AT&T Tilt Cell Phone Review - Hardware
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Mark Brezinski Published on October 25, 2007 Comment on this |
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Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (9.99)
Here we time how long it takes to type out a sample test paragraph. With the Tilt's full QWERTY, we were able to complete this task in 19.22 seconds. This equivocates to 49.95 words per minute (WPM). This is very fast. The keys don't have much travel to them, but they do snap a bit when they've registered a press. Really, the only problem we ran into was the space bar, which felt like we were hitting two buttons at once. The buttons also seemed to be a bit inconsistent with their tactile response, as it seemed some buttons didn't snap as much as others. Regardless, however, the keyboard is capable of good speed.
| Cell Phone | Words Per Minute | Score |
| AT&T Tilt | 49.95 | 9.99 |
| Nokia E90 | 49.0 | 9.80 |
| BlackBerry Curve 8320 | 49.8 | 9.96 |
| HTC Mogul | 44.9 | 8.98 |
| Palm Treo 750 | 43.8 | 8.76 |
| Apple iPhone | 39.6 | 7.92 |
T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
Though the full QWERTY makes T9 irrelevant, the Tilt does feature a smart auto complete. Not only will the phone offer suggestions based on what letters you've entered, but it will remember words and even phrases you've already entered. This is great, and eliminates tedious retyping.
One Hand Usability (3.39)
QWERTY keyboards often take a huge hit to their WPM score when you try to type with one hand. This isn't just because it's much harder to manipulate a full QWERTY keypad with one thumb, but also because they tend to be bulkier and harder to maintain a steady grip on as you shift to hit keys. It took us about 56.7 seconds to type out the full paragraph. This is only 16.93 WPM, about one-third the speed of typing with two hands. You'll generally need both hands if you want to use the Tilt efficiently.
| Cell Phone | Words Per Minute | Score |
| AT&T Tilt | 16.93 | 3.39 |
| Nokia E90 | 24.0 | 4.80 |
| BlackBerry Curve 8320 | 26.5 | 5.30 |
| HTC Mogul | 17.7 | 3.54 |
| Palm Treo 750 | 24.8 | 4.96 |
| Apple iPhone | 32.1 | 6.42 |
Keypad Backlighting (5.0)
The Tilt does a good job backlighting its keypad. It has a light sensor that judges whether or not the backlight should be on. Honestly, however, most of the time when it's on it makes the letters on the number pad harder to read. Other than the sensor, you can't control the backlight, which is disappointing.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (7.0)
The d-pad is your typical squarish donut, with a select button filling the hole in its middle. We felt the keys had some good snap to them, and each edge was long enough to ensure you won't press the wrong button by accident. Also, the keys are raised up quite a bit higher than surrounding buttons, so you're in no danger of accidentally hitting them.
Touch Screen (6.0)
Much like every other Windows Mobile Professional phone, the Tilt is equipped with a touch screen and stylus. This particular type of touch screen comes with both good and bad traits. Highlighting or manipulating large groups of files is easier to do with the stylus than with the d-pad. While not as intuitive or easy to manage as non-stylus touch screens, such as the iPhone's, your screen will always be less greasy. The screen itself is responsive, but we would've appreciated it if it was slightly more sensitive to taps. This, of course, is merely personal preference, as you won't by any means be pushing on the screen with any significant force.
Jog Dial (7.0)
The Tilt has a jog dial on its left side, but we honestly aren't sure why. It performs well, allowing you to scroll through lists and, to a lesser extent, navigate across and down menus. We're just not sure it adds significant functionality over scrolling with the stylus. In menus like the Programs menu, it will most likely take more time to scroll to an icon with the jog dial than to just click on it. Regardless, we're sure many people will use the scroll wheel, and if you're in that camp, you will find it works well. Pressing it in acts as the select key, but it is a bit squishy.
Soft Buttons (5.0)
The soft buttons on the Tilt probably won't be used much, since you can just tap the screen. Regardless, they have some good snap to them. We would've liked them to be a bit more differentiated from the surrounding keys, as we found ourselves hitting the send and end keys by mistake at times. We also tended to hit the send and end keys because soft keys are usually in the corners of the d-pad array as opposed to being sandwiched in.
There is also another set of soft keys on the internal keypad. These are a bit worse, as they're very small and thin, and bordered closely by keys. In particular, they were very hard to reach when the screen was tilted up.
Volume Control (1.0)
The Tilt doesn't have a dedicated volume control. In certain situations the scroll wheel can control the volume, but it isn't a dedicated key. As the scroll wheel's functionality as a volume control is limited, we only gave it one point.
Power and Standby (5.0)
The Tilt's dual purpose power/standby button is on the right side of the phone. It's far away from every other pertinent button, and most ways of comfortable gripping the phone allows access, but won't put your hand close enough to accidentally hit it. A short press puts the phone in standby, while a longer press shuts the phone down, after you confirm in a prompt. The prompt means you're probably good even if the phone is in a bag or purse. If you're still nervous, however, you can always lock the phone via an option on the home screen.
Other Buttons (13.0)
The Tilt has a few extra buttons not mentioned above. The first four are along the bottom of the d-pad array. Starting on the left is the Windows key, which opens up the eponymous menu. Next is the Internet Explorer shortcut. On the other side of the d-pad is a messaging button. Last in line is the OK button, which acts as a back button. On the phone's left is a dedicated Push-to-Talk button and a second OK key. The right side features a shutter button. The four keys near the d-pad can be reassigned, as can the camera shortcut.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.0)
The Tilt's screen's resolution is 320 x 240. Although this is a standard resolution, given the screen's size, we would've expected its resolution to be scaled up appropriately.
| Cell Phone | Resolution | Score |
| AT&T Tilt | 320 x 240 | 8.0 |
| Nokia E90 | 800 x 352 | 10.00 |
| BlackBerry Curve 8320 | 320 x 240 | 8.00 |
| HTC Mogul | 320 x 240 | 8.00 |
| Palm Treo 750 | 240 x 240 | 5.00 |
| Apple iPhone | 480 x 320 | 9.00 |
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (7.14)
Pixels per inch, or PPI, describes exactly what it sounds like: how many pixels are in every inch. The Tilt can fit 142.86 pixels into every inch, which is fairly low considering the side of the phone's screen. It produces decent colors and sharp enough lines, especially as the Tilt isn't being marketed as a media device. With a screen this size, however, we would've liked to have higher PPI for higher quality video playback.
| Cell Phone | Pixels Per Inch | Score |
| AT&T Tilt | 142.86 | 7.14 |
| Nokia E90 | 219.0 | 10.95 |
| BlackBerry Curve 8320 | 164.6 | 8.23 |
| HTC Mogul | 142.9 | 7.15 |
| Palm Treo 750 | 141.7 | 7.09 |
| Apple iPhone | 164.8 | 8.24 |
Screen Physical Size (7.0)
The Tilt's screen measures 2.8 inches diagonally. This is bigger than most phones, but as mentioned above, doesn't necessarily mean a better picture. Regardless of its larger-than-average size, the screen is still smaller than the iPhone's display.
| Cell Phone | Size Diagonal (inches) | Score |
| AT&T Tilt | 2.8 | 7.0 |
| Nokia E90 | 4.0 | 10.00 |
| BlackBerry Curve 8320 | 2.43 | 6.08 |
| HTC Mogul | 2.8 | 7.00 |
| Palm Treo 750 | 2.4 | 6.00 |
| Apple iPhone | 3.5 | 8.75 |
Screen Brightness (10.06)
| Cell Phone | Brightness (lux) | Score |
| AT&T Tilt | 153 | 10.06 |
| Nokia E90 | 54 | 3.95 |
| BlackBerry Curve 8320 | 105 | 9.50 |
| HTC Mogul | 102 | 7.85 |
| Palm Treo 750 | 60 | 5.75 |
| Apple iPhone | 168 | 15.40 |
Screen Bright Light Performance (5.0)
For this test we shine 3000 lux of light at the phone, which is equivalent to a sunny day. We then judge how legible the screen is, factoring in the glare. We were able to read everything fine, but we did notice the glare was a bit more severe than we were used to. Those with vision problems might have some issues here, and we can definitely see the screen catching the sun and hurting a user's eyes slightly. If you plan on using the Tilt on a sunny day, just be wary of what you're reflecting into your eyes.
Color Depth (6.0)
Color depth refers to the number of different colors the phone is capable of displaying. The Tilt can manage 65,000 colors, which is standard. Phones can have up to 16 million colors, however, and increasingly more smart phones are taking advantage of this technology. The Tilt should do just fine with its 65,000, though.
| Cell Phone | Colors (thousands) | Score |
| AT&T Tilt | 65 | 6.0 |
| Nokia E90 | 16,000 | 10.00 |
| BlackBerry Curve 8320 | 65 | 6.0 |
| HTC Mogul | 65 | 6.0 |
| Palm Treo 750 | 65 | 6.0 |
| Apple iPhone | 65 | 6.0 |
Secondary Screen (0.0)
The Tilt only has the one screen.
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (9.0)
The Tilt uses a slightly misshapen mini USB port for data transfer and charging. Despite its odd shape, standard mini USB cables work just fine. We appreciate using standard ports, especially for charging. We were also pleased to see the Tilt could charge from a USB connection to a PC, which is uncommon in business devices.
Headphone & Jack Compatibility (4.0)
The reason the Tilt's USB port is shaped oddly is because it's also a proprietary headphone jack. There is no included adaptor for either 2.5mm or 3.5mm plugs, which is unfortunate. It does support Bluetooth headsets, however, which is what we'd recommend. Regardless of what you choose, please do choose some form of headphone, as playing music back via the Tilt's speaker makes an unappealing rattling sound.
Internal Storage (2.0)
The Tilt has 256 MB of internal memory. This should be good for your contacts and appointments, as well as an album of picture or some songs.
Expansion Slot & Format (7.0)
The Tilt has a micro SD card slot located on the bottom, covered by a plastic cover. We really appreciate easily accessible memory card slots, as we tend to insert and remove memory cards more than most users would. The card is also ejected by a spring, so no clawing is necessary.
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