HTC TyTN II

It seems like barely a month goes by without HTC launching another new smartphone and as this is October, it must be time for the HTC TyTN II. As you can probably guess, it's an update of the feature-filled and fabulous TyTN, but there's little to tell the two models apart at first glance.

The TyTN II (also known as the 'Kaiser') is almost exactly the same size and shape as its predecessor, but while it's a few millimetres thinner, it's also 14g heavier. Despite the extra weight, the more rounded shape actually makes it feel smaller in the hand and right-handers will now appreciate that the case slides apart in the opposite direction to the TyTN. The Qwerty keyboard tucked inside the case is almost identical to that of the TyTN's too, but the keys now have a matte finish that we rather liked, along with a much-reduced profile that we were less keen on. It's still fine for typing emails and other short notes though, and the large, tactile keys are certainly more usable than those on the Palm Treo 500v.

With the keyboard open, the TyTN II is also better balanced than the TyTN and it sits perfectly flat on the desk for typing. Using the device in this way doesn't give a great view of the screen, of course, but that's no longer a problem -- the screen on the TyTN II can now be tilted upwards by about 45 degrees to give a much more comfortable viewing angle. This trick comes courtesy of a new sliding hinge that holds the screen firmly in position at any angle and while it feels sturdy, only time will tell how the mechanism will wear with use.

GPS is another welcome addition to the TyTN II and it surely won't be long before built-in route-finding is a standard issue for all smartphones. You'll need to supply your own sat-nav software to make use of it, but CoPilot Live detected and configured the GPS receiver in a matter of seconds. The built-in receiver didn't seem any less sensitive than an external model either, although you will need to be more careful positioning the TyTN II in a car if it's to maintain a strong satellite lock while driving.

The TyTN had a two-megapixel camera -- the TyTN II ups this to three megapixels, albeit at the expense of a flash and a macro mode. Increased resolution aside, there isn't much difference in image quality between the two cameras, although the TyTN II does have the edge when it comes to colour accuracy. It sorely needs an option to disable the autofocus feature, though -- it's largely useless and introduces terrible shutter lag.

(TyTN II full size 1Mb image available here. TyTN 587Kb image available here) 

Apart from a glossy interface makeover and some much-needed improvements in messaging, security and communications, Windows Mobile 6 is much the same as Windows Mobile 5 -- so if you hated it last time round, the new version won't do much to change your mind. HTC has added the same custom TouchFLO interface first used on its Touch smartphone though, which makes for slightly easier one-handed control for certain functions. The deeply recessed screen on the TyTN II makes it trickier to use than on the flush screen of the Touch, but when you do need to fall back on the stylus (and you will), you at least get a non-telescopic one that's a good size.

At £480 for an unlocked handset, the TyTN II is much more expensive than the similarly specified Nokia N95 ( around £390, unlocked), although it's much better suited to business users and has a much longer battery life. If you don't need built-in GPS and the other incremental improvements though, an unlocked TyTN is £85 cheaper at Expansys and you can download a free upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 from the HTC website.