AT&T Tilt Quick Look Video Unboxing and Basic Setup

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HZ6UzVr6LQ' target='_blank'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HZ6UzVr6LQ</a><br /><br /></div>Late yesterday afternoon I was sent an AT&amp;T Tilt, and I put together an unboxing and basic setup video. Here it is...(warning: the audio level is quite high because I was close to the video camera microphone, so you may want to turn down your volume level a bit ;-)).<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2HZ6UzVr6LQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2HZ6UzVr6LQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Hopefully tomorrow I'll do a video of the features - any requests for what you'd like me to cover?

[B]

Very cool - I'm in desperate need of a new phone and have been waiting for something like this for a couple months now. My only questions...

Where is the Glofiish X800? Will it be making a US debut anytime soon?

If not I will probably be getting this, but I soooo wanted VGA.

[Hosidax]

Thanks Jason,

I have the 8525 and love it but I'm considering upgrading (for the gps...)

One question though; what happend to the headphones? The Hermes came with them and I hacked 'em up to get audio out through the micro usb jack into my car. Does the Tilt have the same funky audio out (in the usb port)?

[virain]

No front camera? I guess ATT has to figure out how to charge us for video calls first :devilboy:

[rzanology]

i got a request for ya jason....can you look over the im app it comes with? i suspect its that madness that works via sms. Not that it bothers me, as i have unlimited text any way. but im curious as to how well it works in terms of speed and delivery of the im message itself.

[PdaAddict]

And the reason anyone with ATT 8525 would upgrade and extend their contract or get stuck with a 2 year contract is..... ????? More Ram or tilt??
8525 is a great phone. I am using HTC Mogul now (just because of chip data on sprint) and I am not that thrilled with the battery and overall performance of the coveted Qualcomm dual core chipset.

[Jon Westfall]

I'm gonna put in the SIM, careful not to let you see who it is because I don't wanna give my carrier, who charges me way too much for data, any free advertising - [I] don't really like them very much.

With that kind of endorsement, I doubt they'd consider it advertising :mrgreen:

Nice video. Pretty sad that AT&amp;T went cheapo with the packaging - the TyTN II packaging made me feel special (Of course I'm sure some of our US readers will argue that saving $300+ from the price of a TyTN II to the Tilt will make them feel special as well!)

[CrashX]

any requests for what you'd like me to cover?
Yes, the GPS please! Specifically, does the GPS require the use of TeleNav, or can I load any GPS capable software without having to pay AT&amp;T the monthly subscription fee?

As a side note, I'm really torn about which carrier I'll use. I'm on T-Mobile right now and have a very inexpensive unlimited data plan without a contract. So, I can buy an unlocked Tytn II at a hefty premium with all of the features that HTC saw fit to include and maintain my carrier (EDGE speeds), or I can purchase a much cheaper subsidized device from AT&amp;T, with some features removed/disabled, at a higher monthly cost with much faster data speeds.

Decisions, decisions...

[pmgibson]

- any requests for what you'd like me to cover?

I'd be interested in knowing the differences between the AT&amp;T version and the HTC version.

What has AT&amp;T disabled/removed? What has AT&amp;T added?

I'm currently in a 2 year contract until 2/2008 - so whichever one I get I'll pay a steep price for - so the decision for me comes down to features.

[Underwater Mike]

Ditto on the two posters above: GPS functionality and crippling. I will NEVER pay a carrier to use GPS built into a device.

Also, any notes on what kind of extra crap they put in there that took so long to customize, and can it be removed?

[mbranscum]

any requests for what you'd like me to cover?
Yes, the GPS please! Specifically, does the GPS require the use of TeleNav, or can I load any GPS capable software without having to pay AT&amp;T the monthly subscription fee?

As a side note, I'm really torn about which carrier I'll use. I'm on T-Mobile right now and have a very inexpensive unlimited data plan without a contract. So, I can buy an unlocked Tytn II at a hefty premium with all of the features that HTC saw fit to include and maintain my carrier (EDGE speeds), or I can purchase a much cheaper subsidized device from AT&amp;T, with some features removed/disabled, at a higher monthly cost with much faster data speeds.

Decisions, decisions...

According to this Phonescopp video, it works with any other maps including google maps!!! :)

http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=154

[Rob Alexander]

I'm gonna put in the SIM, careful not to let you see who it is because I don't wanna give my carrier, who charges me way too much for data, any free advertising - [I] don't really like them very much.

With that kind of endorsement, I doubt they'd consider it advertising :mrgreen:

My favorite part, Jason, is how after carefully covering the SIM so we can't see your carrier, you later say &lt;paraphrasing> "here's the T-Mobile Dash that I took that SIM card from..." Hmmm, I wonder who's name was on that SIM card? :lol:

Seriously, though, it was great that you could compare it to those other phones for us. It's always really hard to get a feel for how big something really is without seeing it next to the others. Thanks!

[Jon Westfall]

My favorite part, Jason, is how after carefully covering the SIM so we can't see your carrier, you later say &lt;paraphrasing> "here's the T-Mobile Dash that I took that SIM card from..." Hmmm, I wonder who's name was on that SIM card? :lol:

Ah, but if memory serves me right, that T-Mobile Dash has had a long and storied past in the last year. From Janak to Jason to Pocket PC Techs for a replacement screen, and back. Tough year for the little guy.

Besides, that SIM looked nothing like my ancient (2002) SIM card from T-Mo!

[CrashX]

My favorite part, Jason, is how after carefully covering the SIM so we can't see your carrier, you later say &lt;paraphrasing> "here's the T-Mobile Dash that I took that SIM card from..." Hmmm, I wonder who's name was on that SIM card? :lol:

Ah, but if memory serves me right, that T-Mobile Dash has had a long and storied past in the last year. From Janak to Jason to Pocket PC Techs for a replacement screen, and back. Tough year for the little guy.
Good point Jon. Also, Jason said this earlier in the video:

...because I don't wanna give my carrier, who charges me way too much for data, any free advertising...
I don't think T-Mobile's data plans fall into the "way too much" category. I had always thought they were one of the least expensive for data.

[sgt-spam]

RE: charging for video calls

I logged into my OLAM today (ATT) and magically saw several video calling plans. From what I could see, it gives you the ability to stream video to the person you call, but not necessarily video conference. They state 'supported phones' - who knows what that means.

I'm 100% satisfied with the TyTN II, but am curious as to what software ATT has removed from the device and what they've added.


Anyways - nice job on the video.

[andydempsey]

Def. the GPS, I tried tomtom from my old pda, but it could not find the gps receiver on com4. A little annoying.

[Rob Alexander]

Ah, but if memory serves me right, that T-Mobile Dash has had a long and storied past in the last year. From Janak to Jason to Pocket PC Techs for a replacement screen, and back. Tough year for the little guy.

Besides, that SIM looked nothing like my ancient (2002) SIM card from T-Mo!

Ah clever man! So he just said that to throw us all off. :lol:

[Jason Lee]

Any of you ever watch Mr. "Rogers" when you were young. *cough* *cough*

silly canadian providers...

[spaceman]

GPS works with any GPS program, like Tom Tom

Visit Howard Forum to see very active threads that answer your questions.

http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=337&amp;page=2&amp;sort=lastpost&amp;order=&amp;pp=40&amp;daysprune=30

[mcha]

Hi Jason - I really like the look of the TYTN II, but am concerned by the lack of VGA. Could you [or anybody else that's got one] do a test for me please? Display an ordinary text file [say 80x25 lines] &amp; see how much gets displayed in landscape, horizontally &amp; vertically [I use such files for work, &amp; it's essential that they are readable, without sideways scrolling].

When I display such a file on my VGA Loox720 I can see roughly 77 [chars] x22 [lines] in a readable fashion [Courier New 13]. You can take this much smaller, &amp; it's still readable.

The same test [using, Resco File Explorer > View, by the way], on a non-VGA device [Xda2i] only shows 62 [chars] by 12-ish lines [Courier New 10]. Going smaller, the display soon becomes unreadable. Using the Arial Narrow font, at 9, extends this to c.77 chars x 12 lines, &amp; is just about doable. I'd appreciate knowing how the TYTN II screen performs at this.

This is potentially a stopper for me. Any advice gratefully appreciated. Thanks.

[ppoppc]

Is it possible to just buy an AT&amp;T tilt without a
AT&amp;T voice and data plan? If so, what are some ways?

I went to buy an AT&amp;T Tilt device today after being told
over the phone I could purchase just the device for
$549.99 or with a 2-yr Contract Price for $399.99.
I don't care if it is locked or not for calls...
After looking it over and getting my credit card out
to pay, the salesman then said, I need to be an existing
customer already -or- purchase a voice plan -AND-
a data plan in order to get this phone from them or any other
AT&amp;T corporate store.

I really want the device (don't want to pay and wait
or get on-line for $700+ for a Kaiser or similar
and do not want a voice plan -AND- data plan for $80+/month.

Can I take a friend in that already has AT&amp;T and get one?
Can I purchase it with a 2yr plan for $400 then early terminate
for $175, thus getting the phone for $575 or must I return the
phone as well (contract is not specific on this)?

Please help. There is one left in the whole state
I am told and my life is a mess without a ppc ;)
Eventually I would like to add some reasonable voice
plan or data plan by itself and
use skype or similar.

[Jason Lee]

There should be a few options. I do believe that they need a phone account to tie the sale to. They didn't always. I know a friend from Hungary who bought 2 phones without service and took them back home with him.. But this was back when they were cingular and the phones were not locked. At&amp;t may have changed policy.

So if the store won't sell you one with out being a customer you should be able to take your friend in and pay the full price for the device (no contract price) and just give them his number. You can even pay for the phone right there and not have it charged to his bill.

Or you should be able to buy it as a "go" phone, or what ever they call it now. Where you do not sign a contract yet actually get a phone number that uses pay as you go minutes. Then when you run out of minutes you don't have to buy anymore. This should be about the same price. Or you might be able to buy it as a go phone and not even buy any minutes.

I know they can sell them without a data plan. My mother and another friend have pocket pc phones and no data plan. The people at the store will give you a hard time and will not be able to understand why you would not want a data plan but just tell them you don't want one. :)

but if you are considering a voice and data plan is would be much cheeper in the long run to just get it now and get the discount.

[Underwater Mike]

Def. the GPS, I tried tomtom from my old pda, but it could not find the gps receiver on com4. A little annoying.

So you tried TomTom on the TyTN II and it did not work? :?:

[sliver]

In your video the machine booted and allowed you to hit cancel without having a SIM card in the unit. This seems unusual for a Windows Mobile Smartphone that has "Network Lock" on it.

Is this phone unlocked to use on any network? If so, please let us know so that I can get a friend who currently has AT&amp;T to go down to the store to buy one of these at full price (without a contract). Then I will reimburse him and use the phone with my alternative network SIM card.

Please kindly confirm if the above is feasible.

Regards,
Sliver

[Jon Westfall]

In your video the machine booted and allowed you to hit cancel without having a SIM card in the unit. This seems unusual for a Windows Mobile Smartphone that has "Network Lock" on it.

It's actually quite common for a Windows Mobile 6 Professional unit (The "Windows Mobile Standard" units, what we used to call smartphones, were the ones that didn't let you go further without having a SIM - of course with WM 6, I haven't seen this behavior even on the smartphones.). The AT&amp;T Tilt is SIM locked as far as I know. The unit Jason received may have been unlocked since it was a press review unit.

That being said, I'm sure there are services out there working on ways to unlock the Tilt as we speak (perhaps they're ready now, I don't know).