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By John Chan, CNET Asia
Sep 19, 2007

Anticipation is a funny thing. Traveling an hour to fulfill a food craving, going on a blind date or even buying a simple household utensil you've been eyeing can lead to immense satisfaction or horrible disappointment. So, in replacing the Dopod 838 Pro, which end of that spectrum does the HTC TyTN II (read: Titan two) fit? In all honesty, it's probably closer to the middle.

Design

The color scheme of the TyTN II is a mix of black, gray and silver. The glossy plastic part is limited to the edges around the front, surrounding a matte-gray metal-like finish which, in turn, goes around the display. The sides and back of the device all feature a black soft-touch material. This is attractive and comfortable to hold, but there is concern that it will discolor, or worse, degenerate from heat or over time. That said, this is mostly a preference issue, and a moot one if you decide to use any kind of case.

The dimensions of this handheld are 112 x 59 x 19mm. This is almost identical to the 838 Pro's 112.5 x 58 x 21.95mm measurements. Though marginally thinner, the TyTN II is no featherweight. It is, in fact, 190g--about 7 percent heavier than its predecessor. This is quite a load to carry, so it certainly won't fit the needs of those who love slim, superlight mobile phones. Though the TyTN II is not much smaller, its sharper edges compared with the 838 Pro's curved ones make it look more compact at first glance.

Shortcut buttons on the TyTN II are plentiful, spread out along the sides and front. Aside from the directional pad below the display, it also comes with a scroll wheel along the left side. Like the 838 Pro, the only connector is a single mini USB jack found along the base. This works as a charge/sync connector and doubles as a wired headset connector, too. We would have preferred a dedicated audio mini-jack. The SIM card slot position is now not under the battery but found behind the slider. Removing the SIM card still turns the device off though, just like if you removed the battery, but it does make changing SIMs slightly more convenient.

The biggest design change from the 838 Pro is certainly the slider direction. When held upright, the screen now slides out to the left instead of right on the previous model. This does make it easier for the right thumb to expose the keyboard, but it will initially cause long-time users of the 838 Pro to stumble. We got used to it after a few days and found the direction change did not affect normal use after acclimatization.

The sliding mechanism on the TyTN II is excellent because it is much easier to use now. A spring finishes the opening and closing actions, making exposing and retracting the keyboard effortless. In the open position, the screen can be further tilted up by about 45 degrees so it can rest on a table with the screen facing the user. This does not help for typing because it is meant to be used with the thumbs, with the device held in the hands. It does help if you are watching a movie or making a video call at a desk. This also makes it great for a car dashboard, especially when using the GPS for road navigation.

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