This review will focus on features specifically for the TyTN II such as how well it works as a phone, camera, and GPS. I have owned my TyTN II for over a week at the time of writing this. It is running:

ROM version: 1.5.6.405.5
ROM date: 08/28/07
Radio version: 1.27.12.11
Protocol version: 22.45.88.07H

Packaging
The packaging that comes with the device is wonderful and gives the impression that HTC put some thought into it. It resembles the HTC Touch packaging which is simple yet effective. Even the magnetic clasp on the box gives a sense of quality.

The picture above lists what?|s included inside. HTC also provided a screen protector and an extra stylus. The case uses a Velcro latch instead of a magnetic one, which may indicate slider confusion if the user has a magnetic pouch since the slider uses a magnet.

Keyboard
The keyboard is active which means that in standby, you can slide it open to wake it up without pressing power. The Wizard didn?|t have this which meant you had to turn it on separately. Keys feel comfortable and give a nice subtle feedback. The keyboard lights up white with a light sensor on the upper left corner. Unfortunately the lighting isn?|t very even. Not really a big deal, but I thought I?|d point it out anyways. The keys on the front under the screen could be a bit more solid. By that I mean they feel slightly mushy because of the slight play they have. You would notice this as the whole Dpad unit moves up and down a slight bit. This is not too much of a big deal either. The tilt works well and is useful if you want to see the screen while having it on a table.

Screen
The screen is bright and clear. It?|s not too visible in the sun, but I have a screen protector on, which may contribute to it. However, if the backlight is on high enough, you should still be able to see it. I find that this is more of a touchscreen issue. Nokia uses some of the best screens for direct sunlight as they reflect it without needing the backlight on (although non-touchscreen).

SIM Card Slot
The SIM card slot utilizes a lock mechanism which can be slid to unlock. Then the SIM card door can be opened and allows you to slide your SIM card in. Note that when the device is on and you open the SIM card slot, the device shuts itself off. I recommend you turn off the device before you move the SIM card. You can power down the device by holding the power button and a prompt will pop up.

And the Rest
The unit is very solid overall. I find the battery cover is a bit tricky to get off at first. The power button is quite flush with the side and makes it hard to feel by touch. I?|d prefer if it were easier to feel. The stylus is non-telescoping which is much better than the toothpicks on the Hermes and Wizard. The ribbed sides and soft paint back make it comfortable to grip. Aesthetically, it is one of the best looking HTC devices to date, at least to me.

Phone

Call Volume
At maximum call volume, the ear piece is good. It?|s loud enough for myself, but is not the loudest I have ever heard. That being said, it should be okay for most. A tip for those that will have it at max and find it is still not adequate would be to press the device a bit against your ear.

Call Quality
Overall quality seems good. Each generation of HTC devices seem get better in this department. Tones are well balanced. I?|m glad to say that even at maximum call volume, the ear piece is still clear. Some of the older devices distort at high volume, but I have not noticed this on the TyTN II.

Speaker Volume
The speaker on the back is about average to good. It?|s moderately loud, but starts to crackle when pushed to maximum system volume. Same thing when on a call using speakerphone ?V at max volume, it may distort a bit or crackle. I feel that I should mention that the best speakers I?|ve had were on the N95. Those little speakers were very loud and clear. It definitely helped that the N95 has stereo speakers, with one on each side. HTC should consider bringing this back from the Wizard.

Reception
Reception is very good on my unit. I tested this by going to fringe areas where I would usually drop calls or just have borderline reception. My S620 would struggle and would drop calls, but the TyTN II would hold on in these areas. So far this may be the device with the best reception that I?|ve had thus far.

Making Calls
Dialing a contact by pressing the green talk button and typing the number or name lookup is straight forward and easy to do with one hand. It?|s made easier because the dial pad?|s buttons are large. There is no tackle feedback however, so a few of you may miss it coming from a phone that has a number pad. Another way of calling is to go through the contacts. You can scroll through your list by using TouchFlow and flicking your finger like the iPhone. TouchFlow works throughout the system where scrolling is involved. I?|d like to add that some of you may want to try PocketCM (http://www.pocketcm.com/) which can replace your contact list by adding an interface more like the iPhone. Scrolling is smoother in PocketCM and more finger friendly due to the larger icons and buttons.

MS Voice Command
I tested MS Voice Command 1.6 with a Sony Ericsson HBH-662 bluetooth headset. Voice Command works very well the TyTN II. Commands are clear and accuracy is also above average, but after a weeks use, it seems quieter than other devices. I haven?|t been able to get call announcements working through the BT headset. Text message reading works fine on the other hand.

Camera
Coming from a N95, I wasn?|t expecting too much from the TyTN II. I?|m glad HTC has at least made this version with auto-focus. One of the biggest annoyances is the refresh rate isn?|t very fast. I?|m talking about that webcam blurring during movement. This made it easier to blur pictures compared to other devices. As for quality itself, I?|ve attached some sample pictures and you can be the judge.

TyTN II:



N95:

The front camera can also be used to take pictures. You activate it by starting the camera by holding down the camera button and choosing it in the options.

GPS
GPS works much better than I expected as it isn?|t a SiRFIII type chip. When you?|re connected to the internet (including ActiveSync), the TyTN II downloads satellite data which speeds up lock times. In a moving vehicle, I get a lock in less than 2 minutes from a cold start. When stationary, it is less than 1 minute. There is an orange indicator LED in the earpiece on the right side which indicates GPS is active when blinking.

Performance

General
The 400mhz Qualcomm processor with 128MB RAM make multitasking a pleasure. I have yet to get below 30MB RAM free even when I loaded everything. Even then, there was no noticeable slow down. Programs opened fairly quickly as well. The extra storage space left over from the 256MB ROM is very welcome. I now put all my application on the device with plenty to spare. Screen rotation time is about 1 second give or take. Rebooting is about 49 seconds.

Multimedia
Sound quality is good using an adapter for the 11-pin extUSB. The ones made for the TyTN and Excalibur work just fine as well as chargers. I hooked up the adapter with my Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro and clarity was great. Videos also play smoothly thanks to the processor and memory.

Battery
I haven?|t had time to do number testing, but so far it has been decent. It can still be improved much more because Wifi and 3G are big drainers. If you don?|t use 3G, you may want to turn it off under Settings -> Phone -> Bands. My battery meter seems accurate and drained fairly evenly. Other devices may give a false 100% if you reset and the battery isn?|t actually full, and some drain much faster below 50% such as going from 20% to 5% in a very short time. I?|m glad that the TyTN II doesn ?|t do this. As devices get more powerful and battery thirsty, we?|ll need better battery technology to accompany it.

Stability
So far it?|s been fairly stable. I?|ve only had it freeze up on me when I was using PIE. I?|m not sure why it?|s PIE (even on other devices) that gets stuck loading. I should probably look for another browser. On a side rant, MS really needs to make a better explorer as the S60 browser and iPhone browser are so much better.

Conclusion
Overall this is a great device if you like this kind of form factor. The RAM, processor, assisted slider, and GPS are all great additions. At this point in time, I?|m fairly satisfied with it which is saying a lot. It?|s still too early for me to decide how long I?|m keeping it as I usually don?|t like side sliding devices. It seems like a keeper right now, but don?|t blame me if I change my mind later. Is the TyTN II revolutionary? Nope, but it?|s evolutionary and does a pretty good job. I can highly recommend it for most people. Hope my review is okay as I haven?|t done one in ages. Please post questions if you have any.

Pros: