Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Sponsored by Surfshark. Go to surfshark.com/mrmobile and use code MrMobile at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
[WHEN PHONES WERE FUN: HTC UNIVERSAL, 2005]
In 2026, shrinking a laptop to handheld size requires a folding phone, some kinda stand, a keyboard and a mouse: at least $2,000 worth of gear carried in a minimum of two pockets.
Twenty years ago (as with many things) the “pocket laptop” was much simpler. On this episode of When Phones Were Fun, we're rewinding to 2005, when a company that would come to be beloved for its “High Tech Computers” has just dropped the most ambitious mobile computer of its time. You might know it as the O2 XDA Exec or the T-Mobile MDA Pro or the iMate JasJar – but its true name is the HTC Universal.
[ABOUT THIS VIDEO]
This is the latest in a series of MrMobile videos exploring the mobile tech world's most vibrant period in design and experimentation. In “When Phones Were Fun,” Michael Fisher re-reviews cellphones from the golden age of mobile, the decade-long span from the turn of the century to approximately 2013.
This episode was produced with two HTC Universal units, one purchased by MrMobile and the other donated by Charles Goin. MrMobile does not offer manufacturers the opportunity to preview, edit or approve content before publication. Neither HTC nor any other manufacturer provided compensation in exchange for this coverage. The lone sponsor of this content is Surfshark.
[LINKS]
Blast from the Past – O2 XDA Exec – Review – Warning Strong Language [Gavin's Gadgets]:
gavinsgadgets.com/2015/02/15/blast-from-the-past-o2-xda-exec-review
Review: HTC Universal Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone [The Gadgeteer]:
the-gadgeteer.com/2006/03/10/htc_universal_windows_mobile_5_pocket_pc_phone
HTC Universal - The $1600 Pinnacle of Mobile Phone Tech From 15 Years Ago [Fully Buffered]:
youtube.com/watch?v=4TvlpMK35Sk
[CHAPTERS]
00:00 Pocket laptops through the ages
00:41 Universal in name only
02:23 2005's idea of a smartphone
05:16 Windows in your pocket
07:44 Apps before the app store
09:17 Product of its time
10:57 Surfshark
11:49 Outro & Disclosures
[SOCIALIZE]
instagram.com/themrmobile
threads.com/captain2phones
twitter.com/captain2phones
https://mrmobile.tech
[DISCLOSURES]
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here: https://mrmobile.tech/ethics
Sponsored by Surfshark. Go to surfshark.com/mrmobile and use code MrMobile at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
[WHEN PHONES WERE FUN: HTC UNIVERSAL, 2005]
In 2026, shrinking a laptop to handheld size requires a folding phone, some kinda stand, a keyboard and a mouse: at least $2,000 worth of gear carried in a minimum of two pockets.
Twenty years ago (as with many things) the “pocket laptop” was much simpler. On this episode of When Phones Were Fun, we're rewinding to 2005, when a company that would come to be beloved for its “High Tech Computers” has just dropped the most ambitious mobile computer of its time. You might know it as the O2 XDA Exec or the T-Mobile MDA Pro or the iMate JasJar – but its true name is the HTC Universal.
[ABOUT THIS VIDEO]
This is the latest in a series of MrMobile videos exploring the mobile tech world's most vibrant period in design and experimentation. In “When Phones Were Fun,” Michael Fisher re-reviews cellphones from the golden age of mobile, the decade-long span from the turn of the century to approximately 2013.
This episode was produced with two HTC Universal units, one purchased by MrMobile and the other donated by Charles Goin. MrMobile does not offer manufacturers the opportunity to preview, edit or approve content before publication. Neither HTC nor any other manufacturer provided compensation in exchange for this coverage. The lone sponsor of this content is Surfshark.
[LINKS]
Blast from the Past – O2 XDA Exec – Review – Warning Strong Language [Gavin's Gadgets]:
gavinsgadgets.com/2015/02/15/blast-from-the-past-o2-xda-exec-review
Review: HTC Universal Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone [The Gadgeteer]:
the-gadgeteer.com/2006/03/10/htc_universal_windows_mobile_5_pocket_pc_phone
HTC Universal - The $1600 Pinnacle of Mobile Phone Tech From 15 Years Ago [Fully Buffered]:
youtube.com/watch?v=4TvlpMK35Sk
[CHAPTERS]
00:00 Pocket laptops through the ages
00:41 Universal in name only
02:23 2005's idea of a smartphone
05:16 Windows in your pocket
07:44 Apps before the app store
09:17 Product of its time
10:57 Surfshark
11:49 Outro & Disclosures
[SOCIALIZE]
instagram.com/themrmobile
threads.com/captain2phones
twitter.com/captain2phones
https://mrmobile.tech
[DISCLOSURES]
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here: https://mrmobile.tech/ethics
