HTC Advantage X7501 First Impressions Review - Intro
The Advantage may be the most fully featured device ever released by HTC, but several issues kept us from embracing it entirely. We didn’t get enough time with the product to write our usual first impressions review, but we did try it extensively at the CTIA show in Orlando, and we were impressed with the technology and how many features HTC managed to pack into the device. But we don't see a huge market for the Advantage. The first issue is the large size and weight of the device, coming in at 12.66 ounces; much heavier than even the chunkiest smart phones. The second is that, although the keyboard is innovative, we didn’t find it particularly usable. Still, the Advantage will be attractive to users who will be hard pressed to find this combination of features on any other device. The HTC Advantage X7501 is the new flagship of HTC's Windows Mobile lineup, and the most obvious innovation is the detachable keyboard which can be used to protect the screen or attached to the bottom of the device for typing. In either case magnets are used to attach the keyboard. The Advantage also sports a 3 megapixel auto focus camera, GPS, video out and 8GB hard drive. The Advantage we reviewed was running Windows Mobile 5, we were informed by HTC that the final release version will be running Windows Mobile 6, as such we do not go into too much depth in our software sections.
