| HTC's Shift gets mixed reviews |
Mar. 27, 2008
 This month, HTC began shipping the U.S. version of an eagerly anticipated UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) that runs both Windows Vista and Windows CE on dual processors. Initial reviews praise the Shift's physical design and ease-of-use, but criticize its lack of phone functionality, WiFi performance, and value.
Ever since it was previewed by HTC in April 2007, the Shift has been the subject of considerable curiosity. That's because it uses both an 800MHz Pentium M-based Stealey A110 processor, typical of UMPCs and clocked at 800MHz, and an ARM 11-based Qualcomm MSM7200, typically found in cell phones.
The Stealey is used to run Windows Vista, equipped here with Microsoft's Origami Experience 2.0 user interface. The MSM7200 runs SnapVUE, an environment based on a simplified version of Windows Mobile.
HTC's Shift features dual CPUs and a slide-out keyboard
(click on image for our earlier coverage)
Users can switch to SnapVUE from Vista at any time, or shut down Vista entirely and keep SnapVUE alive. The claimed advantage is continuous access to push email, SMS messages, a calendar, and contact lists, with two to three days of battery life.
As shipped internationally, the Shift includes a cellular modem that operates with HSDPA/UMTS (850, 1900, 2100MHz) and GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz) systems. The U.S. version -- which lists for $1,495 -- has a dual-band (800/1900MHz) radio, and is designed to operate with Sprint's EV-DO (evolution-data optimized) network.
The U.S. version also differs by featuring a leather slipcase, permanently attached to the device via Torx screws. Oddly, HTC reportedly says this was necessary for the Shift to gain FCC certification.
 
The U.S. HTC's leather slipcase
(Source: PCMagazine)
Shipping Stateside since Mar. 24 from the HTC and Amazon websites, the Shift got into the hands of four American reviewers: Mark Spoonauer of Laptop magazine, Lisa Gade of MobileTechReview.com, Cisco Cheng of PC Magazine, and Darren Gladstone of PC World. So, without further ado, how did it fare?
Design
The Shift offers a Windows Mobile-based environment called SnapVUE |
Alternately pleased and perplexed by the slipcase, the reviewers were generally delighted with the Shift's physical layout. The 1.8 pound device measures 8.2 x 5 x 1 inches and, according to Cheng, is "beautifully made, with a thoughtful design." It "certainly looks the part of a premium ultraportable," according to Spoonauer.
There was also consistent praise for the device's "bright" and "easy to read" 7-inch display. All four reviewers had kind words for a dedicated button on the Shift that toggles its screen between 1024 x 600 and 800 x 480 resolutions. "You don't have to fiddle with the display control panel under Vista," Gade noted.
The reviewers also liked the Shift's touchscreen, though Cheng and Spoonauer dinged the stylus for being tiny and thin. The device includes a fingerprint reader, mini trackpad, and a "Flight mode" button that can enable or disable the cellular modem, Bluetooth, Wifi, and Direct Push email. All these features were said to work well.
On the other hand, opinions were divided about the Shift's keyboard. Gade called it "the best we've used on a UMPC," adding that "with a little practice, you'll be able to touch type." But Spoonauer called it "too cramped" and said "touch typing is out of the question." The keys are "smallish, but adequate," according to Gladstone.
Performance
The Shift's Stealey processor, 4200 rpm hard drive with 40GB of capacity, and 1GB of RAM are typical for a UMPC. The device has adequate performance, reviewers agreed, but Gladstone and Spoonauer both criticized it for its long bootup times. The Shift takes nearly two minutes to start Vista initially, and more than 40 seconds to resume from sleep mode, according to Spoonauer.
As for battery life, the device's 2700mAh battery is claimed by HTC to last about two hours when running Vista, or about two days when running SnapVUE. Reviewers verified the former rating: Spoonauer, for example, reports getting "close to two hours with EV-DO enabled." Gade cites "two to two and a half hours surfing the web, with frequent page turns," and 1.7 hours of iTunes video streamed from an SD card.
This battery life is about equal to that provided by Samsung's Q1 Ultra, but at least an hour less than Fujitsu's Lifebook U810, according to Cheng. None of the reviwers challenged HTC's claims about SnapVUE battery life, perhaps because none were allowed to keep the unit long enough to verify them.
An equally critical parameter on a UMPC is wireless performance. The Shift includes 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, and an EV-DO modem, and Vista works with all three. SnapVUE, on the other hand, only uses EV-DO.
According to Cheng, EV-DO delivered download speeds of about 800Kbps. It "loaded sites quickly even while on a moving bus on the New Jersey turnpike," says Spoonauer, who added that YouTube videos stuttered occasionally but were entirely watchable.
Several reviewers, though, had bad words for the Shift's WiFi performance. The device managed a downstream connection of only 2Mbps, on a network where other devices were consistently getting 6Mbps, according to Cheng. Spoonauer got just over 6Mbps, but called the WiFi performance "not very good" and said "if you're going to fork over $60 a month for EV-DO service, you might as well save battery life and turn WiFi off."
SnapVUE
With only a few reservations, all the reviewers enjoyed using SnapVUE. HTC spokespersons were reportedly coy about the fact that the environment is based on Windows Mobile, but this is clearly the case. Gade's review even presents hacks for adding Opera, Netfront, and other Windows Mobile applications to the device.
Without such additions, SnapVUE is decidedly limited. It provides instant-on email, weather, and PIM (personal information management) data, but as Spoonauer notes, you can't open email attachments, and clicking on embedded links doesn't open a web browser. You can't even cut and paste text between SnapVUE and Vista, he complains.
Overall value
Unfortunately, it's not possible to make voice calls with the Shift. That's a significant limitation, which, in Cheng's words, "defeats much of the purpose of a device like this." Compared to other UMPCs, "you're paying an extra $500 for a better design and push email," he adds.
The Shift "has the best usability of any UMPC, thanks to its very readable display, finger-friendliness, and top-notch keyboard," Gade says. Still, she concedes it's expensive, and definitely "isn't for heavy-duty computing."
Gladstone likes the Shift -- "except for that whole making phone calls thing" -- but says "its high price tag might not faze business users, but it will make ultraportable-seeking consumers think twice."
HTC's Advantage
(Click image for further information) |
Ironically, according to reviewers, HTC also offers the Advantage (seen at right), which runs only Windows Mobile, looks like a smaller version of the Shift, and does offer phone functionality. "HTC should have combined the Shift and Advantage into something formidable that could compete with other standalone UMPCs, laptops, and smartphones," Cheng writes.
In the meantime, reviewers suggest, purchasers might be just as well served with a separate phone and a mini-laptop such as the Asus Eee.
Further information
To read the reviews and judge for yourself, see the Laptop magazine review here, the MobileTechReview.com here, the PC Magazine review here, and PC World review, here.
For our earlier coverage of the Shift, see here. For news of a second device that combines x86 and ARM processors, see our recent coverage, here.
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