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| AT&T Tilt Smartphone (AT&T) | 
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| Brand: HTC
Category: Wireless
List Price: $599.99
Buy New: $184.99
You Save: $415.00 (69%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  85 reviews
Sales Rank: 59
Color: Silver
Media: Wireless Phone
Battery Type: Lithium Ion
Display Size: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Model: 8925
UPC: 821793000585
ASIN: B000UWDU5K
Release Date: October 5, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Promotion: Data not available Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 81-85 of 85 | | « PREV 1 ... | | |
 This phone has everything! Forget the iPhone October 31, 2007
95 out of 111 found this review helpful
I was between the iPhone and the tilt. I'm so glad I went with the Tilt.
iPhone Pros:
Web Browser - The safari browser on the iPhone is nice. You can get Opera for the Tilt and get browsing very similar to the iPhone, but it's not quite as nice, although it will download faster than the iPhone if you're in a 3G area. Not a big deal for me since I don't surf much on my phone, but I use my phone as a modem for my laptop - see laptop tethering below.
Real headphone jack - There's an adaptor for the tilt, but it's not included. I don't use my phone as my music player anyway. i have an ipod. 8GB isn't enough for me.
Tilt Pros:
Built in GPS, great for Google maps and Microsoft Live search. Actually shows you where you are and you can search for things near you. I travel a lot and the GPS takes a minute or two to find you when you move large distances. Once it's aquired you once in a town, it's usually like 5-10 seconds. I'm not a big fan of telenav and wouldn't want to use my phone as my primary GPS for driving around. There's a program you can buy that will secretly text you the GPS coordinates of your phone if someone steals it.
3rd Party apps - tons and tons, including apps that make your tilt look and act like an iPhone. Many apps are free.
3MP camera - is actually quite good for a camera phone. I've emailed pics to people and they were amazed it came from my phone.
3G - awesome. This phone is fast on the 3G network. Downloading files/attachments is a snap.
Laptop tethering - the unlimited data plan is a must if you travel. Many people don't know you can use your phone as a modem for your laptop. Can't with iPhone. I don't pay $10-15 a day anymore for internet at hotels. If I'm in a 3G area, I average about 700-900kbps speed, very fast. Just USB to your laptop and turn on Internet Sharing. Airports, hotels, in back of cab, city park. And your phone charges from the laptop the entire time.
Real Keyboard - I tried the iphone keyboard. I have big hands and big fingers. Didn't work that well for me, even with the 'smart type' or whatever the iphone has that autocorrects. You can't really autocorrect web addresses or usernames/passwords. Having a real keyboard is nice.
Replace the battery - can't do that on iPhone. Well, I guess you can send it to apple.
Upgrade Storage - go greater than 8GB. Takes MicroSD cards. I believe up to 32GB support.
Not just the iPhone, but the Blackberry killer... October 31, 2007
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
Everyone is talking about how this is an iPhone killer... and I couldn't agree more - for the business person.
However, what no one is mentioning is that this is also the Blackberry killer.
Yes, it is bigger than a Pearl, but you can't get a 3G BB... nor open and edit MS files! This does about 80% of what I open my laptop for... and it will go to 90% when I buy a bluetooth keyboard.
I use it for business apps, browsing, and even reading. In fact, I posted a review for this product highlighting that I carry about 60 books with me in MS reader format... and Amazon killed my review. I guess they didn't want people reading that they didn't have to buy a dedicated reader if they bought the right phone!
It let's me play movies, read books, play games and, oh yeah, interface with my company's blackberry server for PIM and email push!
The ultimate pocket accessory... and phone quality is great with a headset, outstanding with a corded headset but only pretty good with the on board microphone.
UPDATE: Okay, I have now been using the Tilt for about 5 months. My review stays the same!
Yes, this, like most systems running an MS OS, requires a little tweaking. However, once that tweaking is done, you realize you are holding a mini computer rather than just another phone.
3G and H network support... and can easily be tethered.
BB Connect support - finally a 3G BB
GPS that links to google maps, MS live maps, TeleNav and, in my case, iGuidance.
You can connect a standard headset to the Tilt... but you have to buy a proprietary jack - which is the biggest Con I have.
In fact, if we could just get MS to tweak WM6 a little better, we would be in business....
A great full featured phone October 28, 2007
11 out of 20 found this review helpful
It's the phone I was waiting for. It has everything you could imagine with room for expansion and when new applications come out this phone will be able to run them. The GPS works well with google maps. The wi-fi is awesome and the service is stellar as well. I would recommend this phone to anyone who needs an e mail device as well as data access while on the road. I give props to HTC for making this great device.
 Has More than Most Need, but Isn't it Great to Have it ALL! October 27, 2007
60 out of 74 found this review helpful
(NOTE: It has been almost two months since I posted this review and I wanted to add a couple of comments. First, I like this phone even better than I did two months ago. The "3G" connection you get with AT&T/Cingular is faster (for data) and clearer (for voice) than land lines sometimes. I have purchased as an auxiliary charger/auto adapter one from Orion Products (http://www.amazon.com/Tilt-Retractable-Synch-Charge-Travel/dp/B000X9PLHK/ref=cm_cr-mr-title) that is less expensive and great for traveling. Speaking of Orion Products, they have this aircraft aluminum case that I use, just in case I might drop this bugger, and it is really nice. The case comes in black or silver. With the case on and closed, you can still select programs, turn on and off Bluetooth, etc., very easily. Whether you get an additional case, as I've done, or not, I'd suggest you play around with the Navigation controller at the bottom because it will save you several steps in going from one program to another. The Mobile 6 software, and how it is configured, is really great. When you select your contracts, you get to choose how you want to connect to them (call, text, E-mail, E-mail2, etc.), and it shows your most recent call. Voice commands can be assigned to a contract, a program (like Excel), practically anything. I have yet to have a voice command I assigned not immediately go to the right person or program. Speaking of Excel, when I say, "Excel," it goes to Excel and shows me all the Excel files I have on the main memory AND the memory card, which didn't happen with my previous PDA/Smartphone. Oh, and the claim about being able to pair up to 6 Bluetooth devices. Yes, you can. I have mine paired to my house cordless phone system (in addition to my car's audio system), which makes life easier around the house because my Tilt is channeled through the six extensions I have at home, and I don't have to carry both when I'm working out in the yard (also, I can conference call, etc. If you're interested in this feature, be sure to read my review of my AT&T Cordless phone. Bottom line: would I have purchased this phone again? YES!)
Before I begin, let me say that I agree with everything Ms. Sminkey says in her review of the AT&T Tilt Smartphone, and she's done a lot more with it that I have, at this point, but I have three bits of advice that anyone who buys this phone needs to know:
1) If one of the main reasons you use a "smartphone" for is to make your life easier by keeping your contact information there in the palm of your hands, then you need to know that to synchronize your data between Outlook (I use Outlook 2007) and your AT&T Tilt) you need to do the following. Once you have installed ActveSync: a) Launch Active Sync, Go to the "Tools," select "Security" and uncheck the box. or b) You can also select "Options" and then select "Security" and uncheck the box. I have posted two images under "customer images" that can be viewed at the top of this product's web page that show how to do this. When I installed ActiveSync, it had this box checked and none of my Outlook contact's information was uploaded. This is a problem the AT&T tech support people did not know about (BTW, I first had this problem with a Treo 750 that I bought a day earlier. The AT&T folks referred me to Palm's folks, who said they couldn't help me with AT&T's version of the Treo... which is about normal in this world.)
2) I bought my AT&T Tilt at an AT&T Store in Alabama. The price they have here is much cheaper than what I paid, but they had problems with getting me a case. So, I kept the case I had with the Treo 750 (UPC is 8-8806-380-607-0), which according to AT&T's website is actually the case they recommend for it, but let me tell you, it could be better because it needs a hole to push the phone "up" and out so you can easily answer a call. There is a Palm case sold on Amazon that "looks" like it would do. It is Palm One Treo 700 / 650 Pouch Leather Case. Other cases that are similar in design have poorer reviews and their snap or magnet clasp scratch the phone after a few months of use. I will probably have my friend down at the leather shop cut a hole in mine and stitch around the hole, but most folks probably don't know someone who can do this.
3) Setting-up the Bluetooth for the phone for my car's stereo link was very easy, but turning it on was a little different for this pocket version of Windows, since there weren't "on" and "off" buttons for Bluetooth on the main (today) screen. Using "Start," then selecting "Bluetooth Manager," then selecting "on" is the easiest, but you can also use "Start," select "Settings," then the "Connections" tab at the bottom, and select "Wireless Connections," and tapping the Bluetooth screen (it is also a good idea to occasionally look at "Wireless Connections" just to make sure you don't have any connection on that you don't want on, and thereby preventing a premature low battery condition.
While the [...] review goes into the features, here's a listing from the AT&T site that gives you more of a checklist of features:
Talk and send data simultaneously and combine up to six Bluetooth wireless pairings at once.
The AT&T Tilt(TM) is loaded with features including a 3 MP camera, music player,
Telenav GPS Navigator(TM) support, and integrated Wi-Fi.
Get the latest Windows Mobile 6 Professional device with a next generation processor for 3G fast wireless broadband connectivity and speed.
Included Features
* All-in-one device for simultaneous voice, data, and email
* Large tilting touch screen, slideout keyboard and Wi-Fi
* 3G fast wireless broadband connectivity and speed
* Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Professional with Vista compatibility
* Go global with tri-band UMTS/HSDPA & quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
* Stereo Bluetooth 2.0 - Use voice, data, and accessories simmultaneously
* Next generation processor for 3G fast wireless broadband connectivity
* Music player, AT&T Mobile Music, and Cellular Video capabilities
* Instant Messaging - Yahoo!, AOL, & Windows Live(TM) Messenger
* Sliding QWERTY keyboard with trackwheel for easy navigation
* Microsoft Office Mobile - Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
* 3 MP camera with 10x digital zoom and autofocus
* Multiple messaging capabilities - Text, picture and video messaging
* microSD expansion supports up to 32 GB potential expandable memory
* Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11 b.g) capabilities
* Tethers to your laptop as a high-speed modem
* Push to Talk capable for instant communication
* Built-in GPS for use with Telenav GPS Navigator(TM)
* Voice command and voice dialing
Overall, this is a great phone, and quite frankly, an even better computer. I have installed a 2 GB mini-SD card. It doesn't have an earphone jack or stereo speakers but with the ability to have up to 6 Bluetooth pairings, you probably don't need them.
Forget the iPhone, this is the killer smartphone to get! October 9, 2007
260 out of 282 found this review helpful
I was lucky enough to hear that this phone had been released just days after I had bought the 8525 to replace a previous broken phone. There seemed to be some confusion with the AT&T sales people, since currently with rebates it sells for less than the 8525 and some internal memo seems to have them telling customers that a different update to the 8525 is still coming. Make no mistake, this is the upgrade for the 8525 and it's a beauty! Since there's pretty good specs and basic data on what the phone includes on the Amazon product page, I'll just run down some improvements over the 8525:
1. New sleek black casing. It's not as slippery so less likely to be dropped!
2. When keyboard is out, you can tilt the screen up. This makes it particularly nice for watching videos on a plane or using as an alarm clock, etc.
3. GPS built in. You can pay for the AT&T Telenav...or just load on your own navigation software like TomTom. More on this later...
4. Double the memory! One of my biggest issues with windows mobile phones was they had so much less usable memory on the device. I do tend to load a lot of applications and many I really prefer to run on the device, not on an external card. So yeah for this!
5. 3 MP camera (up from 2) with autofocus. No light to use as a flash though (not that it was all that great anyway!)
6. Dual processor and graphics accelerator for improved performance
7. Windows Mobile 6
Okay, so those are the improvements in a nutshell. Lets look at this sucker in more detail.
First, the package from AT&T is pretty bare bones. You get the phone, an extra stylus, screen protector, AC charger, USB sync cable, and the usual software CD with ActiveSync and user's manual. That's basically it! There's no case, no headphones, not even a headphone adapter. This device does support stereo bluetooth headphones, so a lot of people will probably get those instead, but to not even include a basic slip case? Pretty cheap for a device in this price range.
The device itself is really pleasing to look at. The front is actually considerably darker to the eye than the photos on this page, more like a dark grey than silver, which I think is quite nice looking (see the photo I uploaded). The back does show fingerprints a bit, but it has a nice feel to it and is easy to gripe. The back however is rather challenging to get off. There's no release as on the previous model, you just have to use brute force. The speaker is on the back and can give pretty decent volume. Also on the back is the connector for an external GPS antennae (generally not needed unless you are in something like an RV).
The keyboard is a full QWERTY keyboard, and fairly nice and tactile. Also has a nice light-up feature which can automatically detect light (or you can tweak to always activate). The number keys are colored grey which makes them easier to find and the blue switch key is completely blue rather than just having a blue dot. However, the keyboard slides out the opposite direction of the 8525 so if you used that phone, you may find yourself trying to slide this the wrong way all the time! This does also put the buttons and stylus to the left...not good for most of us that are right-handed. I also wish there was a way to lock caps and/or numbers on. You have to hold down their respective shift keys which really slows me down sometimes. Also, when fully tilted up, the soft keys at the top of the keyboard are very hard to press as they are somewhat under the screen.
Now on to the buttons. There don't seem to be as many buttons on this model and they aren't as easy to customize in general. You have a dedicated Push-to-Talk button that won't let you remap it, frustrating if you never use this service. There is no longer a Comm Manager button either, which I really liked, to pull up my setting for bluetooth, wifi, etc. and turn them on and off. The internet and email buttons are now down at the bottom with all the other buttons. I expect some people will like this, I personally liked them being separate as I now often have to look to make sure I'm pushing the right button. It's not the greatest layout if you like to play games on your device. I do love the real scroll wheel (not a jog dial). Once you have a device with just jog, you'll know how nice true scroll is! The power button is really flush with the device and unlikely you will accidentally turn the device on while in a pocket or purse. Unfortunately this does mean it is not exactly easy to find that power button when it's dark out! Luckily sliding out the keyboard will also turn it on. By default the sliding makes a little chiming sound, but you can turn that off.
Built-in GPS is pretty cool to have. It does take awhile to fix the satellites, there is a utility to help with that and others you can download for free. Once you have a signal, you can use it with TeleNav, something like TomTom or with various online free service like Microsoft Live or Google Maps. Lots of cool options to make use of this. However, if you want to use this to replace the navigation in your car, there's one big issue with this device, and that's the screen. It doesn't use a transreflective screen which makes it very difficult to see in bright light. This is generally not a huge problem for typical use, but if you want to use this in your car to do navigation, it may be too difficult to see from any distance if light is hitting it. You can turn up the brightness all the way but on a sunny day, you may still have problems. Make sure your navigation has spoken text directions or you may end up lost!
The new camera does have the neat autofocus which you can lock on your subject before shooting the photo. It's like most phone cameras in that it is rather slow and can't handle a moving subject. For relatively stationery ones, it's actually fairly decent. Won't beat your digicam, but it's usable in a pinch.
Now on to the operating system and software, this phone is using the new Windows Mobile 6. Not a huge different here from 5, biggest changes are in the messaging which handles Exchange servers a lot better, HTML emails, etc. Many people in the past used 3rd party products for email, WM6 actually does a pretty decent job with them now. It also has the new Windows Live service which lets you do instant messaging, maps, location searches, traffic, weather, news, etc. I've only just started playing with some of these features, but it looks really good. Just type in a location, search for something like a nearby restaurant and you can pull up not only the address and phone...but get directions and a map there as well! And yes, GPS is integrated. It's pretty cool. Other various MS functions like hotmail and IM are part of Windows Live as well. Pocket IE is still pretty crappy. I prefer Opera Mobile, but the free Opera Mini works pretty well for a lot of people as well.
Now for the big negative...AT&T bloatware. Apparently with all this free memory, they saw no reason to leave it for the user, instead filling it with all these extra paid-for AT&T services and horrible game demos (time out in something like 1 minute!) Luckily there are a couple ways around this. You can soft reset the device when it starts loading all these extra apps on and skip over it that way. Or if you are a really savvy techie type like me, you can flash the device with the original HTC ROM which is much nicer than the plain AT&T one. You do need to really spend some time learning how to do this and of course it invalidates the warranty. But you'll have a really slick device afterwards and a lot more free memory. It has a nice black theme that matches the color of the device and a really nice Today screen plugin. The dialer is much improved and easier to use as well. Google the xda-developers site for more info (again, not for the technically challenged!)
I'm the type of user that plays around with a new device for weeks trying to find just the right combinations of addon programs and utilities to get it working just the way I like it. I've found all kinds of neat programs such as one that lets you configure all the buttons (adding commands for things like double-press or long-press) and another that lets you create custom profiles like a regular cell phone, but controlling things like bluetooth/Wifi being on and changing volumes, etc. Set your profiles to switch at certain times of the day or for certain types of appointments, there's so much you can control if you want to. I was hoping with the faster processor it would load up my Today screen a bit faster with everything I have on there, but it still takes awhile on the first load to render everything. Be careful though as all software does not support WM6 yet. I found that clock/alarm programs in particular did not play well with it.
There's so much you can do with a Windows Mobile phone, I can't begin to list it all here. You can do streaming video (watch YouTube), use Skype or other VOIP services, even listen to your entire music collection from home using media sharing. Instant messaging, you can even use remote desktop! I even found a website that lets me stream my XM radio channels. Pretty amazing stuff.
You'll definitely want to drop by the xda-developers Kaiser forums (google it) and check out some of the applications available there. Top of the list is the Kaiser Tweak which you install and run in order to adjust a lot of the somewhat annoying default settings on the Tilt. Top of the list is the often-mentioned issue with the screen turning off during a call. Run this app and you will never have that problem again. Various performance-related tweaks are available as well.
Overall, this is a nice step up from the 8525 and with all the rebates currently available, a real bargain at that. I would highly recommend this to anyone that want to have a phone for doing web/email and maybe a bit more.
EDIT: While I'm not able to change my initial star rating, hopefully these additional comments will get posted about the device. While I don't regret my purchase in the least, having used it now for sometime I don't have quite so glowing an opinion of it. If you read through my comments with this review as well as all the latest reviews posted, you'll see some of these talked about (problems with the speakerphone and BT, video driver issues, poor support from HTC.) I don't regret buying it at all, and find it still a great convergence device. But there are definitely some serious caveats that would make me hesitate to recommend it to new buyers.
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