In a little press release, HTC announces they are shipping the HTC Shift (in Europe). Sorry, but other people will have to wait. According to PC Magazine, the wait will not be too long (2 weeks).
While I continue to use and promote the TabletKiosk UMPC, the HTC Shift looks like a great Ultra Mobile PC. Interestingly, HTC is wise to not use the term UMPC - as evidenced in a video posted by GottaBeMobile - instead they just use the term Mobile PC (actually they say Mobile Computer but PC is better). This is fine because I also "shifted" toward the more generic term.
Engadget adds their own snark attack with the wait for the product. But I am surprised the writing about the battery life is minimal. The SnapVUE 3-day battery feature looks marvelous. Now we need UMPCs to have better battery life when operating fully. More important, what is with the price? Ugh.
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Re: HTC Shift: Europeans Get The Best
Microsoft Origami Experience 2.0 enables improved access and consumption of content through the addition of a new finger-friendly browser, RSS Reader and media player. It also includes Origami Now which gives users one-touch access to the information that's important to them, including e-mail, calendar, weather and to-do lists on one screen that changes according to the time, the day and even their current location.
"Bringing the new version of Origami Experience together with the HTC Shift provides an improved and more natural mobile computer experience. I think that users will really enjoy the updated Web experience that utilizes finger touch navigation," said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corp. "The HTC Shift has led to a new experience for customers wanting an always-on and always connected mobile computer packed with the features and functionalities they expect from a notebook.
"The HTC Shift is the first mobile computer to combine the power of Windows Vista and Origami Experience 2.0 in a sleek design that integrates 3G connectivity and a sliding keyboard," said Bill Mitchell, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Windows PC|3 Division. "Microsoft is pleased to be working with HTC and we look forward to continuing our strong legacy of innovative smartphones and now mobile computers."
The HTC Shift provides all the power, functionality and connectivity the busy professional needs in a sleek design that is half the size and a fraction of the weight of standard notebooks. The HTC Shift is the first device to feature HTC's innovative new SnapVUE(TM) technology. SnapVUE provides instant access to emails, calendar, SMS messages and contacts, without the need to fully boot up the device helping conserve power and extend battery life. Weighing just 800g and equipped with a 7" touch sensitive 'slide-n-tilt' screen, the HTC Shift is similar in size to a couple of DVD cases and comes with the Windows Vista Business edition and a 40-gigabyte hard drive. Packed with advanced connectivity, the HTC Shift features high-speed global connectivity through with Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA and, Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE as well as Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi. Also a multimedia powerhouse, the HTC Shift utilizes Windows Media Player 11 to provide easy access to music, videos and photos.
The HTC Shift is available for the first time today through Telefonica in Spain, Orange in the UK and will soon be available through TIM in Italy and in specialized retailers across Europe for EUR1199.