Smartphone seller HTC is now shipping the Advantage “mobile computer” in the United States. A cross between an expanded smartphone and an ultra-mini notebook computer, the Advantage is being sold “unlocked” — i.e. un-tethered to a specific carrier — and is available directly from HTC or at CompUSA stores.

This is the first time that HTC has offered an unlocked device in the United States. But that doesn’t mean the company is planning to move beyond its close integration with the Big...