AT&T Tilt vs Iphone

[taylor310]

Here is what I have so far for the pluses and minus for each of the devices. I am a business student that is majoring in Management Information Systems(computer related degree). I am just switching to AT&T so I can pretty much get a tilt for 50 bucks while the iphone would cost 400. Would it be wiser to just get the tilt for the time being and maybe upgrade to an second or third generation iphone? Also since I am not out in the field yet I'm not sure if I would get all the use out of the tilt that I could. Once you configure the tilt to remove all of the bloatware and other crap I wouldn't need how fast/slow is this phones OS?

I'm having a pretty hard time deciding which I should get and which would suit me better. Which gets better service etc? My friend with an 8525 and after using his friends iphone said it went out of service and dropped far more calls than his 8525(this could also be the AT&T provider not being as good as whatever he has).

Tilt

Pros:
Can do way more stuff with 3rd party apps etc.(not sure how much of it I will be able to use, probably some of it would be useful to me though)
Sliding keyboard
tweakability(I'm not sure if this is a plus or minus, I'm somewhat of a techie who would probably have fun messing with all the settings and registry tweaks etc.)

Cons:
Size(thing is enormous)
Battery life(pretty big deal for me since I'm a lazy student who always forgets to charge it etc)
Less simple to get setup/interface

Iphone

pros:
Simple interface
Battery Life
Size
the 8 gig Ipod.
updates

cons:
Less Customizable(how customizable is this phone once you hack it? would i get similar 3rd party apps and customization after it was hacked?)
little bugs
price(Money isn't really much of an issue though so this is a pretty small con for me personally)
No 3g(although 3g isn't even available yet in OKC, and I plan on being around Wifi hot spots on campus and around the house frequently, I'm not on the road too often)

 

[surur]

You have not said what you want to use your phone for. That should be what really makes the difference. The Tilt is a very powerful device, but if you are mainly going to use it to listen to music its obviously the wrong device.

To give you an idea of what its capable of, I use mine for scheduling my appointments, Push e-mail via hosted exchange server, it gets my Hotmail via Push too. I also use tasks, and because I use hosted exchange the contacts I have entered on my PC shows up automatically on my phone, and vice versa. I have TomTom navigation package installed. I sync podcasts to it every morning, and listen to it via A2DP on my way to work. I also listen to music via my A2DP bluetooth headsets, which are much more convenient than wired ones. I browse the various forums I frequent, and keep on top of my RSS feeds via bloglines. I have a variety of Oxford reference books on my phone, and also keep track of my cases each day with it, writing notes in Phatnotes, obviously using the nice keyboard extensively for this. I also make phone calls and I like the smart filtering it uses which makes it fast to find contacts.

I have a SlingBox, and when I end up waiting somewhere (e.g. at the mall waiting for the wife to finish trying something on) I can stream my TV over the HSDPA. I can also watch YouTube which is pretty cool (thx Zbop)I've got a few ebooks on it in ereader format, and the latest ereader allows you to buy books from the device itself, which means next time I see a book catching my eye in the shop I can compare prices and availability right there, and decide if I want to buy a physical or electronic book instead.

I also use my phone to tether my laptop every day at HSDPA speeds, which is really useful. The camera is OK, and allows geotagging of photos using the built-in GPS, which is extra cool.

If the above sounds like things you would like to do you could try a Tilt. However if you mainly want to listen to podcasts, frequent the iTunes store, and of course have a great web experience the iPhone is for you.

I must admit the Tilt does not give you the joie de vie of an iPhone, but its a great tool. You have to work a lot harder to get the maximum out of the device however, whereas the iPhone does so little, you will probably master it in the first week. However if you like pushing your device to its limits and always discovering new capabilities the Tilt is much better.

Surur

 

[Jeffp25]

Tilt great for note taking

First, I'm not a fan of the keyboard on the Tilt - the buttons are not responsive enough. However, if you sit the Tilt on a table/desk, tilt up the display, and use a folding Bluetooth keyboard, you have great combination for taking notes in meetings.

 

[Rusty J]

Hint with the bluetooth keyboard

Instead of placing the open/tilted device behind the keyboard (where you'd normally expect it to be), put it in front of the keyboard between your wrists.
It makes it much easier to read the screen, and works well when touch-typing. Of course, if your typing skills are limited to hunt-and-peck, the more-normal position will probably work best.

 

[rblover69]

cant even compare the PPC today is far more capable then the first gen iphone. Then again it wasnt ment to directly compete.

 

[thor492001@gmail.com]

I had a iphone for awhile and didn't really like it. Loved the touch screen, HTC and everyone else needs to catch up with that. The one thing I hated about the iphone is that you can't send pictures, can't take video, can't send video, apps suck, and the battery was the worst I've ever had. It was brand new and didn't last more than 2 days without listening to music. My tilt lasts at least 3 days and i'm on it alot. You can't use just any headphones, only the ones that come with it. The headphone jack is sunk down and I couldn't find any that would fit. I have a 80g ipod and the iphone was only 8g and was more annoying to try and pic what music to fit. Anyway, just one guys opinion.

 

[brat1475]

I agree with Surur, the Tilt is pretty powerful and in the end it's all about what you intend to use it for. Iphone is far less customizable than the Tilt. I just started using SPB Mobile Shell on it, and it makes things a lot more user friendly once you get everything setup how you want. I read ebooks from Mobipocket, browse the web with Opera Mobile 9.5, listen to podcasts in my car via FM Transmitter I bought, and of course my calander and notes. I'm in the Navy so I don't get push email from them unfortunately, but I do get my yahoo via IMAP, and have no problems. IMHO, Iphone is a nice piece of eye candy that has great potential, but a long way to go. Just another opinion.

 

[xxpinballxx]

Plain and simple way to distinguish the two....
Iphone is an Ipod you can make calls on and the Tilt is a PDA/Phone.

DO you need to combine your ipod and Phone or are you more business oriented and want your PDA and phone in one device.

I personally have both and really only use the iphone when out on photowalks or biking or doing yard work so I can listen to music and not miss calls. All the rest of the time I have a PPC device with me.

 

[diamanj]

Tilt is the way to go, more funtionality, free programs and great for day to day business. The Iphone wins on screen size and looks. I do hate how the screen on the tilt is not flat.