- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 338 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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44 out of 44 people found this review helpful
5.0 stars
"awesome device!"
Pros: has absolutely EVERYTHING you need!
Cons: Needs a case in the box
Summary: This is simply the best device that I have owned! It has every bit of functionality that I need in a smart phone. I have used smart phones for approx 5 years and this one hits the bulls eye.
Let me review the items that make this smart phone a ten on my list (I think it is funny that some other reviewers have rated it below a five without substantial reasoning but are rather extlling the virtues of another carrier - shame).
The Tilt is named such due to its sliding display that Tilts up. Very cool! I can put the device on the desk or any convenient surface as needed and can view the info easily without moving my head back and forth or I can use the device one handed.
The Tilt has many naviogation methods - you can touch the screen with your finger or the included touch stylus, you can use the rotary dial on the side, you can use the four way navigation pad on the front, or you can slide open the keyboard and use the keys for navigation. I find that i use each of these based on the task that I am doing.
The Tilt comes with every possible messaging method available: SMS, MMS, email (personal and corporate), IM (AOL, Yahoo, and Microsoft), and Push to Talk. There is NO other device that offers this level of communication on the market today! The item that really sold it for me was that I can talk on the phone (via my jawbone bluetooth headset)at the same time that I am looking something up on the web via the web browser or using the mapping function! You can't do that on any other smart phone from Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile. Honestly, isn't this functionality the pure essence of mobility - it is for me. I can even be on a call via my bluetooth headset and be browsing the web on my laptop using the Tilt tethered to the laptop! Try that on any other device from any other US carrier - you simply can't do it!
I really want to talk about the built-in GPS functionality. First, the reason that the CNET editors took so long to connect to the satellites was because the Telenav application was searching for the satellites. I read the user manual and found that there is a utility included on the Tilt called Quick GPS that downloads the relative satellite locations every 6 days so Telenav starts very very quickly each and every time. Pretty nice. Anyway the Telenav mapping application is fantastic. It provides 3d or 2d mapping, turn by turn navigation (visual and audible), traffic information and rerouting, find the cheapest gas based on current location, save locations, share a location with a friend or business associate, and more. Better still is that you always have this with you. I also own a GPS device that I purchased for $899 - GPS is all it does so it pretty well stays at home until needed - of course there are those unplanned instances where I needed the durn thing and it was at home - no more with the Tilt that was only $299.99 and has better GPS software. To be frank, I have also tried Google maps, Microsoft Live, and Tom Tom maps on the device. The Google and Microsoft stuff is OK but not as feature rich as the Telenav application. I find that if an application has the correct mix of features that i really need that it becomes an indispenable part of my life. I tried Tom Tom - a stand alone application that you can buy and install - but I just dont have the time to go and buy updates and reload maps based on the part of the country that I am traveling to. The Telenav GPS application is seemingly network based so the most up to date information is loaded every time you use it - this is convenient! (Yes, the GPS feature is open!)
A really great feature is that the Tilt is fast - both navigating the menu and when downloading information from the AT&T 3G network. However, I am not limited to just AT&T's network. I can also use WIFI and connect to either b or g WIFI networks. Another neat feature is that the Tilt supports bluetooth 2.0 which allows me to connect up to six bluetooth devices simultanelously. True wireless huh. I can use a bluetooth headset and a bluetooth keyboard or scanner at the same time.
I was listening to music on my wireless STEREO bluetoth headset and my annoying teenage niece kept interrupting me (trying to find out what I was doing and what I was listening to). I showed her that I was listening to music that I had loaded onto a 4GB microSD card (about a 1000 songs) and was using wireless stereo headset. She truly enjoyed the wireless experience and wondered why her player didn't do the same. She quickly figured out that she could listen to music and IM her friends or play a game.
She quicly discovered the streaming video functionality provided by CV on the Tilt and the XM radio streaming application (which sounds equally as good on a stereo bluetooth headset). I think she enjoyed the XM radio application more because she could find her kind of music quickly.
I had to hide my Tilt from her or go into another room to play my retro favorite Ms. Pac Man.
Fun aside, the Tilt is a cool work tool. My company uses Exchange 2007 and had enabled direct push. What this means is that I can get all my work email, calendar, and contacts directly from the email server. I can even look up people in the company using the company address book that is on the server. This is a great improvement and makes a huge difference for me.
I loaned the device to a buddy for a day and he tried it in his company. His company uses Blackberry's exclusively. He was able to setup and configure the Tilt to work in the Blackberry system so that he could receive his email, calendar, and contacts from a blackberry server. This was huge for him as he had always had to use a blackberry and they arent as fast as the Tilt is.
I can also get my personal email on the Tilt. I used the microsoft email setup wizard and selected google gmail as my community and entered my username and password. I was instantly getting my personal email as well as my work (separate inboxes etc). The difference is that my work email is received automatically on the device as soon as the server gets it. The gmail is gathered every x period of time. I can adjust the x period of time to my liking. I haven't tried Xpress Mail but when I looked in the guides and the web site, it seems that i can get my personal email from this as well and the application has more features.
IM is a breeze to setup. Pick your community and away you go. You can choose between AOL, Yahoo, or Microsoft communities unlike other smart phones that have only the microsoft community. I did some research and found that AT&T or HTC had added this nifty application to the Tilt.
If you haven't determined it yet - I love the Tilt. A GREAT value at $299.99 and I shopped around before I made my decision and couldn't find a better value and feature set (and you should too). I am very pleased with my choice and will not be returning it anytime soon. Prying it from my cold dead fingers may be a better view!
My advice - get the following for your Tilt when you buy it. A case (personal decision here), a microSD card (very cheap now - shop around), a regular bluetooth headset (try a jawbone for excellent background noise reduction), a stereo bluetooth headset if you enjoy and plan to listen to music or watch videos.
Well, I have spent enough time on this review. I hope you find it helpful.
- 1 reply to this review
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Are you using the ATT Tilt or the unlocked version with the Jawbone? ATT's site doesn't include the Jawbone in accessories for the Tilt and does not list it as being a compatible Bluetooth device. However, the Jawbone info on the ATT site says it is compatible with any Bluetooth. The person I talked to at ATT didn't know if they are compatible or not and suggested to just try it.
Your review was thorough with good tips! You convinced me the Tilt will do all I need to do, and more! Thanks!
