So we happened to get our hands on an
HTC Advantage last week, and damn is this thing ready to rumble. The keyboard (which we just weren't that fond of) snaps into place from a good inch away, and feels more like an industrial magnet than something you'd find on a consumer device. The VGA screen is fantastically large and bright, and played back full-res video without a hiccup. It even has an idle mode with a couple mini-widgets and an email ticker when the keyboard is magnetically latched onto the body to protect the screen (that VueFLO nav, we think). Check out the gallery to get a better sense of what you're in for, but be warned: this is a machine by and for handheld computing enthusiasts and cellphone nerds. So even though HTC wants you to replace your laptop with an Advantage for short trips, it's still a beast of a connected PDA at heart.
posted Mar 26th 2007 11:02AM
Guys might wanna check the pic as it links to Engadget Hd for some reason when u click it.
Was wondering why this post was up like last week but taken down for some reason till today :-\.
Nice pics though anyway, thnxs Engadget ;-)
Is the gallery working for everyone else? The page still says 'coming soon' for me...
Not working for me either. But I got an hour with the Advantage last week as well and I guess I'm a nerd: I loved the thing. The VGA screen is sharp and the information very large: on one hand it would be great to increase the dpi so that you could see more on the screen; however, I found myself able to really use the touch screen effectively with my finger (not a finger nail but a full finger). This was way cool because I could use the Advantage as a slate Tablet and only use the keyboard for serious typing (kind of the promise of the iPhone but with a keyboard, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc. to boot!).
Anyone know of a comparison between this and the Nokia E90?
The HTC gets a BIG minus for using Windows, but if it's otherwise a lot better than the E90, I might choose it instead of the Nokia.
Tpp, I will certainly wait for the Nokia E90 for many reasons. Some of them: the horizontal screen resolution is 800 pixel, so there is no need to horizontally Scroll most websites as with the HTC's 640 pixels, the nokia keyboards are more optimised and don't have that unnerving mechanical click of the HTC ones, plus the one you mentioned: it doesn't run Windows Mobile but the much nicer Symbian.
Additionally,.it is pocketable and features a fully usable 320x240 secondary screen on the outside, so you don't have to open (or even mount) the thing to check emails or browse the web during boring meetings.
Just everything more mature and user oriented...
how are you actually supposed to use the keyboard? like a standard keyboard?
I have been using mine for over two weeks and my laptop is gathering dust. The keyboard is in the way sometimes, but overall an excellent tool.