From HTC with Love

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobinaute.com/mobinaute/article.php?id=20061205180917' target='_blank'>http://www.mobinaute.com/mobinaute/...=20061205180917</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20061209-htclove.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mobinaute.com/mobinaute/article.php?id=20061205180917">Mobinaute</a> (<a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=fr_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mobinaute.com%2Fmobinaute%2Farticle.php%3Fid%3D20061205180917">online translation</a>) has put together a great tour of the media-oriented HTC Love. While the device itself isn't new, it hasn't been grabbing many news headlines, so for some of you, this will be the first you've seen of it. The specs? A 200MHz TI OMAP 850 CPU, 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an FM radio, a 2.0-megapixel camera, and Windows Mobile 5.0. We'll probably be seeing more of this in 2007, though Dopod is already selling it as the <a href="http://www.dopodasia.com/Dopod/Singapore/En/Products/PDAPhone/M700/">M700</a>, so you can pick one up now if you're eager to get your hands on one before the new year.

[alese]

Maybe I'm a little slow, but I really don't see the point of this device. It's basically the HTC Artemis, just without GPS and with FM radio instead?

How can this be media oriented device, it has slow CPU, no storage and the expansion slot is MicroSD...

Maybe I don't see something here?

[Eugenia]

I am looking for a new HTC device to buy, but I am not happy with any of the new ones. Incidentally, I actually blogged about this earlier today:
http://eugenia.blogsome.com/2006/12/08/i-am-looking-for-a-new-phone/

[Darius Wey]

How can this be media oriented device, it has slow CPU, no storage and the expansion slot is MicroSD...

Some versions actually ship with 256MB storage, an FM radio, audio boosters, and what not. It's no Xda Flame, that's for sure - but "media" is the message that HTC wants to get across. Of course, the TI OMAP CPU eats into that image a bit.

[Jeff Song]

No 3G means I can't stream ORB on my device. What's the point of getting a "multimedia" PDAphone these days if it doesn't have 3G OR a HUGE harddrive?

[ADBrown]

Okay, it's kind of cute, but aside from that, what does it offer that a dozen other models don't already?

[alese]

How can this be media oriented device, it has slow CPU, no storage and the expansion slot is MicroSD...

Some versions actually ship with 256MB storage, an FM radio, audio boosters, and what not. It's no Xda Flame, that's for sure - but "media" is the message that HTC wants to get across. Of course, the TI OMAP CPU eats into that image a bit.

I know there is as 256MB version, but that doesn't really change much. Having an expensive "multimedia" device in my mind means at least few GB of storage and hardware powerfull enough to run decent video.
XDA Flame is for instane, much better multimedia device than this.

[Darius Wey]

I know there is as 256MB version, but that doesn't really change much. Having an expensive "multimedia" device in my mind means at least few GB of storage and hardware powerfull enough to run decent video.
XDA Flame is for instane, much better multimedia device than this.

I largely agree with you, though you have to remember that most of today's devices are marketed toward general consumers, not power users such as ourselves. To an average Joe, Wi-Fi, FM, audio enhancements, etc. are all very enticing. Yes, it'll play music. It'll preview pictures. It'll play video - to an extent. Media-oriented enough for most? Probably. Media-oriented enough for us? Nope. ;)

[alese]

I know there is as 256MB version, but that doesn't really change much. Having an expensive "multimedia" device in my mind means at least few GB of storage and hardware powerfull enough to run decent video.
XDA Flame is for instane, much better multimedia device than this.

I largely agree with you, though you have to remember that most of today's devices are marketed toward general consumers, not power users such as ourselves. To an average Joe, Wi-Fi, FM, audio enhancements, etc. are all very enticing. Yes, it'll play music. It'll preview pictures. It'll play video - to an extent. Media-oriented enough for most? Probably. Media-oriented enough for us? Nope. ;)

I have to disagree. It's joe average that will be the most dissapointed by buying something like this. We power users know what we want and what specifications we need so such a device is not an option for us, but "ordinary" users don't. Imagine someone buying this thinking it can be used like iPod and then realizing that while it can play music and display pictures, he can only put few tracks there and couple of pictures before it runs out of memory, and that the CPU barely handles playing music.
Calling this media oriented device in 2006 is basically lying. It's no more media oriented than any other WM/Pocket PC device ever produced and that includes old Casio E-10x Palm Sized devices from 1999.

[Faenad]

Saying the the CPU will barely handles playing music is not true as well.

The 200 Mhz TI Omap processor is more than able to play music, I have a Qtek S200 (HTC Prophet) with the same processor and it's a great music player.
I use it to stream music over A2DP. I can also play full screen 320x240 movies without slowdown with TCPMP.

Sure, me as well don't quite understand the logic behind this model.

I suppose HTC wants to extend its line-up of device, and offers some cheaper device, like the P4350 compared to the Tytn or this one compared to the P3600.
It's also means more design to chooses from for its OEM clients, who likes to have an exclusive design in their market.

As for media oriented phone, most of them come with only 256, or even less, if you take a look at SE devices for examples.
More storage is availabe through Micro-Sd Card, which nowadays are available up to 2Go.
Whats defines a Media-Orietend phones today -when most high-end phones can play music and have memory card slot- is more some accessible music control button, and marketing :)

[alese]

Saying the the CPU will barely handles playing music is not true as well.

The 200 Mhz TI Omap processor is more than able to play music, I have a Qtek S200 (HTC Prophet) with the same processor and it's a great music player.
I use it to stream music over A2DP. I can also play full screen 320x240 movies without slowdown with TCPMP.

Sure, me as well don't quite understand the logic behind this model.

I suppose HTC wants to extend its line-up of device, and offers some cheaper device, like the P4350 compared to the Tytn or this one compared to the P3600.
It's also means more design to chooses from for its OEM clients, who likes to have an exclusive design in their market.

As for media oriented phone, most of them come with only 256, or even less, if you take a look at SE devices for examples.
More storage is availabe through Micro-Sd Card, which nowadays are available up to 2Go.
Whats defines a Media-Orietend phones today -when most high-end phones can play music and have memory card slot- is more some accessible music control button, and marketing :)

I use HTC Wizard (Qtek 9100) with OMAP CPU as my main device and while it's usable the CPU is still slow. Of course CPU handles music by itself, but this device is also a phone and a PDA and at least with my experience just using PI2007 and PhatPad is slowing device considerably.
At the end it doesn't matter how it's called, for me it's just sad that HTC is using such tactics. It's almost like having a BT enabled device and naming it "Navigator", because it's capable of using BT GPS...

[virain]

Saying the the CPU will barely handles playing music is not true as well.

The 200 Mhz TI Omap processor is more than able to play music, I have a Qtek S200 (HTC Prophet) with the same processor and it's a great music player.
)

[Eugenia]

The 200 Mhz OMAP CPU is pretty useless for SIP and Skype, and the device comes to a CRAWL when using A2DP. So no, the 200 Mhz is not enough for modern usage.

[TOCA]

Don't care for the specs, but is it possible to read anny text on that tiny screen? 8O

[Darius Wey]

Don't care for the specs, but is it possible to read anny text on that tiny screen? 8O

It's a 2.8" display, similar to most other Pocket PC Phone Edition devices? :?:

[TOCA]

Eaven if thats allready too small for me, it does look smaller on the picture, more like a 2", or maybe I'm just to used to my "BIG" 3,5" :?

[Muntasser]

My personal crusade - stay away from and do NOT buy ANY PPC with the TI OMAP 200mhz CPU. In this day and age it is unacceptable.

Unless you want to use your PPC as a glorified calendar, trust me - you will regret it.