It surprises even ourselves when we say that HTC's Shift should be the UMPC device that makes us—who were mild on UMPCs before—a fan of the platform. Instead of using a split keyboard or a *shudder* on-screen circle pad, the Shift makes like the Advantage with its sliding and flipping screen. With the input problem solved, you can really enjoy the 7-inch touchscreen, 30GB hard drive, Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA, Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and Windows Vista.
More so than the Advantage, the OQO2, or the Flipstart, the Shift can serve as a substitute for a laptop when you're out of the house, away on business trips—or hell, even at home.
When we played with it last week, we found the keys very comfortable, the weight fairly light (but heavy enough to be solid), and the touchscreen responsive. Current plans has it headed for a Q3 2007 release, which honestly isn't soon enough for us. We're ready to leave our laptops at home now.