14 DAY TRIAL // The Ameo has gone a long way since first leaked pictures of it, back in the time when it was dubbed Athena, surfaced. Since then, it has been launched by the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer as the HTC Advantage, or X7500, at the 3GSM event this year.
After several name changes, depending on what mobile operator would be offering it, T-mobile finally got their own HTC X7500 and dubbed it Ameo. The device is now available to T-mobile customers, for a price that would seem to be somewhat larger than expected.
Although it comes with a price tag that starts at ?120 and rises to ?430 if you aren't the contract type of person, the device is still worth the price, considering the features it offers.
The UMPC-like Ameo comes with 3G UMTS/HSDPA connectivity, a full QWERTY keyboard that the user can attach or detach according to needs, 5-inch 65k color screen with VGA resolution, 8GB hard drive, 128MB RAM, Bluetooth and WiFi for connectivity and a SDHC-compatible card slot for memory expansion. Add a 3 megapixel camera, Windows Mobile 5 OS and a pretty decent talk time of 6.5 hours of talk time or 300 hours on standby and you've got the complete spec sheet.
While its bulkiness will determine some users to look somewhere else for a smartphone, most hi-tech communication device crazed people out there are bound to love it, and it looks like it's HTC's most advanced handheld so far.
The Ameo is currently available for T-mobile customers and HTC is also expected to launch the same device under the Advantage (X7500) label, reportedly for an even higher price, since its user won't be tied down to a specific network.