Any product to replace the Dopod 838 Pro has big boots to fill. That slider was launched last year and was one of the first to feature HSDPA connectivity in a PDA-phone. It has remained popular since then, with HTC opting to upgrade the device's OS to Windows Mobile 6 even though it's already more than a year old--testament to its staying power. So here we have the HTC TyTN II, which has been commonly referred to as the Kaiser on message boards and rumor sites because of its internal codename.

Pros

The 838 Pro, up to this day, has one of the most complete suites of data connectivity options for any PDA-phone. The TyTN II matches that one for one, so that's good. This includes triband HSDPA/UMTS and quadband GSM, as well as more standard fare like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In addition to all these the TyTN II also comes with GPS for navigation, which isn't found in its predecessor.

With 128MB RAM and 256 ROM, the TyTN II looks like it will be quite a workhorse. Having 128MB RAM is a luxury because it depletes the battery faster in favor of better performance. All things remaining constant, we should see greater responsiveness when multitasking, something power users will surely welcome.

Besides being able to slide out to reveal a QWERTY keyboard, the TyTN II will also tilt up slightly so it resembles a mini notebook. This option will give users another angle to work with as well as make it easier to view media as the screen will be easily visible even when set on a table.

Cons

As we have seen from other devices like the E-Ten glofiish X500+, there are 2.8-inch VGA-resolution displays out there. It would have been great if HTC managed to put one of those in the TyTN II as that would really set it apart from the 838 Pro.

The processor found in this handheld is a 400MHz Qualcomm one. This doesn't seem like an improvement over the current 400MHz Samsung processor in the 838 Pro. Then again, we can't say for sure before trying it out, so that'll be something we'll explore when doing the full review.

Bottomline

With the addition of GPS, the TyTN II will appeal to users who want everything and anything in a PDA-phone. It will be interesting to see how the battery will hold out with so many features and, like the processor, it's something we will be paying close attention to in our upcoming review.