… is the HTC TyTN II, also known as the HTC Kaiser, the AT&T Tilt, etc. Ever since I heard that 3G was now available in my area / city, I’ve been itching for a phone like this. I put in quite a bit of research time on finding what I really wanted to use, and I kept coming back to this one, but it was only recently that I decided to take the plunge.
It took me a while to make the decision, but in the end I could not resist this unbelievable deal from Amazon: $199 minus a $50 rebate, for a total of $149. This is incredible when you consider that it has a list price of $600.
I don’t want to take the time to do a gigantic review covering all the cool features it has, but I’ll just highlight a couple that factor into making this the best phone on the market right now for me, according to my criteria - you may feel differently, and I really don’t want to argue with iPhone users about which is better. They’re significantly different, and which one is “better” is a subjective call that depends on the preferences and values of the person making that assessment.
Key features / high points:
- 3G data - If you read cell phone review articles at all, by now you will have heard reviewers raving about 3G data speeds. I never considered it to be as huge of a deal as they made it sound, but now my mind has been changed. The speed difference is incredible, and I cannot see myself going back to a “normal” GPRS-speed device; it would be like going from broadband to dialup. Of course it also supports wifi for even faster speeds where available.
- Built-in full featured GPS, including mapping and turn-by-turn audio driving directions, etc. Also supports attaching external antennas for better reception, etc. Awesome.
- Real keyboard that you can actually type on; this is a big one for me. The tilting makes it nice too for setting down on a desk or table and typing even faster when you want to.
- Top of the line connectivity - No need to list through all the specs; if will suffice to say that this phone uses the latest revision of every standard type of networking or pairing feature available on cell phones today, plus some that others don’t. For example, you can share the 3G internet connection over the wifi to laptops, effectively turning it into a go-anywhere wireless router.
- Open for modification - This one is vital for me: the ability to install any software I want on it, from the many available custom ROM images, to the emerging variety of GPS-aware applications, a variety of browsers, all the way up to custom apps, which can be built using what I consider to be the best mobile development framework available right now: the .NET Compact Framework. There’s also a vibrant community (xda-developer forums & wiki) based on tweaking, hacking, and generally getting the most out of the device.
There are lots more features available, and lots of glowing reviews online if you’re interested in hearing more about it.
The bottom line is I’m very happy with the purchase, and relieved to get back to using a capable phone, much less the best one I could get; even if money were no object, this is the phone I would buy.
After looking at this all day (since 7am), I was beginning to think that my “one day shipping” might take a bit longer this time.