My experience so far

[cib911]

I’m going to start this off by saying that this is not a review of the AT&T Tilt, the HTC Advantage, or the iPhone. These devices have been reviewed in depth already. This is more of a reflection on my use of the 3 devices mentioned. My primary phone is the AT&T Tilt, my wife uses the iPhone, and I bought a HTC Advantage 2 week ago.

I wanted to see if the Advantage would augment or even replace my laptop and Tilt, like a true convergence device. I mentioned the iPhone because my wife has one, and so I have access to the use of it along with the 2 other HTC devices.

All of the devices mentioned are box stock so to speak. They are locked to AT&T with the exception of the Advantage, which as you know can work on any GSM network, but for me it is used on AT&T’s network.

I was able to use all 3 while on a week’s Christmas vacation trip to Minnesota (I live in Jacksonville, FL.) to see my parents. I transitioned to the Advantage one week prior to leaving to get used to it. It worked as expected, sync’s to my laptop with Vista and Mobile Device Center no problem, as does my Tilt. Connected to AT&T’s network no problem. I was always able to get my e-mails and made and received calls on it, and Bluetooth worked flawlessly. I paired my Jawbone with no problems. The only software problem I encountered with it so far has been with Windows live services. It would fail to sync completely, signing out and then back in repeatedly. I have had zero lock ups and have not had to reset it yet. The GPS worked without a hitch and was able to use it with both Google maps and Live search to navigate. The only problem I can find to fault this device with is the size and weight, but I knew that when I got it. It is not designed to be carried around with you all day. I found myself leaving it in the car or on the desk and checking it throughout the day. I did carry it with me while walking around the Mall of America in Minneapolis. Throughout the whole trip I had excellent network coverage and the high speed 3g worked everywhere I was at. All and all the Advantage did everything it was advertised to do.

While at my parent’s house in Rochester, I also used my Tilt. Once again it worked as it has always been working. The only problem I have with my Tilt is it has a tendency to drop calls while using the Bluetooth headset (Jawbone). This has happened several times and I have read here on these forums that I am not alone with this problem.

To be honest, after using both devices I think the Advantage is at a slight disadvantage. Now, I realize they are meant for two entirely different types of users. I can do everything I need to do on the Tilt. The Advantage can do everything the Tilt can do, and has way more storage. The size, weight, and portability are just too much to work around for me. I must say though, that looking at that nice big VGA screen on the Advantage will spoil you.
I am more than happy with the performance of both devices, as well as the other HTC devices I have used in the past. (AT&T 8525)

Here’s the other point I wanted to make, and why I have mentioned the iPhone. I pay all my bills online, so I needed to be able to log on to my bank as well as other creditors to make payments. Of the 8 online bill paying websites I needed to access, I was only able to complete 3 of the tasks. The websites would not render correctly no matter what changes to the display I made. As a note I use a program called PIE+ by Rensoft, and it works great on my Tilt and the Advantage. I was able to log on and complete the other 5 transactions with the wife’s iPhone, in the Safari browser no problem what so ever. That’s the only thing I like about the iPhone, and it is not enough of a reason to switch to one, she likes that phone and it’s nice, but I prefer the functionality of windows mobile.

I would like to add that I am not a noob, nor am I an expert at using WM6; I learn new stuff about it every day on this site. I thought it might be interesting for someone to read about my experience with these 3 devices, and how they were used in my everyday life.

In conclusion, I would say that for me, the choice clear. I will stay with my Tilt, and possibly find a new home for the Advantage. I don’t know though, it’s like a guilty pleasure to use the Advantage.

One more thing I just thought of, maybe a HTC Shift is what I need.
Anyway thanks for reading.

[rorydaredkign]

It all started on christmas eve, i bought my advantage off someone on these forums, who got conned into buying an ameo with a blocked imei. Im 17 so i hardly ever call, and when i do its when im out with my K800i. It has been like this since i got my hermes in June. And texts work for me, so its a perfect buy, way cheaper then normal, and probably the best spec of a pda phone there is.
I got it out of the box, and i was actually surprised by the size. I thought it would be bigger, but its not really massive, seeing as i had a hermes. Its probably the same depth as a hermes, and width is about double the hermes, and height is id say about 1cm shorter then the hermes length. And, most importantly, it fits into my school blazer pocket perfectly, so no belt clip.
Straight away, i downloaded the latest athena project rom. I was surprised by the amount of apps cooked in, coming rom hermes where every rom is stripped bare, because of the half size rom.
I fired it up, played around a bit, but i found that even with double the ram, and more then 50% extra processing power, it was the same speed. But thinking about it, this is probably because it has to render double the number of pixels.
I downloaded google maps, tried to get a gps fix, and so far ive been able to get a fix in my house fdrom my bedroom window [5 satellites] and the living room window [3 satellites] i havent been able to when ive been in a car. I got tomtom for it, and the success has been the same. But quick gps does i think speed up getting a fix, but it may just be psychological.
The best app on the rom is id say real vga. The icon are massive on 192 dpi, and when i changed to 96 dpi, at first it was tiny, but now im used to it. Another massive plus is snapvue. The calendar is great and the viewing od new sms at the bottom is excellent. Then only thing wrong with it so far is that the clock never syncs fast. its always approx 10 secs after the normal clock. And, when i turn it on in the morning, it shows the time it was turned off at at night. And by turn off, i mean like screen off, not power down.
Yesterday, i had some trouble with it, when i turned the screen off, it wouldnt turn back on, i had to soft-reset. it did this twice in a row. but since then it hasnt done it.
That is the only problem so far [touch wood] that has caused a soft reset.
Wisbar advance desktop wouldnt work, but now i worked out that 96 dpi is just like qvga? lol. so my old hermes WA2 and WAD themes will work.
Thanks for reading, and i liked your "review" cib911.
x

[techntrek]

cib911 - After getting a good case for my Athena (Tough-as-Nuts; it has the same quality as a good holster), I don't even notice its on my belt most of the time. I even have moments where I think I've lost it and reach down to make sure its still there. When I had some cheaper cases in the beginning it was a drag, literally. Especially one that had a swivel belt clip which held it so far from the belt it had leverage to twist the belt outward with each step. But the good case makes it an easy carry-everyday item now.

[hitch]

Hey cib911, I'm gonna assume you flew. Did you use the Advantage on the flight, around 3hours would be my guess. How was the battery life and what were you using it for? music? Movies? Work?

I've been considering one to add to my TyTn / Fujitsu p1510 stable.
thanks

[Pawel062]

I’m going to start this off by saying that this is not a review of the AT&T Tilt, the HTC Advantage, or the iPhone. These devices have been reviewed in depth already. This is more of a reflection on my use of the 3 devices mentioned. My primary phone is the AT&T Tilt, my wife uses the iPhone, and I bought a HTC Advantage 2 week ago.

I wanted to see if the Advantage would augment or even replace my laptop and Tilt, like a true convergence device. I mentioned the iPhone because my wife has one, and so I have access to the use of it along with the 2 other HTC devices.

All of the devices mentioned are box stock so to speak. They are locked to AT&T with the exception of the Advantage, which as you know can work on any GSM network, but for me it is used on AT&T’s network.

I was able to use all 3 while on a week’s Christmas vacation trip to Minnesota (I live in Jacksonville, FL.) to see my parents. I transitioned to the Advantage one week prior to leaving to get used to it. It worked as expected, sync’s to my laptop with Vista and Mobile Device Center no problem, as does my Tilt. Connected to AT&T’s network no problem. I was always able to get my e-mails and made and received calls on it, and Bluetooth worked flawlessly. I paired my Jawbone with no problems. The only software problem I encountered with it so far has been with Windows live services. It would fail to sync completely, signing out and then back in repeatedly. I have had zero lock ups and have not had to reset it yet. The GPS worked without a hitch and was able to use it with both Google maps and Live search to navigate. The only problem I can find to fault this device with is the size and weight, but I knew that when I got it. It is not designed to be carried around with you all day. I found myself leaving it in the car or on the desk and checking it throughout the day. I did carry it with me while walking around the Mall of America in Minneapolis. Throughout the whole trip I had excellent network coverage and the high speed 3g worked everywhere I was at. All and all the Advantage did everything it was advertised to do.

While at my parent’s house in Rochester, I also used my Tilt. Once again it worked as it has always been working. The only problem I have with my Tilt is it has a tendency to drop calls while using the Bluetooth headset (Jawbone). This has happened several times and I have read here on these forums that I am not alone with this problem.

To be honest, after using both devices I think the Advantage is at a slight disadvantage. Now, I realize they are meant for two entirely different types of users. I can do everything I need to do on the Tilt. The Advantage can do everything the Tilt can do, and has way more storage. The size, weight, and portability are just too much to work around for me. I must say though, that looking at that nice big VGA screen on the Advantage will spoil you.
I am more than happy with the performance of both devices, as well as the other HTC devices I have used in the past. (AT&T 8525)

Here’s the other point I wanted to make, and why I have mentioned the iPhone. I pay all my bills online, so I needed to be able to log on to my bank as well as other creditors to make payments. Of the 8 online bill paying websites I needed to access, I was only able to complete 3 of the tasks. The websites would not render correctly no matter what changes to the display I made. As a note I use a program called PIE+ by Rensoft, and it works great on my Tilt and the Advantage. I was able to log on and complete the other 5 transactions with the wife’s iPhone, in the Safari browser no problem what so ever. That’s the only thing I like about the iPhone, and it is not enough of a reason to switch to one, she likes that phone and it’s nice, but I prefer the functionality of windows mobile.

I would like to add that I am not a noob, nor am I an expert at using WM6; I learn new stuff about it every day on this site. I thought it might be interesting for someone to read about my experience with these 3 devices, and how they were used in my everyday life.

In conclusion, I would say that for me, the choice clear. I will stay with my Tilt, and possibly find a new home for the Advantage. I don’t know though, it’s like a guilty pleasure to use the Advantage.

One more thing I just thought of, maybe a HTC Shift is what I need.
Anyway thanks for reading.

i would try opera. it works on all the sites i do online payments on. i would also try my rom. u'll be spoiled by it and with hardspl u can always return to stock if needed for warrenty.

what i would do is loose the keyboard like i did because of the teksoft fingertouch keyboard included in my rom and use the qwerty layout which is layout 1(ull see on the bottom left hand corner a red square with number. thats used to change layout).

without the keyboard the athena is now close to moto razr thin. but as wide as about 2 razrs side by side.

coming from a hermes i do not have a problem with the size. it fits into my jeans pockets and i love the power of the device. with my rom the device just flies. i can throw everything at it and do anything i want with it.

[Pawel062]

It all started on christmas eve, i bought my advantage off someone on these forums, who got conned into buying an ameo with a blocked imei. Im 17 so i hardly ever call, and when i do its when im out with my K800i. It has been like this since i got my hermes in June. And texts work for me, so its a perfect buy, way cheaper then normal, and probably the best spec of a pda phone there is.
I got it out of the box, and i was actually surprised by the size. I thought it would be bigger, but its not really massive, seeing as i had a hermes. Its probably the same depth as a hermes, and width is about double the hermes, and height is id say about 1cm shorter then the hermes length. And, most importantly, it fits into my school blazer pocket perfectly, so no belt clip.
Straight away, i downloaded the latest athena project rom. I was surprised by the amount of apps cooked in, coming rom hermes where every rom is stripped bare, because of the half size rom.
I fired it up, played around a bit, but i found that even with double the ram, and more then 50% extra processing power, it was the same speed. But thinking about it, this is probably because it has to render double the number of pixels.
I downloaded google maps, tried to get a gps fix, and so far ive been able to get a fix in my house fdrom my bedroom window [5 satellites] and the living room window [3 satellites] i havent been able to when ive been in a car. I got tomtom for it, and the success has been the same. But quick gps does i think speed up getting a fix, but it may just be psychological.
The best app on the rom is id say real vga. The icon are massive on 192 dpi, and when i changed to 96 dpi, at first it was tiny, but now im used to it. Another massive plus is snapvue. The calendar is great and the viewing od new sms at the bottom is excellent. Then only thing wrong with it so far is that the clock never syncs fast. its always approx 10 secs after the normal clock. And, when i turn it on in the morning, it shows the time it was turned off at at night. And by turn off, i mean like screen off, not power down.
Yesterday, i had some trouble with it, when i turned the screen off, it wouldnt turn back on, i had to soft-reset. it did this twice in a row. but since then it hasnt done it.
That is the only problem so far [touch wood] that has caused a soft reset.
Wisbar advance desktop wouldnt work, but now i worked out that 96 dpi is just like qvga? lol. so my old hermes WA2 and WAD themes will work.
Thanks for reading, and i liked your "review" cib911.
x

quick gps is ment to speed up the time for a lock so it isnt ur imagination. i am glad u love my rom and ur device. only comment i have is with the gps i actually get as good signal in my car as out of it.

i use the htc branded case and it sits in between the dashboard and front windshield of my car. it doesnt move around bc of the design of my car and the device with case. it is pretty much stuck in there and wont move no matter what i do with the car yet i can still remove it by hand from that spot.

[cib911]

Hey cib911, I'm gonna assume you flew. Did you use the Advantage on the flight, around 3hours would be my guess. How was the battery life and what were you using it for? music? Movies? Work?

I've been considering one to add to my TyTn / Fujitsu p1510 stable.
thanks

Yes I did use it on the flight. 1 hour to ATL. and 2 hours to MSP. The battery held up fine. I haven't put any music or movies on it yet, but played some games. I use it more for e-mail and as a lap top replacement.

i would try opera. it works on all the sites i do online payments on. i would also try my rom. u'll be spoiled by it and with hardspl u can always return to stock if needed for warrenty.

what i would do is loose the keyboard like i did because of the teksoft fingertouch keyboard included in my rom and use the qwerty layout which is layout 1(ull see on the bottom left hand corner a red square with number. thats used to change layout).

without the keyboard the athena is now close to moto razr thin. but as wide as about 2 razrs side by side.

coming from a hermes i do not have a problem with the size. it fits into my jeans pockets and i love the power of the device. with my rom the device just flies. i can throw everything at it and do anything i want with it.
Today 06:27 PM

Glad you mentioned your ROM, I haven't had to courage to try it yet. Don't want to brick it, plus I'm still adding cabs and configuring it. I am thinking about flashing it now though.

[Confucious]

Glad you mentioned your ROM, I haven't had to courage to try it yet. Don't want to brick it, plus I'm still adding cabs and configuring it. I am thinking about flashing it now though.

Just do it, unlock with Olipro's unlocker (best do all 3 steps) then flash the ROM - you won't regret it and it's almost impossible to brick your device.

[leoni1980]

Just do it, unlock with Olipro's unlocker (best do all 3 steps) then flash the ROM - you won't regret it and it's almost impossible to brick your device.

olipro is right: his ROM makes a world of difference to the usability of the athena. its a great device but in the end the size just got too much for me. there were also one or two disappointments for me. im an internet addict and found that neither opera nor pie did full enough job for me. i also thought video playback was less than acceptible, with lipsync gradually worsening throughout many films and general playback quality a bit hit and miss. it was possible to convert movies to a format that worked well but this was too much of a trial for me. perhaps i expected too much of the athena's raw power but try copying a video recorded on an N95 (330mhz ARM proocessor) onto the microdrive and playing it with tcpmp or coreplayer and you'll see that the athena was clearly never designed to play movies. this rendered the 8gb of storage a little redundant for me, and it remained pretty empty.
taking its relative spec into account i never thought the device showed itself any more nippy than the hermes. web pages for example rendered around the same speed on both devices, but i get the feeling that's a fault with windows mobile as a whole and not the athena.

overall i loved texting on the athena. there's something about the feel of it (minus the silly keyboard) that i grew fond of, and theres an abundance of really great apps out there, but in the end it never fulfilled my expectations and i felt obliged to sell it before its value depleted further.

if the size doesnt bother you and you're not too bothered about watching movies you'll definitely be sold when you try black touch though. its great, and no doubt it's helped HTC a lot as the stock ROMs are crap. without black touch i would have sold my athena months ago.