Now that I’ve properly basked in the glory of my new toy, I can’t help but compare it to Apple’s iPhone. And I must conclude that despite my earlier enthusiasm about the iPhone (the only reason I bought the HTC instead of the iPhone is because it’ll take another few months at least before the latter is released in my country), Apple’s device is lacking on several points.

To list a few iPhone deficiencies with the Tytn II’s features compared:

iPhone: No 3G connectivity, so surfing the web on it is extremely slow.
Tytn II: 3G UMTS and HSDPA with speeds up to 3.6 MBit/sec.

iPhone: A measly 2 megapixel camera, which is just not done anymore.
Tytn II: 3 megapixel camera (on a device primarily marketed as a business device) and an additional small VGA videoconferencing camera on the front.

iPhone: Locked to AT&T in the USA, locked on single networks in Europe as well as it comes out.
Tytn II: Offered by several different cellular providers in Europe.

iPhone: Inadequate touchscreen keyboard.
Tytn II: A full qwerty keyboard that is a joy to work with.

iPhone: No removable battery and no way to exchange SIM cards (without voiding the warranty).
Tytn II: Can do both, and switching SIMs doesn’t even require you to remove the battery.

iPhone: No GPS.
Tytn II: Integrated GPS.

iPhone: Closed OS with (currently) very little additional software options.
Tytn II: Windows Mobile 6 with countless (freeware) software apps available.

iPhone: No memory expansion slots.
Tytn II: MicroSD slot to stuff extra gigs of memory in.

iPhone: $400 with a 2-year contract of $60 a month.
Tytn II: €160 with a 2-year contract of €32 a month.

And yet, despite these numerous shortcomings, the iPhone provokes an almost primal sense of “I want” whenever I see one.