If you think of the HTC Advantage purely as smartphone, you're talling one hefty bit of kit - so big in fact that it comes in two parts. Weighing in at over 359g, the device sets some sort of record for a smartphone.

However, if you make the mistake of comparing the Advantage to an ordinary mobile, or even to most pocketable PDA phones, then you are probably missing the point. Think of it as a tablet-style laptop that you can actually fit into a coat pocket then you are getting closer to what HTC is attempting here.

The HTC Advantage (also available in network operator-branded guise as the T-Mobile Ameo) is essentially a Pocket PC-style device, running Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition operating system.

But what makes this beast rather different from other smartphones and palmtops running the same software is the size of the colour display. This touchscreen LCD measures a massive five inches across. It's big enough to comfortably watch television or downloaded movies on - and you could do just thanks to its combination of communication technologies and memory capabilities.

The device ticks all the right boxes when it comes to connectivity as it provides fast access to data and downloads on the move thanks to 3G access, and offering low-cost hook-ups using Wi-Fi when you have one in range.

Just as importantly the phone does not make do with the usual paltry onboard memory and card slot of many of its rivals. Sure, you can use a MiniSD card (a quick way of getting files on and off the phone), but it also has an 8 gigabyte harddrive.

The piece de resistance, however, is probably the built-in GPS antenna. Sure we have seen plenty of phones with satellite navigation as standard.

But this not only offers the reassurance of maps and instructions from market leaders TomTom - it also has that advantage of the huge screen. When it comes to seeing where you are and where you need to go, it pays to have an LCD where you don't have to squint.