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TyTN IIs from Orange and T-Mobile

Orange and T-Mobile have launched their versions of HTC's award-winning TyTN II Windows Mobile 6 handheld/phone/GPS.
By Sandra Vogel, Contributing Writer
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1 of 3 Sandra Vogel/ZDNET

Not surprisingly, the Orange HTC TyTN II and the T-Mobile MDA Vario III share a great deal with each other, and with the original HTC TyTN II. All three devices have quad-band GSM and 3G/HSDPA connectivity, run Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional, feature a front-facing camera for video calling and a 3-megapixel camera on the back, and have a built-in GPS receiver. Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) and Bluetooth (2.0) are also integrated.

The feature that the original HTC TyTN II introduced — a tilting screen — is also present. When the keyboard is slid out, the display reformats into widescreen mode; the screen can be tilted up to an angle of about 45 degrees.

This may sound gimmicky, but it means you can find a more eye-friendly angle when holding the device in the hand to tap out emails; you can also leave it on a desk and easily view incoming SMS messages, your diary or the Today screen.

 

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2 of 3 Sandra Vogel/ZDNET

There are, of course, plenty of differences between the devices too. On the hardware side, T-Mobile has one of the front keys mapped to launch its Web’n’walk service, which opens into its web portal complete with Google search bar. On the Orange HTC TyTN II, the same button opens the Orange World portal locally in Internet Explorer, with the first tap of a link taking you online.

Orange has implemented its standard Windows Mobile Today screen, which provides tappable icons acting as shortcuts to main applications. T-Mobile, meanwhile, has opted for HTC’s TyTN II-specific Today screen with its large date display and access to favourite contacts and profiles. Alternative Windows Mobile Today screens are also available on each device.

Both handhelds also implement HTC’s X-button utility. This allows you to actually close, rather than simply minimise, applications with a tap of the ‘X’ button in the top right corner of the screen.

T-Mobile's MDA Vario III is expected to be available bundled with ALK’s CoPilot Live navigation software.

 

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3 of 3 Sandra Vogel/ZDNET

The Orange and T-Mobile TyTN IIs are with a hair’s breadth of each other as far as memory is concerned. After a hard reset, the MDA Vario III reported 119MB of free storage memory and 71MB of free program memory, while Orange’s device said it had 124MB and 72MB available respectively.

There was even less separating battery life. Instructed to play music continuously with the screen forced to stay on, the Orange HTC TyTN II delivered 5 hours and 35 minutes of uptime, while the MDA Vario III lasted for 5 hours and 45 minutes. In our original HTC TyTN II review we got 5 hours and 40 minutes.

 

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