HTC Shift: Smart phone morphs into Vista UMPC
Tags: htc, hard drive, shift, band
Every now and then a mobile phone manufacturer makes you sit up in your seat and have a really good look at your computer screen. When we were sent this photo of HTC's Shift by its PR company, we stared at our screens for a very long time indeed.
The HTC Shift is similar in many ways to the HTC Advantage (aka the T-Mobile Ameo). It has a large 178mm colour touchscreen and a full Qwerty keypad, but unlike any device that HTC has made before this is much more than a smart phone -- it's a UMPC running Windows Vista Business edition.
There's not much information on specs yet, but we know it has a 30GB hard drive, tri-band HSDPA, quad-band EDGE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There's also a fingerprint reader and a small Synaptics touchpad for navigating the menu.
Other features we've deduced from the picture -- click on the image to enlarge it -- include a VGA camera on the front for video calling, a USB port and what looks like an SD card slot. Unfortunately, that's all we know -- we're not sure when it's coming out in the UK.
Interestingly, we had a chat a while ago with T-Mobile about whether or not they would go all the way and stock UMPC-type devices after we saw the Ameo, which is as close to a UMPC any smart phone has ever been. T-Mobile said no, but we think it'll change its mind after seeing this baby. -AL
Update: Read our full HTC Shift review.
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kelvinThu 26 April, 2007 4:33pm
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM AN ONLINE SHOP CALLED KATY TAN MOBLIE STORE,IS ALL A BIG SCAM.I LOST $300 TO THEM.
Francis MulleadyMon 23 July, 2007 9:27pm
HTC are transferring their core competencies from other mobile devices to the HTC Shift. If they can solve the one curse of UMPC's to date, lousy battery life, then this all-in-one ultra-mobile and communication device will be a real winner. I'll wait and see before I give up the power of my Dell XPS M1210 with its HSDPA mobile broadband card. It will need at least 6 hours battery life to tempt me. Otherwise why not buy a Sony Vaio ultraportable or similar device and add the connectivity? The HTC Advantage/T-mobile Ameo was a very innovative device but with hugely disappointing resolution for its screen size. The Shift will also have limited sales if it does not meet the requirements of longer battery life that have so far been the paradox of 'ultra-mobile' devices.
AnonymousFri 4 January, 2008 7:16pm
i av been waiting for this phone since!!do you have an idea when it is coming out in UK??
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RoseThu 19 April, 2007 8:17pm
I'm with Cingular. I can't complain and so far they have the largest selection of phones. Please try and see if Cingular will go for it. This is what I've been waiting for! This is what I really want!