AT&T Tilt Cell Phone Review - Software
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Mark Brezinski Published on October 25, 2007 Comment on this |
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OS (8.5)
The Tilt is equipped with Windows Mobile 6. This operating system contains a huge array of built-in features, and is also very extensible, which allows native third-party applications to fill in any gaps. Windows Mobile 6 has a few upgrades over older versions, such as support for HTML-encoded e-mail, enhanced media playback on the home screen, and better software for interacting with Exchange Servers. The operating system's main problem is that it's very resource hungry, and navigating around menus will cause lag.
Home Screen Score (9.0)
Extensibility (9.0)
The Tilt, like all Windows Mobile devices, is very extensible. There is a plethora or native third-party applications you can install to give your Tilt more robust functionality. The phone uses Java virtual machine to be able to run its namesake applications, such as Opera Mini, which we were able to download and install easily (barring a few paranoid pop-ups that claimed Opera Mini wasn't to be trusted). We'd recommend you download Opera Mini, as it offers a better browsing experience than IE. This is why extensibility is important: you don't have to be stuck with applications you don't like.
Also, one interesting feature is that, in the tools folder, there is a Java icon that lists all your currently installed Java applications.
Customizability (8.0)
There are quite a few ways to flesh out your Tilt experience, thanks to the customization options inherent in the Windows Mobile OS. The wallpaper is mutable, you can change the active plug-ins, the Start menu can be customized, and you can change the global text size. There are also different themes to choose from.
OS Responsiveness (7.0)
Windows Mobile isn't known for its responsiveness. In fact, the experience on the T-Mobile Wing was absolutely sluggish. The Tilt does a much better job reducing lag, however, mostly thanks to its 128 MB SRAM. Menus won't open up in a split second, but they're by no means slow. The same goes for applications. The lag was more noticeable when opening menus, as some items would load faster than others, which looks a bit glitchy. Opening the phone also elicits a bit of a wait as the screen switches to profile. Given the RAM, we honestly would have expected the OS to be more responsive.
Browser Features (7.5)
The Tilt is stuck with the mobile version of Internet Explorer. Mobile IE supports WAP and HTML pages, as well as Javascript, images, frames, encryption, and cookies. HTC Mogul uses Internet Explorer Mobile to browse the Web, as is standard on Windows Mobile devices. Internet Explorer Mobile supports both standard HTML and mobile-oriented WAP pages. It also supports images, frames, encrypted sites, and cookies. It supports Javascript, but had some issues with our test. Java and Flash aren't supported, but you can download a Flash plug-in from Adobe. The lack of Flash and Java isn't, by any means, a serious strike against the Tilt, as it's actually quite rare to see them supported.
Browsing Interface (7.0)
Browser Access (10.0)
Normally our "ease of access" tests rely on time. This is usually a good indicator of how much hassle it is to open up a program. In this case, however, connection speed would play a huge role, and the resulting time could be significantly affected by things like location and weather. We therefore count the number of steps it takes to browse to a website. Entering the URL counts as one step.
The Tilt was able to get a site up in four steps, regardless of whether or not you open the phone. This is because we count both opening the phone and removing the stylus as one step. Once you've made this initial decision, the steps are the same. First, you hit the IE shortcut on the d-pad array. This opens the browser, with the URL toolbar highlighted and the on-screen keyboard up. At this point you type in the URL with your preferred method, ending with the enter key. This is really fast, even more so than other Windows Mobile phones. The good news is that, even if you choose to download and use Opera instead of mobile IE, the Tilt allows you to reassign the IE shortcut key to Opera (or any other application). The Tilt's browser is very easily accessible.
| Cell Phone | Steps | Score |
| AT&T Tilt | 4 | 10.0 |
| Nokia E90 | 10 | 4.00 |
| BlackBerry Curve 8320 | 11 | 5.00 |
| HTC Mogul | 5 | 8.00 |
| Palm Treo 750 | 8 | 5.00 |
| Apple iPhone | 4 | 10.00 |
Gaming (7.0)
The Tilt's extensibility also ensures you can download a ton of additional games, either native third-party offerings or Java-based games. The Tilt seems as though it's a suitable gaming platform, though its d-pad could have its directional arrows differentiated more clearly.
Calculator (6.0)
The calculator is another Windows Mobile standby, and the TIlt's is the same one found on other Windows Mobile Professional devices. Basic functions are supported, as are a few more advanced functions like square roots and percentages. It's sufficient to do basic calculations, but anything more complicated will require a more advanced third-party calculator.
Alarm (8.0)
The Tilt's alarm is a standard Windows Mobile affair. You can set up to three alarms. Each can be set to any day or combination of days, and you customize their alarm sound and style.
Document Software (6.0)
Since the Tilt runs a Windows-based operating system, it seems natural that it would come with a version of Office. The Tilt's software will let you view and edit Word and Excel files. You can also view PowerPoint presentations and PDF files.
Other Software (2.0)
The Tilt also deserves a few extra points for software above and beyond that described above. Again, with Windows Mobile, you'll be getting a few extra features, one of which is a great file explorer. You'll also have access to various Windows Live applications.
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