And Now, I Present the Shift…

Posted on 20 March 2008 by


If you weren’t paying attention, then you might have missed that the CDMA HTC Shift reviews which began appearing yesterday were not actually supposed to go live until Monday, March 24th. Amazon jumped the gun on everyone, and web sites – as well as HTC’s PR people – were left scrambling to deliver details.

This email just arrived from HTC, and for those who are debating whether or not the Shift might be their next device, here is some more information that may help you with your decision…

htc_shift

As certain availability details around our upcoming U.S. product release, the HTC Shift, have come to light online earlier than expected, I am passing along relevant product info for your reference. Although the pre-order page is online at Amazon.com, the device will be made available to customers Monday, March 24th but with these details becoming public earlier than expected we thought you might appreciate additional information in advance.

HTC is announcing availability for the HTC Shift in the U.S. through Amazon.com and HTC.com starting Monday. Harnessing the power of Windows Vista and Microsoft Origami™ Experience 2.0, the HTC Shift blends advanced wireless connectivity with a sleek design that is half the size and a fraction of the weight of a standard notebook. Operating on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, the HTC Shift can leverage always-connected CDMA-EVDO connectivity and features true push email with up to three days of battery life.

This is the first device to feature HTC’s innovative new SnapVUE™ technology. SnapVUE provides instant access to emails, calendar, and contacts, without the need to fully boot up the device, which helps conserve power and extend battery life. Also a great multimedia companion, the HTC Shift utilizes Windows Media Player® 11 to provide easy access to music, videos and photos. Other features include:

  • 7″ touch sensitive ‘slide-n-tilt’ screen
  • Windows Vista™ Business edition
  • 40-gigabyte hard drive
  • Light weight of 1.8 pounds
  • 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connectivity
  • High-speed data connectivity with CDMA-EVDO service through Sprint Bluetooth® 2.0
  • Windows Media Player 11 to provide easy access to music, videos and photos.

The HTC Shift is available in the United States for the first time starting Monday online at www.htc.com and www.amazon.com for an approximate retail price of $1,499. For more information on the HTC Shift, please visit www.SwitchOffStayConnected.com. Below you will find the press release and fact sheet including detailed specs.

Here is the official press release…

For Release 1:00 p.m. PST

Mar. 20, 2008

HTC Announces Availability of the HTC Shift in the United States

Available for pre-order today, the HTC Shift combines multiple days of direct push email, unabridged connectivity through the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network and the power of Windows Vista with Origami Experience 2.0

BELLEVUE, Wash. — March 20, 2008 — HTC Corp. (TAIEX: 2498; “HTC”), a mobile technology pioneer and a global leader in smartphone design and manufacturing, today announced the nationwide availability of the HTC Shift™. Harnessing the power of Windows Vista and Microsoft Origami Experience 2.0, the HTC Shift blends advanced wireless connectivity with a sleek design that is half the size and a fraction of the weight of a standard notebook. Operating on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, the HTC Shift can leverage always-connected CDMA-EVDO connectivity and features true push email with up to three days of battery life. Today, Sprint covers more square miles, cities, and airports with mobile broadband than any other carrier, offering the nation’s largest mobile broadband network to HTC Shift users.

“For the first time, customers can experience an extremely small, touch-optimized PC with high speed cellular connectivity and push email. The result is an unmatched mobile computing experience,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “We are pleased to meet our customers’ growing mobility needs by bringing this state-of-the-art product to the United States.”

“The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network offers advanced connectivity and fast connection speeds that reach more than 13,453 cities and 1,321 airports so customers can use the HTC Shift just about wherever they may work or play across the nation,” said Danny Bowman, vice president of customer equipment for Sprint. “We are pleased to continue our strong relationship with HTC as they continue to design innovative devices that serve a critical need in the marketplace when combined with Sprint Mobile Broadband Service.”

Device Features

The HTC Shift features the power and connectivity the travelling, busy professional needs. This is the first device to feature HTC’s innovative new SnapVUE™ technology. SnapVUE provides instant access to emails, calendar, SMS messages and contacts, without the need to fully boot up the device, which helps conserve power and extend battery life. Also a great multimedia companion, the HTC Shift utilizes Windows Media Player 11 to provide easy access to music, videos and photos. Other features include:

  • 7″ touch sensitive ‘slide-n-tilt’ screen
  • Windows Vista Business edition
  • 40-gigabyte hard drive
  • Light weight of 1.8 pounds
  • 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connectivity
  • High-speed data connectivity with CDMA-EVDO service through Sprint
  • Bluetooth® 2.0
  • Windows Media Player 11 to provide easy access to music, videos and photos.

Pricing and Availability

The HTC Shift is available for pre-order in the United States today online at www.htc.com and www.amazon.com for an approximate retail price of $1,499 and will begin shipping on Monday, March 24. For more information on the HTC Shift, please visit www.SwitchOffStayConnected.com.

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) designs, manufactures and markets innovative, feature rich smartphone and PDA phone devices.

Since its establishment, HTC has developed strong R&D capabilities, pioneered many new designs and product innovations and launched state-of-the-art PDA phones and smartphones for mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the US, and Asia. These machines are available as HTC devices and as products individually customized for operator and device partners.

HTC is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile device market. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit http://www.htc.com.

# # #

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Early impressions and a few full reviews of the four Shift review units can be found at:

The Mobile Gadgeteer – CDMA version (Matt’s insane 140 picture gallery is here)

Mobile Tech Review – GSM version

jkOnTheRun – CDMA version

and Boy Genius Report – GSM version

This post was written by:

- who has written 1699 posts on Gear Diary.

I started Gear Diary on September 30, 2006, and my goal was that this not be an easily labeled site. We all have gear that we use daily – some of it electronic and some of it organic. I think it is fascinating to explore the equipment that makes our lives easier, more entertaining, more productive, and more manageable. My hope is that Gear Diary visitors will find this site to be a comfortable and friendly place to discuss interesting topics – and not only those that are tech related, as well as a location to discover various types of gear – whatever that term may end up implying – that they never knew existed. My specialty is in-depth reviews written in a layman’s terms, because everyone can understand technology, sometimes it just takes a little translating. +Judie Stanford

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  • Wayne Schulz

    Ok, I read one of the reviews linked to above and boy are they hedging all over…they touch on various features that others have raised as weaknesses and launch into the “more on that later” … but I’m not sure I ever got a good “more” explanation. I walked away from one review thinking they wrote it to keep HTC happy for letting them review the unit. Yuk.

  • http://www.jkontherun.com jkendrick
  • Wayne Schulz

    James – Good job – please follow-up with a “How much WOULD you pay for this” = I’d love to see the response…..

    I’d probably be in at $ 299. For the $1,499 that HTC is asking (and I have a hard time keeping a straight face as I type that thinking about the 2 hour battery life which we both know is only going to get worse with use)…..I think the MacBook Air kicks the Shift to the curb.Heck, I think it already did so.

    I’m thankful for products like the MacBook Air — which I don’t own and have no current plans to own — for creating a category where the bar (both pricing and functionality) has been lifted ever higher.

    Two hour battery life for a portable device that only sorta sluggishly runs Vista and comes with a case bolted to it’s bottom….bawwwwhahahahha — sorry..

  • Torturous Trevor the Technoholic

    James, good review, well worth reading.