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I never thought I would say it, but I am loving Windows Mobile! Don't get me wrong! I have found out over the last few days that there are still many things that Palm OS does much better! And for a phone first, I still think Palm could teach the others a thing or two . . . But minus some choppy video, Windows Mobile on an HTC TyTN II is rocking my world! Below is the unboxing of the product:
I am on a steep learning curve! I have faced several challenges over the last few days! One is, purchasing a phone meant for Singapore, and not having any kind of AT&T profile for it, led me to searching the internet for a hacked cab file . . . . I thought I could just pick a profile and then manually configure a profile for AT&T MediaNet and I would be fine . . . . WRONG! I would be on the web and click a video and it would try to load using the carrier in Singapore and tell me that it couldn't be found. Luckily the cab file loaded and suddenly I had an AT&T profile to choose from!
On the other hand, my TyTN came with a 4 gig micro SD, and Tom Tom 6 installed! So I popped the card in the TyTN, poked the Tom Tom logo and within about two minutes the satelites were syncing up and there was a full blown GPS on the Phone! Now that ROCKS! Special kudos to a great eBay seller for answering my questions before the purchase and delivering a quality product as promised! I would buy from again, for sure!
So without further adu, here are my first impressions:
HARDWARE The hardware quality of the unit is especially nice! It is a bit heavy . . . Slightly more so than my Treo 680. But it feels really nice in my hand. The 3.2 meg camera is awesome! Keep in mind that I am comparing this unit to my Treos and low end Nokia phones that only barely passed as having cameras to begin with. This thing takes some excellent stills. Its a little slow to focus, but once it does, it takes an excellent picture! Video on the other hand is a very different song! Indoors, the video is choppy and not blurry. Outdoors seems to do quite a bit better, but I am withholding judgement until I can spend quite a bit of time with the video features before I deliver my final verdict. I was well aware of video issues when I laid down the cash for this device, and read the day I did, that HTC is going to address those issues. I have also read of some very skepical mobile sites who just don't quite believe that HTC will properly address these issues. . . For whats its worth, I have installed TCPMP and a few movies that I have had and all seem to play fine within the device; both in TCPMP and Windows Media Player. The buttons on the front of the device have a quality look about them. The back of the device has a rubbery feel and call me crazy, but I just love how it feels in my hand. The scroll wheel on the side of the device is nice! To have this as a navigation option is really slick! But the tilting keyboard is just awesome! I was really worried about the transition I was about to make from a device that had the keys all right there on the front, to a device that I would have to slide to access the Alphanumeric input, but with a gentle push of my thumb, the device separates and then the screen is tilted. As soon as it slides the screen adjusts from portrait to landscape and my thumbs go to town. The keys light up for typing in the dark, and my only qualm so far with the keyboard is that a $ sign is a symbol that is burried three function clicks deep! The keys have a slightly rounded shape to them and pressing them results in nice click. And WiFi! I was one of those that said if I have a good data connection, I don't need WiFi! I might still say that, except now I have it! And I am using it often here at the house! And I really like the Case that shipped with my TyTN II. In fact, all of the accessories are nice. These include a screen protector, an AC charger, a sync charger, and two styli. Finally, they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and as far as this beholder goes, the TyTN II is a very attractive device! To look at and to hold. The "Touch" interface makes it just that much more enjoyable! I haven't been able to totally lose the stylus, but there are many areas where HTC has make icons large enough to just use your fingers to touch, slide or push to your destination. SOFTWARE The Included Applications: - Active Sync: Very nice and allows me to sync between two computers without doing anything really! This is working really well so far
- Adobe Reader LE: Haven't had it open yet, but is there such as thing as a really good Adobe reader on a mobile device? If so, please share it with me!
- Audio Manager: HTC's music player! Nice to look at, and seems to work just fine! Also, it allows you to select any song you play as a ringtone, and also to trim it
- Bluetooth explorer: Other than syncing my Plantronics headset, I haven't really explored BT options yet.
- Calculator: You gotta be kidding? This is a basic and very ugly Calculator! I am looking for another. This one is a joke!
- Games: Bubble Breaker and Solitare: {yawn}
- Camera: I like it a lot! I like the controls even if I struggle just a bit. Give me a little time with it though . . .
- Comm Manager: Nice! Allows me to easily select how I communicate. WiFi, Data, Bluetooth, Ringer, Active Sync, can all be controlled from thisone screen
- File Explorer: It works! No complaints so far
- Internet Sharing: Allows you to tether your computer to your phone and use your phone's data connection as a modem. I configured it briefly and it seems to work just fine, but I will be exploring more later.
- Jblend: App to manage java apps. The device doesn't come with any, or at least any that are recognized by Jblend.
- Live Messenger: If you use Windows Live Messenger, then you won't need any additional IM apps! This one is OK. Not great, but it works.
- Messaging: Compared with Palm's included app, this is OK. Not great but OK. Compared to Palm's Chatteremail app, this one just plain sucks! No support for IDLE IMAP, no summary Screen, for multiple accounts no way to assign different sounds to different accounts. Also, SMS and MMS is tied into this app. Very unattractive and if I have my sound off, I don't even know I have mail. I am not impressed at all . . .
- Notes: Pulls your notes from Outlook, and keeps them in Sync.
- Pictures and Videos: Nice: Creates simple slide shows and has the ability to edit such as crop and rotate.
- QuickGPS: Pulls in Satelite location through your internet connection for downloading the latest Satelite positions when you do use the GPS
- SAP Settings: Haven't touched it . . Not sure what it does
- Search: Searches the device: Haven't used it either! But I am sure I will!
- SIM Manager: Typical SIM Manager! You can delete SIM contacts as well as import them to the TyTN's contact list
- Sprite Back-up: Not installed, but included in the applications CD. Call me crazy, but I actually tried this today just to see how well it would back up! Worked GREAT!
- Streaming Media: The default viewer for syncing with Youtube Videos. Again, HTC has done a great job of making an attractive player.
- Tasks: Typical Tasks list pulled from Outlook
- Tom Tom Navigator: I am in love! Works just like my Tom Tom 3rd edition, only its in my phone! I will be exploring this much in the days and weeks to come.
- Voice Commander: So far, I am not impressed . . . But to be fair, I have only spent about 5 minutes with it
- Voice Recorder: Record your thoughts and play them back later to realize how stupid you were to even bother recording that thought . .
- Windows Live: Tied to Microsoft's Windows Live: I haven't explored this yet
- Windows Media Player: Looks and feels just like the PC version. No complaints so far
- Worldcard Mobile: I haven't tired this yet, but it sounds very cool! Take a picture of a Business Card, and it translates the text to place that person in your contacts list. Certainly something I am going to check out further.
- Zip Utility! Very key app for any WM device. Its how you install compressed .cab files to your WM device
Applications I have added: - SBSH Weather Console: I tried about 5 weather apps before settling on this one! Nice "Today" plug-in, and lots and lots of weather information! Even earthquake data! I like it!
- Boopsie: I had this installed on the Treo! Love it for searching stuff like Wikipedia and how to. Just recently I had to refresh myself on how to tie a double windsor knot! BTW- FREEWARE
- Flexmail 2007: No Summary Screen, no colors, no individual sounds, but it does support IDLE IMAP protocols, so I grabbed it! I am liking it better, but still longing for Palm's Chatteremail
- Google Maps: Makes the Palm Treo Google Maps implementation look like a joke, and its decent! I really like how this app approximates your location.
- IM+: I had this app on the Treo and loved it! Its twice as much for a WM device! I am not sure its twice as good, but its good, thats for sure! And the TyTN's keyboard makes it very, very useable indeed! Great app for both the Palm and WM OS.
- iPhone Theme: I don't leave it up as I prefer HTC's black theme, but its pretty neat to launch this app and see the look on people's faces. A buddy using Sprint's "Mogul" turned me onto it! Very good fake of the interface!
- Newsbreak: A newsreader that rocks! I have probably used this app more than any other so far
- Pocketlight NIV Bible: Purchased and installed, but haven't used it much yet . . . .
- PocketToolMan: There are all kinds of utility apps out there that help you to better manage your WM device. I have tried three of them so far and this one is my favorite to date. BTW, FREEWARE!
- Skype for WM: Minus the Video, this app works just like it does on your PC! I have used it a couple of times now and voice is decent. Using the included headset is good in fact, but without it, I seem to drop packets of voice back on my end. Persons on the other end claim that I sound "OK" without the headset, but I sound "better" with it . . . . . FREEWARE!!!!
- SMS-CHAT: Take the Palm messaging app and add lots of cool animation and buttons big enough to leave the stylus in the device! I am enjoying this messaging app!
- TCPMP: This app is legendary on both Palm and WM platforms! FREEWARE!!!!!
- vSnap: Utility to allow me to grabe some screen captures. Speaking of which, below is a gallery of screen captures that I took when the device was about 3 days old.
Look for more reviews to come as I explore this new OS. There are all kinds of hacks and modifications out there for HTC devices. I plan on highlighting a few of the ones I find handy. I will also break down the apps I purchase and what I like and don't like!
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