HTC'S Advantage X7501

The HTC Advantage X7501 is one of the best mobile computers I have ever used, be it a Pocket PC, a UMPC, or a mini notebook. It's definitely geared towards the professional power user—the person who needs a fast device with a large and easy-to-read display, a lot of file storage space, and the ability to stay connected all the time so that they can read and respond to e-mail while traveling, all without having to worry about running out of power.

A powerful mobile office

The X7501 is a powerful mobile office device that lets you work wherever and whenever you want. Windows Mobile 6 Professional software gives you the office applications you need when you're on the road. The attachable QWERTY keyboard—the largest found on any Windows Mobile device—makes it a lot easier to type documents and respond to e-mail and instant messages. Massive by Windows Mobile standards, the 5-inch VGA display makes it much easier to view documents and browse the Web, and its Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and 3G data capabilities help you stay connected wherever you are. The Advantage also includes a TV Out port, which allows you to attach it to an external display or projector for presentations, sharing photos, and more.

Fast, feature rich, and powerful

The Advantage is powered by a 624 MHz Intel processor and an ATI W2284 graphic chip, which help to make the user's experience fast and visually pleasing. In addition to the 256 MB of internal Flash ROM and 128 MB or system RAM, the device has a built-in 8 GB mini-hard drive. These not only allow the user to store a lot of documents and media content on the device, but also allow road warriors to run memory intensive programs without crashing. In addition, the device comes with a miniSD expansion slot, which can be used to add storage memory and swap files between the Advantage and another mobile device or computer.

In addition to the 5-inch VGA display and mini-hard drive, the other distinguishing feature of the Advantage is its detachable QWERTY keyboard. While is it not as spacious as a laptop keyboard, I found it to be quite useable—more so than the ones found on some of the mini-notebooks I have used, such as the Sony VAIO PCG-U1 and Click. The magnetic attachment system insures that the keyboard connects to the device firmly and in the proper position.

The Advantage also has a powerful GPS receiver built into it, along with the TeleNav Navigator software, which accesses a subscription service ($10 per month) to provide 3D turn-by-turn driving directions, a complete business directory, "live" traffic alerts, and rerouting.

Finally, the Advantage comes with a variety of integrated wireless technologies, including infrared, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a quad-band GSM/GPRS phone with EDGE and high-speed HSDPA/UMTS data capability. All in all, this is a very complete, well thought-out product for those users wishing to ditch their laptops.

Unusual but appropriate layout of hardware buttons

The layout of the various hardware buttons found on the Advantage is somewhat different from other Windows Mobile devices. From the perspective of the device attached to the keyboard and the screen in horizontal viewing mode, the 5-way D-pad, the OK and Start menu buttons, and the small hole to the device's microphone are located on the face of the device to the left of the screen. None of these can be reprogrammed to launch other applications. To the right of the screen towards the bottom is the button that activates the Web browser. By default, this is programmed to launch the third-party Opera Browser, which is included with the Advantage. It can be reprogrammed to launch Internet Explorer Mobile or another application.