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Old 09-20-2007, 04:00 PM
Jon Westfall
Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
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Default Leader of The Empire: The HTC TyTN II Reviewed



Product Category: Microsoft� Windows Mobile� 6 Professional Device
Manufacturer: HTC
Where to Buy: Expansys / Mobileplanet [Affiliate]
Price: $789.95 USD
System Requirements: ActiveSync 4.5 (For desktop sync), GSM service provider & data plan.
Specifications: Hardware only: 112 mm x 59 mm x 19 mm, 176 g. 400 mhz processor, 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM, 2.8'' TFT-LCD, 3 Megapixel Camera, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, Video Conference Camera.

Pros:
  • Multiple Radios & Integrated GPS;
  • 3 MP Camera;
  • Snappy Processor.

    Cons:
  • No VGA;
  • Small keyboard buttons, no space between keys;
  • May be difficult to find power button at first!

    Summary:
    HTC code-named their latest device the Kaiser, a name meaning Emperor in German. But can it command the empire all from a nice little holster on your belt? Its stats say it can - let's dive in and find out!

    Read on for the full review!

    The Day Before
    It's not standard practice for me to begin writing a review before I actually receive the device, but in this case, I wanted to capture and share my thoughts on this device both before initially looking at it and after. So here's what's on my mind the night before my Kaiser is scheduled to be delivered!

    In a post I made back in July, I jokingly said that I was upset that HTC didn't include the kitchen sink in this device, as it appears to have everything else you'd ever want. Sure, it's not a VGA screen and it's a small slider form-factor (which some many not like), but as far as devices go, you can't argue that this is quite possibly the most feature-packed device to be released to date. I find myself intrigued because with every previous device I've used, and reviewed, I've always had one thing that was on the wish list that didn't make it to the final product. For example, the HP iPAQ 6915 included GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, Keyboard, and more, but somewhat annoyed me with the square screen. Square screens just don't seem practical for GPS applications. Furthermore was the problem of a non-standard connector (instead of mini-USB) and a rather pokey processor. Prior to reviewing the iPAQ, I had looked at the Sprint PPC 6700, which was a peppy little unit but lacked GPS - something I've wanted in a daily-driver unit (more on my uses for GPS later in this review!). And the i-Mate Jasjar was, let's face it, a friggin' brick! While it packed quite a whallop in terms of ability and form factor, it was way too big to be a daily driver (it is good for specific situations, however, I still have and use mine fairly frequently). Including units I haven't reviewed but owned, such as the K-JAM (loved it, but no GPS and pokey processor!), the Dash (no touchscreen!), and the Treo 750v (No WiFi - come on Palm, WiFi isn't a passing fad!), I've always traded off one feature I've really wanted for a bunch of others that were available.

    If I were to design a Pocket PC, I'd make sure it had a fast processor, was small enough to be pocketable, had the "Big 3" radios (GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth), used standard connectors for charging & sync, supported A2DP, was a 320x240 touchscreen, had a built-in keyboard, and looked somewhat stylish. After reading the specs for my "ideal" Pocket PC, you can understand why the Kaiser appealed to me. Heck, it even has some features I didn't request, such as a scroll-wheel and tilt-screen ability! So it appears that this device is everything I want. However, as always, I'm skeptical that I'll find the "perfect" device, especially as I peer into my drawer and count 6 Windows Mobile devices, all of which seemed perfect but inevitably had flaws!

    So as I sit here and wait for the package to arrive, I find myself wondering what my initial reaction will be. Through the magic of writing over several days, we'll now jump forward to where I actually have the device, although my waiting self still is upset that tomorrow is so far away!

    First Impressions
    I received the device on a Friday afternoon - after the staff at MobilePlanet / Expansys were exceptionally responsive to make sure that the promised delivery date was fulfilled. (I've had issues with Expansys before, and I'm happy to report that my experience with them this time around more than made up for some of the oddities and availability problems that I have had in the past).


    Figure 1: The black packaging, looking very svelte.

    First impression of the device and HTC's new branding was "Wow, someone at HTC bought an iPod!" The box that the device came in, as well as the packaging in the box, made it appear that I was opening up something special, not just any old device. In comparison to the packaging I'm used to, such as that of the T-Mobile Dash, which isn't at all interesting, or the Treo 750v's packaging that's more like unpacking a tightly packed ship than opening a device, the nice packaging made me feel good about my rather expensive purchase!


    Figure 2: Lift the magnetic flap and see the TyTN II, presented nicely amidst icons of productivity.

    In addition to the device, the retail packaging contains a nice belt case, headphones, wall charger, USB cable, getting started and software CDs, printed manual, screen protector, and a variety of cards & inserts. I was pleased to see that the shipped battery had a pretty good charge on it, so I fired up the device and used it the rest of the day.

    A few things struck me right off the bat. For starters, the scroll wheel and power button locations confused me. Was this device meant to be used by a right hander or left hander? In the end, I think it's supposed to be good for mixed-handed sorts! I could use both the wheel and the power button in either hand, but I had a large degree of difficulty finding the power button when pulling the device out of its case or my pocket. I kept thinking the button should be lower, or more toward the back of the device than it was. The scroll wheel, while very nice to use, seemed to require a bit too much force to push in, but that may be just my fingers on it. In any event, I was amazed at the plethora of ways you can navigate the device. HTC built in some TouchFLO software in the TyTN II, so you can use a finger to drag the screen up/down and use HTC's home plugin. The device also has the usual D-pad, a scroll wheel, and keys on the keyboard to navigate around. No problems finding a way to navigate! I've used a bunch of Pocket PCs and other devices, and must say this one has some ergonomic pluses despite its small size.


    Figure 3: TyTN II & Friends. (i-Mate JASJAR, Treo 750v, i-Mate K-JAM, TyTN II, iPAQ 6915, T-Mobile Dash, 5G iPod Video (60 GB)).

    HTC, in addition to making navigation easy with hardware, also included a nice homescreen plugin that provides a unified plugin to show a variety of information, with different tabs as well. However, for some reason I didn't find this all that valuable. It took up way too much space, and didn't do anything I really wanted on my Today screen.


    Figure 4: The HTC plugin and Today layout.

    I switched it off and installed a favorite app of mine, PhoneAlarm [Affiliate], and found a skin for it that looks amazingly like HTC's plugin (no coincidence I'm sure!). PhoneAlarm, unlike the HTC plugin, has functionality I want and as such, I've replaced my HTC plugin with PhoneAlarm's clone. If HTC's plugin had built-in flexible profiles like those of PhoneAlarm's, I probably would have given it more than the day or so I gave it.


    Figure 5: PhoneAlarm Clone! Much more functional.

    Finally, an initial impression I had within my first 24 hours with the device was the amount of work that has gone into the TyTN series as a whole that wasn't present in my last slider, the i-Mate K-JAM (HTC's Wizard). It had no scroll wheel, no spring loaded slider, a slow processor, and a color scheme and overall fashion value of a crumpled up paper bag! If you never used a TyTN / 8525 / Hermes / Jasjam / whateveryoucallit, and are thinking of replacing a Wizard, you'll be nicely surprised with the TyTN II.

    Benchmarks & Stability
    In a rare move for me, I actually ran the benchmarks on the device within 24 hours of receiving it. I did this partly because I knew I'd procrastinate, and partly because I was really eager to see how this thing would stack up. For the comparison, I chose the Cingular 8125 & 8525 (the first two generations of this type of device, known by their code-names as the Wizard and the Hermes, respectively; AT&T's model number for the TyTN II will be the 8925), the PPC 6700 from Sprint (wwas also a slider style, known as the HTC Apache) and the i-Mate JasJAR (to get a comparison of a first-generation WM 5 device and a first-generation WM 6 device). Let's start with the CPU index.


    Figure 6: The CPU Index.

    As you can see, the JasJAR still beats the sliders in the CPU raw-power category. This is probably to be expected as its processor is more optimized for speed than other concerns (battery life). What many slider-style users will find interesting here is that the faster processor in the TyTN II far out performs first-generation sliders (e.g. the Wizard) and does fairly well against the second-generation (8525). I would have liked to see it pull away more so from the 8525, however an improvement is still an improvement.


    Figure 7: The Filesystem Index.

    Well, all that processing power is nice, but if you can't pull the files off the ROM fast enough, you're still getting pokey device performance. The file system index shows that the TyTN II out performs the older competition nicely, with nearly 30 point gains over the nearest competitors. The Wizard, not suprisingly, is far behind. As I know many Wizard owners elected to skip the Hermes series (8525) and wait for the third-generatio. I can assure them that they will not be unhappy with the changes HTC has made.


    Figure 8: The Graphics Index.

    Graphics can really make or break a user experience. When I reviewed the iPAQ 6915 last year, the graphics index alone (6457.6) made the device seem to fly past performance of my other units (in actuality, it was an illusion, the device, under complex calculations, was still quite slow). The TyTN II may not match the iPAQ, but it does trump the competition here. It's interesting to note that the Wizard had slightly faster graphics than the Hermes, with the Kaiser now jumping back up in graphics performance.


    Figure 9: The Benchmark index.

    Finally, in what really isn't a surprise given the graphs above, Spb Benchmark gives the TyTN II the victory. As far as performance goes, you can't argue that HTC has really decided to beef up the TyTN II!

    But good performance doesn't do much if the device is unstable. This was the plight of many a previous device - my iPAQ 6315 was so flakey, I had to schedule a soft-reset each morning to keep it operational - granted that device had a whole list of problems beyond the scope of this review. To this day, CSRs at T-Mobile choke when they see that I had my 6315 exchanged 6 times in 10 months.... I've read early reviews of the TyTN II that seem to indicate that the individuals reviewing the unit have suffered no stability issues, which is something I wish I could say. Now to be fair, the 2 - 3 times that the TyTN has locked up on me in the past 24 hours have probably been during operations that I wouldn't expect it to remain peppy through. In one circumstance, I was taking a photo while on a telephone call using a Bluetooth headset. The device was fine through that - it was when I hung up the phone call and wanted to send the photo that the device hung. The device also required a jab to the reset hole (which is probably the worst reset hole I've ever seen on a device - it offers no tactile feedback when you press the reset button - I felt like I was just jamming my stylus into a tight opening and not hitting anything every time I've reset it) when I had Pharos Ostia running in the background using the integrated GPS, had the camera application running in the background, and tried to rapidly open and close several applets at once. Probably, again, not usual use! Overall, when I'm not trying to do 5,000 things simultaneously with this thing, it's been responsive and peppy. A few times I've hit the "start" key and have not had the menu open, however tapping on the start button seems to do the trick. I've since seen others report this occurring after the device has made a phone call AND has a password enabled. I figure this is probably a bug that will be corrected in the first ROM revision, otherwise it may become quite annoying.

    My final verdict, benchmark & stability-wise? Well, it's certainly faster than any of my other devices, and its stability is on par with the Treo 750v & T-Mobile Dash I've used for the past few months, if not more stable. I don't see any deal breakers with stability, and I see a for-sure deal maker with the benchmark performance!

    Wireless Capabilities
    The TyTN II packs Bluetooth (2.0) and WiFi (802.11 b/g), which are expected (unless you're Palm) in any modern device. The Bluetooth side supports a variety of profiles, including Advanced Audio Distribution Protocol (A2DP), Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN), and a number of functions such as remote SIM access, printing over Bluetooth, and (of course) the hands-free profile.


    Figure 10: The snazzy new Communications Manager program, complete with razor sharp look!

    The WiFi radio powered on as expected and quickly found my 802.11g access point. I did find that, while it associated very quickly, it took the unit a few seconds longer than I expected to switch over to using WiFi for data rather than my EDGE data connection. However I'm not complaining, the radio performed well and associated quickly from the opposite end of my house (a feat a few cards have found taxing in the past). WiFi on the TyTN II also supports the LEAP protocol (a good thing as less and less devices are supporting it due to security reasons - little help to those of us whose organizations have sunk big bucks into a LEAP architecture!).


    Figure 11: The HTC WiFi control program (a nice upgrade to the standard Windows Mobile applet that is still present but thankfully not required use!).

    GPS
    I tested out the GPS on this device with my own copy of Pharos Ostia as well as a copy of Delorme that I picked up at the local Target. Both worked flawlessly with the included GPS. If you've never had a device with GPS built in, you'll find that you don't really know it's even there as Windows Mobile will activate it or deactivate it automatically depending on whether a piece of software requests it. Both Ostia and Delorme simply probed the COM ports on my device, and found the GPS. HTC was nice enough to include a taster version of Tomtom Navigator 6, which will allow you to download one map and use it with the full version of the software. A good option for those of you who don't have a preferred GPS package. For what it's worth, the $40 Delorme package I picked up on a whim is actually pretty nice for my purposes - perhaps I'll write a full review of it at a later time.

    The TyTN II provides QuickGPS software and service that allows you to download a "hints" file to give the GPS some pointers on where to look in the sky to lock on quickly. The software file expires eventually, however, the application downloads new versions automatically, a nice touch and similar to the ability that the HP iPAQ 6915 provides to get quicker locks.

    Finally, one advantage that isn't immediately apparent about having built-in GPS, besides the fact that you don't have to carry around an external GPS receiver and may be more tempted to bust out GPS to find your way around rather than aimlessly drive a bit in a foreign city, is the possibilities it provides. With some rather nice software, such as Franson's GPSGate, you can use your TyTN II as a Bluetooth GPS receiver, or share the GPS signal with a laptop via Bluetooth while still using the GPS on the device. If you're on the fence between a lower-priced Pocket PC Phone plus a Bluetooth GPS receiver for navigation, I'd argue that having both in one device will be more beneficial by far. After all, if you ever upgrade the phone you can still use the device as a GPS receiver without the phone functionality!

    The Camera
    One of the most interesting things about the TyTN II is the inclusion of a 3 megapixel camera, a nice jump over the 2 megapixel cameras that HTC had previously used (the Sprint Mogul & T-Mobile Wing both include a 2 MP camera). It appears that HTC was really eager to get users to understand that the camera in the TyTN II was not just for show as it had been in previous versions. First they built in an autofocus component and designed the shutter key to have two levels of press (press half-way for focus, press all the way for shutter). This is similar to most digital camera designs, and it's evident that HTC felt that a 3 MP camera warranted a bit more than a standard button. The camera software is also revamped from earlier Pocket PC camera software (it's actually very similar to the camera software on the T-Mobile Dash), including numerous useful (white balance), novelty (Sepia & negative view options), and oddly un-editable (filename prefix) features. While the camera on the back may be 3 MP, the front-facing camera for video conferencing is only 640x480 resolution (of course, this was the resolution just 4 years back on the XDA II devices). The camera software, however, does let you specify the front camera for picture taking, so for an impromptu self-photo at low resolution, it's not bad. It would probably be great for contact pictures!

    So how do the pictures look? Well, below are a series of example shots I grabbed. Click on any picture to see the full, unedited 3 MP version.


    Figure 12: People waiting for a free lunch! Bright conditions.


    Figure 13: A wonderful example of University of Toledo architecture. Sun to the back of the image.


    Figure 14: My grim reaper that hangs outside my office. Under overhead fluorescent lighting. Note that the wall should be white, and I could have adjusted the white balance on the phone, however I wanted to give unaltered photos as if you had shot them quickly.


    Figure 15: A cat, unhappy that its owner is soon to wake and leave the bed. Natural light from the left.

    Conclusions
    After using the TyTN II for a few days, I've decided that this one is a keeper. Despite some bugs that need to be worked out in the ROM and a bit of slowness while more than one application is running (e.g. GPS + Windows Media Player), the device performs like a champ. You simply cannot beat having all of the features we've seen in the Windows Mobile world, with the exception of a VGA screen (which, in my opinion, would have added too much weight and bulk to the product), in one product. The most astonishing thing to me is that I cannot really find something substantial here that would cause me to ditch this phone for an upgrade, and for the first time I see myself possibly using the same phone for a prolonged period of time (translation = the TyTN II will be in heavy rotation along with its new friends, my Treo 750v and my Dash). If you purchase a TyTN II, I am 99% sure you won't be upset with your purchase, despite its fairly high price tag!

    Note: Just to avoid confusion, the device I reviewed was one that I purchased from Expansys, not a review unit, hence my references to keeping it! 2 Weeks later and I don't regret the purchase at all!

    Jon Westfall is a psychologist computer guru who lives and works in northern Ohio with his wife & cat. In his spare time he attempts to find a dissertation idea and update his website, JonWestfall.Com.
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      #2  
    Old 09-20-2007, 05:38 PM
    dave
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    battery life? specifically how does it compare to the 8525 (or comparable) battery performance...
     
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    Old 09-20-2007, 06:02 PM
    Jon Westfall
    Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
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    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dave
    battery life? specifically how does it compare to the 8525 (or comparable) battery performance...
    I've never used an 8525, however I'd say the battery is comparable (or perhaps a bit better) than that on my Wizard. If I pull it off at 7:30 in the morning, by around 11:30 PM I'm left with about 30% battery, and that's with push email enabled, light browsing, email triage, and listening to music for around 30 minutes through A2DP.

    I always charge nightly (Which I recommend, because, hey - what else will you do with the device while you sleep?), and have never run out of power with the TyTN II
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    Old 09-20-2007, 06:29 PM
    Hosidax
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    Thanks for the review. I want this puppy.

    But what about 3g in the US? You mentioned EDGE, but...

    Is 3g still stalled in the courts here? Are we doomed...?

    aaakkk!
     
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      #5  
    Old 09-20-2007, 06:40 PM
    DaleReeck
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    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hosidax
    Thanks for the review. I want this puppy.

    But what about 3g in the US? You mentioned EDGE, but...

    Is 3g still stalled in the courts here? Are we doomed...?

    aaakkk!
    Last I heard, the Qualcomm chip ban to the US was temporarily lifted.
     
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      #6  
    Old 09-20-2007, 06:57 PM
    Jon Westfall
    Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
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    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hosidax
    Thanks for the review. I want this puppy.

    But what about 3g in the US? You mentioned EDGE, but...

    Is 3g still stalled in the courts here? Are we doomed...?

    aaakkk!
    There are some very interesting rumors regarding 3G UMTS and T-Mobile floating around the net the last few days. An FCC filing for the Kaiser lists it as using the 1700 band for UMTS for japan. However the manual on file speaks about T-Mobile's My favs system which is only on T-Mobile USA. So potentially if T-Mo USA launches a 1700 mhz UMTS network (Which we've only seen on paper so far), the Kaiser may be their 3G Pocket PC Offering. Mostly rumors, but makes for interesting discussion!
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    Old 09-20-2007, 07:02 PM
    Jason Dunn
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    Great review Jon! Looks like a nice device...
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      #8  
    Old 09-20-2007, 07:20 PM
    Mountain343
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    Hmmmm so close.. yet.. so far. No 3G and no CF slot still mean I'm stuck using two devices instead of an all in one solution. Oh how nice it'd be to have a device with a screen the size of my hp2215 and SD and CF slots, Bluetooth with stereo profiles (that actually works), 3G broadband, GPS, WiFi, a fast processor that doesn't bog down running Opera and PocketLoupe at the same time (my 2215 doesnt, but the mogul does), and a strong IR transmitter.

    I don't care if I have to carry a brick, thats why I have a BT headset!

    In 2004 I bought a 2215 for 300 bucks and with the freebee nextel phone I got a great PDA with dual slots, GPS, Wifi with a 20 dollar CF card, and a screen size that I felt was a tad small but liveable.

    In 2009 to upgrade it looks like I'll have to buy another standalone PDA for about 4 to 500, plus a 3G phone for about 50 to 100, plus a BT GPS for another 50 to 100.

    Somethings wrong with that picture if you ask me.
     
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    Old 09-20-2007, 07:24 PM
    Jon Westfall
    Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
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    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mountain343
    Hmmmm so close.. yet.. so far. No 3G and no CF
    Well, it has 3G capabilities, just not in the US! As far as the CF slot goes - I doubt you'll see another new device with a CF slot. Ever.
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    Old 09-20-2007, 07:27 PM
    DaleReeck
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    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mountain343
    Hmmmm so close.. yet.. so far. No 3G and no CF slot
    I doubt you will see a PDA with a CF slot again. But AT&T is releasing their version of the above device on Sep 25th-ish from what I heard. I doubt they would release a device like this without 3G support (unless it is an iPhone )
     
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