HTC's Advantage mobile device gets the Gazette reader guinea pig treatment. Rupert White reports




When the Gazette reviewed the HTC Advantage, we liked it but thought it represented what could still be done in terms of form, rather than a satisfying development end-point. With this rather wishy-washy opinion behind us, we needed a proper lawyerly view.



So we lent one to Andrew Bartley, 29-year-old partner in a niche commercial firm who spends his time 'doing litigation', he says. He is 'quite IT savvy' and currently uses a Fujitsu Siemens T830, a Blackberry-alike device running Windows Mobile. Mr Bartley likes the 'traditional phone shape, with the added advantage of a complete keyboard, 3G Internet access and all the other features that Windows Mobile brings with it'. The Advantage seemed a good match for him.



On size and weight grounds, the Advantage scored low with our guinea pig - at 400g on Mr Bartley's kitchen scales, it is a trouser anchor. But this weight and size allows a 'really bright and very readable screen which has a 640x480 resolution', said our man. Mr Bartley liked the fact the magnetic keyboard doubles as a screen guard and can also be left at home if just using the stylus to 'write' with is enough. 'With the keyboard attached, the Advantage is certainly more laptop than mobile phone,' he said, which has its downsides, however.



The Advantage falls down over not being usable as a handheld phone, according to Mr Bartley. 'This is the really weak point for the Advantage. The Advantage does have a speakerphone function and this works very well, but it is just not possible to hold this device up to your ear.' This rules it out as one's only phone, he said, but as we at the Gazette think the Advantage is not aimed at the true convergence user, this may be a side issue.



For use in laptop country, however, the Advantage fared well. 'It is very straightforward to set up email and, if you can set up Outlook on a PC, you will have no problem with the Advantage. It offers always-on email for those of us who can't seem to let go of the office come home-time. I managed to connect to the Internet via 3G and WiFi, and while out and about the practical position is that you can surf the Internet at broadband speeds, depending on the network coverage.'



Where the Gazette thought the Advantage's advantages really lay was as a connected laptop replacement, in certain circumstances. A laptop might be good for 'proper' working, but for nipping around, reading documents and doing presentations, with on-board broadband browsing and email, we thought it had made its own little niche, all of which Mr Bartley agreed with after using the Advantage.



But, he said, 'all the bells and whistles do come at a cost - not only weight and size, but also battery life. I used the device for a whole day and it was quite clear to me that I would need to charge the Advantage fully before using it the following day'. As regular users of mobile devices, the Gazette's crack IT test squad has a workaround for this problem on any connected device - always turn on 'flight mode' when not browsing or emailing, always push the button to turn the screen off, and always have WiFi turned off if it is not in use. Used like this, we had the Advantage going for four days before the battery failed.



At the end of the day, though, Mr Bartley and the Gazette still agree. 'My present phone is a mobile phone with laptop features built in,' he said, 'and my view is that the Advantage is a laptop with mobile phone features shoehorned in. The Advantage is an extraordinary piece of technological advancement, but not one which holds any practical allure in place of a mobile phone and laptop.



'I agree with the Gazette's earlier sentiments that this is a likeable device with a big screen, a usable keyboard, an interesting design and impressive mobile connectivity. But the Advantage is hamstrung by being far too large to be used as a mobile phone, but just too small and underpowered to be a full laptop replacement. A great device, but still a jack of all trades.'





Jolliffe & Co is a high street firm covering commercial, litigation, property, and wills and trusts, with five partners and 23 staff in all, based in Chester.

HTC Advantage X5700: from £250 with contract to around £600 without (prices from Expansys.com).

Specifications: 3G/HSDPA mobile comms; Bluetooth 2.0; WiFi; 3-megapixel camera; miniSD memory slot; 8GB microdrive; 128MB SDRAM; 359g; 133.5x98x16-20mm; 624MHz processor; 5" screen.