Behind closed doors at CES 2007, we got our hands on the HTC Advantage X7500 Windows Mobile tablet, with its HSDPA and Wi-Fi networking. Does it have UMPCs beat?
Design:
Though it was an unnamed device when we got our hands on it at CES 2007, the HTC Advantage X7500's intriguing design was already set. Behind closed doors, we set to prying apart the keyboard and display, which are locked together with a very strong magnet, and slapping the QWERTY keys onto the bottom of the unit. The whole device had an undeniably sturdy feel, as if even a slight impact wouldn't tear the thin keyboard from the touch-sensitive display. Pulling it apart and putting it together was so satisfying, we almost forgot to ask about the feature set.
Features:
Because we were originally told the device would be running Windows Mobile 5, we were surprised to learn that the Advantage's screen is VGA resolution, though at 5 inches, QVGA would look quite stretched. It is still true that the Advantage is running WM5, but Microsoft has told us that Windows Mobile 6 supports content in high resolution for VGA-type devices. We take this to mean that, while the OS itself may not run in higher resolutions than QVGA, you may be able to watch media content and browse Web pages on higher-resolution screens. In any case, the Advantage's VGA screen did make icons and type in Windows Mobile 5 look unusually large, but certainly easy to see.
Though the Advantage has a quad-band GSM/EDGE/HSDPA radio, HTC told us they don't imagine this device taking the place of a cell phone, which makes sense because holding the device to your ear would be ridiculous. The device is quite large, even larger than some UMPCs we've seen, which puts the Advantage in a strange position. Smaller devices, like the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, forgo GSM support in favor of Wi-Fi. The Advantage packs Wi-Fi 802.11g and HSDPA, as well as a full QWERTY keyboard, which seems to put it into the UMPC category, but unlike UMPCs, it doesn't run Windows XP or Windows Vista. It seems like HTC is trying to keep the OS simpler (read: less buggy), though we're not quite sure at which audience the device is aimed.
Who's it for?
Perhaps price will be the biggest factor. Though HTC has yet to reveal pricing information, the device will be available first on T-Mobile's European network. UMPCs can cost well over $1,000, with Sony's most recent all-flash portable topping $2,500. We don't think a mobile carrier would feature such an expensive device in their lineup, so HTC could be gunning for users who want something much cheaper than a laptop or UMPC, but with full mobile wireless capabilities. Such a large keyboard and screen could breathe new life into Microsoft's Mobile Office suite, which we've always liked, but rarely use for editing on our smaller smartphones.
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