Nokia E90 versus the HTC Kaiser!

Hey Steve. I noticed in the opening of your vid you mention google and IMAP. I set it up on both my E70 and Outlook 2007 and I do not understand the difference between INBOX and [Gmail]/All Mail. Feel like giving me a hand? They appear on both my phone and Outlook.

@Unregistered, All Mail option would also show your archived mail.

Having spent a bit of time using the MDA Vario III, I agree with Steve. The screen resolution is a real issue. The build quality of this HTC is much much better than the TyTN I. But I have to say, some people will find the TyTN II more compact and therefore more compelling.

I find a big problem on the E90 that I can't select text on web pages. Also it is pretty flaky trying to handle multiple webpages. Although the browser on the windows device is more primitive, I don't have those issues anymore.

I recently decided not to buy the E90 I'd been playing with for a couple of weeks and go for the TyTn II instead.

The screen is an issue if you've been using an E90 but HTC have fixed the TyTn I's hardward quality issues and the device is stable, reasonably fast and comes with superior bundled software to the E90. It's also an easier fit in my pocket - ultimately I just find it easier to live with, dat-to-day.

The E90 is a wonderful device if you can tolerate the really quite poor implementation of S60v3 and you avoid the hardware issues many have had (seriously - NINE MONTHS to fix this???).

It's big selling point is the screen and keyboard and both are wonderful but, for me, not enough to overcome the unwieldy form factor and distinctly underwhelming office apps.

Yeah, there were some points that I agreed on, but overall it seemed a bit biased. The Kaiser is more pocketable than the tall and incredibly heavy e90, and while he harped on the build quality of tytn (which I don't think is that bad comparative to previous products of HTC (where the build characteristics would evolve from.. not a Nokia series phone). He completely glossed over a number of SERIOUS hardware issues found in the first generation nokias.

There are Nokias that are literally breaking in unacceptable ways and have major issues that have not been resolved, I have not heard of such a manufacturing issue with the TYTN II.

There is also a real world price issue, with the E90 in some instances costing 50% more than the TYTN II. The question would be "are those five points difference worth the almost $300 USD price difference?" And finally (on the N.A side) there is an issue of lack of 3G on the E90.

Winmo 6 is not spectacular, and I absolutely hate Pocket Internet Explorer, but the S60 implementation on the E90 is not that brilliant, and it shows when loading third party programs on that internal screen. I believe it's close with a brand / OS preference, location, or monetary concerns really being the deciding vote.

I just found it odd that he really didn't say anything positive about the Kaiser, but the score was a lot closer than his disappointment let on.

Thanks all, some good feedback!

>>The Kaiser is more pocketable than the tall and incredibly heavy e90

It's not THAT much heavier, and I guess I don't think about tallness because I keep it in a belt case... (I've always done this etc, for any PDA)

>>, and while he harped on the build quality of tytn (which I don't think is that bad comparative to previous products of HTC (where the build characteristics

Oh, agreed. But the all-metal E90 will be still going strong in 10 years time when the mainly plastic TyTN II has been disabled after a drop onto the pavement. Possibly. 8-))

>>number of SERIOUS hardware issues found in the first generation nokias.

I mentioned the initial niggles (screen marks, mike noise) near the end. And what can I say, *my* E90 has been near perfect from day one, for the last 7 months.

>>There is also a real world price issue, with the E90 in some instances costing 50% more than the TYTN II. The question would be "are those five points difference worth the almost $300 USD price difference?" And finally (on the N.A side) there is an issue of lack of 3G on the E90.

Ah, yes, an E90 in the USA doesn't make sense. Do please bear in mind that I'm European though and that outside the USA, the E90 will work perfectly at 3.5G speeds. 8-) And pricing isn't that different over here, especially if you buy with contract etc.

>>Winmo 6 is not spectacular, and I absolutely hate Pocket Internet Explorer, but the S60 implementation on the E90 is not that brilliant, and it shows when loading third party programs on that internal screen. I believe it's close with a brand / OS preference, location, or monetary concerns really being the deciding vote.

Agreed. Especially for anyone in the USA.

>>I just found it odd that he really didn't say anything positive about the Kaiser, but the score was a lot closer than his disappointment let on.

The problem is that I did feel 'let down' by the Kaiser. It never stood out in ANY area and shouted 'Isn't this bit brilliant?' From screen to keyboard to WM6, it was all a bit average and predictable. Whereas the E90's wide screen, metal construction and app shortcut keys all impress just about everybody.

8-)

Steve

I had to laugh at the "sponsored by Symbian" at the end of the piece! Que'l surprise!

Really it's a laughably biased review, that seemingly kicks off with the question "how is my favourite E90 better than this new Tilt thingy" and carries on from there. Useful for people who have already bought the E90, but not so much for anyone else.

Nice review Steave.

I was just wondering if you could please do a point by point writen review on how they fair against each other when using the best 3rd party firmware for each divce.

Also, I know you're trying not to be, but you did come off sounding a bit biased. It is understandable since you love the E90 so much. My advice is to try to think like someone who prefers the Kaiser, that way the comparison will come off more balanced. Still, nice review (especially because it ended just the way I wanted it to 😊)!

Sorry for the double post, but I meant to say "third party software"!

@Boinng: Oh, come on. Biased? Well, maybe a little. BUT: which of my 100% objective, self-evident criticisms of the Tilt did you disagree with or not spot? It's a horrible dated design.

@Unregistered: Anyone with a heavy dependency on specific 3rd party software may well find that they can overlook the Tilt's hardware inferiority because of the softare angle. But not me, and there are plenty of great 3rd party apps for S60, IMHO.

And I suppose there's nothing at all dated about the design of the E90, no? Innovative, is it? Not just a rehash of every other Communicator they've knocked out over the last decade or so? Not reminiscent of a late-nineties' handset, no?

The point, as you're well aware, is not the validity of the criticisms you've levelled against the Kaiser, but the way you've glossed over anything equally bad about the Nokia. It's a completely unbalanced review, as you seem to acknowledge yourself. The trouble is, that makes it rather worthless.

Dated? A 800 pixel wide screen and proper qwerty keyboard that's arguably better than any other device on the current market? How can better be dated? The Kaiser's screen is a miniscule 320 by 240 pixels.

I'm sorry you found my review 'worthless', I put a lot of work into it.

Slitchfield, the form factor is dated - still modelled on the same mid-nineties brick that was acceptable when the Communicator range was first launched, ten years ago. There's a bit in your review where you actually award the E90 points for being "more like a phone" when you put it to your ear - I think the credibility of your review really starts to plummet when that sentence doesn't end with "from 1996". The Kaiser's proportions are far more in line with modern mobiles, and it's far less likely to recieve a double take from passers by when you take a call on it, but the E90 gets the points? That's just plain silly.

It's a biased review, you've said so yourself, so have other posters here. Biased reviews don't actually help anybody, so I'm sorry if you poured your heart and soul into this masterpiece but it's still a bit of a waste of time. Think on that, and try again later.

boinng wrote:Slitchfield, the form factor is dated - still modelled on the same mid-nineties brick that was acceptable when the Communicator range was first launched, ten years ago.

Unfortunately the phrase "If it ain't broke". Maybe we should change the form factor on laptops as they've been the same since the early ones. What a stupid argument.

Ok Switchblade, problem is, it wasn't me who brought up the issue of "dated design". And while we're still on the subject, of course laptops have changed quite a bit over the years - to get much thinner, much lighter, and much more ergonomically attuned. Not a trend that's immediately apparent in the Communicator series. What we have seen, instead, is the replacement of a well respected full keyboard-driven UI (S80) with a UI that's been completely developed around one-handed thumb use since the get-go (S60), but with no change whatsoever in the form factor. You really do have to question that, as most long-term Communicator users are doing. Unless your review is sponsored by Symbian, that is 😊

At the end of the day, the Kaiser's screen serves its purpose well - it's a perfectly standard size/resolution for Windows Mobile use. Attacking it on a design level is a little like picking on the Q key for still being above the A. The Kaiser is a workmanlike beast all round when it comes to it, making best use of WM6 in all the right areas, and while it may not set your hair alight aesthetically it does actually do the job, right out of the box. The E90, once you brush away the bells and whistles, doesn't seem to be impressing its core business market too much.

You'll find the form factor of the communicator series has done the same as laptops, thinner, lighter, although the keys have gotten worse. S80 for S60, I'll agree I'm missing some of the basic functionality like copy and paste in the calendar app. But having used the Kaiser's predecessor and seen them thrown across a room in anger when they crash trying to answer a call I'd not consider one before looking at it. You then have as stated a 320x240 screen, while this may be the WM6 staple but it's frankly not good enough, 640x200 was just bearable before, 800x352 is still limiting but if you want any form of productivity screen area is important. The E90 is unfortunately still the nearest thing I can get to a laptop in my pocket. Though I'm tempted by the thought of if Nokia can produce a clamshell with full keyboard based on the N810 I'd be going there.

I can't comment on the last Tytn, I never had one, but I can tell you the II hasn't crashed on me at all - it's been 100% rock solid, in calls and out. I think even Steve has to concede it's perfectly stable.

I'll give it to HTC though that their build quality is awesome, the power one of my mates put into throwing his at a wall and once reassambled it carried on working fine with just a few scratches on the casing. Thing is though that puts them off going near the Kaiser as they expect the same experience.

Every product has its horror stories attached to it, but there's a huge community of Tytn and other HTC users out there with quite a bit of loyalty to what is still a fairly young company (and an even younger brand) - so I guess they must have something going for them. I'm a newcomer to WM, but I've come across plenty of old hands who are actually skipping the Kaiser and sticking with their older Tytn I's until HTC pull something newer out of the bag, so the first generation can't have been all that bad.