New At&T Tilt

[Scott]

Can anyone using the new At&T Tilt Smartphone tell me how they like
it? I'm dumping my damaged iPaq Pocket PC and thinking of transitioning
to the Tilt. I use my PDA heavily for contacts and appointments. I also
love checking email via WiFi. I believe the Tilt has a stylus. Is it as
useful as on a Pocket PC?

Also, is the GPS software ($10 a month, I believe) worth it? I just
ordered a Garmin GPS for my wife's Lincoln.

Thanks!
Scott

[Sven]

Got a Tilt about a week ago, to replace/upgrade an i-Mate Wizard (ATT 8125).
Very nice unit, little smaller than the Wizard though it is a bit heavier. A
Phone edition device is everything a PPC is, plus the phone functions, so it
should easily replace a PPC. You will find that the screen is going to be a
bit smaller than most pure PPCs have been in the past, but the new screens
are crisper IMHO. The unit does have WiFi so you can continue using that
option as always, but if you pick up an ATT data plan*, the Tilt supports 3G
and I'm getting 500-600Kbs download speeds.

I would not get the map plan. The Tilt has an integral GPS and most any
third party navigation software can make use of it. The catch is that the
data stream is on Comm 4 and at 9600Bps, so the software must be
configurable for that (Pocket Streets won't work). There is no shortage in
that area. You can also use Live Earth Mobile and Windows Live Search, both
free downloads, with the internal GPS. Regardless of what you get for the
Tilt, I expect the Garmin will do a better job in the Lincoln for auto
navigation.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the Tilt, but then I was very happy with the
Wizard before it, and it is an upgraded version of it.

*Data plan - I have a $20/mo all you can eat plan. ATT seems to believe that
PPCs, Smartphones, Blackberries all use different forms of 1's and 0's and
that some cost more than others. For a PDA they seem to want to charge a
lot. I got the initial data plan with a Smartphone, a couple of years ago,
and have just been moving the SIM into whatever I want. I bought the Tilt
on-line and selected phone only, no plan change. They provided a SIM that
supports 3G, but I am still paying $20/mo (for the data).

Some time ago, we purchased a new phone for my wife that didn't support
data. Online I changed the type of phone to a Smartphone and signed her up
for a $20/mo data plan. That SIM works in most anything I stick it in. What
I'm saying is, if you can get the store guy to sell you a $20 data plan,
great, but I bet they will push the $50 one and it is futile to try to
change them. In that case I would get the phone with no data plan, upgrade
from existing phone if you can, and add the data on-line. Not that the
rebate forms that I've seen require you to sign up for the high dollar data
plan. The $50-$100 rebate doesn't cover $20-$30 more per month for 2 years,
so I just forgo the rebate and keep the cheap data plan. I've had luck with
this, YMMV.

I will say the ATT needs to rethink their pricing. I have a T-Mobile account
as well and am paying $20 a month for unlimited data and WiFi Hotspot
access. They know exactly what phone I have and the Hotspot access is on
any/every laptop I take to a Starbucks (or wherever) the offers a T-Mobile
Hotspot.

--
Sven
MS MVP Mobile Devices
"Scott" <gol...@uslink.net> wrote in message
news:472D4A03...@uslink.net...

[Scott]

Sven,

Thanks for your very comprehensive comments. You've been very helpful. By "data plan",
I assume you mean: unlimited internet, email, etc? $20 a month does seem very reasonable.

Thanks again!
Scott

[HotRdd]

check the Garmin website they are releasing a Micro SD that has the maps and
application on it. I know a few people with the phone waiting for it to be
release it should work great. Don't pay the $10 month fee...

"Scott" <gol...@uslink.net> wrote in message
news:472D4A03...@uslink.net...

[Sven]

Yup, that's what I mean.

--
Sven
MS MVP Mobile Devices
"Scott" <gol...@uslink.net> wrote in message

news:472F743D...@uslink.net...

[Scott]

Sven,

My local cell phone rep says that Att&T will soon figure out that you're underpaying
for your smartphone data plan (based on kb's of data) and force you to pay more.
What say you?

Scott

[Sven]

I don't think so. A) they have better things to do than try to correlate
EMEI numbers to types of instruments and plans, B) I am not abusing the data
transfers, and the concept is based on the statistical theory that PPC users
will use more data than SP users, C) their competitors don't follow the same
silly pricing structure, and they do have competitors, and D) I'll just turn
off data altogether and dump them. E) I've been moving the SIM around for
about 3 years now.

--
Sven
MS MVP Mobile Devices
"Scott" <gol...@uslink.net> wrote in message

news:4731F773...@uslink.net...

[Todd Allcock]

At 07 Nov 2007 19:50:07 -0700 Sven wrote:
> I don't think so. A) they have better things to do than try to
> correlate EMEI numbers to types of instruments and plans,

I agree with that premise.

> B) I am not abusing the data transfers, and the concept is based
> on the statistical theory that PPC users will use more data than SP
> users,

This is the lynchpin- as long as you don't abuse the dataplan, like
trying to use it as a substitute for home internet service, I think
you'll be fine. However, if you run a torrent program on your PPC, all
bets are off! ;-)

[Scott]

Sven,

Okay, that makes sense to me.

Scott

[Sven]

Don't even do that on my home PC which already has decent connectivity :) I
have more information now than I know what to do with or can find. I'm
content to let others store the info and just look at it when I need to.

--
Sven
MS MVP Mobile Devices

"Todd Allcock" <elecc...@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in message
news:fgu55o$qn3$1...@aioe.org...