Answers on the HTC Shift

Hugo has been found and has answered the questions on the HTC Shift Ultra-Mobile PC that he was able to. It is important to note that the device has yet to be released, so some of this information may change. I have categorized the questions / answers in to major categories. Questions that he was not able to answer are not listed.

Windows Mobile / Pocket PC

Windows Mobile 5 or 6?
Windows Pocket PC, nor sure of the particular version

Does the PocketPC side have full access to all HDD contents or is it limited in some way?
It seems to access certain folders only. I was not able to spend a lot of time in this environment but I found out that the Pocket PC shared the Vista PST file (in Outlook) and was able to see emails from both. Calendar also and a folder in My Documents.

VGA out (does it work in windows mobile mode?)
Didn’t try it.

Can we rotate portrait/landscape in both Vista and Pocket PC – I did not see you do this in the video
Don’t think it can rotate in Pocket PC

How does it sync with Vista? How does Vista see the device since it is always connected to it? People are very interested in the syncing aspect.
I don’t think Vista syncing is possible. You will be able to continue Pocket PC syncing and that will talk to Vista (as state with Shared Folders).

Does it have USB client ports to sync the Pocket PC to a desktop PC?
I don’t think it has a client port.

Did you say Qualcomm chipset in the video? not sure. It sounded like you where referring to the PocketPC cpu but i’m not sure.
CPU in Pocket PC, yes.  

 

Screen Resolution, Viewability, Rotation, etc

Screen brightness. Better than Everun/Q1 Ultra?
As bright as the Q1 Ultra but minues all the glare.

What is the highest res of the VGA out?
not sure  

Is it indoor/outdoor screen (sunlight readability)?
Readable and little glare.

How is the viewing angle? (You stated that there was a comparison to be made with the U810 — and then didn’t make it!!)
Viewing angle is very good. 

Native screen res in Vista? 800×480 or 1024×600?
800 x 480

One feature that you did not show or mention was screen rotation. Does it rotate?
Not sure, did not get that working although the feature seemed to be available via a software button.

When Hugo was comparing the size against the other computers it appeared that the HTC had a dimmer screen than all of them. Is that true? (If so, then that’s a bummer).
Was running on Power Save mode.

 

HSDPA

If its qualcomm HSDPA then are there import into US issues?
I am no expert on the issues in the US. When you consider the amount of devices that already ship with a Qualcomm CPU then it would be hard to believe that this will affect HTC.

HSDPA chipset details (is it quad band?) Can you get these from device manager for us?
Device is not with me. From what I saw my device was 3G only.

Available through carriers?
not sure.

I remember the Everun demo you briefly mentioned that your HSDPA was through 3 (?), will the Shift support Telstra’s NextG configuration?
I think it will not be locked.

How does the shift handle the 3g. connection ?  Is it handled via the WM6 or Vista ?
Both. It does it mutually and/or exclusively.

 

Performance

How does it perform relative to your Everun?
Screamed. The EVERUN and ALL OTHER UMPC appear sluggish against the Shift. It really runs Vista better than all other A110 based UMPC, and related devices.

SD card slot (does it go all the way in for readyboost users. How fast is it?)
Not sure. It works in ready boost but I do not know the speed.

Hibernation took 3 min’s in the video. I assume this is a problem and not normal. I saw it on my i7210 once. Painfully slow!
Buggy perhaps. Out of standby it is very fast, i.e. like typical Vista.

Can it operate Itunes to run movies/videos downloaded from Apples Itunes store? (A simple measure of how strong the processor is in real world, if it can handle Itunes videos. Probably not capable for running Adobe Photoshop with any real speed, though I’d love to know.)
I didn’t get a chance to test these services.

 

Pricing and Specs

Estimated US Release Date? 
Not known

Estimated price?
not known, although Dynamism and  other sites are listing it at $1499.

Do you know what the Australian price will be and how will this be sold (i.e. through the mobile phone shops and/or Tegatech?)?  
Not sure yet but in Australia Tegatech will play a part.

How soon in Australia will the Shift be released?  
Not known

XP Tablet version available?  
Not sure — don’t think so.

the specs above say 40 GB HDD, but the video said 60 GB ?
Final specs yet to be announced.

Will there be different versions? (30gb, 60gb, etc.)
I don’t think there will be more than 1x SKU.

Can the HDD be replaced with a Flash Drive like the 64GB SSD drives projected for release from SanDisk?
I don’t believe the HDD is accessible without voiding the warranty.

1Gb RAM (expandable?)
Doubt it as it is not accessible.

headset (or is it a headphone-only like Q1) socket,
has all-in-one mic and head jack

 

Accessories

Included accessories?
Charger, spare pen, bag, manual and disks.

Optional accessories from HTC?
Not known

Case, accessories in the box. Extended battery available?
Doubt it as the battery is an module which sits inside a closed compartment door.

Does the HTC have any cradle options of any kind? DVI port, extra USBs, Ethernet?
Does not look possible as I could not find a Port replicator Port.

Have there been any mention of a higher capacity battery option?
Not known but it is doubtful