HTC Shift Preview
Expected
Q3 2007 27th March 2007
For
more information, click here
HTC have a pretty good reputation as
the leading Windows smartphone manufacturer, but the
HTC Shift takes the company in a slightly different
direction. Although it shares many features with the
likes of the HTC
Advantage, this is in fact a fully blown PC running
Windows Vista in an ultra compact package.
The HTC Shift is very much in the smartphone tradition
though with a touch-sensitive 7" panel, integrated
GSM, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA data, Bluetooth and WiFi.
It's not a large device compared to a laptop - HTC say
that it is about the same size as two DVD cases, so
approximately 190 x 130 x 30 mm. That's
much smaller than a laptop, but significantly larger
than even the largest current mobile phone that we know
of.
The operating system is Microsoft Vista Business,
so it's a fully fledged OS and HTC's publicity shots
seem to show it running the Aero interface, which
is surprising in such a small device. The exact
technical specifications of the HTC Shift are not known,
but we do know that it has a 30GB hard disk and a USB
connection so an external optical media device can be
connected.
As
with a few other HTC devices, the Shift features tri-band
UMTS with HSDPA, so it can be used in the US as well
as the rest of the world. Quad-band GSM with GPRS and
EDGE mean that the Shift should usually be able to get
some sort of wireless connectivity when roaming, and
of course there's the option of WiFi.
Even if the HTC Shift can make voice calls (and this
hasn't been specified), the device itself it too big
to use as a mobile handset (you can try this for yourself
by putting two DVD boxes together and giving it a go).
Although it may be possible to make calls through the
Shift with a Bluetooth headset, and there is also the
possibility of VOIP services such as Skype, in reality
you would want a more normal mobile phone to go with
the Shift. This isn't a bad thing though, because it
means that you can leave the Shift in the office or
at home and carry a normal phone instead, something
that owners of the Nokia
770 and N800
find refreshing. Of course the Shift requires its own
SIM card to operate and this is a device that would
suit a dedicated data tarriff.
HTC said that they would confirm the exact details
closer to the anticipated Q3 launch, but crucially there
is no indication of pricing although our guess would
be that this will come in at roughly £1000 / €1600 /
$2000 give or take a very wide margin.
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|
HTC
Shift provisional specifications
|
Available:
|
Q3
2007
|
Network:
|
GSM
850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 UMTS
850 / 1900 / 2100 |
Data:
|
GPRS
+ EDGE + UMTS + HSDPA +
WiFi
|
Screen:
|
Not
specified
|
Camera:
|
Not
specified
|
Size:
|
Ultra-compact
portable PC 190 x 130
x 30 mm approx
|
Bluetooth:
|
Yes
|
Memory
card:
|
Not
specified
|
Infra-red:
|
Not
specified
|
Polyphonic:
|
Not
specified
|
Java:
|
Not
specified
|
Battery
life:
|
Not
specified
|
OS:
|
Windows
Vista Business
|
|
|