The AT&T Tilt is special for a number of reasons. It's AT&T's first Windows Mobile 6 smart phone, and it also features an innovative design. However, there's more to this smart phone than a pretty face, as it promises to be the carrier's most powerful smart phone for business users.
Despite being on the larger side, we think HTC did a good job with the design. The AT&T Tilt has nice rounded corners and boasts a sleek-black-lacquer-and-polished-steel finish on front, while the back features a soft-touch finish for better gripping.
The AT&T Tilt measures 4.4 inches long by 2.3 inches wide by 0.7 inch deep and weighs 6.1 ounces. The handset is definitely bulky and heavy, so it won't easily slip into a pants pocket and will add some weight to your travels.
With a tilting screen, you can lay the smart phone on a flat surface to read through your e-mails, work documents, or view videos. However, for creating e-mails and other messages, we found it easier just to hold the smart phone in both hands and let our thumbs happily tap away.
The Tilt is equipped with a 3-megapixel camera with up to 8x zoom and video recording capabilities. Picture quality was a little disappointing since coloring was a bit dull and hazy. Plus, you have to have a really steady hand in order to get a clear shot.
The Tilt's full QWERTY keyboard features large rectangular buttons that are tactile and well-backlit, so we were easily able to type out e-mails, text messages, and the like. The number buttons are also easy see, as they're highlighted in silver. The only real problem we ran into was trying to press the two soft keys above the keyboard while the screen was tilted up.
Like the 8525, the smart phone has a slide-out screen that reveals a full QWERTY keyboard underneath. However, there's one major difference between the two: The Tilt's screen tilts (hence the name; get it?) up to 40 degrees to give you a better viewing angle.
Below the display, you'll find a navigation array that includes Talk and End buttons, two soft keys, an OK button, app shortcuts, and a five-way navigation toggle. We found the controls spacious and easy to use.
On the bottom of the smart phone, you'll find a microSD expansion slot that can accept up to 4GB cards with support for up to 32GB media when that becomes available.
