Hacking the AT&T Tilt aka HTC Kaiser

Finally! Haha. For my friends that have waited patiently for this post; better late than never, eh? ;)

If you own an AT&T Tilt (aka HTC Kaiser), and you’re dissatisfied with the default ROM, and have somehow managed to find this hole in the wall before the other myriad tutorials out there, you’re in the right place. You’ll have to get the software discussed here yourself, unless you know me, then I’ll burn them for you. Where applicable, I’m listing the exact filenames of CABs so you can search Google or xda-developers.com for them, else, I’ll provide a link.

Read ALL of this before you do ANYTHING! If you can’t afford to destroy your phone then gtfo, because it could happen. And don’t forget to backup your contacts to SIM and any other important data.

This isn’t a complete guide; I’ll show you the basics, and then tell you what I did for my device. If you want something different, go for it. I’ll provide links to my primary resources, but you should plan on doing at least 10-20 hours of research during the course of customizing your phone. That said, you can do practically anything you want. If you like the work of the developers and artists creating this stuff for us, then donate a little something.

On wit da show. You need:

• 1 x AT&T Tilt aka HTC Kaiser
• 1 x Data plan from AT&T strongly recommended, but at least use wifi at home.
• 1 x PC with ActiveSync 4.5 installed
• 1 x USB cable for Tilt to PC connection
• 1 x Broadband Internet connection strongly recommended
• 2 x RedBull – you will be up late heh
  

Your number one resource for basic needs, as well as some incredibly creative extracts, compilations, and software is xda-developers. Thanks to pof, unlocking the Tilt is a breeze.

The beginning
First, go to xda-developers and read about the extreme noob success story, then read about SPL (second program loader). Next, figure out what ROM (just read everything with ROM in the title here if you don’t want to use the one I’m using) you want to put on your phone. I use the latest HTC/AT&T update found here. Finally you’re ready to flash HardSPL, which will allow you to put any ROM on your phone that you like. Before the update that just came out I was using the default HTC Kaiser ROM version 1.56.405.5, which was nice, but well over a year old.

BEFORE you install the ROM, be advised that your default ROM, and the new HTC ROM, will install a bunch of bloatware on the phone – game trials and crap like that – like a Dell computer has on it. You can stop this process without harming the phone; settings, connections, and everything you need will be there.

After your ROM is installed, you will go through the AT&T setup process – aligning your screen, tips, etc. Right after you finish the tips, you’ll drop onto the WM6.1 desktop – IMMEDIATELY soft reset your phone using your stylus in the hole at the bottom. If you see a message that says “Automatically customizing your device in 3 seconds”, you waited too long, so quickly hit the soft reset, follow the setup again and this time do the soft reset before you see the message. Voila! No bloatware.

Main loop
Now the fun part begins – customization! I’m tired, and have already spent too much time on this damn thing, so this is not going to be highly detailed or drawn out. You’re better off if you have to actually do some work anyway ;) Your device is unlocked; we’re starting from where I began upgrading my phone today. Substitute your own stuff where you don’t want what I’m using.

1. Download and install ROM version 3.57.502.2 WWE
2. Avoid bloatware – soft reset before “automatic” customization
3. Install SPB Mobile Shell, one of the few applications I’ve bought outright. A steal at 29.95.
4. Install Jbed – better Java – filename: Cloudyfa_EsmertecJbed.cab – reboot.
5. Install miniOpera – uber browser!
6. Install GoogleMaps – My Location, directions to airport codes, and much, much more.
7. Install HTC Home Customizer – tweak your HTC Home – filename: HHCv10Final.CAB
8. Install SV2 – photo album – filename: S2V-0.35-WM5.cab
9. Install kevtris – yet another tetris game – filename: Kevtris.CAB
10. Install Comm Manager – I dislike the AT&T one, this is HTC’s – filename: mfrazzz_CommManager_8button_wizard.cab – cancel reboot.
11. Install SPB Elf Calculator skin – better calc skin – filename: SpbELF_CalculatorSkin_PL.cab
12. Install Wizard dialer – better dialer skin – filename: Wizard_reTOUCHed_Dialer2.cab – reboot.
13. Install RDP client – remote desktop – filename: WM6 RDP-Finster.cab
14. Install XpressMail – included in the bloatware we nuked, add it back with a direct download – reboot.
15. Install TomTom – I purchased Navigator and US/Canada maps for less than $100.
16. Install Realms – what the game Asteroids was supposed to be like – this is 10x better!
17. Install AdvancedConfigurationTool – access to some tweaks you may want.
18. Install KaiserTweak – run this .exe from your phone and select all settings that are “advised”.
19. Install MyMobiler – remote command and screen capture tool.
    

Final touches
Well, my work here is done. It’s up to you to read about the software you install (RTFM), and figure out how to tweak your phone to your liking. There's tons of themes, splash screens, backgrounds, ringtones, etc. out there ~ have fun. Remember kids, I am simply a conduit of information; I do not and will not provide support for this stuff. Do not email me with support questions, or crying because you bricked your phone. It will fall on deaf ears; you have been warned.

Got mo pics?!

Resources
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=334890
Kaiser CustomRUU – flashing without formatting the device, good for splash screens, radios, etc.

http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Kaiser_software_recs
Kaiser software

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=396922
New HardSPLs.. I haven’t bothered with these and I’m fine so far.

http://tiltsite.com/2008/08/clean-rom-and-bloat-rom-differences/#more-1941
Excellent blog post showing the difference between the stock, bloated Tilt configuration, and the default HTC version. This is related to the ‘pre-3second reset’ described in the tutorial.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=340667
TrackMe – A CellID/GPS tracking system. No idea if this is cool yet, but it’s what I just started playing with as I was doing research for this post.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=391262
Guide: MSFT Voice Command

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=338779&highlight=background
Customize your splash screen(s)!

http://www.wmexperts.com/articles/howto/how_to_customize_your_tilt.html
One of many good tutorials out there. I’m listing it because it happens to be how I found out about nuking the bloatware, which lead to where we are today.

Disclaimer
Using this information to alter your device will void your warranty, and doing things improperly, out of sequence, or just plain fucking up could turn it into a very expensive paper weight. I am neither responsible for what you do with this information, nor provide “support” for this stuff. Go read the resources if you need support.

Special thanks to all the cats over at xda-developers and the other folks contributing free and open source software to the community! You guys rock!