HTC TyTN II Review

Back in 2005, the first information on the HTC Wizard leaked, shaking the world of (Windows Mobile-powered) smartphones. The revolutionary HTC offered large for that time display (2.8 inches QVGA) and small enough body, but still big QWERTY keyboard thanks to the fact it was sliding from the side, instead of vertically as a normal slider. This form-factor became popular quickly and many other manufacturers started using it, now being a common thing. We’ve seen it in various WM phones (ETEN, Toshiba, Asus) and in other devices like the Helio Ocean and the Samsung F700. It proved to be a success; it is not a key feature anymore.

What we have here is the HTC TyTN II, or the Kaiser as it was known before the official announcement. This is the successor of the TyTN (which replaces the Wizard) bringing resemblance in the design, but moving the form-factor to the next level. After the upper part slides and the keyboard is revealed, the Display tweaks at an angle and gives a laptop-like view, which makes it more comfortable to use.

As functionality, the TyTN II is very similar to the first TyTN with all the bells and whistles of the WM6 Professional OS, but it adds GPS chip for Navigation – the only thing that the predecessor lacked. The TYTN II is the first phone to offer TouchFlo, after the original HTC Touch. This shows that the software will be offered in more than one model in the HTC family of devices.