HTC TyTN II smartphone

The other major addition to the latest TyTN is the GPS receiver. This enables the phone to be used with any Windows Mobile 6-compatible satellite navigation software package, or other GPS-enabled applications such as Google Maps. HTC supplies its TyTN II with a TomTom Navigator 6 Taster Edition sampler, although there wasn’t one with our Orange review sample.

Beefed up specs means a heavier handset

We tested the GPS functionality with downloaded Google Maps and ALK’s CoPilot Live 7 software on a Micro SD card. The TyTN II is impressively quick at locating satellites, and updates the map display fast and accurately. The large screen really plays well with sat nav.

On the Orange-tweaked version of the TyTN II, you get a few extras, like access to Traffic TV – a network of CCTV cameras showing regularly-updated pics of traffic flow on major roads – and Orange’s Mobile TV service. You can also access remote syncing via an Orange backup service, and use Orange Mail as an alternative to the other email options.

Battery life on our review sample didn’t get anywhere near the estimates provided by HTC, though our use of Wi-Fi and the music player along with a bit of GPS and camera usage no doubt explains that. HTC quotes up to 365 hours on standby when connected to a GSM network, or 250 hours on 3G; talk-ime is quoted as up to 420 minutes for GSM or 264 minutes for 3G. We managed between two and four days between charges with sustained usage.

Verdict

As Windows Mobile 6 devices go, the TyTN II takes some beating. HTC has raised the bar with the feature list and improved keyboard usability dramatically with its display and keyboard engineering nous. Connectivity is excellent too. And GPS is a welcome and genuinely useful extra.

And while the TyTN II is a heavyweight phone in the literal sense, pound-for-pound it does deliver a cracking performance. This is one heck of a smartphone.