Things I didn't like about WM6: 1. You must upgrade at least to Outlook 2002 to be able to sync with your PC 2. Fewer button mapping is available, only 5 verses 12 for WM5 with the Samsung i-730. This makes it less one-handed friendly 3. They didn't bother fixing the forced reset when you swap the battery, over WM5. What is the advantage here?

Hardware drawbacks: 1. Power plug gets in the way if you use the keyboard 2. Hands-free is a non-standard connector 3. No included hands free, holster, extra battery

Application drawbacks: 1. Camera takes about 5 seconds to take a photo, after you press the button 2. GPS didn't work when I needed it; isn't ready out of the box 3. Can no longer "recognize" handwriting in Notes (convert to text)

I am appreciating my old i-730 much more now. And I don't see anything that is really worth buying right now...all have their shortcomings...

3.5 mm doesn't sound like much until you math it -- it's around 20% less. The extra weight didn't bother me at all, actually. I expect 3G phones laden up with features like 3G, 3MP camera, GPS, wifi, etc to be thicker, but there is a limit to what I'll gladly put in my pocket. Driving while trying to get the tilt out as it rings = bad.

Most of that is for the sliding mechanism, not the tilt. The new Touch Cruise for example has no sliding keyboard, but is a similar dimension, but only 3.5 mm thinner. The penalty for the sliding keyboard and Tilt is therefore only 3.5 mm and 60 grams weight.

The Tilt is actually 3 mm thinner than the Tytn, its predecessor, which has a sliding keyboard but no Tilt mechanism. The Cruise, Tilt and Tytn have the same size 1350 battery BTW. And the Cruise has the exact same processor speed, and other features like WIFI and GPS.

I think the main sacrifice associated with the tilt feature is weight, as I assume there is plenty of metal in there to keep the structure sturdy. I dont think the dimensions suffered appreciably.

Surur

I think that the Tilt makes a lot of sacrifices to engineer that tilting functionality -- slow processor, mediocre battery life, and thick form factor. It's almost too big. Still usable, of course, but it looks awkward in a pocket. When you double the surface area and hinges, you add bulk, you have to engineer a safe connecting mechanism, the little ribbon thingy, etc. They still pack a lot of stuff in -- wifi, gps, etc, but they still made some big sacrifices.

At any rate, that's why I think candybar / brick is the way. I'll probably see if I can finagle an LG KS20 out of Septimus for a fairer iPhone / WM comparison in the future.

When plugged in to my laptop to tether, the HTC Home screen makes a good desktop clock, and you can see your push e-mail arrive as it arrives.

Secondly, when you sync photos (same way you sync music) you can use it as a nice digital photo frame.

Also, text entry is slightly easier with the screen tilted (but not too far, as it encroaches on the keyboard them).

Finally, it works well as a built-in stand when watching video for example.

Anyway, I find the Tilt feature desirable and useful.

Surur

I think sliders are kind of a gimmicky form factor. I tended to use it vertically without sliding, just did the sideways for the emails. I'm convinced that brick / candybar is the way.

With the tilt and slide stuff, I can't help but think that maybe the device would have better battery life or thinner profile if they didn't have to do the extra engineering. ditto with styluses. ditto with the duplication of keys all over on the tilt.

I viewed this review more as a review of windows mobile than I did of the tilt specifically, though. I think that's really the point of the smartphone round robin -- to check out the other platforms and report on that; we're just doing it through the lens of what's hopefully that platform's latest and greatest. With the possible exception of the Treo 680. :rolleyes:

So any gripes I have about the Tilt's form factor should be taken with a grain of salt -- there are other windows mobile phones out there with better form factors. It's not WM's fault that I think that sliders are a gimmick doomed to the rubbish bin of time.

How does that fit in, lol?

Long live unlocked devices.

You truly "get it".

This coming from a 7 year veteran of Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) devices.

Did you happen to have any issues with switching back and forth between Wifi and 3G? Its a frickin nightmare for me. I have to turn on wifi, then go into my mail account options and set it back to "the internet" from "medianet" before it will download email over wifi. If I try to use wifi to browse the web and then leave the house (and disconnect wifi) then I have to close PIE and reopen it before it will start to use the 3G network. Its ridiculous. My iPhone I switch between wifi and edge without any notice or issues...

Am I missing something?

This is such nonsense, I am starting to doubt the sanity of the people who spew it.

So its more complex to open my e-mail app with a clearly labeled e-mail button? Or by browser with the same? Or my phone app?

And arnt most phone users trained in the use of soft keys and menus associated with them for ages? Isn't that how every Razr works?

If you use nothing but the browser, e-mail and phone you would never need to open up the start menu at all.

Maybe some-one need to explain to me whats so complicated, because I dont get it.

Surur

And the Tilt itself seems to add even more complexity, with its plethora of buttons and switches.

I guess that's why I'm still a Palm Treo user: In spite of its age, lack of pre-emptive multi-tasking, and less than glamorous interface, the Palm OS just plain works. It's simple, straightforward, and gets the most performance from the fewest inputs of any device to date.

The iPhone has potential, but even now there are oddities in the interface which makes some activities harder than they need to bem, especially when switching between apps. I wonder how well the interface will hold up with 50 or more 3rd party apps loaded, each with it's own interpretation of the "standard."

I know iPhone users are superficial, so maybe the first thing to change is the theme? I was shocked to see kevinBerry was still using the very plain default one.

There are some nice ones here, and a cab to make it all glossy black http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1403151&postcount=828

You would also want to install HTC Album, which is their own image viewer. http://rapidshare.com/files/65505054/HTC__Albummui0409.cab

BTW, if you hold down the phone end key it locks the phone.

Surur

Surur

Touched on a lot of things I didn't talk about...like YES..the multitasking capability is awesome. One of those things that makes it more like a mini-computer when using it vs. a smartphone.

And just realized something...I'm pretty sure I kept WiFi on the entire time I had the phone in my possession. Wouldn't everyone?! I'm guessing that will be the reason the battery needed a mid-afternoon recharge. I haven't had the pleasure of using a WiFi BlackBerry yet (8820 or 8320)...not sure how badly the battery gets sapped when WiFi is turned on those.

Looking forward to your next article!

Excellent article, IMO, well worth the read. There are indeed plenty of decent soft-keyboards out there. I'll let others chime in with their favorites to see if anybody can pick the right one.