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I flashed my HTC TyTN aka Cingular 8525 to Windows Mobile 6. The ROM installed was an optimized version from the XDA site, and it’s definitely snappier than the default Windows Mobile 5 ROM. There are some nice touches from HTC and Microsoft in making settings and task management easier for the end user, and the Aero-like look is slick. It appears Microsoft took a page from the Treo, and put Live search on the Today page by default.

I did use the ROM-included tweaks to turn off menu animation to improve UI interaction performance. Between the optimizations and the tweaks, the beachball doesn’t appear as often.

It’s going to be asked, so I’ll answer – the iPhone’s UI is just better. For example, spinning Pocket IE horizontally by extending the keyboard might just take a moment more, but that moment is a noticeable one when it comes to human interaction. Now, the HTC TyTN’s keyboard is much better than the on-screen one of the iPhone, but overall interaction goes to the iPhone. I’ll readily admit I am still in the gee-whiz stage with the iPhone, so check back in a week more.

There’s been a lot of criticism about the recessed earbud/headphone jack on the iPhone. I believe that it’s not a matter of aesthetics, as some assume, but engineering a solution to relieve strain on the port and the internals. While this does render my Shure E2Cs useless without an extender, I’d rather pick up an earbud-microphone set than do something to the phone.

Edit: Looks like the guys over at iFixit agree: “Apple did this to reduce the strain on the narrow metal jack when you yank on the headphones. With this design, the hard plastic cable jacket absorbs most of the impact.”

So, how does the iPhone stack up against a Windows Mobile phone?

• The UI and intuitive nature of the iPhone puts it heads and shoulders above the Windows Mobile device.
• The iPhone is also a much more aesthetically pleasing device.
• Rating on pure power and functionality puts the Windows Mobile device on a totally different level. The number of apps I can throw on the 8525 is staggering.
• 3G (and 3.5G) with UTMS and HSDPA blows away EDGE speeds.
• Related to aesthetics, the size, weight, and feel of the iPhone is much better than that of most Windows Mobile devices. It just feels right.
• Using Pocket IE after using the nearly full browser on the iPhone makes me cry. Safari on the iPhone is just that good. Sure, EDGE can be slow and painful, but at least it’s a real web site, not something crammed into the screen. I did try Deepfish on the 8525, and Microsoft still has a long way to go.
• Full notes syncing on the 8525. That will be missed.
• A full calendar on the 8525, which means I can assign calendar events to different sub-calendars within iCal.
• That said, the calendar on the iPhone is easier on the eyes. I think that’s one of the fundamental differences (and why so many Mac users adhere to the GTD philosophy of work management between Apple’s presentation and Microsoft’s. Apple presents you the data you need in a manner thats very easy to process quickly. This often means sparing down some functionality. Microsoft gives you everything but at the cost of some process time.

Yes, I still have my Cingular 8525 aka HTC TyTN. The two main drivers for buying that phone were 3G connectivity (UMTS and HSDPA) and the promise of having work email pushed to the device. The former still holds true, but the latter is not. That was a serious letdown for me. The phone is a great device, though, especially if you’re forced to tether.

First thoughts so far:

• CingularAT&T was hammered, and activation was not immediate. Not a big deal for me, as it was only 15 minutes. From Ars and other sites, I read that some folks are taking hours. I did call in to get some answers on my bill, so maybe that helped.
• Setting up Mail and Safari on the iPhone was as easy as checking the sync boxes in iTunes. I use OmniWeb as my primary browser, so limiting Safari links to what I want on my iPhone is easy.
• http://reader.mac.com just tells you to put the URL of the RSS feed into the browser address bar.
• The animation for mail deletion is very slick. Eye-candy.
• Calendar on the iPhone is not as fully-featured as that on my Windows Mobile 5 device. OTOH, it is very easy to read and navigate.
• I will be watching a lot more vidcasts now. I download them, but rarely have a chance to watch them. I always have my phone on me, so I will find time to catch up. Sweet.
• Coverflow on the iPhone is beautiful.
• Speaking of which, Starry Night as wallpaper? Brilliant!
• Trust the keyboard auto-correction. I have no problems, but I have always adapted to thumboards and other alternative text entry systems quickly.
• Safari is highly usable. First render of some text is rough, and you can see it quickly adjust. You will have to be careful on passwords – well, I hope you don’t have dictionary-search passwords.
• The slide and unlock sound is a nice touch.
• Mail works well on the phone. I’ll have to dive more into this. I’ll have to set up procmail or leave an IMAP mail client with filtering running to ensure spamassassin-marked email is not pulled down.
• The weather widget does not offer as much information as SBSH Weather, but again, easy to read, quick info.
• Looking at AAPL stock versus TWX stock over the last two years makes me cry. I’m just glad I own some AAPL….

More to come!

iPhone (un)boxing – the Apple philosophy on aesthetics extends to even the packaging. It reminds me of the Japanese attention to detail.

Sorry about the low quality flash photos – it’s late, and I want to hook up my iPhone.