AT&T Tilt
Manufacturer: HTC America Inc. Part number: 1060009
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The AT&T Tilt promises to be the carrier's most powerful smartphone for business users with its full range of wireless options, Windows Mobile 6, and innovative tilt screen.
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CNET editors' review
AT&T Tilt
price range: $199.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 10/03/2007
- Released on: 10/05/2007
The good: The AT&T Tilt features a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard and a tilting screen. The Windows Mobile 6 smartphone also offers the full gamut of wireless options, including 3G and GPS, push e-mail, a 3-megapixel camera, and support for AT&TMusic and Video.
The bad: Speakerphone quality wasn't the greatest, and talk-time battery life was on the shorter side. The Tilt was sluggish at times, and picture quality was subpar. We also had problems acquiring a GPS fix.
The bottom line: The AT&T Tilt promises to be the carrier's most powerful smartphone for business users with its full range of wireless options, Windows Mobile 6, and innovative tilt screen.
Whether you know it as the AT&T 8925, the HTC Kaiser, or the HTC TyTN II, this highly anticipated Windows Mobile 6 smartphone officially got its crowning today as the AT&T Tilt. And we'd say the name is quite fitting given that it has a slide-out screen that tilts 40 degrees for a better viewing angle. It's a nice touch that we enjoyed, but there's more to this smartphone than an innovative design. It's packed with all the features a mobile professional could want in a smartphone: the full range of wireless options, including UMTS/HSDPA support and GPS, Windows Mobile 6 (AT&T's first WM6 device, in fact), and strong messaging capabilities. It can also entertain with support for AT&T Music and AT&T Video and a 3-megapixel camera.
We had the opportunity to check out a preproduction unit of the Tilt, and while we'll reserve final judgment until we have the finished product in hand, we think it will be a hit. Let us be clear that this is a device best-suited for power business users. It doesn't have the mass appeal of an Apple iPhone, and it certainly has its downfalls, too: It's hefty and talk-time battery life is somewhat short. However, the added features make it a worthy upgrade from the AT&T 8525. The AT&T Tilt will be available starting October 5 for $299.99 with a two-year contract, which isn't too bad considering all the features you get with this device.
Design
Let's just cut to the chase and talk about what makes the AT&T Tilt so special, shall we? From the outside, the Tilt doesn't look that much different from its predecessor, the AT&T 8525. It has a PDA-like design and features a slide-out screen that reveals a full QWERTY keyboard underneath. However, there's one major difference between the two: The Tilt's screen tilts (hence the name; get it?) up to 40 degrees, mimicking a mini laptop. Though we never had any problems with the old design, we do like this extra functionality. It gives you a better view of the display, and it's nice if you just want to lay it on a flat surface and read through your e-mails, work documents, or view videos. Of course, if you so choose, you could compose messages in this position, but you'd probably have to peck away with your index fingers, which seems a bit uncomfortable and dorky. We found it easier just to hold the smartphone in both hands and let our thumbs happily tap away.
The keyboard itself is roomy with large rectangular buttons that are tactile and well-backlit, so we were easily able to type out e-mails, text messages, and the like. The number buttons are also easy see, as they're highlighted in silver--a stark contrast to the rest of the black keys. The only real problem we ran into was trying to press the two soft keys above the keyboard while the screen was tilted up. Having the screen in the upright position reduces what little space there is between the soft keys and the bottom edge of the front cover, so we kept banging our thumbs up against it. It's certainly not a deal breaker, though, and we were happy with the overall experience.
The AT&T Tilt's touch screen measures 2.8 inches diagonally and shows off 65,536 colors at a 320x240 pixel resolution. Text and images looked sharp and bright, and the display was readable in various lighting conditions, including bright sunlight thanks to the tilting screen. You can change the theme of the Today screen as well as the background image, displayed menu items, and backlight timeout. The screen orientation will also automatically switch from portrait to landscape mode once you slide open the cover, but we noticed there was a slight delay during the transition (See Performance for more).
Below the display, you'll find a navigation array that consists of the Talk and End buttons, two soft keys, an OK button, shortcuts to Internet Explorer Mobile, the Start menu, and your Inbox, and a five-way navigation toggle with a central select key. All of these controls are easy to use, and we're particularly pleased with the spacious directional keypad. On the left spine, there is a push-to-talk launcher, an OK button, and scroll wheel that you can press to select a menu item. Once on a call, it can also be used to adjust the phone volume. The right side houses the power button, camera activation key, and stylus, while the microSD expansion slot and mini USB port are found on the bottom of the unit. The camera lens (no self-portrait mirror or flash) is located on the back along with speaker and external GPS jack, and the SIM card holder is actually on the backside of the front cover when slid out rather than behind the battery. Speaking of which, a minor point, but we found it extremely difficult to take off the battery cover. There doesn't seem to be a release switch, so we had to pry it off with a sharp-edged object. Another thing on our wish list is a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack.
The AT&T Tilt measures 4.4 inches long by 2.3 inches wide by 0.7 inch deep and weighs 6.1 ounces. We're not even going to lie; the handset is definitely bulky and heavy, so it won't easily slip into a pants pocket. However, we think HTC did a nice job designing the Tilt. The smartphone has nice rounded corners and boasts a sleek-black-lacquer-and-polished-steel finish on front, while the back features a soft-touch finish for better gripping. It's more comfortable to hold than the AT&T 8525 and Sprint Mogul, and feels like it has a more solid construction.
The AT&T Tilt comes packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable, an extra stylus, a Getting Started CD, and reference material. Frankly, we're a little disappointed with the included accessories, as we would have liked to seen the inclusion of at least a belt holster or a wired headset. For more add-ons, please check out our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.
Features
With the barrage of smartphones that hit AT&T's lineup this year, it caught us by surprise that this is actually the carrier's first Windows Mobile 6 smartphone. It runs the Professional Edition, and the updated operating system brings a number of small but notable improvements over Windows Mobile 5. For example, there's a new Calendar ribbon that gives you a better view of your schedule at a glance with colored blocks for appointments and details of the event, such as meeting location, right along the bottom of your screen so you don't have to open each one. There's also a new e-mail search function that works like the Smart Dial feature on Windows Mobile 5 devices, where you start typing in a word while in your Inbox, and it will automatically pull up messages with that term in the subject or contact field. We won't run through every new feature here, but you can read all about them in our review of Windows Mobile 6.
As a mobile professional's tool, the Tilt comes with the full Microsoft Mobile Office Suite for creating, viewing, and editing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. In addition, there's an Adobe Reader client for opening PDFs. Other PIM tools include a calculator, a clock, a ZIP manager, and a voice recorder. To manage your memory and optimize the device's performance, you can view the amount of available memory under the Settings menu and stop running programs with the Task Manager. The Tilt comes with 256MB of ROM and 128MB SDRAM. There's about 87MB of user-accessible storage and 68MB of program memory, and you can always expand the capacity by using the microSD expansion slot, which accepts up to 4GB cards.
Of course, with the full QWERTY keyboard, e-mail and messaging is also a key feature. The AT&T Tilt ships with Microsoft's Direct Push technology out of the box so you get real-time e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via Exchange Server. In addition, the Tilt works with other e-mail solutions, including BlackBerry Connect and AT&T Xpress Mail. There is, of course, continued support for POP3 and IMAP accounts, but now you also can view e-mails in their original HTML format, regardless of account type. The Tilt also comes preloaded with AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo instant-messaging clients and supports text and multimedia messaging.
For voice communication, the Tilt offers world roaming capabilities, a speakerphone, and voice commands and dialing. The Tilt's contact list is limited only by the available memory (the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts) and is quite robust. You can store up to 12 numbers for a single entry as well as home and work addresses, an e-mail address, an IM screen name, birthday, spouse's name, and more. For caller ID purposes, you can pair a contact with a photo, a caller group, or one of 26 polyphonic ringtones. The Tilt also supports AT&T's push-to-talk service, allowing you to instantly see the availability of your contacts before calling them and make individual or group PTT calls. PTT plans start at $9.99 per month.
Much to our delight, and we imagine yours as well, the AT&T Tilt offers the full gamut of wireless options: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0, UMTS/HSDPA, and GPS. The smartphone supports a number of Bluetooth profiles, including those for wireless headsets, hands-free kits, dial-up networking, and A2DP for stereo Bluetooth headsets. For surfing the Web, you can use the built-in Wi-Fi to hop onto a hot spot, or, alternatively, you can take advantage of the 3G support to get data speeds of around 400Kbps to 700Kbps (with the potential to hit up to 2Mbps) using AT&T's network. In addition, you'll be able to access UMTS/HSDPA networks while abroad. For your convenience, there's a Wireless Manager where you can turn on and off all the various radios.
With the built-in GPS radio, you can use a location-based service, such as AT&T's TeleNav GPS Navigator, and you can get color maps and text- and voice-guided driving directions, and points of interest right on the device. In addition, the TeleNav application can help you find the cheapest gas based on your location, share addresses with your contacts, and more. Just be aware that if you choose TeleNav GPS Navigator, this is an add-on service from AT&T that will cost $9.99 per month for unlimited trips or $5.99 for up to 10 trips; check out our full review of TeleNav for more information.
To get the most out of 3G, the Tilt supports the AT&T Video and AT&T Music services. Using AT&T Video, we watched clips of The Daily Show, MTV Mobile, ESPN sports highlights, and a few other videos. Downloads were speedy with barely any delay for video buffering. AT&T Music is a full-featured service that not only allows you to purchase songs from independent music services, such as Napster to Go and Yahoo Music, but also includes streaming XM satellite radio, music videos, MusicID for identifying song titles and artists, and a music news site called TheBuzz. Unfortunately, not all features of the service were enabled on our review unit, but we were able to listen to XM satellite radio and enjoyed smooth streaming audio. Of course, you can import your personal library of MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4, and WMV files via microSD card, thanks to Windows Media Player 10 Mobile.
Last but not least, the AT&T Tilt is equipped with a 3-megapixel camera with up to 8x zoom and video recording capabilities. The editing options are very similar to those found on its predecessor. In camera mode, you can choose from six resolution settings and four quality modes. Unfortunately, there's no flash, but you can adjust the white balance, add effects, and set a self-timer. The options are a bit more limited in video mode, but you can record clips with sound in MPEG-4 or H.263 format and choose from one of four resolutions.
Picture quality was OK, though not as good as we expected from a 3-megapixel lens. First, it was really difficult to get a clear shot since you have to have a super steady hand when pressing the capture button. It took us multiple tries to get a decent image. Even then, we thought the coloring was a bit dull and hazy, but we were still able to make out the objects in the picture since definition was sharp. As with most camera phones, the Tilt is fine if you need to grab a quick shot for a multimedia messages or an e-mail, but nothing worth printing out.
Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE; UMTS/HSDPA) AT&T Tilt in San Francisco using AT&T service, and call quality was excellent. We enjoyed crisp audio with very little to no background noise or interference, and we got more than one "wow" from our friends, as they, too, were impressed with the sound quality. We were also able to interact with our bank's automated voice response system with no problem. Unfortunately, things took a dive when we activated the speakerphone. We had a hard time hearing our callers even with the volume cranked to high, as their voices sounded hollow. Meanwhile, they said we sounded far away and could tell we were using the speakerphone. On a good note, we were able to successfully pair the Tilt with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Nokia BH-604 stereo Bluetooth headphones.
As we reported at the beginning, we were sent a preproduction unit of the AT&T Tilt, which we hope explains some of the sluggishness we experienced during our test period. The delays weren't so bad that it prevented us from working, but the lag was particularly noticeable when changing screen orientation and working in various applications. Hopefully, these minor issues will be resolved with the final software update, and we will certainly re-evaluate the performance then.
All that said, we enjoyed working and playing on the Tilt. We had no problems setting up the smartphone to retrieve our e-mail and we were able to successfully transfer and work on various work documents, including PDFs, and Word and Excel files. The Web browsing experience was swift whether we were using Wi-Fi or AT&T's 3G network. However, we ran into some problems with the built-in GPS radio. It took at least 10 tries for the Tilt to get a fix on our position, and it repeatedly told us that the GPS signal was too weak and needed a better view of the sky. We can understand that, but we were already in an open area, so it was frustrating to have to sit there and wait.
Multimedia performance was mixed. We were truly impressed with how great videos looked on the Tilt. Audio and video were always synchronized, and while there was some pixelation, it wasn't as bad as we've seen on other devices. Unfortunately, the phone's weak speaker system takes away from the music experience, as songs sounded tinny and lacked richness. Again, we wish there was a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack to enhance this part of the smartphone.
The AT&T Tilt's 1,350mAh lithium ion battery is rated for up to 4.4 hours of talk time for UMTS and 7 hours for GSM and up to 14 days of standby time for UMTS and 15 days for GSM. In our battery drain tests, we were only able to get 3.5 hours of talk time on UMTS. We are conducting several more tests, so we'll update this section as soon as we have final results.
User reviews
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Don't Pay for GPS
by shulmda on October 13, 2007
Pros: 3G, GPS, and Google Maps a killer combo
Cons: No headphones
Summary: You do not need to pay the monthly fee for the GPS software (Telenav) from AT&T. There is a great program called GPS Utilities (http://www.efficasoft.com/...
Summary: You do not need to pay the monthly fee for the GPS software (Telenav) from AT&T. There is a great program called GPS Utilities (http://www.efficasoft.com/gpsutilities.html) that sets up the GPS connection ($17.95) (Com 4 and 4800) and free Google maps which integrates with the GPS to track your location, give directions, real time traffic, sattelite views, etc. (http://www.google.com/gmm/gps.html) It is awesome. Also, Windows Mobile 6 is a great improvement over WM5. The performance is so good with the new processer and 3G, I could make international phone calls via Skype (http://www.skype.com/download/skype/mobile/) I like the iPhone UI better, but its lack of Voice Dial, the Limited Keyboard, and lack of 3G made it impossible for me to switch to it from my HTC 8125. I did spend 2 hours at the Apple store trying to talk myself into it. I also recommend Bandswitch (http://commmgrpro.com/_wsn/page2.html) to automatically disconnect your data connection and maximize your battery life. I also removed the PTT software and reclaimed the button for Voice Dial (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1570125). I also recommend an alternative to the included dialer because the buttons were too small to use (http://www.paulya.com/Projects/EtDialer/Cabs/PaulyA_E-Ten_Vista.cab) Best phone I have ever had, though I loved my HTC 8125.
124 out of 125 users found this user opinion helpful.
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awesome device!
by Caesar878 on October 13, 2007
Pros: has absolutely EVERYTHING you need!
Cons: Needs a case in the box
Summary: This is simply the best device that I have owned! It has every bit of functionality that I need in a smart phone. I have used smart phones for approx ...
Summary: This is simply the best device that I have owned! It has every bit of functionality that I need in a smart phone. I have used smart phones for approx 5 years and this one hits the bulls eye.
Let me review the items that make this smart phone a ten on my list (I think it is funny that some other reviewers have rated it below a five without substantial reasoning but are rather extlling the virtues of another carrier - shame).
The Tilt is named such due to its sliding display that Tilts up. Very cool! I can put the device on the desk or any convenient surface as needed and can view the info easily without moving my head back and forth or I can use the device one handed.
The Tilt has many naviogation methods - you can touch the screen with your finger or the included touch stylus, you can use the rotary dial on the side, you can use the four way navigation pad on the front, or you can slide open the keyboard and use the keys for navigation. I find that i use each of these based on the task that I am doing.
The Tilt comes with every possible messaging method available: SMS, MMS, email (personal and corporate), IM (AOL, Yahoo, and Microsoft), and Push to Talk. There is NO other device that offers this level of communication on the market today! The item that really sold it for me was that I can talk on the phone (via my jawbone bluetooth headset)at the same time that I am looking something up on the web via the web browser or using the mapping function! You can't do that on any other smart phone from Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile. Honestly, isn't this functionality the pure essence of mobility - it is for me. I can even be on a call via my bluetooth headset and be browsing the web on my laptop using the Tilt tethered to the laptop! Try that on any other device from any other US carrier - you simply can't do it!
I really want to talk about the built-in GPS functionality. First, the reason that the CNET editors took so long to connect to the satellites was because the Telenav application was searching for the satellites. I read the user manual and found that there is a utility included on the Tilt called Quick GPS that downloads the relative satellite locations every 6 days so Telenav starts very very quickly each and every time. Pretty nice. Anyway the Telenav mapping application is fantastic. It provides 3d or 2d mapping, turn by turn navigation (visual and audible), traffic information and rerouting, find the cheapest gas based on current location, save locations, share a location with a friend or business associate, and more. Better still is that you always have this with you. I also own a GPS device that I purchased for $899 - GPS is all it does so it pretty well stays at home until needed - of course there are those unplanned instances where I needed the durn thing and it was at home - no more with the Tilt that was only $299.99 and has better GPS software. To be frank, I have also tried Google maps, Microsoft Live, and Tom Tom maps on the device. The Google and Microsoft stuff is OK but not as feature rich as the Telenav application. I find that if an application has the correct mix of features that i really need that it becomes an indispenable part of my life. I tried Tom Tom - a stand alone application that you can buy and install - but I just dont have the time to go and buy updates and reload maps based on the part of the country that I am traveling to. The Telenav GPS application is seemingly network based so the most up to date information is loaded every time you use it - this is convenient! (Yes, the GPS feature is open!)
A really great feature is that the Tilt is fast - both navigating the menu and when downloading information from the AT&T 3G network. However, I am not limited to just AT&T's network. I can also use WIFI and connect to either b or g WIFI networks. Another neat feature is that the Tilt supports bluetooth 2.0 which allows me to connect up to six bluetooth devices simultanelously. True wireless huh. I can use a bluetooth headset and a bluetooth keyboard or scanner at the same time.
I was listening to music on my wireless STEREO bluetoth headset and my annoying teenage niece kept interrupting me (trying to find out what I was doing and what I was listening to). I showed her that I was listening to music that I had loaded onto a 4GB microSD card (about a 1000 songs) and was using wireless stereo headset. She truly enjoyed the wireless experience and wondered why her player didn't do the same. She quickly figured out that she could listen to music and IM her friends or play a game.
She quicly discovered the streaming video functionality provided by CV on the Tilt and the XM radio streaming application (which sounds equally as good on a stereo bluetooth headset). I think she enjoyed the XM radio application more because she could find her kind of music quickly.
I had to hide my Tilt from her or go into another room to play my retro favorite Ms. Pac Man.
Fun aside, the Tilt is a cool work tool. My company uses Exchange 2007 and had enabled direct push. What this means is that I can get all my work email, calendar, and contacts directly from the email server. I can even look up people in the company using the company address book that is on the server. This is a great improvement and makes a huge difference for me.
I loaned the device to a buddy for a day and he tried it in his company. His company uses Blackberry's exclusively. He was able to setup and configure the Tilt to work in the Blackberry system so that he could receive his email, calendar, and contacts from a blackberry server. This was huge for him as he had always had to use a blackberry and they arent as fast as the Tilt is.
I can also get my personal email on the Tilt. I used the microsoft email setup wizard and selected google gmail as my community and entered my username and password. I was instantly getting my personal email as well as my work (separate inboxes etc). The difference is that my work email is received automatically on the device as soon as the server gets it. The gmail is gathered every x period of time. I can adjust the x period of time to my liking. I haven't tried Xpress Mail but when I looked in the guides and the web site, it seems that i can get my personal email from this as well and the application has more features.
IM is a breeze to setup. Pick your community and away you go. You can choose between AOL, Yahoo, or Microsoft communities unlike other smart phones that have only the microsoft community. I did some research and found that AT&T or HTC had added this nifty application to the Tilt.
If you haven't determined it yet - I love the Tilt. A GREAT value at $299.99 and I shopped around before I made my decision and couldn't find a better value and feature set (and you should too). I am very pleased with my choice and will not be returning it anytime soon. Prying it from my cold dead fingers may be a better view!
My advice - get the following for your Tilt when you buy it. A case (personal decision here), a microSD card (very cheap now - shop around), a regular bluetooth headset (try a jawbone for excellent background noise reduction), a stereo bluetooth headset if you enjoy and plan to listen to music or watch videos.
Well, I have spent enough time on this review. I hope you find it helpful.40 out of 40 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Cant ask for anything more from a phone.
by RASB on October 4, 2007
Pros: Mini Computer, Can do everything my laptop can do, e-mail, micrsoft office suite, too many to list.
Cons: Cant think of any.
Summary: I have HTC TyTN II, I recieved mine a week ago, no problems what so ever. I replaced my Samsung I-730 what a workhorse had it for over 2years .RIP...
Summary: I have HTC TyTN II, I recieved mine a week ago, no problems what so ever. I replaced my Samsung I-730 what a workhorse had it for over 2years .RIP
. I ported everything from my old phone to my new one. No problem. I own a business here in Calfornia and this phone is perfect. It keeps me on point on a daily bases. I actually finished the last few slides of a powerpoint presentation during lunch the other day. lol and after I was done I laid it on the table tilted up and watched my sling box and saw everyone around me in awe. My business partner has an I-Phone and he's thinking about getting one as well. I asked him what are you going to do with his I-phone his answer was. "I'll keep as a TOY" or give to his Wife" heheUpdated
Yes it can play vids, music, movies, TV You name it, it can do it. Voice dial, My version has Video conferencing (HTC TyTN II) Voice recording, Note pad, I can write on it via stylus or my finger. Write a report on Word and if somebody else needs the report they can acces it via network or I can beam it to fellow pocket pc users. I can pull, view documents or do a power point presentation from my phone during a meeting through my laptop and over projector via network or simply connect my phone to the projector and maybe browse the web or even watch a movie on my slingbox, never miss a football game tell you that ,
Plus 1000's of 3rd party apps. that you can install on this beast of a little machine. Plus Navigation, I have Tom Tom. Very pleased.36 out of 38 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Low ratings due to non users rating it. Use one, its great!
by dancemorrison on October 5, 2007
Pros: packs a punch with specs. More than I can write on this line.
Cons: No LED flash, could have a better screen resolution, battery life is fairly short when running full throttle.
Summary: First, since it just came out today and its only 8:30 here in CO, I doubt that all the "reviews" from other readers with negative stuff to say have ...
Summary: First, since it just came out today and its only 8:30 here in CO, I doubt that all the "reviews" from other readers with negative stuff to say have much experience with the phone. All the ones with low scores that I read where all taking there "experience" from the article itself, and did not seam to have any real hands on time with the phone.
I have the HTC TyTN II. I have had it for about 3 weeks. Excellent phone.
In the review CNet says the speaker is too quiet. I think this is an ATT thing since my Treo 650(ATT version) and other ATT phones all had quiet speakers with a software fix available, ie, not a hardware issue. My speaker is LOUD, very LOUD.
They also claimed that the GPS has a hard time locking. On the unlocked version it has a program called QuickGPS that connects to the network and, I assume, downloads the general vicinity of the sats, thus giving your GPS (in my case Tom Tom) software help finding and locking on. It takes about 10-30 seconds for the initial lock, then works great there after. In the mountains there are some problems as to be expected, but for most of the time it worked great for me.
The camera, though it is three megapixel, has its faults, but since it is a phone, I would say it is VERY good for contact pictures and capturing those moments that dont need supper high quality photos, just a sharp image to help you remember the good times. Id like to see a flash, but that would have added more Oz's and less battery life, and with all the other features its a good trade off.
Speed, good. WiFi, great. Call quality, fine. Blue tooth sync, great. 3rd party apps, tons; I have my engineering needs met, my bank needs, my security needs and my entertainment needs all met. EMail, works and quick.
The looks of this phone are great. Though its a little heavier then my old Treo and is just slightly smaller, I am happy to pull this thing out in public and use it. Its not an iPhone, but it is a powerhouse with more capabilities then most phones.
My gripes, other then the ones stated above are... EExplorer is sub par, as always, and none of the other ones are much better, but they work well enough. The only way to use headphones is with the given stereo wired ones (that you dont even get with ATTs Tilt I think,) or getting a mini USB to 1/8" stereo converter to use your own.
I give this phone a 9, and, though I cant say flash your ROM to get the ATT version up to par with the TyTN II unlocked, you could look into it. If you just want the look of the HTC home screen, there are skins already available.
Go on, go play with one, you know you want to.Updated
Just wanted to say, I looked at CNets top ten most wanted and there at #1 was the TILT. Yep, iPhone down, tilt #1!
There are great user reviews, and I did one early on, but I had to just glow in the light of the Tilt.16 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best Windows Mobile Phone ever released
by amar_raavi on October 5, 2007
Pros: 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, full QWERTY Keyboard and of course the Tilt feature
Cons: Feels bit heavy compared to latest Windows Mobile SmartPhones
Summary: Being a Samsung BlackJack owner, i was bit hesitant to buy this device at first. Even before buying it i did enough research about this product, read different reviews and ...
Summary: Being a Samsung BlackJack owner, i was bit hesitant to buy this device at first. Even before buying it i did enough research about this product, read different reviews and being a user of Windows Mobile since 2003 i have decided to go ahead.
My first impressions were really good. Great Build Quality and looks, Good Keyboard, Nice Packaging (mentioning about HTC Kaiser here)and Tilt feature is pretty nice to have.
After using the device for more than 10 days, i feel that i have made a good decision. Being a BlackJack owner i really miss the single handed use though. But thats not a big deal. Thre are plenty of soft keyboards avaialable out there. They are good for light typing and messaging. For heavey typing, just slide the keyboard out. As simple as that.
My only complaint about this device is its weight.Its 190g (compared to 99g of Samsung BlackJack). But i am getting used to it and not feeling the pain. Compared to other Windows Mobile Professional devices its not a big difference.
About the size, its having a decent dimensions, not so big and feels good in hand.
GPS functionality of this device is a big plus. It can lock with in few seconds and works with almost all GPS (honestly i have tried only TOMTOM and iGuidance) and location based services(Yahoo, LiveSearch and Google Maps) without a glitch. I am pretty impressed with this.
Finally the battery life. As most of you know that the battery technology is lagging behind the device tech. You can't expect miracles here. With my usage level, i am getting atleast 10-12 hours of battery life. I better mention whats my usage. 3G Always on, Few calls - may be 20 to 30 min total duration, Push Mail always ON, Moderate to Heavy browsing (don't compare with desktop browsing), Wi-Fi OFF, No GPS usage, Bluetooth OFF.
Here is my final opinion. Its a phone to have if you are looking for a device with great email features, GPS and willing to pay for high speed data (you can make use of Wi-Fi as an alternative). Not to forget plenty of software and customization options available. Its an all-in-one device.
BTW, i have dropped my idea of buying an UMPC after buying HTC Kaiser. I can even RDP into my desktop anytime using this cutie. VGA screen would have made this device to compete directly with UMPCs, but its not a deal breaker at all.Updated
Media Capabilities:
Microsoft is having its own iTunes (come on. Its just Media Player). With the latest media player you can sync all your music, videos pretty easily along with Album Art and all other info just like iTunes. You can even sync your TV Shows, if you have a media center PC or Windows Vista (Home Premium and above versions). Coming to synchronizing TV shows you can decide Quality Vs Storage. For a fine movie quality it consumes around 300 MB per 1 hour of movie. Which is not bad at all.
Expandability:
It is having a user removable battery. Now people may ask why everybody is insisting on removable battery. It is useful when you really don't want to carry a charger everywhere. Just pop in the charged battery and you are good to go. On the other hand, the Sync cable acts as a charger too. So you don't have to carry a charger with you (as you know, USB ports are available everywhere now a days). Though the device is not having enough storage space, you have the option to expand it using a microSD card slot. AT&T Tilt supports microSD cards upto 32GB capacity (Don't forget the fact that only 6GB cards are available right now.).
Third Party Software:
Let me not compare with any other phone, but as a Windows Mobile device you will get pretty nice set of applications available for free as well as for small price.
The Best third party free software i am using right now is logmein (for Remote Desktop Access). It allows me to login to my Desktop and control it. Its almost like having a PC in your hand. Over the 3G or WiFi the logmein client is pretty much responsive and you won't feel much of a pain.
And i have to mention about applications like orb with which you can watch live TV on cell phone. Orb is having a desktop client which you have to install on your desktop (it should have a TV tuner) then you are ready to stream live TV from your Desktop to your Tilt. You can even schedule the recordings and watch recorded TV via streaming.
Still want to miss the fun ? Think about it
15 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This gadget does EVERYTHING you need.
by kjdinoc on October 18, 2007
Pros: Major Hardware upgrade from previous versions
Cons: Windows U/I difficult to navigate with your fingers
Summary: I purchased two I-phones the week they were released. One for myself and one for my Partner. I found out real quick that Apple forgot to include a 64 Bit ...
Summary: I purchased two I-phones the week they were released. One for myself and one for my Partner. I found out real quick that Apple forgot to include a 64 Bit Vista O/S in I-tunes so one of them went back. I needed another phone so I held out until this Tilt was available. I have to say this is an amazing phone. It does everything and it's features blow the I-phone out of the water.
Apple wins hands down on it's U/I but in every other category this phone wins. My one and only complaint is that many areas of the Windows O/S are just difficult to Navigate with one hand, which you need when you are driving, etc. However this phone has added several hardware tweaks to make that easier. It has 10 buttons on it's face, a new jog wheel (scroll), select and enter key on the side that really does help with navigation. The QWERTY keyboard layout has been updated big time from previous versions making it more intuitive to use. HTC really made some major improvements. The phone "feels" rock solid. There is a rubber type material on the back and sides that feel quite durable.
at&t service has been good and the 3G, although not the fastest is adequate. The cool thing is that I can connect my 64 Bit Vista laptop to the Internet via this phone over USB and pull down about 1200 KBS. Not bad and setting up the connection was as easy as finding the Internet Sharing program on the phone. Basically plug and play.
The phone syncs flawlessly via Windows Mobile Device Center in Vista....life is good and I highly recommend this handset.11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Truly a mini-PC
by TiltBoy on October 5, 2007
Pros: Fast, tilt screen, slide out keyboard, GPS, great sound quality
Cons: Silver number keypad keys
Summary: I've owned an 8125, an 8525 and now the Tilt and can say that the Tilt is everything I always wanted a Windows Mobile device to be and more. ...
Summary: I've owned an 8125, an 8525 and now the Tilt and can say that the Tilt is everything I always wanted a Windows Mobile device to be and more. While a simply idea, the tilting display is incredibly useful, it turns this phone into a mini-pc. The faster processor and extra RAM make this device noticeably faster than the 8525 and it's been stable all day, despite loading it up with lots of softare. I'm currently running MS Voice Command, Telenav, CorePlayer (movies) and Slingbox and they all work flawlessly. Like it's predecessors, the slide out keyboard is a major feature as well, although the Tilt's is improved by lighted indicators for Shift and Fn lock.
Cell phone performance is exemplary as well. I made my first call from a noisy restaurant and the person I was speaking with could hear me perfectly. It paired easily with two different bluetooth headsets and sound quality was excellent on those as well.
This device is the first to truly realize the promise of Windows Mobile devices, I highly recommend it.10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Overall the best smartphone in the market
by steeler560 on January 25, 2008
Pros: Incredible power and punch, does it all
Cons: Some minor flaws that can easily be fixed with hacks
Summary: After 6 years with Verizon, I made the switch to AT&T after becoming frustrated with VZ's lack of a smartphone that met my needs.
My main concern ...Summary: After 6 years with Verizon, I made the switch to AT&T after becoming frustrated with VZ's lack of a smartphone that met my needs.
My main concern in switching was the VZ network. So what I did was activate an AT&T Tilt and keep my Verizon Samsung i760 active while I took a road trip from Cleveland, OH to NYC. I monitored the signal on both phones, and to my surprise the Tilt often times had more bars than the Verizon!!! So I took the leap of faith and switched to AT&T. I did have to return my first Tilt due to a software glitch with the camera that resulted in a hard reset. This also seemed to coincide right after I dropped the phone though. For those that complain about the camera, I say go to Best Buy and buy a REAL camera...I've taken photos that have been very clear. At 3 MP, you take a photo and use a little Photoshop if you need to make adjustments. The camera is not an issue unless you are shooting covers for National Geographic. I've had the Tilt for almost two months and will say that there were very few flaws. Primarily it was the lack of MS VoiceCommand, a useless PTT button and annoying OEM settings that would cause the phone screen to black out while in a call...NOT a good thing when trying to dial extentions or address automated voice prompts. For those offering harsh criticism, I've noticed that they don't seem to know much about smartphones, are looking for a toy, or are not using the phone for what it was for. Smartphones ARE primarily a phone first and PDA second. AT&T did a good job of trying to maximze both functions and as a result they had a few shortcomings as listed above. HOWEVER, with a little surfing of the web you can find a TON of free hacks and easy fixes that make the AT&T Tilt a SUPER smartphone that is second to none!!! IF you want or already have this phone spend some time on the net. I was able to download VoiceCommand which makes the phone literally hands free in every respect. I paired it was a Jawbone Bluetooth headset. There is even a hack to increase the volume of the bluetooth, headset and speakerphone...HTC's default settings for volume are less than what the volume is capable of and I found a nice little hack that increased the volume to where it was almost too loud. I was able to reasign the PPT button to become the VoiceCommand button. Next downloaded MS LiveSearch which is a tremndous little tool. I also downloaded CAB files that emulate to a tee some of the best features of the iPhone (the slider touch screen lock, touch keyboard, and YouTube player). I also downloaded a great HTC Today Screen theme that mimics the HTC Cube. Finally, check out Picsel Web Browser instead of Internet Explorer. Picsel does a nice job of emulating Apple's Safari by allowing you to drag and zoom with a few swipes of the finger.
Before knocking the equipment people should spend some time with the phone and surfing the many excellent smartphone forums on the Net...everyone has different needs and preferences and there are few smartphones out there that everyone can agree on. However, with the hundreds of third party applications available for WM6 and with a few tweaks and creative hacks, the AT&T Tilt is by far the best phone I've ever had and I have no regrets from abandoning Verizon for AT&T.8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Advance On Hermes/TyTn/8525
by Bill Andrus on October 14, 2007
Pros: GPS, Slimmer, Bling Look & Feel, TouchFlo, RAM
Cons: ExUSB still only 1.1 (v 2.0), No Flash(light), Internet Sharing Hidden
Summary: Long time HTC (Wizard, Hermes) user on Cingular/AT&T networks. In the box missing ExUSB Y Splitter and wired headset for hands free. Kept 8525 parts, both work ...
Summary: Long time HTC (Wizard, Hermes) user on Cingular/AT&T networks. In the box missing ExUSB Y Splitter and wired headset for hands free. Kept 8525 parts, both work fine. HTC has a 3-in-1 (W Splitter?) that adds 3.5mm audio jack, on order. GPS, once you discover the trick, works great. Keep WLAN and BT off, great battery life on the 1350 OEM part. ActiveSync behaves, Kingston 2GB MicroSD works great (so does PNY 2GB, keep music on it). Google Maps doesn't like the GPS, but Live Search does, so does DeLorme Handheld 2007. RAM increase and better handing with WM6 together great. Overall, the newer Radio code, the GPS, BT 2.0+EDR, HSPDA, UMTS and TouchFlo put this version heads and shoulders above my collegues' iPhonies.
8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Extremely satisfied
by somadude on October 7, 2007
Pros: Price, Functionality
Cons: Demo Game Software
Summary: I upgraded from a Samsung P207 flip-phone to the Tilt. I got lucky because I was planning on getting an 8525. I had no idea the Tilt existed until I ...
Summary: I upgraded from a Samsung P207 flip-phone to the Tilt. I got lucky because I was planning on getting an 8525. I had no idea the Tilt existed until I walked into the store 2 days after it was put on the market.
I don't have any amazing insight to offer into this phone. It amazes me that this phone is $150 cheaper than the 8525 at AT&T. Am I a monkey? Why would I do that? Anyway...
Being my first PDA, I was a little anxious about getting used to the interface and just how easy or hard configuring my MS Exchange, etc. but it's been a breeze.
I do not experience the problems referenced in CNet's review regarding processor slowness when switching screens when sliding the keyboard in and out.
Windows Mobile 6.0 thus far has been seemless and I have yet to encounter any problems. I absolutely love Mobile Office.
I have not tested the music capability and I doubt I will, since I bought it to be a phone and an organizer. If I want a stereo, I will go buy a stereo. It rings when I get a call. Hurray.
I mention demo game software as a con because someone saw fit to load several demonstration versions of games for marketing purposes. This is stupid IMO. Now I have to remove these useless things and manually delete the icons since the removal process doesn't uninstall the icons. But this is a minor annoyance that probably only I care about.
Lastly, I use Yahoo! Go 2.0 for my Yahoo! e-mail and it is simply perfect. Honestly, it's easier than accessing it from my personal PC.
I wouldn't take advice from a rookie, but what the heck, I do recommend this phone!8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.