HTC Titan Review (WP7)

As we were working on a Windows Phone 7 (WP7) application for work we had to buy some handsets for testing. I decided that I would give the HTC Titan a go as I was interested to see what it is like to use a phone with a 4.7″ screen.

It was also my first time using WP7 as an OS with my primary device being a iPhone 4. I was very pleasantly surprised when I got the phone out of the box that it wasn’t too heavy. Once I turned it on I was immediately drawn into the screen.

The setup process for WP7 is very straight forward and I really enjoy the simplicity of live tiles. The fact that they can update and show interesting bits of information without being complicated to setup is a real bonus to WP7.

I have spent a lot of time using Android recently and it always takes me a long time to get the widgets setup and the home screens working in a way that makes sense to me. There was none of this with WP7.

The great thing about having a really strong design is that a lot of the apps use this as their template so if you enjoy the way that this works it is easy to pick up and you automatically know how to use them.

I was also very impressed with the camera and software which seems to predict the best time to take the photo once you have the button pressed. Some really good results and always capturing the right shot was nice. I used SkyDrive to get the photos off the phone and into the cloud which is a nice touch.

Zune software is similar to iTunes and a necessary evil, much better than the random software that ships with Android but still overblown for what it is really. My friend has a Zune pass and says that it works out really well, got enough music myself without needing to stream.

This brings me to my major gripe with WP7 music playback, I listen to a lot of mixed music like the Fabric series, if you have ripped these as separate tracks then their is a skip in-between tracks. To me this is a golden sin and one of the reasons that I couldn’t use this phone as my main device.

The other main issue is the cost of Apps, due to the lack of numbers developers have to charge more. What would most likely be free on Android and £.99 on iPhone is upward of £3.99 on the WP7 marketplace. Makes it a lot harder to make those impulse purchases.

A final issue is that currently there is no Skype at all on the WP7 marketplace or integrated on the phone. This is crazy considering Microsoft owns Skype and a major oversight. I know they are probably waiting to do a deep integration but with family around the world no access to Skype is a real oversight.

Overall I really enjoyed using the HTC Titan for a couple of months and really think that WP7 Mango and the Metro interface should be a major competitor to Apple and Android if it can gain traction. Once Microsoft bakes Skype into it and allows you to stream to your Xbox as well as use it as a keyboard I think there will be more reasons to buy.

HTC have done a good job to give people a reason to buy something different from the lovely Nokia sporting WP7 and the screen with live tiles is just amazing. Good battery life and easy input on a big screen is a winner. Not going to replace my iPhone 4 but I have been missing WP7 since we moved on to building an Android App.

If you do get a HTC Titan or any Windows Phone 7 phone then you should download the Metro App for it here (shameless plug).

Specifications

Software : Windows Phone 7.5 Mango
Processor : 1.5GHz
Memory slot : No
Display : 4.7in 480 x 800 pixels multitouch
Connectivity : GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth,A-GPS
Ports : Micro USB, 3.5mm headphones
Camera : 8 megapixel, F2.2 lens, dual LED flash, and BSI sensorVideo
Video playback : 3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .m4v, .mbr, .wmv
Audio playback : m4a, .m4b, .mp3, .wma
Radio : No
Battery : Li-ion 1600 mAh
Size : 132x71x10mm
Weight : 119g

Music to Read this Review to

Girl Unit – Wut was one of the tunes of last year. Claude Vonstroke gives it a re-rub just making it slightly deeper.