HTC Shift First Impressions

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I have been very lucky to get hold of a Shift for a couple of weeks, and figured I’d start with a first impressions article, written entirely on the Shift.

I was very impressed by the packaging, very nicely presented like the Touch Cruise. The Shift came wrapped in its beautiful leather case, a really nice addition. Removing it from the case, I was immediately taken by it. It feels really solid in the hand, and looks like a quality product.

The display is very bright, but unfortunately it’s only 800×480. Honestly that’s pretty pathetic for a second gen, and quite pricey UMPC. Using it in the 1024×600 interpolation mode is very usable, and since turning it on I’ve spent most of my time in this mode.

I’ve given the handwriting recognition a quick go, and while it is very good at getting the right words, it is a bit uncomfortable to do since a slight brush sends the pointer scooting across the screen. Will keep trying it over the next few days to see if I can make it work for me.

Built-in HSDPA is great to have, and combined with the instant-on SnapVue means email is only a few seconds away. I get much better signal that I do on my BlackJack II, and surfing seems to be pretty fast.

The keyboard is, well, difficult. It reminds me a lot of the keyboard my Jornada 628 had, looked great and felt nice, but was too cramped to type on properly. I have typed this whole article on the Shift and my hands are feeling very cramped and uncomfortable.

I’ll post another update in the next few days as I tote the Shift with me to uni.

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About the Author

Mitchell Oke
Mitchell is a video producer and director working with Australia's leading motoring news sites and car companies. He's always on the go with a camera in hand. With a Bachelor of Creative Technology (Digital Video Production), Mitchell's worked for News Limited, CarAdvice.com and as a freelancer for many years.

4 Comments on "HTC Shift First Impressions"

  1. Pictures when you can, please! 🙂

  2. Wayne Schulz | April 17, 2008 at 10:04 am |

    Mitchell I’m especially interested in your thoughts of “would I buy this SHIFT or a MacBook Air” – and in which situations might one or the other be appropriate.

  3. I’ll let Mitchell answer, but I can tell you that he actually has his eye on yet another smallish laptop… 😉

  4. I have to agree with Mitchell’s initial comments, I have tried to incorporate my HTC Shift into my routine, and am really struggling, especially since I already have to tote around a laptop!

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