After several months of testing, I have finally reached a verdict on the Motorola Titanium.  This Android-powered phone is the first push to talk capable phone.  Being my first Android phone, I was going app store crazy and seeing just what Android can do.  Using this phone since August, I have found out that this phone is geared towards businesses where push to talk and email are essential.  As with any smartphone, there are pros and cons…let’s take a deeper look at the Motorola Titanium.

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Not long ago, I had the opportunity to review HTC’s first 4G device, the EVO, which quickly became Sprint’s flagship mobile device.   At the end of that review, I concluded the device was fantastic and powerful, but I had problems with the size.  It was too large to be effective as a phone, but too small to be a tablet.  It seemed to fit into a new, in-between niche, which I did not really feel needed to be filled.  Much to my delight, however, HTC did not stop there.  It was not long before they added a new edition to the EVO family with the EVO Shift, which was just as good as the EVO, but slightly smaller and with a sliding keyboard.  It was exactly the phone I wanted from the original EVO.  Now, they have added to the family once again, this time going the other direction with a 7-inch tablet.  Let’s take a closer look at this latest edition to the top-selling EVO family of devices.

What’s In The Box: I am constantly discouraged by what we find (or do not find) in the box along with these devices right now.  Mobile devices used to include a dock, case, screen protector, and other accessories.  Most of that is gone now.  Today, the HTC EVO View includes almost nothing in the box.  Along with the manual, you will find a charger and a sync cable.  I was surprised to find two separate cables, rather than the more common sync/charge cable which connects to either the USB port or an AC adaptor.  That’s it.  There are not even headphones in there.  Additionally, you can purchase the Scribe stylus for handwriting and drawing (which is included free for a limited time). 

Hardware: I was extremely impressed by the hardware on this device; even more than the original EVO.  The 7 inch form factor results in a device which is just shy of 5 inches wide.  That means it is just the right size to be held in one hand, which is the biggest difference between this device and a larger device like the iPad.    The device is also paper thin, coming in at half inch thick. 

I absolutely loved the plain and simple design.  It is one of the most uncluttered devices I have used (though some may say it is following the iPad design.)  On the face you will find the 7 inch, 1024×600 capacitive touch screen.  We’ll talk more about that later.  Additionally, you will find the first of two cameras.  This is becoming commonplace on tablets, and turns the device into the perfect video conferencing accessory. 

Beneath the screen are four soft buttons, which virtually disappear when the screen is in sleep mode.  When active, these buttons are (left to right): home, menu, back, and pen options (if you use the Scribe pen). 

On the bottom of the device is the sync/charge port.  Disappointingly, this is not a standard jack, so other mini or micro USB plugs, even those which came with other HTC devices will not work.

There is nothing on the left hand side (as you face the device).  On the right are your volume controls.

On top of the device you will find the power/sleep button as well as the headphone jack (again, headphones not included).

Flip over to the back of the device and you will find the second camera.  Both cameras are 5 megapixels. 

Slide off the top of the device to reveal the microSD memory expansion slot.

Android OS: The EVO View tablet is powered by the android Operating System.  More specifically, the Gingerbread release.  We have already looked at Android quite extensively in past, so I am not going to spend a lot of time here or we will never get to the rest of the review.  I did find, however, that Android worked extremely well in this tablet format.  I previously reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Tab and found it really fell flat with me.   Since then, however, the Operating System has been overhauled in dozens of subtle and not-so-suble ways to make it more tablet friendly.  Toss in the HTC Sense UI, which I think significantly improves upon the operating system, and this device offers a spectacular user experience.  Although we are not going to take an extensive look, here, I do want to check out a few highlights of the Operating System.

Let’s start with the lock screen which was just fantastic.  Without unlocking the device, you have access to up to four apps.  Just drag one down to the circle to open the app, or drag the circle up in order to unlock the device to the home screen.  Additionally, you have the option of adding the weather (which includes some cool animation) to this screen as well.

With this iteration, the HTC Sense UI contains and eight screen home screen (an increase from the seven we have seen previously). 

HTC has also added some really cool animation when switching from one screen to the next, as well as some nice three dimensional effects.  

Like previous iterations of Android, these screens are fully customizable by adding your favorite apps and widgets. 

In addition to some of your favorite Android widgets, HTC has also included a few new favorites, including the Watch (videos) widget, MyShelf (books and bookmarks), and a number of new looks at mail, calendars, music, people, and plenty more.  You really need to see all of the available widgets (with plenty more available from the App Store) to believe it.

Finally, the interface has four soft shortcut buttons on the screen, which was a huge improvement over what we have seen previously.  By default, the four buttons include App List, Notes, Reader, Video, and Settings.  However, by tapping and holding, you can swap any shortcut into this space.  This is absolutely perfect, as it ensures your most popular apps or shortcuts are always right at the tips of your fingers, no matter what screen you are currently using.

This all worked really well, and proved to be a vast improvement over what we have seen from the operating system in the past. 

Reading and Books:  One of the biggest reasons I switched from a laptop to a tablet/iPad was the ability to read ebooks.  So, when I was testing the HTC EVO View, the ability to read ebooks quickly and easily was important to me.  By default, the device comes with the Kobo-based ereader installed.  This worked extremely well.  The page-turn animation was smooth, and the controls were easy to use.  So far so good.

More important than the organization of the app, however, is the ability to read on the screen.  I love reading on my iPad.  By contrast, I find reading books on my phone to be a real chore, with barely a sentence appearing on the screen at a time.  As you would reasonably expect, the reading experience on the EVO View fell somewhere between the two.  Frankly, I found the reading experience on the EVO View to be acceptable.  It still felt a bit cramped with little more than a paragraph on the page at a time, but it worked well enough and was more than sufficient, allowing you to enjoy the text, without the distraction of constant page turns.

Of course, if the default Reader app does not cut it for you, don’t despair as there are plenty of e-book readers available in the App Marketplace.  As you might expect, you will find Google Books in there, as well as Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook, to name a few of the more popular options.  The nice thing about this is that each of these readers offer different controls, layouts, and animation.  This means you have plenty of (free) opportunities to find the best option for you. 

Internet Connectivity: The HTC Evo View comes equipped with the standard Android browser, which works just as well as ever…and even allows you to view Flash content, which not all mobile devices offer (without naming any fruity names).  Of course, if this stock browser if not for you, then once again, you can head over to the App Market and check out the vast supply of free browsers, including many fan favorites like: Opera, Skyfire, Firefox, Dolphin, and plenty of others.

The EVO View also comes equipped with both 3G and 4G connectivity, promising blazing fast speeds for your Internet browsing activities.  While 3G worked fine, I was completely unable to connect to the 4G network.  Sadly, this is less a comment on the device, which had no problem scanning for the network, and more to do with Sprint, which seems to have stalled in its efforts to activate its high speed network. 

In addition to connecting on its own, the EVO View is also able to serve as a hotspot for any other Wifi connected devices.  This is a fantastic feature.  I typically use the Sprint Overdrive, which can (theoretically) connect to both sprint’s 3G and 4G networks.  Combining that functionality with a device I would already be carrying with me anyway is perfect.  In my opinion, every device should include this capability.

Email and Messaging: One of the most important features to me is email and messaging.  On any device, I use this functionality more than just about anything else (other than Angry Birds, maybe).   I use Gmail, and as you can imagine, setup is pretty simple on this Google-created device.  There are two ways to access your Gmail account, one is with the built in Gmail app, the other is with the mail app.  I am not going to talk much about the Gmail app, except to say that it is essentially a window to the mobile web version of Gmail.  The only problem I had here was that I felt like I got double notifications with the mail and Gmail apps competing for my attention with information from the same account.

Of course, the built in Mail app is much more flexible than the Gmail app.   In addition to Gmail, the Mail app can also connect with Hotmail, Yahoo, or any other Pop3/IMAP mail account, as well as any Microsoft Exchange service.

I was really impressed by the Mail interface, which has been cleaned up considerably when compared with previous Android versions.  If you have multiple accounts, you can choose to view any of the individual accounts, or the universal inbox which shows all of your accounts at once.  One feature I really liked was the color coding next to emails in the universal inbox.  This makes it quick and easy to identify which account the messages are connected with.

From the ibox, of course, simply tap any message to open and read the message.  I did find the controls here (reply, reply all, forward,etc…) required a bit of a learning curve.  The icons were simply not terribly self explanatory.   Otherwise, the messages display well and are quite easy to read.  I will say that I prefer the iPad’s email layout, but  only because the dual pane inbox makes it much easier to simply scan through my messages.

The other thing I noticed about the Mail app was the home screen widget.  There are now three different widgets from which you may choose.  Additionally, these widgets can be setup to show email from any of your accounts, or from the universal inbox, collecting all of your accounts into a single widget.  In the past, this inability to show multiple inboxes in a single widget has been one of my big complaints , and I was thrilled to find that this had been resolved.

In addition to email, the EVO View allows you to send SMS text messages.  I was pretty impressed by this functionality as well, which has been significantly updated and now offers an extremely attractive interface.   Now, I know what many of you are thinking…this is not a phone, so how can you send text messages.  Since the EVO View connects with Sprint’s network, it will be assigned a phone number, which will allow you to send and receive text messages.

What impressed me the most, though, was not simply the EVO View’s ability to send and receive text messages, but its ability to send virtually any attachment as a text messages.  Many devices I have used allow you to attach photos and nothing more.  Even attaching videos can be a stretch.  The EVO View impressively adds to this capability.  Not only can you attach pictures and videos, you can also send audio files, app recommendations, GPS locations, contacts, appointments, and plenty more.  In the past, I have used a third party app for text messaging from Android.  With this updated app, I never felt the need to supplement with another app.

Calendar: One of the most ironic parts of the Android operating system has always been the calendar.  I absolutely love Google’s calendar online, and I use it for almost everything.  Their mobile iteration, however, just never measured up for me.  While it does have all of the normal views: daily, weekly, monthly, agenda, and today, I just never felt like they functioned as well as other devices.  In both week and month view, all you will get is shaded areas showing appointments.  For me, a bit of shading does nothing more than require me to click to another view to really see what you have going on.  That being said, it does do a fantastic job of syncing with Google Calendar and pulling in all of the information from all of your connected calendars, I just wish Google had done a better job designing the user interface.  Additionally those of you who eschew Google may just be out of luck here.   There is really no way to sync a non-Google account with this calendar.

Camera and Photos:  I have to admit that I have never been a fan of using my phone or mobile device as a camera.  This opinion has transferred to tablet devices, which are just too large and bulky for me to feel comfortable framing a picture.  It’s like trying to take a snapshot with my TV.  All of that being said, there is a famous maxim among photographers that the best camera you own is the one you have with you.  In other words, that fancy DSLR is not going to do you much good when you are out for a walk on the beach with the family (unless you felt like lugging 25 pounds of equipment with you).  Which brings us to the advantage of the EVO View, it is small enough that you will almost never have an excuse to leave it at home,  meaning you will always have this camera with you.

As I mentioned earlier, there are two 5 megapixel cameras.  One on the face of the device and one on the back.  To access either camera, just tap the camera icon (as an aside, I really miss the hard button for access to the camera).  From the main screen, you can toggle between the front and rear cameras or between video and still cameras.  Which essentially means you have four cameras in one.  Not too shabby.  Additionally, you can use the onscreen controls to add effects to your photos, zoom in or out, or access the photo album and view your stored photos and videos.   Tap the menu button to access the settings and change all of the common controls for your photos or videos.  I have to say that although I was not crazy about using the device as my primary camera, I was impressed by the quality of the pictures it took.  I mean, it is not going to compare to that DSLR…but if you don’t have your DSLR with you at all times, then it really does not matter how this compares.

Once you have finished taking photos, you can view them in the album, which worked just fine.  all you have to do is swipe to switch from one photo to the next.  What I really liked, though were the sharing options.  The EVO View offers virtually every method under the sun to share your photos.  Additionally, you can even perform some minor edits on your photos from here

Video: One of the things I love about the iPad is watching video on that fantastic ten inch screen.  I like to watch video on the go, but really watching it on a 2-4 inch phone or mobile device has just never made sense to me.  So, if this device is going to compete with my iPad, it has to be able to display video effectively.  The screen is obviously smaller than the iPad, but I still found it did a fine job handling video (honestly, the picture really does not do it justice).  I was able to stream video content from the Internet without any skips or freezing.  The screen itself, seemed to offer a nice middle ground between the iPad and mobile device.  While bigger is always better when it comes to video, this screen worked well enough for me. 

The one complaint I did have here related more to the market than playback itself.  While the app did a fantastic job of playing videos…finding videos may be more difficult.  Most of my favorite streaming options are simply not available (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu).  There is, however, the Android Watch video store, which includes a very nice array of videos which you can download and play on your device.  I did find the newest available videos were about six months old, so you will not find the latest releases, which was disappointing.  The device really seemed to suffer from this lack of selection, but once you do find something to watch, the quality was great.

Battery Life: I was pretty impressed by the battery on this device.  While it was not my primary device for the entire time I was testing it, I did use it fairly consistently off and on during the day.   With that moderate to heavy use, I managed to eek out a pretty impressive three days between charges.  Not too shabby.  On the other hand, I was disappointed to find that the battery is not removable.  The removable battery has always been one of the hallmark features of devices not named after a fruit.   Furthermore, the removable battery plays a critical role in your ability to upgrade the device.  Hopefully this will not become a growing trend with more mobile devices.

Memory: The HTC EVO comes with a whopping 32 GB of memory built into the device.  This would be fantastic if the operating system and firmware did not take up so much space.  When it is all said and done, that 32GB becomes a mere 20GB in practice.  That is one-third of your memory gone before you have even begun.  Disappointing.  Still, that is not nearly as big a deal as it could have been.  Hidden under the back of the device is a memory expansion slot, allowing you to add a micro SD card for virtually unlimited storage.

The Scribe Pen: Although it is not included in the box, if you want to do any kind of drawing or handwriting recognition (such as notes) then you will want to pick up the Scribe pen with your EVO View.  Trust me…trying to draw a picture with your finger just does not work well.   I really liked this option, though I will say that I found the Scribe pen to be a little skinnier than I would have preferred.

Using the pen is simple.  A menu in the lower right corner allows you to change pen style and ink colors.  Additionally, you can use the two buttons on the pen itself to erase or highlight text. 

This worked great, and is a fantastic addition to a device which does not have a hardware keyboard.  It makes taking notes simple and is as natural to use as any pen or pencil.

Conclusions: At this point, the question everyone wants to ask is whether this is the one which will finally be the iPad killer.  Frankly, I have no idea how to answer that question.  I do not really think one device sets out to kill another.  Each device has to stand on its own merit.  Personally, I am a huge fan of the iPad and its capabilities.  With that being said, this is the first Android tablet I have used which would really make me think twice about my decision the next time I decide to upgrade my device.  I cannot say this is an iPad killer…but it is certainly encroaching on iPad’s space.  If not a killer, then a seasoned competitor for sure.  I, for one, have to say that it is refreshing to find some legitimate competition entering this space.

The HTC EVO View is available from Sprint for $399.99 with a two year contract.  For a limited time, the scribe pen will be included free with the purchase of the View (normally $79.99).

Look what came in the mail!  Sprint has provided me with a Motorola Titanium to test out for a short time.  The Motorola Titanium is the first Android 2.1 smartphone that has Nextel’s Direct Connect for Push-to-Talk.  I’m very excited as this is my first time to play with an Android powered device.  I’m used to iOS and Windows Mobile 5 from my iPhone 3G and iMate JAQ3.  I have been a long time Sprint subscriber in the past (back in 2000 until 2004).  I dumped them after I grew sick and tired of poor reception with any dropped calls.  I never thought I’d try Sprint again – until a few of my customers raved about just how good Sprint is.  Only time will really tell, but from first calls, the unit has provided excellent call quality much to my surprise.  I’m looking forward to thoroughly testing out this unit and finally get some insight as to just how good or bad Android really is. 

My only immediate complaint about this phone is the inability to play Angry Birds.  The game lags so bad that it is unplayable.  In addition, waiting for the game to load took so long the screen locked.  Try getting back into the phone with Angry Birds on by using the gesture lock….it’s near impossible.  Finally I got back in by using my code word in lieu of the secure gesture password.  Many cool new features to try out….stay tuned for an in depth look at the Motorola Titanium – here in the JAMM labs!

We have reviewed quite a few Android based devices here at JAMM, so you should have a pretty good idea of what you are getting with that operating system by now.  To be perfectly honest, despite all of the hype, I have never really latched onto android the way I had always hope.  To me, every time I was Android, I flash back to 2005…as in Windows Mobile 2005.  Not that I think it is a fair comparison in terms of functionality or usability, however, I do see many of the same problems  with Android that we saw back then.  Problems like market fragmentation, multiple hardware designs, over-customization, and high learning curve.   That being said, this is not a review of the Android Operating System, but a review of the latest phone to implement it, The HTC Evo Shift from Sprint.

A few months back, I took a look at the Evo Shift’s “older brother”, the EVO 4G.  While I loved the power the hardware offered, I had two major complaints.  First, while the massive 4 inch screen was fantastic for watching videos, it was not terribly conducive to using the device as an actual phone.  Additionally, I absolutely detest on-screen keyboards, so the lack of a hardware keyboard was extremely frustrating to me.  As such, I was quite excited to learn of Sprint and HTC’s follow up device, the Evo Shift.  Everything I loved about the Evo, but in a more manageable size and a hardware keyboard.  Let’s dive in for a closer look.

Buttons and Controls: If there was any doubt that this phone is the younger brother of the HTC EVO, jut take a look at the controls, which pretty well mirror those of the EVO.    The main hardware buttons are located under the screen.  From there you can access the search option on the right.  Moving toward the left is the back button, and then the menu button, which calls up the dynamic menus for whichever screen you happen to be accessing at the time.   The final button on the left is the Home button. 

Tap it once to return to the main home screen.  Tap it a second time to access the thumbnail screen, which will show a screen full of thumbnail images of all seven home screen pages.  Tap and hold the Home button to access the recent apps menu, allowing you to quickly and easily switch to any recently used apps.

The remainder of the face is utilized by the 3.6 inch capacitive touch screen.   Many phones I have tested have screens which are too small.  The HTC EVO, on the other hand, had a massive, 4 inch, screen.  As I wrote when I reviewed that phone, the screen was simply far too large for me.   Which is why I was so excited when I started testing the EVO Shift.  The 3.6 inch screen was just right.  Not so small that it was difficult to read, but also not so large that it was too big to hold easily.  Perfect. 

The volume controls are on the left, just where you would expect to find them on an HTC phone.  The only other button on the phone is the power button, which is on top.   As you would expect, tap it once to send the phone into standby (or to wake it up from standby mode).  Tap and hold to access the power menu, allowing you to power down the phone, or enter airplane mode, among other options.

What I really loved about this phone, though, was the sliding keyboard, which slides out from the left hand side.  One thing which really impressed me was the responsiveness of the screen, which instantly spun from portrait to landscape mode.  This is an area in which many HTC and other phones have struggled in the past, so I was happy to see this one finally conquer this necessary feature.  The keyboard itself is a nice four row keyboard, with three rows of letters and other characters, and the fourth row containing various special and function keys.   I found this keyboard to be comfortable to use.  To the right of the keyboard there is a D-pad controller, which can be used to access any of the features on the phone.  I have to admit that I rarely used this for anything.  It was really not terribly accessible for every day use, and just did not make much sense when the keyboard was open.  I would have preferred it if HTC removed the D-pad, and used the space for a larger keyboard.

Overall, I was extremely impressed by the minimalistic approach HTC has been taking lately with the hardware controls.  In the past, too many phones have offered far too many buttons alongside a touch screen, resulting in a confused mish mash of controls overload, in which nothing really works well together.  Lately, HTC seems to have learned their lesson, going back to the drawing board with this next generation of phones.  The EVO Shift, like the EVO, includes only those hardware buttons which are absolutely necessary in order to control the phone.  That being said, I did miss having  hardware camera button, which really seems necessary in many contexts, but that was a minor complaint.  This is the best designed phone I have ever used.

Interface: The interface here is the same Android operating system (2.2) which we have seen before, so I am not going to go too deeply into that.  For more, check out some of our previous reviews of Android based devices.  On top of that basic OS is HTC’s SenseUI, which I really like.  Most importantly, it expands the number of pages available on your home screen from three to seven.  When you factor in all of the widgets and other options available to customize your home screen, these extra pages will make a huge difference. 

Speaking of widgets, I did notice that HTC has made some significant improvements to the widgets offered with the SenseUI.  At times, it was almost as though they could hear me complaining about the limitations of one widget or another.  Take the calendar widget, for example.  This has always been a sore spot for me, which previously included only two equally ineffective views.  This latest version of the widget now features an agenda view.  While this improvement may come at the chagrin of several third party developers, I absolutely loved it.   This agenda view shows me everything I have coming up at a glance.  Although this has been available from third party developers in the past, it has not been included with the native calendar until now.

The other widget I wanted to mention here is the Friendstream, which is one of HTC’s more recent widgets.  It combines your Facebook, Twitter feed, and Flickr account and drops them all in one place, right there on your homescreen.  This is fantastic as it allows you to quickly and easily monitor your social networking sites all at the same time, without opening a single app.  I do think this widget could have been made even better by allowing access to more accounts (LinkedIn, Plaxo, 4Square…).

Overall, the interface should feel pretty familiar to fans of Android, especially those who have used previous installments on HTC phones.  To That being said, everything about the interface just felt refreshed.  I found color, for example, where there had not been color before.  Additionally, many of the menus included more refined icons.  These and dozens of other tiny touches really gave this version of the Android operating system a more professional polish than we have seen previously.

Phone: The phone interface on the EVO Shift is pretty much the same thing we have come to expect from Android devices.  You can dial/text directly from a contact card in the persons app (Android’s name for contacts).  Or you can pull up the phone and dial from the dial pad directly.  You can also access your phone’s history in order to return calls or redial. 

What was really nice here is that once you connect the device to your Google account, all of your Google contacts will be automatically loaded onto the phone.  In addition to your Google account, you can also sync contacts from Facebook, Flickr, or Twitter.  While this was all nice for someone like me whose life revolves around my online Google account, it would still be nice if other email services could be directly synced, such as Yahoo or Hotmail. 

Making and receiving calls worked fine for me, though I did find that I typically had at least one fewer reception bar on the EVO Shift than the HTC Hero.  This was a bit disappointing.  Once connected though, I found the call quality on this phone to be exceptional.  One problem I have had in the past with Android phones was locking up when a call came in.  The processors simply were not powerful enough to process the call while handling whatever other tasks might have been underway at the time of the call.  The result was quite a bit of frustration as calls would not only be dropped, but also require me to reboot my phone before I could return them.  I never had this problem with the EVO Shift which relies on the Snapdragon processor to ensure that it could handle any activity I required, even answering the phone.

Other features of the phone include the standard Android caller Id, and visual voicemail, which allows you to see who left you a voicemail before you listen.

Data/4G: Like the EVO, the EVO Shift connects to Sprint’s ultra-modern high speed network (dubbed 4G).  To put Sprint’s 4G network into perspective, switching from the industry standard 3G (as in Sprint’s normal network) to 4G is like being stuck in traffic and then suddenly entering the Audubon with 100 mph speed limits.  The problem though is that Sprint’s 4G network is still a cobbled together patchwork of partially enabled connections, meaning it is not quite ready for prime time.  When it works, the 4G network is blazing, but it is also prone to dropping the connection without warning, making it terribly ineffective and unstable.  In other words, it is more like driving on the Audubon, during construction season.  You are speeding down the road at one moment, and stopped short the next.  Still, the potential for this high speed network is clear.  Hopefully Sprint will continue to improve coverage in order to make the 4G experience finally live up to it’s own hype and promise!

Mobile Hotspot: One of my favorite trends in the latest generation of Smartphones is the inclusion of a mobile hotspot.  Lately, I have been using the Sprint Overdrive, and while I love its speed and 4G connectivity, the need to carry an additional device in order to connect my iPad to the Internet  can be a bit cumbersome.  The idea of combining the Overdrive with the phone I am already carrying, therefore, was quite appealing.

The mobile hotspot on the EVO Shift is incredibly easy to use.  Just turn it on, and setup the ID and password for encryption.  It took about 60 seconds taking my time to get it all operational.  What I really liked here was that since the phone is already turned on, all you need to do is connect, which takes a few quick seconds.   This is significantly faster than using the Overdrive, which needs to take a minute or so to boot up and reset each time you use it.

The connection itself was about the same speed as the Overdrive.  I found the 3G connection to be acceptable, but what really impressed me was the 4G connection, which was absolutely blazing.  Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the 4G network where I love is extremely spotty, and really became quite frustrating to use.  Hopefully, Sprint will continue to develop this 4G network in order to ensure a more stable user experience.

One of the biggest questions I had about this mobile hotspot was how it would interact with the other functionalities of the device.  Really, if connections with the mobile hotspot interfere with the primary purposes of the device, then it really can become more of a burden than a benefit.  So, I tested the mobile hotspot fairly extensively and was really impressed by how well it was implemented in this device.  You can send and received text messages or surf the Internet from your phone without interfering with the mobile hotspot.   Making and receiving phone calls was a bit more complicated.  Sprint’s network does not allow you to talk and surf at the same time.  As such, making or receiving a phone call will interrupt the hotspot connection.  What I liked, though, was that the call is given priority, so if someone calls the phone, it will automatically drop the hotspot connection in order to connect the call.  Given that these devices are primarily telephones, this is exactly how I would have expected it to work. 

Camera: The camera on the EVO Shift is much the same as what we have seen from Android in the past.  It can take both still photos and video, although switching between the two is not easy.  Android really needs to incorporate a control button directly on the screen to toggle between the still camera and video.  As it is, you need to open the sliding menu in order to toggle the camera and video radio buttons.  Really, that is just a little cumbersome. 

Unlike the EVO, there is no front facing camera, which means the EVO Shift will not be able to carry you into the latest video chat craze.  That is really too bad.  I do not think a front facing camera would have required a lot of additional space in terms of the hardware, and the lack of such a camera really puts this device at a disadvantage when compared with some of the other top phones available.

The camera itself features a 5 megapixel processor.   As I have said time and again, this camera will never be destined to replace a standard camera for serious photographers.  However, it works extremely well for capturing that spontaneous moment.

Processor: As mentioned, this one sports the latest and greatest Snapdragon processor under its hood.  In fact, it features the second generation Snapdragon processor, with speeds up to 800 mhz.  Not too shabby for a phone.  This is really impressive considering it is nearly double the processor speed previously available.  The HTC Hero, for example, which was considered extremely fast, clocked in at a maximum speed of just 528 mhz, and speeds went down quickly from there.  The Snapdragon chip truly makes this every bit as much a small computer as it does a large phone.   The end result is a device which is absolutely blazing!

Battery: as usual, the battery in the EVO Shift proved to be the weak link.  I was really disappointed by how poorly the battery performed.  This device can do an awful lot, but none of that means anything if the battery is dead when you need it most.  On a typical day, I leave the house in the pre-dawn hours between 5:30 and 6:00.  I generally do not get home from work until after 6:00 in the evening.  This means in order to be useful, the battery in my phone must last in excess of twelve hours on an average day.  I put the EVO Shift through the paces of my average use with email, phone calls, Internet, and more.  The battery lasted about six hours, or roughly half of my need.  Not terribly impressive.  Toss in the mobile hotspot and that goes down even further.  This all means that I cannot stray far from the charger or the EVO Shift becomes a really heavy pocket protector.   I know this was not HTC or Sprint’s fault…but this problem has lingered long enough.  It is beyond time for someone to come up with a battery which can keep pace with today’s hottest technology.

Memory Card:  Like most HTC devices, the EVO shift includes a pretty minimal on board storage space.  Fortunately, it does also allow you to add storage via a microSD card slot.  There is a 2GB card included, but you can utilize up to a 32 GB card.  The only problem here was that the slot for the card is located under the battery, meaning you must remove the battery in order to access it. 

While it is nice to be able to add such a huge amount of memory, I was disappointed to find that Android 2.2 still does not allow users to store apps on the microSD card.  This means all of your apps, along with their required data in the minimal on-board storage space.  Google has indicated that a fix for this is finally coming, and I was really hoping that it would have happened by now.  Given the fact that Windows Mobile was able to store apps and data on external memory cards, Android’s inability to do so constitutes a glaring omission.

Overall Impressions:  Wow.  What can I say?  I absolutely loved this phone.  In the past, I have had a real love-hate relationship with the Android operating system.  As in…I really want to love it…but I just don’t.  In one way or another, I have always felt like Android and Android-based devices simply failed to live up to their hype.  That changes with the EVO Shift and its Snapdragon processor.  HTC did an absolutely fantastic job of finding the perfect compromise in areas such as screen size (large enough to watch videos, but not so large as to turn it into a small tablet), hardware controls, camera functionality, and so much more…even including a slide-out keyboard.  Frankly, if I was going to design my ideal phone, it would like an awful lot like this. 

The HTC EVO Shift is available from Sprint for $149.99  (including instant and mail in rebates) with a two year contract from Sprint (www.sprint.com).

Well, my friends at Sprint came through in a big way for me today.  The just announced Sprint HTC EVO Shift showed up on my doorstep.  I have had the phone, which is scheduled to be released commercially on Sprint’s network on January 9, for only a few hours, but it is already quickly becoming my favorite Android based phone.  When I reviewed the HTC EVO, I had two main complaints.  The phone was just too big for me to easily utilize, and there was no hard keyboard.  I am just not someone who likes to use an onscreen keyboard anymore than I have to.  So, stay tuned.  We will be checking out these features and a whole lot more in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, here are the complete specs to tide you over.

HTC EVO Shift™ 4G

As the 16^th 4G-capable device from Sprint, HTC EVO Shift follows in the footsteps of the award-winning HTC EVO™ 4G, bringing customers an attractive, compact design and an impressive list of features with the addition of a sliding QWERTY keyboard. Beyond the highly acclaimed HTC Sense user experience, HTC EVO Shift also boasts the power of 4G, Android 2.2™, a 5MP camera, 720p HD camcorder and a 3.6-inch capacitive touchscreen display with pinch-to-zoom capability.

Additional key features include:

• HD Video Recording
• Wi-Fi^®
• Sprint Mobile Hotspot (supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices)
• Android Market™ with access to more than 100,000 apps
• Messaging – Personal and business e-mail, IM and text messaging
• Social Networking Integration – Facebook^®, Twitter™, Flickr^® and more
• Visual Voicemail
• Google™ Mobile Services, including YouTube™, Gmail™, Google Talk™, Google Voice™ and Google Maps™
• GPS Navigation
• Stereo Bluetooth^® wireless technology
• microSD slot (supporting up to 32GB memory card)