HTC Shift Finaly Available (in Europe), New Features Announced Just to Tease US

After a loooong delay, the HTC Shift is finally here! Make that over there. The COmpany announced today at the GSMA Mobile World Congress that this ultra-mobile PC is available through Telefonica in Spain and Orange in the UK for 1199 Euros. And the 1.8-pound Vista-powered machine, complete with 7-inch slide-and-tilt screen, will soon be available through TIM in italy and in specialized retailers across Europe. So was it worth the wait? based on the new features HTC has announced, we'd say definitely maybe.

The two most compelling additions are Origami 2.0 software and SnapVUE technology. Microsoft Origami Experience 2.0 includes a new finger-friendly browser, RSS Reader, and media player, as well as Origami Now, providing one-touch access to e-mail, calendar, weather and to-do lists on one screen. Not that you need to boot up fully to keep on top of your inbox. SnapVUE provides access to emails, calendar, SMS message and contacts instaly, which should help Shift owners get up to three days of battery life.

Other standars specs include HSDPA 3G mobile broadband, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 40GB hard drive, and Windows Media Players 11. So why are telling you are this? Because HTC still plans to bring the shift to the U.S. this year. let's hope it's sooner than leter.

Sony Ericsson Announces First Windows Mobile Smart Phone

Not long after announcing a partnership with Microsoft, Sony Ericsson announced its latest samrt phone today, and it's the first one to offer a Windows Mobile operating system. Meet the XPERIA X1.

The X1 has a large 800x400 resolution screen, although the physical dimensions of it aren't currently available. It weighs in at 5.1 oz and measures 4.3 x .7 x 2.1 inches in size and although it looks like it could offer a touch screen, a full QWERTY keyboard slides out along its vertical axis. The phone also supports an increasingly popular video calling feature, using its 3.2-MP camera. The X1 also supports stereo Bluetooth, has built-in aGPRS , and an FM radio.

Other features include an optical joystick for navigation which will allow yau to swipe your finger across the navigation screen to move the pointer on the display. Sounds similar to atrack pad to us. THe interface uses "XPERIA" panels for displaying different content like Web sites or multimedia files directly on the dekstop, which shows that Sony Ericcson, like HTC, has opted to create a custom Windows Mobile experience.

It supports the following networks: GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, EDGE< HSDPA, HSPUAm, UMTS 850, UMTS 900, UMTS 1700, UMTS 1900, and UMTS 2100. Looks like it could make a good choice for anyone in the states looking for large and unique touch screen phone on their 3G network.

Nokia Unveils N96, N78, 6220 Classic, and 6210 Navigator Mobile Phones

nokia N78

Nokia 6220 classic
Nokia 6210 Navigator




This mornig at the the mobile congress 2008, Nokia unveild a new lineup of mobile phones designed for collaboration and sharing: The Nokia N96, Nokia N78, Nokia 6220 classic, and the Nokia 6210 Navigator.

The Nokia N96 (pictured right) is a dual-slider optimized for high-quality video and TV reception. It features a 2.8-inch screen, 16GB of internal memory, and will be availanle in Q3.

The Nokia N78 is designed to take advantage of a slew of new Nokia services including the Nokia Music Store, Nokia Maps, and Share on Ovi, a new, free personal media community that makes it easy to upload and share content through a mobile phone, PC, or other connected device. You can expect the N78 to hit retal in Q2.

The Nokia 6220 classic boasts a 5-megapixel camera for taking still and video that can be shared online, phone to phone, or viewed on a television; it also has A-GPS functionality. This device will be available in select locations inQ3.

The Nokia 6210 Navigator is the company's first GPS-enabled phone with an integrated compass (known as "Walk") for pedestrian guidance. it comes bundled with Nokia Maps 2.0, and full voice and visual turn-by-turn guidance. it's expected to arrive in select markets during Q3. more photos after the jump.