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Hands-On With HTC’s First Laptop

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HTC Shift

The Shift is the first Windows Vista PC from smartphone makers HTC. The size of two DVD cases stacked on top of each other, it has an innovative sliding screen that tilts to a comfortable angle.

HTC Advantage In Case

The HTC Advantage, HTC’s tiny laptop/huge smartphone, comes with a leather case that still lets you take pictures with the 3 megapixel camera.

HTC Advantage Camera

The Advantage runs Windows Mobile 6 and features a 3-megapixel camera with flash.

HTC Advantage Setup

The Advantage is actually two separate pieces, a keyboard and a CPU/screen unit, attached with a powerful magnet. When they’re snapped together like this, they look quite like a tiny laptop.

HTC Advantage Right Side

The wireless activation button is on the right side of the HTC Advantage. The Advantage has both HSDPA high-speed cellular and Wi-Fi built in.

HTC Advantage Left Side

The Advantage has a TV-out port and one USB port on the left side of the device.

HTC Advantage Keyboard

The Advantage’s keyboard has very flat keys with very little travel. The Shift’s keyboard is much nicer, with keys that feel more real.

HTC Advantage CPU

The main body of the Advantage can be used as an ordinary, touchscreen PDA without the keyboard. The differences between the US Advantage and the European model? Ours has GPS; theirs has a front facing camera.

HTC Advantage Music Manager

The Advantage comes with some interesting software. HTC’s music manager software has a much clearer interface than Windows Media Player does.

HTC GPS Software

The built-in GPS on the Advantage opens up a lot of possibilities for using it as a navigation device. Here’s a screen shot of the GPS update utility.