HTC launches HTC Shift, a Windows Vista ultra mobile PC
High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC), a provider of Microsoft Windows Mobile based smart devices, announced at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Associations (CTIA) the first Windows Vista Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), HTC Shift.
“The HTC Shift is combining the power of Windows Vista with advanced connectivity in a sleek mobile computer design,” said Bill Mitchell, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Platforms Division. “HTC and Microsoft have been innovating on smart phones for years, so it is exciting to see them bring that experience and innovation to mobile computers.”
The HTC Shift will run Windows Vista Business and come with Microsoft Office. It will have 64MB of RAM plus 1GB DDR2 microDIMM, 128MB of ROM and a 30GB hard drive.
The device comes with an innovative QWERTY-based keyboard design and a webcam. The keyboard is hidden behind the 7-inch, 800×480 touch screen while the 1.2-megapixel webcam sits on the upper left hand corner of the device.
Packed with advanced connectivity, the HTC Shift features high-speed global connectivity with Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA, Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi. A multimedia maven, the HTC Shift leverages Windows Media Player 11 to provide easy access to music, videos and photos.
However, the Shift doesn’t come without its shortcomings. There are only a few ports: a VGA out, SD card slot, and one USB port. A dock or port replicator might be available when it launches, HTC said.
There’s no word on what processor it will run and as for the dimensions HTC has only said this device will be “similar in size to a couple of DVD cases”.
The device will launch in the US and Europe in the third quarter of this year through “standard PC channels,” not at cell phone stores, and it will be “aggressively priced,” HTC reps conveyed.
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March 27th, 2007
I pray GraceL brings this technology to the US before it’s outdated. And uses Her charm to convince her US customers to make it so.