Advantage Still Giving An Advantage After 2 Weeks?

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=559' target='_blank'>http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=559</a><br /><br /></div><i>"I posted my first impressions of the HTC Advantage about 10 days ago and have been using it as my primary device ever since it arrived. I actually wrote 90% of this review on the HTC Advantage with a Think Outside Sierra Bluetooth keyboard. Yes, I have even been using it as my mobile phone, even though the form factor is not optimized for this and HTC really doesn’t even advertise its mobile phone functionality. Surprisingly, it actually performed as one of the best quality mobile phones I have ever used, but there are trade-offs that I’ll talk about later. The HTC Advantage is the most powerful and full-featured Windows Mobile Professional device on the market and it is the largest Phone Edition I have used before. HTC’s retail box states that the HTC Advantage X7501 is “The most powerful mobile office” and after over 2 weeks with the device I tend to agree it is an amazing device in a form factor that meets a great balance of compromises. Do I think it is worth the US$850 retail price (Amazon.com price) and will I be buying one for myself after sending back the evaluation unit?"</i><br /><br />Matthew Miller has used the Advantage for a few weeks now, and weighs in on if the heafty price tag is worth the cost for the benefits gained. An interesting read - what do you think? Any Advantage users here that want to weigh in themselves?

[Mark Larson]

So the built-in keyboard isn't that good?

[yvilla]

The hardware keyboard has received probably the majority of the criticisms I've seen in Advantage reviews.

But that's meaningless to me, since my Advantage is a replacement for my well loved but now "ancient" Toshiba e800. Never used a keyboard with that, will probably almost never use the Advantage keyboard.

For my needs the Advantage is sublime! Huge beautiful display, power and speed, good battery life, tons of storage space, all the data connectivity options, integrated phone and integrated GPS -- I could not be happier.

[Peter Traugot]

So...Can I get Verizon to work wit this thing, or do I need a provider that offers a sim-based communication method. Sorry, I'm kind of a cell phone noob.

Thanks.

[jkendrick]

You already know what I think about the Advantage. :lol:

[dgmessenger]

The font/graphic icons are ENORMOUS!!!!! How do you reduce this? I assume the only way is to use true vga (which is hardly a solution).

It's a shame, all of that real estate on that big beautiful screen taken up by huge fonts/graphic icons.

Do they make a non-senior font version?

[yvilla]

So...Can I get Verizon to work wit this thing, or do I need a provider that offers a sim-based communication method. Sorry, I'm kind of a cell phone noob.

Thanks.

Peter, yes the Advantage is GSM/GPRS, ie sim card, based, so not for Verizon or Sprint. So in the US, the major providers would be T-Mobile or AT&amp;T/Cingular.

[yvilla]

The font/graphic icons are ENORMOUS!!!!! How do you reduce this? I assume the only way is to use true vga (which is hardly a solution).

It's a shame, all of that real estate on that big beautiful screen taken up by huge fonts/graphic icons.

Do they make a non-senior font version?

Have you gone into settings/system/screen/text size to change your font size? You can make it quite small.

As for true vga, I personally haven't seen the need after reducing the system font size as above, as well as in my favorite programs like eReader and Mobipocket and internet browsers. And there are some other registry hacks/software programs out there I used to reduce the size of scroll bars, etc. But, if you also want smaller icons (ie, a true vga solution), there is a thread going on at xda developers regarding a real vga solution being updated with improvements just about daily by Tobias. Here's the thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=324969

[miterb]

So the built-in keyboard isn't that good?

It is adequate for doing short e-mail messages and, if you are in to it, texting. The keyboard is not technically 'built-in', rather it is attached at the bottom of the screen/main box by a powerful magnet. I can use it with all fingers when it is placed on a flat surface. I find that it can also be used as a thumb keyboard too - three fingers of each hand under the keyboard, the index fingers in back of the device and then the thumbs are relatively free to type.

I found yesterday that there are some advantages to using the keys on the keyboard when using the internet explorers. At the bottom of most displays there are two 'drop-up' menu selections. For example, when using Opera the two menu's are Action and Menu. Below each one on the keyboard is a key that 'drops up' the items. The Action menu items, for example, are Go to, Go to homepage, Bookmark this page, Stop, Back, Forward, Reload and Go to top. Each one has one character underlined just as you find in PC Windows which allow a shorcut to select the item by keying the letter. This makes surfing without using the stylus all the time quite reasonable and I found myself liking it very much. All this can be done holding the device and using the thumbs too.

For extended typeing, get a blue-tooth portable keyboard such as the Think Outside device.

Brad Miter

[Dyvim]

Great link yvilla! I'm a Toshiba e830 user (and previously an e800 user) and am looking to upgrade my ancient machine to another powerful, large-screened PDA. I use ozVGA on my e830 and will definitely use this TrueVGA on the Advantage when/if I get one. I love the fact that it now supports 128 dpi as well as 96 and 192 dpi.

Any insights into the Advantage as compares to e800 use?

[yvilla]

Hey Dyvim, given the oft-repeated comments about the size of the Advantage, the funny thing about it as compared to the e800, at least for those like me who always used the e800 extended battery, is how much slimmer it is! Yes it is larger otherwise (wider in portrait orientation), but since a greater percentage of the extra size is devoted to the screen as opposed to the case or hardware buttons, it's height in portrait orientation is actually the same as the Tosh. So I have a wider but vastly slimmer PPC of the same height, with a truly huge and beautiful display!

I tried to use the Universal when it first came out, wanting a phone edition device, but quickly went back to my e800 because I hated the small screen size of the Universal relative to the Tosh. Until now, with the trend toward ever smaller devices, I had pretty much given up hope for a phone edition device that I could live with.

So in my opinion the Advantage is the perfect next device for those whose needs were met by the e800/830, especially if they want a converged phone/GPS device as well. And those 8 gigs of storage ... .

[Dyvim]

Cool! I am definitely one of those people whose needs have been met by the e800/e830. I mostly use it for eBooks, videos, and music, and the occasional tinkering around in "true" VGA resolution. I have been greatly disappointed with the trend in PDA's from 2005-2007.

Ok, I have the Advantage on order from Amazon. Now the waiting begins! Can't wait to be playing around with that gorgeous 5" screen. :D

Too bad there's no 3G coverage in my area. That would tempt me to get a data plan (something I have never had).

[ArchiMark]

Got my X7501 about 5 days ago...

So far think it's G R E A T ! ! !

: :D

[Jason Dunn]

So the built-in keyboard isn't that good?

I haven't had a great deal of experience with it, but I didn't find the keyboard to be very good in my limited testing. It just wasn't easy to type on, and I'm used to typing on all sorts of keyboards, big and small.

[DaleReeck]

So the built-in keyboard isn't that good?

I haven't had a great deal of experience with it, but I didn't find the keyboard to be very good in my limited testing. It just wasn't easy to type on, and I'm used to typing on all sorts of keyboards, big and small.

I wouldn't write the next great novel on it, but I found it adequate for short stints. Also, the keyboard is invaluable as a prop stand. Sometimes I'll read an eBook or watch a video while eating and like to attach the keyboard to prop the 7501 up for easy viewing :)

[miterb]

I haven't had a great deal of experience with it, but I didn't find the keyboard to be very good in my limited testing. It just wasn't easy to type on, and I'm used to typing on all sorts of keyboards, big and small.

I started my small keyboard experience with the Zaurus ZR-3500X back in 2099. I pretty much mastered it and find that its additional 1/2" in key row width does to its useability in comparison with the X7501. However, I expect to get better with practice.

In the meantime, I can fall back on my Think Outside Bluetooth keyboard which also has a learning curve to it but the width makes it quite useable. And, I am jumping from WinCE 2003SE to Win 6.0 and am truly amazed at the advance in the Microsoft Bluetooth implementation. All I really had to do was make the keyboard accessible, paired the device and it works perfectly.

Brad Miter