HTC Shift review
Network and connections
HTC Shift is an extremely innovative product. The CPU built into this handheld is Intel-branded and offers a clock speed of 400 Mhz. This model is equipped with 256 MB of ROM memory and 1 GB of RAM. HTC Shift's hard disk has a generous capacity: as much as 30 GB. As for telephone functions, the device guarantees extraordinary compatibility, being a Dual Mode terminal, UMTS and GSM Quad-Band (850/900/1800/1900), with high-level data connectivity: HSDPA, 3G, EDGE and GPRS. This handheld supports Infrared communication protocols (IrDa), USB cable, and integrates Bluetooth technology. Power is supplied by a powerful 2200 mAh lithium polymer battery.
Design and features
HTC Shift is a rather boxy device but overall elegant and versatile. The front of the body is almost entirely occupied by the display, which is large and bright, and whose protection is the removable QWERTY keyboard, which attaches to the body thanks to powerful magnets. The dimensions are not exactly compact: 190 mm in height, 135 mm in width and 30 mm in thickness, for a weight of 425 grams. HTC Shift features a large LCD TFT display of as much as 7 inches with 16 million colors and a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. This guarantees sharp and well-defined images in every situation. The screen is of the Touch Screen type and a handy stylus is included to issue commands. Also available is the useful handwriting recognition function: it is in fact enough to use the pen and write directly on the screen to make the device turn the writing into a text file. There is an audio-speaker output and an audio-microphone input. On the left side of the body is positioned the volume control lever, and the connection port for TV or monitor (thanks to the special cable, included).
Main features
The new HTC product is based on the Microsoft Windows Vista Business operating system and naturally includes all the updated versions of the main applications of Microsoft's "Pocket Pc" suite: Outlook, Word, Excel, Microsoft Reader, Internet Explorer, Windows Live Messenger. Thanks to third generation support it allows the use of video calls and video messages. As for messaging, the terminal allows the management of SMS, MMS and E-mail; the software package includes organizer, calculator and alarm clock. Finally, a slot for SD card memory cards is available.
Entertainment and multimedia
There are as many as two built-in speakers that offer stereo playback of audio files. Windows Media Player 11 is installed as the multimedia player, compatible with AMR/AAC/WAV/WMA/MP3 music files and numerous video formats. HTC Shift is equipped with a GPS satellite navigation system based on the SiRF Star III Chipset. The antenna is internal and this allows the handheld's dimensions to be kept more compact. Territorial cartography is included. HTC Shift also has a camera with a 3 Megapixel sensor, equipped with flash, which allows the capture of high-resolution images. On the front of the body, instead, is the secondary VGA camera, dedicated to video calls.