JeffKirvin.net

Just got back from the AT&T store, where I finally got some hands-on quality time with the new Tilt, AT&T’s American version of the HTC Kaiser/TYTN II/(insert extraneous nickname here). This isn’t meant to be a full review, but just a sense of the device. It wasn’t powered on (fresh out of the box, no battery), this is just hardware impressions.

• I was very impressed by the size. It’s nearly identical to my Mogul (review forthcoming) in all dimensions, though I understand it’s slightly heavier once you put in the battery.
• The back is the same rubberized non-slip paint as used on the Touch and Dash, and the sides are ribbed for her pleas for a better grip.
• The screen slides out smoothly, but it’s back to a friction-based system like the Apache or Wizard rather than the spring-loaded sliders of the Mogul and TYTN. Once slid out all the way (and not before) the hinge can be brought up. This is also a manual, friction-based process, and I wonder how long it will be before we see reports of Tilts with flacid hinges. And I’ll stop there, just before the “electronic Viagra” jokes.
• It has fewer buttons overall than the Mogul, which I’m of two minds about. It makes the device less cluttered and you’re less likely to accidently press side buttons you don’t mean to, but it’s also less utility and more reliance on the screen.
• I like the color coding of the phone pad on the keyboard; I hate the placement of the keyboard softkeys.
• No IR port I can see. Shame.
• Bottom of the main body is just the HTC extUSB port and the lanyard anchor. I have a lanyard on my Mogul, and I’m glad to see more HTC devices picking up on this feature. I missed that about my Zodiac and Clie.
• Scroll wheel seems identical to that on the Mogul.
• Styling overall is nicely understated. Matte black on the back and sides, brushed gunmetal around the screen, chromed gunmetal d-pad and button cluster. Although the sheer mass of chrome on the buttons is a bit garish. Still looks better than Verizon’s/Bell’s version of the Titan/Mogul. What were they thinking?
• No goofy hard switch for WiFi. Bravo.
• Overall, a throroughly nice successor to the 8525 and definitely the device I’d get were I to switch to AT&T, which I’m still mulling. I minor step up from my Mogul, but not a compelling one in and of itself (if I switch from Sprint to AT&T, it will be more about SIM-based device flexibility and HSDPA speed over EVDO than any particular handset).