One advantage of an Americanized tanto (with straight edges and sharp angles) is that you get 2 points. The tip, obviously, and a secondary point where the blade turns upwards towards the tip. Some people like this secondary point for making draw cuts. For example, if you want to make a shallow cut into a cardboard box (enough to cut the cardboard, but not what's inside the box), an Americanized tanto excels at this, as does a sheepsfoot or wharcliffe. However, unlike the sheepsfoot or wharncliffe (where the spine drops down to meet the straight edge), the tip (which a sheepsfoot doesn't have) is at the thicker part of the blade, giving it much more strength than a wharncliffe tip (which is minimal).
The obvious drawback of the Americanized tanto is the lack of curves, which make other cutting tasks more difficult. Of course, there's in-betweens between the straight and angular Americanized tanto and your typical droppoint/clippoint. But all will be some degree of compromise.
