HTC TyTN II review

HTC TyTN II Review

Reviewed by: Andrew Lim

Reviewed on: 10 September 2007

The HTC TyTN is back, and this time it's ready to take you home using its built-in GPS sat-nav. HTC has upgraded the beloved HTC TyTN and produced the TyTN II, a handset that packs as much punch as Alan Sugar and will satisfy most of your business needs. It's available for £485 from eXpansys, but we expect it will be rebranded on most major networks and be free on a monthly contract soon.

Design
The HTC TyTN II looks and feels much like its popular predecessor, but TyTN users will notice the slightly different key layout and heavier feel when they first pick the TyTN II up.

On closer inspection though, the TyTN II is different to the original TyTN in several ways, most notably the large colour touchscreen. This tilts up, allowing you to see the screen at an angle and rest it on a table like a mini-laptop.

One of the TyTN II's star features is its tilting screen, which lets you view the display properly when you rest the handset on a table

We found being able to tilt the screen up and put it on a desk great for quickly checking emails or making video calls or viewing video clips.

Another notable design change from the original TyTN is the easy-to-access SIM card slot that's situated behind the front of the screen. This is very useful if you're planning on using it as a work and personal phone but have two separate SIM cards.

The slide-out keypad is great for typing and one of the best Qwerty keypads we have used so far. Handy additions that aren't featured on the original TyTN are two tiny LEDs that light up when you activate the caps lock or function key.

The TyTN II is very similar in terms of size to its predecessor

A small but very useful feature that remains from the original TyTN is a three-way scroll wheel on the top left of the handset that lets you scroll through emails very quickly and easily. This is an innovation we would like to see on all smart phones.

On the back you'll find a 3-megapixel camera, which is a nice feature but we're disappointed that, unlike the original TyTN, there's no LED photo light or better yet, a xenon flash.