HTC Shadow Review - At a glance
At a glance
What is Good: Shadow is a sleek slider with a custom interface and jog dial that make it easier to use than the average Windows Mobile smartphone. The SureType keypad fits a QWERTY layout into the space of a regular numerical keypad but has larger buttons than the BlackBerry Pearl or Samsung Blast. Built-in WiFi and myFaves compatibility.
What's Not Good: Not everyone will like Shadow’s keypad. Wider than most slider phones. Less powerful than many smartphones. No touchscreen. EDGE is slow for Web browsing.
Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a smartphone in a sleek disguise, Shadow is an interesting choice. Though it runs Windows Mobile, it’s really more like a souped-up messaging phone than a smartphone. The custom UI is a great touch.
Specs:
- Make/Model: HTC Shadow
- Network: GSM Quad-Band
- Data: EDGE and WiFi (802.11b/g)
- Carrier: T-Mobile USA (Locked)
- Size: 103 x 53 x 15 mm
- Weight: 150 g
- Form Factor: Slider
- Display: 2.6” Color LCD, 240 x 320 (QVGA) Resolution, 65,000 Colors
- Memory: 144MB built-in, microSD card slot
- Notable Features: Windows Mobile 6 Standard OS with Custom User Interface; SureType QWERTY Keypad; Jog dial navigation wheel; myFaves compatible
Next: Introduction »Fetch me more...Quickly jump to more information about related topics, cell phones, carriers or phone manufacturers mentioned in this In-Depth Review by using the links below. About our in-depth cell phone reviewsWe take great pride to ensure that the our reviews are thorough and accurate. In no way are our editors directed or influenced by any manufacturers, advertisers, or partners; we believe that honest, opinionated reviews -positive or negative - are the only way to maintain credibility and serve our users. Reviews by companyApple, BenQ, BlackBerry, Eten, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, o2, Palm, Pantech, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony EricssonTmoNews has a little more dirt on the upcoming Shadow II, and whlie its nothing groundbreaking it's at least promising. The next-gen Shadow looks much like the current version, with a few more rounded corners and some other cosmetic updates. The big deal here is that it looks like Shadow II will support TMo's Hotspot@Home UMA calling service, making it the carrier's first H@H-compatible WindowsMobile device.While it'd be nice to see... I really liked testing out the HTC Shadow for T-Mobile but I’m not sure I’d want it for my daily phone. How’s that for a strong stance, huh? In all seriousness, the Shadow is a great mix of smartphone features with a sleek sliderphone’s body, and makes great use of a custom user interface developed to harness the power of the Windows Mobile 6 platform while masking much of its ugliness. So it’d likely make a great handset for... At first glance, Shadow looks like a slightly oversized version of almost any sliderphone currently on the market. Shadow’s is just a few millimeters longer and wider than a slider like Samsung’s T819 (also for T-Mobile), and the extra size affords a roomy 2.6” color display and a SureType-style keypad. The 20-button keypad puts two letters on most keys in a QWERTY arrangement, so it’s sort of a compromise between the standard... T-Mobile and HTC deserve a lot of credit for the work they did customizing Shadow’s user interface. Windows Mobile 6 is something of a beast to behold, and Shadow’s top-level UI all but masks it from the average user’s view. The Shadow home screen features a vertical row of icons down the left side - scrolling through them gets you just about everywhere you’d want to go on the phone, from messaging options to WiFi and Bluetooth... I’m guessing that Shadow’s keyboard will have a lot to do with how potential users take to this phone. Shadow packs a nice feature set and a great UI into a cool little package, but it may prove to be a case of “neither here nor there,” trapped between smaller, simpler low-end phones and larger devices with more email-friendly keypads. True messaging addicts may well opt for one of T-Mobile’s Sidekick devices or even the HTC Wing or... Just in time for me to re-write my almost finished review, T-Mobile today released a free software upgrade for their Shadow smartphone. The HTC-made Shadow is a Windows Mobile handset featuring a custom user interface that makes the device much more consumer-friendly than your average WM phone. Today's software upgrade adds a handful of features and also drops some free music and ringtones on users:
The new updates include an... it an alright phone i love the layout of the phone, and i do like the keyboard. But if you want to use for wifi email and music it not so great. I only use the web browser on wifi and it has nice speed but every now and then it will freeze up. Also while browsing your battery will drain quickly. The battery life on this phone isn't great, i end up chraging mine everyday because it is drian if i listen to music or use the wifi. If you just talk... Use this link for a the latest tips and tricks for the Shadow http://www.america.htc.co... Hey Jennifer have you had a chance to try it out? If so did you like it?
My buddy just bought one for his wife for Christmas - he is hoping like you she can get used to the keypad.
Let me know
TX I was playing around with the phone the other day and found it a little bit of a pain to use at first, but after about 30 minutes i started to get into a groove when composing emails and text messages.
It is definitely better than the Pearl - Doesn't T-Mobile have that 15 day return policy anyway?
I say pick one up and use it for a week :)
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4.5
