I’ve been using the HTC Advantage for five days, which is definitely not long enough time to pass true judgement on the device, but it is enough time?to talk about some of my likes and dislikes.
Ready?
The screen is glorious…absolutely fabulous. 5″ of diagonal goodness that is clearer, and easier to read from, than any other available Windows Mobile Device. If a lot of screen isn’t important to you because you aren’t reading eBooks, editing documents or entering data in a spreadsheet, then you will most likely be turned off by the overall size of the device.
With the keyboard covering the screen?and wrapped in its included brown leather case, the Advantage measures exactly 5.5″ tall x 4.1″ wide x 1.2″ thick and weighs one pound 0.4 ounces. Yeah…I said one pound!
Frankly, it doesn’t bother me. I carry it in my bag and?I don’t see this as a mobile phone replacement; I see it as a mini-laptop with wireless capabilities. I could make a call from it in a pinch with a BT headset…but is that very likely? Not so much.
The keyboard is “okay”. I would not want to tap out a novel (or a 3000 word review for that matter), but it is more responsive and better overall than I had?first thought it would be. If the buttons could have been a bit more raised, I would have been more pleased…but you can’t always get what you want. I’ve had questions as to whether or not the device feels top-heavy when holding it and tapping with my thumbs, the answer is a possibly surprising “not really.” The base stabilizes the top very nicely, and the magnets have such a tight grip that I have not yet had a fear that the entire package might topple over. Tapping the keys on a tabletop is certainly easy enough, too, but this is not really something I would want to use to do a bunch of texting, emailing or any other things that I do without thinking on my Treo 700wx’s thumboard. It just feels awkward, for lack of a better word.
The clear plastic ring around the joystick (in the upper left hand) corner glows orange while charging, and green when complete. Since I don’t have the Advantage plugged in for these photos you miss that glow, but you can see how the “OK”, Start Menu, and Internet Explorer buttons have a lovely orange glow.
But do you see anything missing here? Right – the keyboard is not lit up at all. Although the screen does cast a light?glow on the keyboard, it is barely enough to type by.
Here is a left side-view showing the volume slider, speaker, VGA Out, miniUSB sync & charge port, and earphone jack. Instead of a volume slider, I wish this was a scroll-wheel, which would make reading and other one-handed uses so much more convenient, especially when using the Advantage in tablet mode without the keyboard.
This is the right side-view showing the stylus in its silo, the camera button, speaker, voice recorder button, and power button.
The brown pebbled leather case is really wonderful – it has a metal plate sewn in between the layers which the keyboard’s magnet?strongly grips against.
The Advantage?almost looks like a favorite leather-bound travel journal, doesn’t it?
HTC and its logo is embossed on the side which holds the Advantage; a cutout allows the use of the camera when in the case.
The Advantage is held in place by three black plastic clips.
It looks like the keyboard is just lying on top of the leather flap – and in essence it is, but the magnets are keeping it very secure.
The keyboard can also be removed if you would prefer to travel without it, or use the PDA mainly in portrait mode.
This is generally my favorite way to carry it…so far.
But since the Advantage will primarily be seen by many as a landscape oriented device, I’ll start with screenshots reflecting that…
This is a view of Gear Diary in?the included Opera Browser…
…and Pocket Internet Explorer.
This is the landscape view when reading a book in eReader. It’s an absolutely amazing reading experience because the screen is so large and clear. I’m quickly becoming spoiled, except for one thing…turning pages. 🙁
The itty-bitty?joystick is the weak link in all of this: turning pages in landscape mode is easy enough, but in portrait mode it is rather awkward; I guess it is too much to?ask for a proper scroll-wheel or even a usable D-pad.
Here are some screen shots in portrait mode, which I think help illustrate why I am willing to deal with doing whatever it may take to make scrolling pages work…look at the screen real estate!
So that’s it for now…any questions? 🙂
Thank-you for that! The device looks fabulous as a note-taking/ebook reading solution. Its amazingly expensive for just those uses, though; its only $100 cheaper than my MacBook!
The screensize of the device must make it a dream for OneNote Mobile.
How is the connectivity with Vista and XP, given that its Windows Mobile 6? I’m guessing the upcoming WMDC update will be necessary to answer that question fairly, though.
Thanks again!
Peter
I have a few questions about the unit. I’ve previously owned an HTC Universal and though it had good functionality, it’s performance was rather poor when playing games and movies. I don’t really intend on playing games with this unit (that’s what my NDS is for), but I do have some performance-related questions.
I own an Axim x50v, and thus far I am convinced it’s the best performing “Pocket PC” in the world as it doesn’t suffer the pitfalls from WM5. However, this is the first WM5 PPC Phone I’ve seen with a 624Intel. How snappy is the device? Does it experience slow spurts. I’d assume you’ve taxed it quite well with all that on your Today screen.
Have you tested the unit with movies? I tend to play decent sized (300Mb) XviD ones using TCPMP (a video player far superior to the default Windows one), and it plays really well on the Axim (crystal clear). With the specs (ATi graphics chip and rather GLOSSY screen) this one has, I’d expect it to do better.
I’ve been hankering to get a dependable PPC Phone that I can effectively type with, and not suffer the performance pitfalls other PPC devices have. Also, does it have WM6 and internal GPS? The HTC site advertises the GPS, but that it had WM5. I’m not sure if there’s a real big difference between them, other than the possibility of WM6 performing better.
Thanks for your review and advice!
I had to come back and give my impressions. I own an Axime X51 and it has served me well. I recently bought a Dopod 838 pro to replace my X51. I have been using the Dopod for the last 2 months. Last night, I picked my X51 and checked my email with it… the screen was huge and nice! I had a perfectly usable nice screen all this time and I didn’t know it! The Dopod has a 2.8″ screen and the X51 a 3.5″ and it makes all the difference.
I started thinking about the HTC advantage while I was checking my email at a coffee shop this morning on my Dopod… I was thinking that life at 2.8 just doesn’t cut it. I have to admit the Advantage now makes sense to me. I regret buying the Dopod, seriously, and would go for the Advantage if I could. So Solidus, in a way, my comments are also meant to give you my opinion. If you loved your Axim, you won’t like to downgrade to a smaller screen but you will appreciate more screen space. I think you are a good candidate for the Advantage. I know I would be.
Guys, I have been lamenting the shrinking PDA screens for quite some time now. The last big screen contender, since I didn’t own an Axim, was the iPAQ 4700 with its 4″ screen. I was sorely missing that beauty every time I started an eBook on my Treo, but even the difference between the iPAQ’s 4″ and this 5″ marvel…seriously, I wish I still had the 4700 just so I could show you how much bigger this one is. I am truly getting spoiled. 🙂
Now, to attempt to answer all the other questions:
Well, it is actually a WM5 device at the moment. I am waiting for the WM6 update, which should hopefully be coming soon. Otherwise, I have had absolutely no issues when syncing with Vista. I don’t have a box running XP anymore, but I suspect it would sync just fine.
I totally agree about the Universal’s gaming performance, but the Advantage has been surprisingly zippy in that regard. Of course, the difference is the Universal had a 520 mhz Intel Bulverde Processor, and the Advantage has a Intel PXA270 624 MHz with ATU Graphic Chip W2284. Yes, I have a lot of Today screen plug-ins and yet I don’t feel that there is much of a lag. Don’t get me wrong, clicking an icon in Resco’s launcher will still take a moment before the program opens, but it is a few seconds – not the forever it has seemed in the past.
My expectations have been met, and then some. I transferred my 599MB
rip of Jarhead over to the Advantage’s 8GB hard drive, and was impressed by the smooth playback – and the size of the viewing screen. The Advantage is perfect for watching videos, and the device can totally keep up. An added bonus is that it accepts a regular 3.5mm headset, not some crippled mono or proprietary headset size.
Okay, this is the one weaknesses of the device. As much as I want to love it, the Advantage’s keyboard really makes me miss the one that was on my JasJar. Don’t get me wrong – it works, it’s not painful to use, but I don’t like it nearly as much.
As I mentioned above, it comes with WM5 installed, but there is a promised WM6 upgrade. It also has built-in GPS. I think that the Advantage is the device that the HP iPAQ 5915 wanted to be. 😛
That’s exactly what it boils down to. If you want to be able to read the stuff on your PDA’s screen, to really use it to surf, edit office documents, etc., and have a place to park an extra SIM card, then this is the device for you. If you want a small phone with a little screen, look elsewhere.
Darn it, I want to sell my Dopod so bad right about now!
do it do it do it do it
Sorry, I am not helping am I? 😛
Judie, no you are not helping.
If only there were some trade-ins program! I hate Ebay! I need to go change my mind or something before I really decide to sell it.
Thanks for your rapid reply. From what you say, it’ll likely prove to have great performance, although that keyboard will probably take getting used to. Is it easy to use without setting it on a table? Obviously, it won’t be as manipulatable as a blackberry, but do you feel it’s awkward to use on the fly?
Thanks to your review and advice, I’ll probably get one… when it’s price finally cuts in half. $1k is a little too much for a PPC.
Absolutely. I plan on doing a series of short videos soon, and that will be one of the topics. I think it will be easier to show than to try to describe. 🙂
It is absolutely not a device to use one-handed or what I would consider for “on the fly” use. This is a mini-laptop, there is really no other way to look at it. 😛
Or a mini-tablet 😉