HTC unveils five mobile devices
Mobile maker HTC unveiled five new devices for the Australian market last week, including an ultramobile PC called the Shift, and a PDA-phone with a slide-out QWERTY keypad called the TyTN II.
HTC's flagship PDA-phone: the TyTN II
Mobile maker HTC unveiled five new devices for the Australian market last week, including an ultramobile PC called the Shift, and a PDA-phone with a slide-out QWERTY keypad called the TyTN II.
With a seven-inch touchscreen, dual operating systems and a QWERTY keyboard, the Shift is positioned as a travel device for the mobile professional, with connectivity options including Wi-Fi, HSDPA-enabled 3G (for data only, no calls) and Bluetooth. It can dual-boot a full version of Windows Vista alongside a stripped down and skinned version of Windows Mobile it calls SnapVUE.
HTC reckons you'll get around 2.5 hours of battery life when using Vista or about eight days using SnapVUE, which gives you quick access to e-mail, your calendar, SMS and contacts. The Shift looked kind of like an extremely shrunken laptop when we had five minutes play with it at the launch, especially with the tiny mouse HTC had plugged into it at the demo booth. It's due to be released locally in December for AU$1,999.
Four Windows Mobile 6 devices are also in the Taiwanese manufacturer's line-up for the rest of 2007.
First up is the AU$1,299 TyTN II, the flagship PDA-phone in HTC's latest collection. It has a 2.8-inch inch slide-and-tilt screen, 3.5G connectivity (up to 3.6Mbps) and built-in GPS. HTC also bundles it with CoPilot Live mapping software.
Ultramobile PC: HTC Shift
The AU$699 Touch II is a straightforward upgrade to the original Touch, with HTC doubling the onboard memory. It still features a customised home screen, called the "TouchFlo" interface, which doesn't really hold a candle up to Apple's iPhone.
Next up is the Touch Dual, which is basically like the Touch II described above, but with a slide-out numerical keypad and 3.5G connectivity. It's due in November for AU$899.
Last is the most consumer-friendly device in terms of form factor in HTC's latest line-up, the candy bar-shaped S730 smartphone. It's probably the first we've seen with a slide-out QWERTY keypad, too. It's 3G and has Wi-Fi built-in and costs AU$899.