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HTC Leo benchmarked, results are just what you expect with a 1 GHz processor

Categories: Android, HTC
By: , IntoMobile
Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 2:59 AM

Take one shot of Windows Mobile, one shot of a 1 GHz processor, and you’ll make a cocktail that still tastes like Windows Mobile, albeit with a zest of Red Bull. What I’m trying to say is, processors don’t matter if the operating system sucks. Windows Mobile has a terrible reputation, and while 6.5 is a little bit better, and HTC has their crazy skins that replace the Windows Mobile homescreen, you’re still using an operating system that is about as old as Vanilla Ice. Sure, drawing 3,000 triangles is 1800% faster, and yes, the CPU gives you 1.5x the number of megaflops, but at the end of the day, and be honest, do you really care?

I recently had a few beers with a colleague I used to work with at Nokia, and he asked me what I thought about the trend he is seeing with handset makers advertising the speed of their processors, to which I replied: “the only reason they’re doing that is because they know the software is so unconvincing that a consumer has to see a bullet point to feel better about making a purchase”. Is that fairly accurate? As for operating systems that could shine with a little bit more juice: come on HTC, bring out Android devices with more horsepower already!

[Via: Windows Mobile Power User, Engadget Mobile]

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About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

  • Muzzammil

    Like I’m wondering what you are griping about here. You are saying that people don’t really care whether they have horse power in their mobile if the OS is really good. If Android is so great , getting hyped and being adopted by people with the given processors, then arn’t you negating your own statement ?

  • Stefan Constantinescu

    Point I’m trying is no matter how much processing power you throat at Windows Mobile, it’s still Windows Mobile.

    Android however is a good OS, but everyone agrees it could use just a little bit more juice to be snappy enough to be called awesome.

    Get it now?

  • Jeff

    So WM is lame because it needs better hardware and Android is awesome but needs better hardware as well? Yeah I get it.

  • Mistro

    I respectfully disagree. HTC doesn’t make nice looking skins for just the home screen. In fact, slowly it’s replacing pretty much all common tasks you would do on your phone.

    I’m running one of the newer manila releases with WinMo 6.5 on my HTC Diamond, and I barely ever see the Windows interface and it’s stylus based features during normal usage. In fact, the only time i see it during day to day usage is when I’m browsing through the file manager. And even that has been tweaked out by HTC to make it more finger friendly.

    The only main advantages I currently see between OS’s is the developer base and how open it is to modification. Android is probably at the head of the pack when it comes to that, and for that reason I like Android. But WinMo isn’t too far behind. Sure you can’t change the core OS, but you can definately customize deep down to a fair degree. It also has gazillions of apps already available. The downside is that MS never had it’s own market place (and is now quite late in the game with coming out with one) for apps like all the other OS’s have.

    So to summarize I guess, you can’t just say “so what? it’s still windows!”. It’s about the features that third parties have done to all these smart phones (of all OS’s) that really makes or breaks them. If HTC’s new UI works better (smoother, faster) with a faster processor, then I’m all for it.

  • Christopher

    Its funny, your friend that worked at Nokia asks you about what you think of the trend in handsets… I bet hes more aware of this “trend” than you let on, seeing as how nokia is releasing the N900 running a TI OMAP 3430 chipset with an ARM Cortex-A8 600 Mhz ( thats two processors for those that dont know). It doesn’t matter what OS you’re lobbying for (obviously, Android in your case); speedy chipsets with onboard GPUs is the future. Smartphones have moved from trying to tackle the internet, to tackling video editing, 3d games, gps services, multitasking, and of course HD video playback. Argue as much as you’d like, but Android is seriously lacking in these areas. All smartphones besides, the Iphone would struggle with theses tasks(and even the Iphone doesn’t have multitasking, or HD video). To make a long story short the Hardware manufacturers are moving faster than the software developers. But that won’t be for long. And when windows mobile 7 comes out it will blow everything else out of the water. Despite what anyone says, Android uses java to program, and Winmo uses java, plus native languages like c and c++. When it comes down to it, it really is about the software, thats why WinMo and the Apple Os have the advantage.