HTC Advantage (X7510)
(Credit: HTC)HTC just made its smartphone/mobile computer/Frankenstein device, the HTC Advantage, even more powerful with an update that brings more memory, new software, and an improved keyboard.
Introduced at GSMA, the HTC Advantage (X7510) now includes the TouchFlo software (a la HTC Touch) for easier scrolling of e-mails and Web pages. Plus, it will boast a new Today screen, based on a new version of the Windows Mobile operating system, with one-touch access to messages, calendar, and contacts.
While the interface enhancements sound great, we're more excited at the mention of the new operating system. The Advantage X7510 is scheduled to debut in select European markets sometime in March, so it seems we can look for Windows Mobile 7 around that time frame. w00t! Other improvements over the first HTC Athena include increased storage capacity to 16GB, a new keyboard that has haptic feedback, Opera Mobile 9, and Google Maps for Mobile preinstalled on the device.
HTC Advantage
(Credit: HTC)Frankly, I'm not even sure what to call the HTC Advantage. I mean, this gadget is really in a league of its own. It's not an ultramobile PC per se (and HTC doesn't want to identify the Advantage as a UMPC anyway), and categorizing it as a smart phone would do it injustice. Maybe a smart phone on some serious steroids? While the nomenclature is up for debate, we do know a couple of things: it's tricked out with some sick features and it's actually coming to the States. Yes, we're actually going to get one of those Crave-worthy gadgets that are typically reserved for our tech-forward European and Asian counterparts.
Today, at CTIA 2007, HTC announced it will start shipping the HTC Advantage this summer through Amazon.com and other U.S. retailers, and though they didn't release details on pricing or the exact release date, the company did reveal a number of specs to keep us preoccupied for the time being. Check out the stats on this bad boy:
- An 8GB hard drive with 256MB ROM/128MB RAM and a miniSD card slot
- Runs Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition
- All the wireless options you could want: quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE); 3G (UMTS/HSDPA), Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and GPS
- A 5-inch VGA touch screen
- A magnetically connected full QWERTY keyboard
- A 3.5mm headphones jack and ...
- Essentially small enough to put in a jacket pocket (albeit a larger jacket pocket) or purse
HTC's idea for the Advantage is that it frees the mobile professional from always having to carry his or her laptop. It's not meant to be a laptop replacement--although the company is hoping to break into that market too with its brand-new HTC Shift; check out Dan Ackerman's blog on that announcement--but rather, something they can use on one- to two-day business trips or when they're simply out of the office. Now, I asked you guys a question several months ago when the European version of the Advantage (aka HTC Athena) was unveiled: will this type of device fly in the States? And now that it is coming, I'd like to get your opinion again. Will you buy the HTC Advantage when it's released later this summer?
HTC Athena
(Credit: Engadget Mobile)Good 'ol HTC recently launched another innovative device (in Europe, of course--guh), but it's not a smart phone. The HTC Athena is a UMPC of sorts, and it's jam-packed with features. It is powered by a 624MHz Intel processor, runs Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition, has an 8GB hard drive and 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash ROM. You want wireless options? Oh, it's got your wireless options--Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, and GPS. On top of all that, the gadget boasts a 5-inch, 640x480 resolution touch screen; a detachable full QWERTY keyboard; and a 3-megapixel camera.
Drooling yet? Well, I actually got to see a working model while I was at CES, and though I didn't get to play with it for very long, I did have a couple of thoughts on it. First, with the large display and QWERTY keyboard, I can easily see how this might be a good stand-in for your laptop when you need to fire off some quick e-mails or notes. The device seemed pretty responsive from what little time I had with it, and the HTC rep also mentioned using it as a portable video player for his kids--OK, another good use. Yet despite all this, I have to wonder, are we ready for this kind of device in the United States? Granted, I might be asking the wrong group of folks, given that you tech-loving Crave readers would probably jump on a gadget like this, but I think it's a legitimate question. As I mentioned before, it's currently being offered in Europe (through T-Mobile and renamed as the Ameo), and HTC said it didn't know about U.S. availability. I can certainly understand why carriers would be a little hesitant to pick up such a device. To me, the Athena is kind of like the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet and UMPCs: cool concepts but just not ready for mass consumption. What do you guys think? If the HTC Athena were to become available in the States or if you could even get your hands on an unlocked version, would you get it, and how would you use it?
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