Cases come in all shapes and sizes. Different styles of case tend to cater to certain phones. For example, a form fitting leather case wouldn’t work very well with my Tilt. I’ve used a Seidio holster in the past with a Samsung Blackjack (and loved it), but I was a little unsure how well one of their holsters would work with a phone as bulky as the Tilt.

Stick around to see how well the Seidio holster for the Tilt handles the age old question; does this case make my phone look fat?

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If I were a smartphone, this is how I'd want to go out. Not left forgotten in the back of a closet somewhere. Not dumped into one of those cell phone recycling boxes. Not drowned in a pool (or worse, toilet), dead on the inside while looking mostly unscathed on the outside.

No, I'd want to be chewed up and spit out by a John Deere.

If you haven’t heard of HTC, you must be new here. If you haven’t heard Dieter complain about HTC’s apparent apprehension with putting a 3.5mm audio jack on their devices, you should start listening to our Podcast. One solution that has been mentioned before is HTC’s Multifunction adapter that gives you a slew of options for connecting all manner of devices to your device of choice. If you want this additional functionality on your phone, you know where to get all the details.

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(Update: We've also posted our Full Review of the Fuze!)

That's right, we have the AT&T Fuze here and are showing it off just a bit. Our initial impression: impressed. The Fuze feels solid, it has a surprising heft for what turns out to be a very small package. Well, small if you don't count the fact that it's about as thick as the AT&T Tilt. Cutting down the width and the height of the device makes a big difference -- though you will have to take our word for it until you can get one in your own hands.

TouchFLO 3D and Opera Mobile both perform much better than they did on the GSM Touch Diamond -- they're about on par with our experience with the Sprint Touch Pro. There's plenty of extra software included in there as well: YouTube, a business card scanner, remote desktop, internet sharing, a bootload of game demos, Jetcet Print, Sprite Backup, a JVM, AT&T GPS, and a few more.

One thing we forgot was coming on the Fuze: Push to Talk. There's a big ol' PTT button on the side (fortunately it can be remapped) next to the volume buttons.

We have lots more to say about the Fuze, on topics ranging from the keyboard (good, but not quite as easy to type on as sliders-past), screen (640x480 FTW), performance (cautiously optimistic), and, well, and everything. We're blocking off our weekend to for this sucker, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, join us after the break for 13ish minutes of Fuze-on-Video goodness and a bootload of photos (including Fuze vs. Tilt and Fuze vs. Diamond)

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Get your browsers set to "refresh" as it looks like HTC is slowly getting ready to release the WM 6.1 update for the AT&T Tilt.

How we knows? If you go to the newly revamped HTC update site, you'll find a heap load of contradictory information, that's how. (See AT&T's own discussion forum for the frenzy)

First on the main page you'll see the ROM 1.62.502.0 from February but with the date of 2008-08-06.

Click to the download page though and you'll find this:

AT&T Tilt Windows Mobile 6.1 Software (ROM Version 3.57.502.2 WWE) This ROM update is intended for the AT&T Tilt only and users should not load or attempt to load this version on any other device as it may cause serious issues/damage.

Features:

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• HTC Home
• Video Share Calling
• Threaded SMS
• MS Voice Command
• OneNote Mobile
• Remote Desktop Monitor
• Enroll Domain
• Managed Programs
• PTT Button now available for reassignment under Start>Settings>Buttons

Not too shabby, eh? Too bad when you click for the download you still get the old ROM version (we repeat: it is still the OLD rom) :-(

Hopefully it won't be too much longer for you folks!

Thanks Atul!

Doug of Tiltsite.com emails in to let us know that the fine folks at HTCClassAction.org have not been sitting on their hands after the drama about the Kaiser / TyTn II / Tilt's lack of video drivers shook out. Though HTC is not releasing a full set of true drivers, the hackers at HTCClassAction are! They're still basically in “proof-of-concept” mode right now, but the concept, it's proven: full video hardware acceleration is working on a TyTN II.

OK folks, here it is! A few hours later than projected, but still: OpenGL ES and D3D drivers (non-fullscreen) for the kaiser!

Before continuing, we would like to stress yet again, because there seems to be a little confusion here and there: these drivers are not finished, this is a work-in-progress. This is not a fix-all solution!. Currently the only things that are supported are hardware-accelerated D3D and OpenGL ES. These drivers are merely a release you can 'play' with, and prove it can be done. How many real-world applications will work with it remains to be seen, and we expect the users in the community will gather a list of these rather quickly. - HTCClassAction.org - Because HTC dropped the ball, and it's about time they pick it up!

In other words, you're not going to get the snappy just yet and if you do intend to give the drivers a whirl, be sure you read through the entire page to check for your own compatibility and to see what you're getting. Ok -- enough kvetching, it's just plain incredible that these drivers are being developed! Take that, Treo 800w!

The AT&T Tilt (HTC Kaiser II) is one of the most feature packed Windows Mobile devices currently on the market. Those of us riding the current wave of technology brought to us by AT&T and HTC are familiar with the sliding, tilting, Qwerty keyboard bearing device. The only problem with a device with so many features is that the Tilt is somewhat awkward to carry when not in use. The question of, “Do I put it in my pocket or purse to be scratched up by my keys?” has been asked many times by many people.

I give to you, the Smartphone Experts Book Case. I have chosen to ignore all of the comments that I can hear about the Tilt being approximately the same size and weight as a case of books, and will continue with a full review after the break…

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Amongst the many sagas we keep track of here at WMExperts, few are as contentious and difficult to follow as the HTC Video Driver issue. It's been awhile since we covered this, so before we get to the latest piece of news in the now-month-long delay in a promised software fix, we feel like we ought to present the history of this torrid affair.

Read on for the skinny!

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The first accessory I typically buy for a new phone, is a case. If I’m going to invest in a Smartphone, I’m going to protect my investment. The Tilt, with it’s sliding and tilting action that gets any hinge-nerd excited…is a little more challenging than normal to design a case for. Enter the Seidio Rubberized Case for the Tilt ($32.95).

Read on for the full review!

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Those wild and crazy hackers at XDA-Developers have managed to get a working build of Android running on a TyTN II (basically the same thing as your Tilt). Click the video above for the living proof of Android running on top of a cooked Windows Mobile 6.1 build by the powerhouse of TyTN ROM Cookery: Dutty. The more interesting part is that this isn't some Windows Mobile replacement, you can just load the sucker onto your main memory. Basically you load up linux “like an app” and it loads up Android.

This, folks, is going to be a trend. Expect Android to be made semi-available on pretty much every Windows Mobile platform powerful enough to run it. Now being able to do so with anything resembling stability or safety for the average user, that's probably a way's off, so handle with care, folks.

[via tilt site]