Four new 3.5G devices from HTCWhen HTC has a launch, you'd probably think the company has more smart phones and PDA-phones to show. That's exactly what happened in the UK as three new phone devices were announced. But aside from that, the Taiwan-based manufacturer also took the chance to officially announce the Shift, a UMPC that has been leaked and much discussed on enthusiast sites and blogs--and it seems the earlier information was not entirely accurate. The least surprising of the products launched is the HTC Touch Dual. This product was first announced in Japan with the name NTT DoCoMo FOMA HT1100. Like that version, the Touch Dual will come with HSDPA connectivity, but not Wi-Fi. It will have a slide-out numeric keypad but is still quite slim with a depth of 15.8mm. The original HTC Touch does not come with a keypad or 3G, but has Wi-Fi and is extremely slim at 13.9mm.The other PDA-phone announced is the P6500. Looking at the features, this one is targeted at the enterprise market. Besides a full range of connectivity options including HSDPA and Wi-Fi, the P6500 has a fingerprint sensor and the option to remotely wipe data from its memory in case it gets lost. It also comes with a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus and a large 3.5-inch display. For the user who loves keyboards, the S730 will be your dream phone. It comes with both a numeric keypad and a QWERTY keyboard, similar to the Dopod C500 from earlier this year. Unlike the C500, this Windows Mobile 6 smart phone will have HSDPA data connectivity and a front camera for video calls.  The Shift has a screen that slides out to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. Completely unlike the three others is the HTC Shift. This UMPC has been talked about for months since information about it was leaked, and now we have official specifications and release dates. Running Windows Vista Business, the Shift has a 7-inch display and QWERTY keyboard. Inside, it has two processors--an 800MHz Intel Stealy and a 400MHz Qualcomm MSM 700. Unlike your run-of-the-mill UMPC, the Shift comes with cellular connectivity including HSDPA. Earlier reports and a video review posted on enthusiast site GottaBeMobile suggested that the Shift can switch between Windows Vista and Windows Mobile. The latest word from HTC, though, is that the always-on push email and access to vital information are part of a feature called SnapVUE. When contacted, the company would not confirm or deny this feature as being powered by Windows Mobile, though an earlier interview with an HTC executive posted on Kaz 911 blog seemed to suggest that it is a stripped-down version. The Touch Dual and Shift will be available in Asia Pacific in the second half of Q4 2007. HTC was unable to confirm the availability of the S730 and P6500 or the prices for all the devices for this region yet. See next page for detailed specifications. |
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