January 9, 2008 – 6:38 pm
… 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.
January 6, 2008 – 10:01 pm
I’ve noticed lately that it’s much harder to keep a clean inbox when you don’t have a phone that does e-mail well. I miss my old phone.
That (among other things) has inspired me to set an end date on my self imposed hiatus from using a “high-end” phone device. More news to come shortly…
November 12, 2007 – 12:54 pm
OK, well after seeing the latest videos of Android, there is much less uncertainty as to how the platform itself will turn out. Specifically, the primary concern I linked to in yesterday’s post seems to not be so big of a deal, at least up front.
It’s certainly looking good so far, especially the Java SDK. At first glance, it appears that it might give Windows Mobile a run for it’s money in the ease of development arena, since Windows Mobile has been the leader as far as that goes for quite a long time with the .NET Compact Framework.
I still have concerns with the licensing model allowing for locked-down released implementations, but it is encouraging to see that both T-Mobile and HTC are participating, since I’ve had very positive experiences with HTC handsets from T-Mobile which were not limited or crippled in any way. Hopefully they will continue in that tradition of not encumbering anything on their devices with their first Android release. If so, I’ll likely continue to be a customer.
For some reason, one of my chargers for my phone died last night, so it didn’t get charged up overnight, and ended up completely draining the battery, because I usually leave it playing music or podcasts while I fall asleep, and I was tired last night and forgot to set the timer to automatically stop playing and turn it off after 30-45 minutes like I usually do.
The scary part was then when I woke up and realized what had happened I tried plugging it in to a different USB cable charger that I had and it didn’t light up and start charging. I also tried the one in my car, and it didn’t seem to take the charge either. So, I was thinking I was stuck with a dead battery at best, and a dead phone at worst.
It ended up being OK, though, because once I got to work, I plugged it in to the regular cable charger I usually use, and it took a while, but it did get it back charging up again. After doing some searching, it turns out that when the battery gets completely drained, you sometimes have to charge with the official charger, since other models of chargers don’t give exactly the same voltage, etc. and aren’t enough to kick start it into full charging mode if you’re starting from a completely drained state.
Anyway, all that to say that during the period of time before I knew that it would be OK, I was mentally preparing myself for having to buy a new phone and took a few minutes to browse around and see what’s out there today. The way I look at it, if I have to get a new one, I might as well upgrade. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that 7 months later, there are still no phones I’d rather have than the one I’ve got right now.
Then getting it charged back up again was icing on the cake; I don’t need a new phone and I don’t want one either.
August 18, 2006 – 11:30 pm
… I will get around to posting my review of the greatest phone I’ve owned so far, but not today.
August 11, 2006 – 11:45 pm
After finally deciding that it really is time for a new cell phone, I did some initial research and was pleasantly surprised by my current carrier’s data plan pricing policy. I initially switched to them (T-Mobile) because they were the only GSM provider at the time to offer truly unlimited data service, and they did so at a pretty decent rate ($20). Since then, I’ve added HotSpot coverage at a discounted rate, so I now have unlimited cell data PLUS WiFi at any Starbucks (or other “HotSpot” locations) for only $30.
The great surprise for me was in inquiring about moving up to a phone that supports the faster “EDGE” speed data on the phone, as well as (and probably more relevantly) for use on a paired device (PDA, laptop, etc). I was somewhat surprised to find that I can just keep my current data plan, because T-Mobile data plans will cover the top speed that your equipment is capable of using, and that’s all there is too it. All I need to do is get a phone that CAN use EDGE, and I’m already set up for using it, with no additional fees or configuration, INCLUDING no ridiculous surcharge for tethering (meaning using another device like you laptop) that some other providers try to get away with.
December 31, 2005 – 11:19 pm
Martha’s comment on this post on Dan’s blog recently reminded me of a thought I had recently on the concept of wearing earphones while you drive.
I have one of those FM radio transmitters that will play the audio from my player through the car stereo, but sometimes I don’t want to go through the trouble of unplugging my headphones then plugging in the thing, etc. so I will just leave one earbud in and listen that way (mostly podcasts, so stereo doesn’t matter). I’ve heard (although I don’t know whether it’s a law or a suggestion) that people say you shouldn’t do something like this, but I’m not sure why.
The funny thing that strikes me about it is how people who whine about people talking on their cell phones are always recommending that people use their phones hands free, which for most phones involves the use of an earbud type accessory (unless it’s speakerphone, which sounds horrible). So which is it? These two recommendations seem contradictory to me.
I will admit though that on several occasions, I have spotted a cop looking at me while driving with one earbud in, and (not knowing whether it’s actually illegal and *really* not wanting to find out that way), I’ve pretended to talk, as if I were having a phone conversation, so that they think I’m driving around with something in my ear the “safe” way rather than the more “dangerous” use of listening to something other than a phone conversation.
December 20, 2005 – 9:59 pm
Martha has acknowledged that I have had my current phone (Nokia 3650) for quite a while now (without breaking and/or losing it), and has officially agreed that I should get a new one.
So I thought I’d open it up for suggestions. I’ll start by saying that I like everything about my current phone other than the camera quality and the circle dialing pad, which has gotten annoying because I want to be able to dial without looking. There are several features on my current phone that will be prerequisites in any new model for consideration: Read More »