Say hello to the new HTC Advantage

Advantage15_perYou know how much I love my HTC Advantage and how well it does the things it does for me.  If someone asked me how to improve it I would have to think awfully hard to come up with areas to improve.  It turns out that I don’t have to come up with anything because HTC has announced the new Advantage which will be available in Europe in March and the improvements they have made look awesome.  First off the bat HTC has improved the keyboard to make it more functional.  It is still using the unique magnetic attachment which means the new keyboard can be detached just like the current one but the keys are bigger to make typing easier.  The most innovative change of the keyboard is the use of haptic technology which means you will be able to feel when keys are pressed, at least that’s typically what haptic technology is used for- to provide tactile feedback.

The new Advantage also includes 16 GB of flash memory to update the 8 GB microdrive that is found in the current model which makes this one of the highest memory PDAs on the market.  HTC is also including the TouchFLO software on the new Advantage and will install Opera Mobile 9 which is not released yet.  Press release after the jump.

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BARCELONA — Feb. 11, 2008 – Today at the 2008 GSMA Mobile World Congress, HTC Corp. (TAIEX: 2498; “HTC”), the world’s leading provider of Microsoft Windows Mobile® smart devices, announced an updated version of the HTC Advantage™ that introduces new software, increased storage and an improved keyboard.  The HTC Advantage™ is an ideal companion for the business traveller who needs a powerful and portable device that includes constant connectivity.

Developed from the ground up to be extremely portable, yet powerful, the HTC Advantage™ integrates a broad set of features into a compact and innovative design. Based on a future version of Windows Mobile, the updated HTC Advantage™ includes a customized HTC Home today screen that provides one-touch access to emails, text messages, missed calls, calendar appointments and contacts, as well as current weather conditions and forecasts for hundreds of cities around the world.

The HTC Advantage™ features HTC’s TouchFLO™ software which enhances finger touch scrolling and browsing of Web pages, documents, messages and contact lists. The Advantage™ will also include Opera Mobile 9 and Google Maps for mobile.

In addition to the many software enhancements, the HTC Advantage™ also adds a variety of new and improved hardware features including 16GB of storage, a new improved keyboard with haptic feedback and an updated version of VueFLO™ using a G-sensor that recognises the screen orientation of the device for optimal customer usage.

“Having established broader boundaries for mobile computing with the first HTC Advantage a year ago, we are introducing a wealth of new enhancements focused on improving the overall touch screen and keyboard user experience,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO of HTC. “Our goal with the HTC Advantage is to provide a small connected mobile computing device that will replace notebook PCs on daily commutes or short trips.”

With its innovative built-in video output capability, the HTC Advantage™ empowers its users with freedom to make presentations anywhere. Users can run presentations directly via the projector and TV output. Its 5-inch VGA colour touch screen and innovative, magnetic QWERTY keyboard are ideal not just for editing Microsoft Office documents, but also for enjoying leisure time. Users can watch videos, browse the web, use instant Outlook push e-mail, synchronize their contacts, tasks and calendar, and navigate anywhere with inbuilt GPS and TomTom NAVIGATOR 6.

Offering a complete package of connectivity, the HTC Advantage™ offers a wide variety of Wireless connectivity options such as Tri-band HSPDA, Wi-Fi® and stereo Bluetooth® 2.0 connectivity.

The updated HTC Advantage™ will be available in March in select countries across Europe.

The Full product spec is as follows:
Product name      HTC Advantage™ (X7510)
Size                    133.5 x 98  x 16 mm (additional 4.75mm for keyboard)
Weight                290g + 85g for keyboard
Networks            WCDMA/HSDPA: 850/1900/2100 MHz
                         GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Operating system    Future Version of Windows Mobile®
Display                    5-inch VGA with touch screen
Camera                3.1 megapixel with auto focus
                     VGA for video calling
Internal memory    256 MB + 16 GB flash; 128 MB RAM
Memory card    miniSD™
WLAN        802.11b/g
Bluetooth®    2.0
GPS        GPS
Interface    HTC ExtUSB™ (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0
High-Speed); HTC 16 pin port  (USB 1.1 host, TV/VGA out); 3.5mm audio jack with microphone
Battery    2100 mAh
Talk time    WCDMA: up to 300 minutes*
         GSM: up to 360 minutes*
Standby time    WCDMA: up to 300 hours*
         GSM: up to 300 hours*
Special feature    Detachable QWERTY Keyboard with Haptic feedback; document printing; G sensor

Chipset    Marvell PXA270 624 MHz; Qualcomm® MSM6275

About HTC
Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) designs, manufactures and markets innovative, feature rich smartphone and PDA Phone devices.
Since its establishment, HTC has developed strong R&D capabilities, pioneered many new designs and product innovations and launched state-of-the-art PDA Phones and smartphones for mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the US, and Asia. These machines are available as HTC devices and as products individually customized for operator and device partners.
HTC is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile device market. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit http://www.htc.com. a

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