Well Well, it looks like folks that have been waiting for the HTC Shift to really and truly arrive in the States are in for a pleasant surprise - Sprint is going to carry it! That obviously means it's going to be an EVDO device (instead of the GSM variant in Europe). The Shift is an awfully sweet Windows Vista UMPC combined with a Windows Mobile device. You should know, however, that some folks are relatively unhappy that the Windows Mobile side of the device isn't really a full version of Windows Mobile, it's called “SnapVue” and it's hampered by all sorts of limitations due to HTC cutting out major swaths of Windows Mobile. (MoDaCo has some tips on how to fix that little problem).

Matt Miller of ZDNet has put up some initial thoughts and a great image gallery of the device.

Do you have $1499 burning a hole in your bank account?

The HTC Shift, if you didn't know, is a sweet mashup of a UMPC and a Windows Mobile device. HTC calls the “SnapVUE,” we call it “The magic button that instantly switches between Windows Mobile and Vista.” It's available, at long last, but it looks like Europe is getting it first (is anybody else detecting a theme here). In our hands-on with the HTC Shift during CES 2008, we didn't spend too much time on the Vista side of things and that's looking like perhaps it was a good decision. A good decision because the Vista side of the Shift just got a lot spicier with the addition of Microsoft's Origami software.

Origami (it's ok, we forgot it existed too) is Microsoft's suite of neat tools specifically designed for touchscreen UMPCs. It has widgets like Picture-based passwords, re-vamped interfaces with big, touchable buttons, and little notepads.

HTC has managed to pick up carrier support from Telefonica and Orange in various countries, selling the Shift for 1199 Euro.

Yowza. At a press event today HTC unloaded its big guns - 4 new Windows Mobile devices to arrive by year's end. No word yet on when exactly we can expect these monsters in the states, but here's the breakdown:

• HTC Shift: Likely the best UMPC yet, a dual-booting Windows Mobile / Vista beast with HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, 7" screen, and a full keyboard.
• HTC Touch Dual: The Touch but with a slide-out keyboard. If the pictures are anything to go by, it looks like it will come in a standard T9 flavor and also a Blackberry-eqsue suretype keyboard. Oh, and full 3G, whapow!
• HTC S730: The successor to the HTC S710/Vox that fixes the keyboard layout and adds 3G speed
• HTC P6500: HTC's industrial entrant, whose 3 megapixel camera doubles nicely as a barcode scanner.

All of them will come with HTC's very nice new home screen. After the break, full spec rundowns and pictures of the Touch Dual and the S730.

via: the::unwired

Update: Superior Gadgets put up a video of the new Touch Dual and dayum, HTC has snuck in a whole bunch of minor touch-esque improvements that really help with some of the hassles I've dealt with on the original Touch. Video after the break, definitely worth the look!

Read the rest of this entry »