Earlier this week I asked "What do Hugo Ortega and Steve Ballmer have in common?" and today I share with you the answer - The HTC Shift! I must admit that I have been blessed many times over in the last few years with the devices that have crossed my path. I still remember being the first to showcase the Raon Digital Vega; and first with the Fujitsu P1610. On this occasion however I have yet to feel more honored than by being given the opportunity to look at what is billed as one of the most anticipated releases this year, i.e. The HTC Shift.

Back in March this year I placed my thoughts down about The HTC Shift. This was more of a virtual wrap-up than anything else as very little information was available, let alone a device to feel and touch. So when I was given permission to take the HTC Shift to TechED Australia as part of my UMPC Awareness Presentation (which was a huge success) you can imagine what I said...ummmm...YES!

I had The HTC Shift for a little over 60 hours and was able to play with many of its great features, which include Pocket PC, HSDPA, Vista Business, Tilt Touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard and more. It is an incredible device with many possibilities, this video will hopefully showcase some of that. I managed to literally squeeze it into a very tight schedule I am running at present and did what I could to cover off some of the burning questions folks might have.

Machine specs (as tested):

• Windows Vista Business (3 hrs battery)
• Intel Santa Rosa A110 Processor
• 1GB DDR2 RAM
• 40GB HDD
• HSDPA (Data only) ready
• Web Cam
• Biometrics
• Windows Pocket PC (over 5 days battery life when used exclusively)
• Qualcomm 400MHz Processor
• 64MB RAM
• and more...

In summary I would have to say that this is one of the BEST Ultra Mobile PC I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with. If I were a manufacturer of a UMPC, or with a UMPC about to hit the market, then I would be shaking in my boots given what The HTC Shift is capable of. "I put my order down right away!"

Watch or download the High Res version (34 minutes, 256MB, Windows Media streaming or direct download)

Visit the HTC Shift Homepage

I think most of you know that my Tablet PC geek-iness is so far out of control that it is almost irreversible now. I still remember vividly a video I shot demonstrating how The Origami devices would work well before they had been released. It caught a lot of attention and highlighted two things:

• We can create Virtual Hardware experiences and still learn a lot;
• People will go to extraordinary lengths to make the intangible tangible.

Why all this rhetoric?

Recently I was pinged by a fellow Aussie and passionate follower of bleeding edge technology who had gone down a similar path to me, i.e. creating Virtual Hardware. I thought it was so amusing creepy intriguing enthusiastically replicated that I had to share it with all of you. For the record his name is Paul Stanway and his passion is papier-mâché sculpture origami Gadgets!

Oh…and so you know…NONE OF THESE DEVICES ARE REAL. ALL ARE MADE FROM HI-RES PRINTOUTS FOLDED TO SCALE TO REPLICATE ACTUAL DEVICES ABOUT TO HIT THE MARKER. LOL.

Apple iPhone, Nokia E90, HTC Shift

Q1 Ultra, OQO 02, iPhone, Nokia E90, HTC Shift

Q1 Ultra, OQO 02, iPhone