Holiday Gift Travel Mobile Device

Make your PC more useful. Get the free Google Pack.


AT&T Tilt
Closed Angle Tilt Screen Back 

The AT&T Tilt is the most powerful Windows Mobile device you can get right now from a U.S. carrier. Thick and beefy, this chunk of portable computing plays up Windows Mobile's multimedia and messaging strengths and emerges as the current leader in the Microsoft field. World travelers should take note, as the Tilt is one of the few high-speed world phones—able to hit voice, Wi-Fi, and HSDPA data networks in more than 100 countries across the globe.
     

The Tilt looks like a whole bunch of other Pocket PCs out there, including the Sprint PPC-6800, the AT&T (formerly Cingular) 8525, and the T-Mobile MDA. It's a thick (4.4 by 2.3 by 0 .7 inch, 6 ounces) PDA that slides open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard of tightly spaced but decent-size keys. The device is festooned with buttons, a cursor pad, and a scroll wheel, all of which can make Windows Mobile's click-heavy interface faster to use if you master them. A stylus to tap on the 320-by-240 touch screen tucks into the lower right-hand corner of the device.

The Tilt's signature feature is its tilting screen, which turns the whole handset into what looks like a mini-laptop and lets it sit on a desk comfortably. Despite this capability, the keyboard isn't designed to be typed on like a laptop keyboard: The small keys will make you want to pick up the device and use your thumbs.

But the tilting screen does turn the device into the best little mobile media gadget ever. Whether you're into SlingPlayer Mobile, AT&T's own RealPlayer-based Cellular Video system, the XM Satellite Radio service, or any other media app you can hunt down, you can plant the Tilt on a table and stare at the little screen comfortably. It's the second coming, now Internet-powered, of the pocket TV.

And fortunately, with its two high-speed networking modes, a 400-MHz Qualcomm processor, 125MB of storage memory, and 101MB of program memory, the Tilt can handle aggressive Windows Mobile applications without breaking a sweat. SPB Benchmark test results bear that out, making it the fastest of the mainstream smartphone pack right now. SlingPlayer Mobile looked smooth over both an HSDPA 1.8 and an 802.11g Wi-Fi network with WPA2 encryption. Audio played well over the built-in speakers and a Bluetooth headset, but to use wired headphones you need a proprietary adapter, sold separately. You store music and video on a microSD memory card accessed through a hard-to-use slot on the bottom of the phone (ironic, because the SIM card is unusually easy to replace). The Tilt supports SDHC cards up to 32GB, and my 4GB Kingston card worked just fine.

Multimedia capabilities apart, this offering lets you do more than have fun: It has the best e-mail options of any Windows Mobile handheld yet, and it's the first Windows Mobile phone to come with BlackBerry Connect software on board, ready to install. BlackBerry Connect is designed to deliver push e-mail to your phone from any BlackBerry plan, but that feature comes at a price: The app makes the whole device crawlingly slow. Fortunately, you have two other options that aren't as poky. Cingular's Xpress Mail, powered by Seven, handles Yahoo! and POP/IMAP e-mail. It also integrates well with the built-in Windows Mobile e-mail program, which handles Exchange (with direct push) and POP/IMAP (without push). An on-board Yahoo!, AIM, and MSN IM client handles more instant messaging. The device also handles AT&T's infrequently used push-to-talk system.

GPS is on board. The only approved GPS app, however, is AT&T's $9-per-month TeleNav, which I wasn't able to test for provisioning reasons.

A 3-megapixel camera delivers the most detailed images of any mainstream Windows Mobile device. It doesn't replace a dedicated digital camera, though; the slow autofocus causes a 1.5-second shutter delay, and the camera tends to wash out bright areas in outdoor shots. Even so, photos are definitely detailed compared with the standard 2-megapixel feature on other devices. The movie mode can shoot 352- by 288-pixel, MP4-format videos, but on my tests the device recorded at a very low frame rate. In addition, the MP4 files it captured wouldn't play in QuickTime, though they did play in the free VLC video player on my Mac and PC.

Yes, the Tilt is a phone, too. Voice quality is rock solid, with very steady reception and an unusually loud speakerphone. There's no background hiss, and transmissions sound clear and realistic. But since there's no noise cancellation, you hear some background noise on the receiving end of calls. And although the 4.5 hours of talk time and 5 hours of PDA battery life aren't spectacular, they're fine considering the mobile horsepower you're getting here.

You'll be able to flex that muscle all around the world, too. One of the few high-speed world phones, this device is able to hit voice, Wi-Fi, and HSDPA data networks in more than 100 countries, including throughout Europe and in Japan.

The Tilt is a whole lot of handheld, and it's probably more than most people need. The BlackBerry Curve does just fine as an e-mail phone with decent media player options. And for true media player verve, there's no substitute for an Apple iPhone.

But where the Tilt rules is in combination with other Microsoft products. If you live a Microsoft lifestyle, interacting with Windows Media Player, Media Center, or Exchange 2003 or 2007 servers, Windows Mobile's integration with those other Microsoft components pushes it ahead of the pack. Windows Mobile also runs more powerful add-in software than the iPhone or BlackBerry do, SlingPlayer Mobile being one excellent example. If these applications appeal to you, the Tilt is the best of the Windows Mobile breed.


Cheers

Covering the latest cutting edge of Technology, Business, Internet trends, Marketing, latest News of the day and I will try to entertain
with wit and wisdom along the way. Ok, maybe more wisdom that wit. Throw in some SEO and Search Engine Marketing tips

(Note: Thank you for reading the Semcents blog.  Keep in Touch and try to visit  often.  Comment if you like. I can use your input and suggestions. )


          http://download.alexa.com/

Add to: BlinkList, del.icio.us, Digg, Furl, ma.gnolia, reddit, Simpy, Spurl, Wink

Add SEMcents.com to Google Add SEMcents.com feed to My Yahoo! Add SEMcents.com to My MSN Add SEMcents.comto My AOL

AddThis Social Bookmark Button      AddThis Feed Button

Low Cost Computer & Internet Books


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Me other Blog:  Digitalelife.com     Forum: Search Marketing Forum

                                                     Please visit our sponsors    

  Roof Repair - Long Island  New York  Aluminum Welding  Screen room 
SEOcents

 
Increase Website Traffic  DSL Cheap  Calendars cheap 
Home Equity Loans Low Rates

  
Commercial Loans   
Sun room Design   Telecom Sales Leads     Print Mail Statements 

  Kitchen Remodeling  Free Press Release Bathroom remodel  Corporate Gifts  Jewelry
  
  
Collection Letters Cabinet resurfacing Save Money in Health care
Home Windows 
 
 
Aluminum Repair Blog 
SEM Forum  Discounted Tanning products  
Music   Poker
 
 
Internet Marketing Quality Home Siding
Boat Repair  Celebrity Gossip Dog2Dogs

  Games
  Outreach Judaism  Tovia Singer Show 
Jen's eLife  Katie's eLife  Austin's eLife

  Golf iLife  Embrace the Storm  

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Making Cents-Sense of Technology Business Internet Marketing and Entertainment


 del.icio.us  Stumbleupon  Technorati  Digg 

 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
  • No trackbacks exist for this entry.
Comments
  • No comments exist for this entry.
Leave a comment

Submitted comments will be subject to moderation before being displayed.

 Enter the above security code (required)

 Name

 Email (will not be published)

 Website

Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.