presence of an integrated FM radio would've made the device more competitive compared to usual handsets.
Battery
HTC MTeoR features a 1190 mAh Li-Polymer battery which should last for about 220 hours (9 days) in standby mode and 5 hours in talk time mode. Actually, even with 3G network turned off and the display's brightness to a normal level, the device didn't even near the official numbers. You get mostly 1.5 ? 2 hours of intense use and no more than 3 - 4 days in standby with only 15 minutes talk time per day. It takes about 2 - 2.5 hours to fully recharge the battery.
Impressions
One of the best-looking smartphones on the market, HTC's MTeoR is a real competitor for simple handsets. The price, look, performance and functionality recommend it as a good choice for people that are in need of a phone with advanced features and don't want to carry a notebook all the time. You can easily buy yourself one from Omnisoft's site at a round price of USD 600.
The Good
The first smartphone featuring 3G technology can only be a good thing. Above average scores in 3G and EDGE data transfers tests are also among the strong points of the smartphone together with the compact, elegant look that will most likely attract consumers.
The Bad
It's a pitty that the device features one of the lowest quality camera integrated in a HTC device; furthermore, it lacks a secondary camera for video calls. I was unpleasantly surprised by the low data transfers speeds attained by the Bluetooth connectivity as well as by the low energy life of the battery.
Sales package
Smartphone 1190 mAh Li-Polymer battery miniUSB cable Charger Stereo wired headset Users guide CD with software (ActiveSync 4.2 and Outlook 2002)
Photo: Tudor Raiciu for Softpedia.com