HTC MTeoR First Look: HTC's Compact 3G Windows Mobile Smartphone

In August 2006, Mobility Today got hold of an HTC MTeoR and photographed it for a short hands-on post, promising a fuller video review to follow. The MTeoR was one half of HTC's first attempt to sell 3G Windows Mobile phones under its own brand rather than through carrier or Qtek badging, and it deserves to be remembered on its own terms — as a compact, non-touchscreen Smartphone Edition device, not a stand-in for its better-known sibling, the HTC TyTN.

What Was the HTC MTeoR?

The HTC MTeoR was a compact 3G smartphone HTC announced in June 2006 and launched across Europe that summer, running Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition — the non-touchscreen, keypad-driven branch of Windows Mobile, not the stylus-and-touchscreen Pocket PC Phone Edition used on devices like the TyTN. It paired a 2.2-inch display with a traditional numeric-keypad candybar shape, UMTS 3G data, and a compact 120-gram body, aimed at buyers who wanted 3G speed and Windows Mobile's email features without carrying a larger touchscreen device.

HTC's June 2006 Announcement and Brand Shift

HTC announced the MTeoR alongside the HTC TyTN in mid-June 2006, part of a broader shift in how the company sold phones. For years HTC had built devices other companies sold under their own names — including its own Qtek brand — with the HTC name largely absent from the product itself. Contemporary coverage from the time confirms HTC was moving to phase out Qtek and put its own name directly on devices going forward, with the TyTN and MTeoR announced as the first pair of self-branded 3G Windows Mobile phones and a stated launch across Europe from late July 2006.

From Hermes and Breeze to TyTN and MTeoR

Both phones existed internally before they had their public names. HTC developed the TyTN under the codename Hermes and the MTeoR under the codename Breeze, and this Breeze lineage shows up clearly in the device's alternate model name, HTC Breeze 100, still used in some hardware and battery listings. Renaming Hermes to TyTN and Breeze to MTeoR was part of the same self-branding move — HTC wanted these devices known by HTC's own product names rather than an internal codename or a carrier's private label.

A Slim, Non-Touchscreen Candybar

Physically, the MTeoR measured 112.4 x 49 x 14.8mm and weighed 120 grams, built as a straightforward candybar-style phone with a numeric keypad and physical navigation controls rather than a touchscreen. Mobility Today's own first-look description called it "extremely slim" with "good weight to it," adding that it felt "very good in the hand" — a hands-on impression from an actual unit, not a spec-sheet inference. That slim, keypad-first shape put it in more direct competition with feature-phone-style smartphones of the era than with larger Pocket PC-style devices.

The 2.2-Inch Display

The MTeoR used a 2.2-inch TFT display at 240 x 320 pixels, confirmed consistently across contemporary reviews. It wasn't touch-sensitive — Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition was designed entirely around physical keys and a directional pad rather than a stylus, so navigation happened through the keypad rather than tapping the screen directly.

Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition

Mobility Today's original post described the MTeoR as running "Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphone," and that specific naming matters. Microsoft split Windows Mobile 5.0 into two distinct editions during this era: Pocket PC Phone Edition, built around a touchscreen, and Smartphone Edition, built around a numeric keypad with no touchscreen at all. The MTeoR belonged to the Smartphone Edition branch, the same family as many keypad-only Windows Mobile phones of the period — a genuinely different interaction model from the TyTN's stylus-driven Pocket PC Phone Edition software.

Processor, RAM, and ROM

Mobility Today's original hands-on piece didn't name a processor, but contemporary spec databases including GSMArena consistently list a Samsung SC32442 processor clocked at 300MHz. Memory is better corroborated: Mobility Today's own article specified 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, expandable through microSD cards, matching figures independently reported by GSMArena, Pocket-lint, and TrustedReviews.

3G, GSM/EDGE, and Network Bands

Network support is one area where the original Mobility Today article is unusually specific. It described the MTeoR as running "singleband 2100 MHz UMTS" alongside "triband 900, 1800, 1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE" — in other words, single-band European 3G plus tri-band 2G/EDGE fallback, without the 850MHz GSM band used more heavily in North America. That band selection is exactly what a reader thread underneath the original article argued about at length, and it's consistent with independently reported specs from GSMArena listing GSM 900/1800/1900 and UMTS 2100.

Bluetooth, IrDA, and No Wi-Fi

Mobility Today's article specified Bluetooth 2.0 without EDR support, plus IrDA (infrared), both confirmed independently by GSMArena's spec listing. One notable absence: Wi-Fi. TrustedReviews' contemporary review explicitly flagged the lack of a wireless LAN radio, a real functional difference from the Wi-Fi-equipped TyTN and worth calling out plainly rather than assuming feature parity between the two devices.

The 1.3-Megapixel Camera

The MTeoR shipped with a single 1.3-megapixel rear camera and no front-facing camera for video calling, confirmed by Pocket-lint, TrustedReviews, and GSMArena alike. TrustedReviews' contemporary review was blunt about it, calling the resolution "surprisingly out of step with current efforts, which can now reach 3.2 megapixels" — a fair contemporary complaint, since 2-megapixel and higher cameras were already common on rival phones by mid-2006. Mobility Today's own surviving article text doesn't mention the camera at all, so this detail rests on independent contemporary sources rather than the original piece.

Battery Life

Independent sources list a removable 1,190mAh lithium-polymer battery. TrustedReviews ran its own continuous-playback test and measured roughly nine and a quarter hours of MP3 playback with the screen on and the SIM active — a real, independently measured figure rather than a manufacturer claim. Mobility Today's own surviving article text doesn't give a battery figure, so this section relies entirely on third-party testing.

Email, Direct Push, and Exchange

Like other Windows Mobile 5.0 devices of the period, the MTeoR supported Direct Push technology for near-immediate synchronization of email, calendar, and contacts against a compatible Exchange server, alongside built-in viewers for PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files — features confirmed by contemporary coverage from Pocket-lint. This pitched the MTeoR at the same mobile-email-focused buyer as many Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition devices of the era, just in a smaller, keypad-only body than a Pocket PC-style device.

Mobility Today's Original Hands-On

Mobility Today's original MTeoR coverage, titled "HTC MTeoR in our hands," was written by David Ciccone and posted Friday, August 18, 2006 — recovered here from an archived snapshot of the original page. It was explicitly framed as a first look rather than a full review: the post opens with "Well its finally in our hands," describes the phone as "extremely slim" with "good weight to it" and feeling "very good in the hand," lists the core specs above, and closes with "MORE TO COME," promising a fuller video review during the following week "just like our HTC TyTN." Seven photos accompanied the post, hosted on the site's own Flickr account rather than pulled from a press kit — a reasonable indication Mobility Today was photographing a unit it actually had in hand, though the surviving text doesn't say whether that unit was a final retail sample or a pre-release review unit. No surviving evidence confirms whether the promised video review or the mentioned interview with HTC America's Director of Marketing was ever published, so this piece isn't claiming either happened. The original article plainly did not include a processor, camera, battery, or pricing figure, or any formal benchmark testing — those details are sourced from independent contemporary coverage instead, as noted above.

Why the MTeoR Wasn't Sold in the US

The clearest, most directly sourced fact to come out of the original article isn't in the post body at all — it's in the comment thread underneath it. A reader identified as "goestoeleven" argued the MTeoR's lack of 850MHz GSM and 850/1900MHz UMTS/HSDPA support made it a poor fit for US Cingular customers specifically. David Ciccone, the article's author, replied directly: "I agree nojetlag..This is why the MTeoR is not available in the USA." That's about as direct a confirmation as this kind of historical record gets — Mobility Today's own author, on the record, stating plainly that the phone wasn't sold in the US market, consistent with the European launch region reported by contemporary coverage of HTC's June 2006 announcement.

HTC MTeoR vs. HTC TyTN

It's worth being precise about how different these two phones actually were, since they were announced together and are easy to conflate in casual conversation. The TyTN was a Pocket PC Phone Edition device with a 2.8-inch touchscreen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, aimed at users who wanted a larger, more capable productivity device. The MTeoR was a Smartphone Edition device — no touchscreen, no slide-out keyboard, a smaller 2.2-inch display, and a simpler numeric keypad — aimed at buyers who wanted 3G and email in a smaller, phone-shaped body. They shared a launch window, a network technology generation, and a company, but not a form factor, an interaction model, or, based on available evidence, comparable commercial success.

How the MTeoR Compared to Its Rivals

As a non-touchscreen, keypad-driven smartphone, the MTeoR competed less against Pocket PC-style devices and more against similarly shaped phones running other platforms — retrospective coverage specifically points to Nokia's Symbian smartphones of the period, which shared a comparable candybar form factor. Retrospective analysis has also judged the MTeoR the less commercially successful of HTC's two June 2006 launches, with the TyTN generally remembered as the stronger seller — though this article isn't verifying exact sales figures, since none were found in the sources checked.

The HTC Breeze 100 Name

Because HTC developed the MTeoR under the codename Breeze, it's sometimes listed in hardware databases, battery listings, and parts catalogs as the "HTC Breeze 100" rather than the MTeoR — the same device under its pre-launch internal name rather than a separate carrier rebrand. Worth being clear about that distinction: Breeze 100 isn't evidence of a different regional or carrier-specific hardware variant, just an alternate name tied to the phone's development codename.

The MTeoR's Place in HTC's History

On its own, the MTeoR wasn't the device that made HTC's name recognition stick — that leaned more heavily on the TyTN and the carrier-branded phones that followed it. But the MTeoR mattered as part of the same moment: one of the first phones to carry the HTC name directly to European retail shelves rather than a carrier badge or the Qtek label, at a point when the company was still working out how much of its own brand identity it wanted to put in front of buyers.

Collecting an HTC MTeoR Today

A surviving MTeoR is now purely a collector's piece rather than a usable daily phone. The 2G and 3G networks it depends on have been shut down or phased out across most of its original European markets, Windows Mobile 5.0 hasn't received security updates in well over a decade, and a battery nearly two decades old is unlikely to hold a safe charge. Anyone evaluating a used unit should check that the keypad and directional controls still respond, that the microSD slot still reads cards, the condition of the battery contacts and charging port, and whether original packaging or accessories survive. As with any aging lithium battery, never charge or use one that shows swelling, bulging, or visible damage — treat it as a fire risk and dispose of it properly.

FAQ

What was the HTC MTeoR?

A compact 3G smartphone HTC announced in June 2006, running Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition in a numeric-keypad candybar body, launched across Europe as part of HTC's shift toward selling phones under its own brand name.

When was the HTC MTeoR released?

HTC announced it in June 2006, with a stated European launch from late July 2006. Mobility Today published hands-on photos of an actual unit on August 18, 2006.

Did the HTC MTeoR have a touchscreen?

No. It ran Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition, the non-touchscreen branch of Windows Mobile built around a numeric keypad and physical navigation, not the stylus-driven Pocket PC Phone Edition.

What operating system did the HTC MTeoR run?

Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition, per Mobility Today's original article and independently confirmed contemporary spec listings.

Did the HTC MTeoR support 3G?

Yes — single-band 2100MHz UMTS 3G alongside tri-band 900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE, as specified in Mobility Today's original article and corroborated by independent contemporary specs.

Did the HTC MTeoR have Wi-Fi?

No. Contemporary reviews, including TrustedReviews, specifically noted the absence of Wi-Fi, unlike the Wi-Fi-equipped HTC TyTN launched alongside it.

What camera did the HTC MTeoR have?

A single 1.3-megapixel rear camera with no front-facing camera for video calling, per independent contemporary reviews; Mobility Today's surviving original article text doesn't mention the camera directly.

Was the HTC MTeoR sold in the US?

No. Mobility Today's own author confirmed directly in the original article's comment thread that the MTeoR was not available in the USA, consistent with its European-focused launch and its lack of the 850MHz GSM band used in North America.

How is the HTC MTeoR different from the HTC TyTN?

The TyTN was a larger Pocket PC Phone Edition device with a 2.8-inch touchscreen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard; the MTeoR was a smaller Smartphone Edition device with a 2.2-inch non-touch display and a numeric keypad only. They were announced together in June 2006 but serve very different form factors.

Is the HTC MTeoR the same as the HTC Breeze 100?

Yes — Breeze was HTC's internal development codename for the same device, and it appears under that alternate name in some hardware and parts listings.

Is the HTC MTeoR the same as the HTC Meteor?

No. This article is specifically about the HTC MTeoR, HTC's 2006 3G Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition candybar phone, not any similarly named product, and the two shouldn't be conflated.

Can an HTC MTeoR still be used today?

Not realistically as a daily phone. Its original 2G/3G networks are largely shut down, Windows Mobile 5.0 no longer receives security updates, and a battery this old is unlikely to hold a safe charge — it's best treated as a collector's piece today.

Mobility Today's original MTeoR coverage was never more than a first look — seven photos, a short spec rundown, and a promise of more to come. What survives of it, though, is still useful: a dated hands-on impression of an actual unit, and a direct, on-the-record confirmation from the site's own author that the phone never reached US shelves. Paired with independently verified specs, that's enough to place the MTeoR accurately in HTC's 2006 story — a smaller, keypad-only Smartphone Edition companion to the TyTN, not a footnote to be confused with it.