AT&T Tilt

October 13, 2007 10:00

4.5/5
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.

- shulmda

October 13, 2007 03:36

5.0/5
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.

- Caesar878

October 4, 2007 01:58

5.0/5
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" hehe

- RASB

October 5, 2007 08:02

4.5/5
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.

- dancemorrison

October 5, 2007 10:14

4.5/5
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

- amar_raavi

October 18, 2007 07:51

4.5/5
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.

- kjdinoc

October 5, 2007 08:52

5.0/5
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.

- TiltBoy

January 25, 2008 11:34

5.0/5
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.

- steeler560

October 14, 2007 11:48

4.5/5
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.

- Bill Andrus

October 7, 2007 10:39

4.5/5
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!

- somadude