As you might have seen yesterday, the U.S. version of the HTC Shift (X9000) was made public by Amazon which caused an interesting chain reaction of bloggers coming out from behind non-disclosure agreements. I don’t know how many HTC Shift devices HTC’s PR people have distributed to bloggers in the U.S. but it’s certainly more than they pushed out in Europe! I’ve been reading through the reviews from Matt Miller, James Kendrick, Lisa Gade and Mark Spoonauer (links below) and trying to work out the differences and extract the main points of the reviews and the first thing that smacks me right in the face is the price. $1500 is an extreme amount of money for the Shift. While it’s cheaper than the device in Europe by about 20%, it sits somewhat higher in the U.S. market than in the EU market. I think I know the reason why though. Mobile data.
Mobile data in the U.S. is still a high-end product offering. Flat rate data plans sit at over $50 per month, coverage is patchy and devices are mostly carrier-locked. Mobile data is for the pro-mobile set in the U.S. and that’s why the HTC Shift has been priced up at $1500. Some people won’t understand it and some people don’t even realise that it’s a feature. Why compare it with a Mac Book Air for example? 3G is the primary feature and that needs to be understood before looking at the reviews.Don’t compare it to an MBA. Don’t compare it to an Eee PC because if you want Internet access on the go and not just at the hotspots, this is one of the cheapest mobile PC options there is.
All in all though, the device is pretty much the same as the EU (X9000) version with the following changes:
- Case is attached to the device (bizarre!)
- 3G modem is Sprint EVDO (not Rev A)
- USB Ethernet dongle and 4-port hub.
- Origami 2.0 pre-installed. [It’s unclear to me at the moment if the EU versions are shipping with OE2.0]
Matt Miller liked the keyboard and mouse-pad but didn’t like the price and battery life. Lisa says much the same but rightly points out that SnapVue’s syncronising functionality is limited to Exchange only. Laptop magazine points out that the keyboard isn’t as good as on some 7″ laptops which is true. For smartphone users the keyboard (and mouse pad) probably seem luxurious. For Mini-note users, the keyboard will seem cramped. My personal opinion is that the keyboard on the Eee PC is better because it’s just big enough to touch type on. James hasn’t quite finished his full review yet but in he has some comments in his post.
For those assessing the HTC Shift from the smartphone angle, you’ll like the touch pointer, the keyboard and the huge huge battery life when using SnapVue (now jailbroken to a full WM6 if you want to go through a small hack.) You may not like the size of the device! If you’re assessing it from a PC standpoint, you’ll like the size and the styling, you’ll be happy with the keyboard but you’ll hate the mini mouse pad, the 800×480 screen, the speed of Vista and the 2-hour battery life.
My opinion is that the Shift is still just about unique enough to make sales in the pro-mobile market and at $1500 its probably priced right for these 3G warriors but in 6-8 months there will be a lot more choice. The Mini-note market has just started and the Eee PC competitors will all be looking for an a USP. 3G will be one of those USP’s and I’m sure there will be some more productive and cheaper options coming along. If you’re pondering then think about the 3G. If you need 3G, the Shift is a good device for you. If not, move along and buy an Eee PC and an HTC Tytn II and take your partner out for a nice meal with the money you saved!
Matt Miller review – ZDnet
Lisa Gade review – Mobile Tech Review
Mark Spoonauer review – Laptop Magazine
James Kendrick – Images and comments – jkOnTheRun
My 2-week usage review – UMPCPortal
Latest links below [contact me if you want me to add your HTC Shift related content] and on the product page.
