Features
This is one of the most feature-filled HTC handsets yet, offering almost everything the HTC Advantage has to offer, but in a much more pocket-friendly package.
TyTN fans will be particularly pleased that TyTN II version runs Windows Mobile 6, and has 128MB RAM -- meaning it can open and run applications faster than the TyTN can.
Windows Mobile 6 comes preinstalled with a variety of applications that let you view and edit Microsoft Office documents, chat to friends on Messenger, listen to music and receive emails instantly over push email, among other things.
The TyTN II also boasts a built-in GPS receiver. Our review model didn't come with any pre-installed sat-nav software, although it will come with TomTom taster software when it goes on sale.
We did manage to download Google Maps and use the 'track my location' feature, which ties in with the handset's GPS receiver. The TyTN II found satellites relatively quickly, even on an overland train.
What impressed us most about the TyTN II in terms of features was a combination of high-speed Internet access via HSDPA or Wi-Fi, the full Qwerty keypad and its large colour touchscreen.
Browsing the Web or writing emails was great using the TyTN II's keypad, and fast over an HSDPA or Wi-Fi connection. The large touchscreen made it easier to see everything clearly, and a doddle to access things by simply tapping the display.
Although we're disappointed there's no flash on the TyTN II's 3-megapixel camera, it performs well in daylight and using the auto-focus produced relatively sharp pictures.
Storage-wise there's a generous 256MB built in, with the option to upgrade via the expandable microSD slot that will support up to 2GB.
Performance
Audio quality during calls was loud and clear,
without any noticeable distortion or muffling. The speaker was loud
and worked well when making video calls.
Picture quality from the 3-megapixel camera was sharp and decent enough for small prints, but didn't work well in low light due to the lack of flash.
HTC quotes the TyTN II's battery life at standby time up to 350 hours on UMTS an 365 hours on GSM. Talk time is up to 264 minutes for UMTS and 420 minutes for GSM. We found it lasted well over two days if we didn't use the features too often.
Conclusion
This isn't a small phone, but then neither was
the original TyTN and everyone seemed to manage fine with that.
Fortunately, its size is justified inasmuch as it packs a GPS sat-nav
alongside all the features its predecessor had.
If you're looking for something that will keep you connected to the office, let you browse the Internet almost everywhere you go and help you navigate around town, it's definitely worth checking out. If you want a similarly specced device that's a little smaller, then the Nokia N95 is the phone for you.
Alternatively, if all you want is a Windows Mobile handset with a Qwerty keypad for quickly checking emails, and you're not bothered about always being connected, then the HTC S710 is worth a look.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday
on Mobile Phones 
Facebook 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
Twitter 
RSS Feeds 
Send Us Tips
User reviews13
Add your review
Usang Wiliams 20 January 2011
Good: the product is nice especially for some of us who cannot get our fingers off the keyboard.
Bad: the flex is quite delicate and deficult to get a spare one..
Comment: when it comes to connecting to the world,this product is quite efficient.. except in cases of my type;my flex is bad and i cannot get a replacement to it because i can't find it around...and another thing it aches my heart that such product with a 3 megapixel camera does not come with a flash for night viewing. well, all the i still love the phone!
buzzbee 11 March 2010
Good: Although it gets criticised, Windows is easy to use and office mobile is handy
Bad: Poor build quality, sluggish and touch screen isn't very responsive
Comment: The first thing to mention is the build quality. Many contracts now are for 18 or 24 months, so it is important that phones will last this long. The build quality on this phone was not as good as its predecessor, the TyTN that I had before it. Some of the hard keys are just transparent plastic, with a kind of transfer over the top, which rubs off over a period of time. The other hard keys are on a piece of aluminium, which came lose a few months after I bought it. The casing is quite flimsy all round. Also, the pull-out keyboard isn’t as tactile as its predecessor, so having always used it on the TyTN, I never use it on the TyTN II, preferring to us the on screen keyboard.
If you want a camera phone, forget it. This takes very poor photos, especially if the lighting is not perfect.
The touch screen is not that great and sometimes, trying to type anything, using the on screen keyboard will have you waiting for characters to appear, or pressing really hard, to get them to work.
This isn’t an awful phone though, but there are far better out there and although some things were added to the TyTN to make this phone, I found I was happier with the older phone
olliric 17 June 2009
Good: Tom tom
Bad: Most things
Comment: After over one year of use I just wanted to write few lines about my impression of this PDA.
I travel a lot and I thought that a PDA could be helpful to keep in touch and do the IT chores while on the go. I was very wrong and I regret having bought the damn thing. The device tries to do many things but none of them well. In retrospective it sounded too good to be true.
At the beginning I did make a point of using it to its best potential but after a while I got so tired and annoyed with it that I have recently used it mostly like just any other phone.
I thought I would give myself some time to get accustomed to the complexity of the device before jumping to conclusions.
Over one year later and I still find it cumbersome and totally user unfriendly. The guys at HTC should go to Apple to get a crush course in making something user friendly and intuitive.
Here are just a few things. The list is way longer but I would have to go back and try most functions to recall all the flaws.
- It's super slow. I am no super fast teenage geek but I am always waiting for the stupid thing to react to any command I give. It is very annoying and it's like stepping back to the time of the 286 PCs. The speed is archaic. For example it takes 4.5 sec to switch from the vertical screen to the horizontal and back.
- The buttons controls are very difficult to feel with the touch and are very cumbersome to operate. Especially the side ones. I am sure that even blind people would have problems using them.
- Windows mobile is as bad as Microsoft gets. It's slow, counter intuitive, user unfriendly. Early Vista at the power of ten!
- Window media player is a joke. I have been using the PDA to listen to music in the car and it's a miracle I have not crashed while trying to select some music yet. To get to the card MP3 files it takes a very contorted and long way.
- The touch screen is also very bad and difficult to use. A lot of the commands are way too small for a man's finger while using one hand. It is very difficult to select something on first attempt with your thumb.
- To open a running program is difficult. One has to press the top right menu and than select what is running by touch only. The bar is about 4 mm high and it's very difficult to select using one hand. One cannot select by using the scroll bar and button.
- During phone calls the screen goes out quickly and to get it back one has to look for the hidden button on the side, very, very bad.
- Voice recognition sucks. Since the controls are so bad I now use the voice recognition most times. It's rare that the damn machine get it right on first attempt. Repeating the name twice helps but not always. I end up having to raise the tone as if I was yelling. It is very embarrassing in public.
- The GPS takes a long time to get the satellites even when the data has been updated.
- Active sync is a disaster. The guy who design it should be shot. I have given up on it altogether. I had to buy small software to access the data in the PDA and memory card.
Active sync could just not do the most elementary operation in a simple and straightforward way. You simply cannot plug into a computer and access the PDA like a USB stick. You have to buy a program for that. Isn’t that a joke?
- The booting upon starting is the longest I have ever seen. Switching it off is also a chore. I just live it always on.
- The battery capacity is way too small. Some applications will run down the battery in no time.
The list goes on but I am getting annoyed just to think about it all. This is the first and last product I’ll ever buy from HTC. Unless you are a geek that gets pleasure messing with IT devices do not buy it. Its use will take an unhealthy amount of your time. It will not help your life, it will waste a lot of your time and annoy you in the process.
In the first few months I tried to fix it and make it work to an acceptable level by downloading ROMs that improved the performance and instal
See all 13 user reviews