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 12-button arrangement and a full typing thumbboard. I found it pretty comfortable to use, thanks in large part to the roomy buttons, but it takes some getting used to and even then is something of a love/hate proposition. Deft thumb texters would probably opt for a smaller handset with a regular dialing layout, and Email addicts won’t be giving up their
BlackBerry buttons for Shadow’s SureType system anytime soon. But there’s probably a sweet spot for Shadow amongst folks who get frustrated trying to tap out messages on standard little cell phone buttons. Success typing on Shadow also involves learning to trust the predictive text software, which worked pretty well for me.
I really liked the scrolling jog dial / navigational pad on the front of the handset. The wheel can be scrolled and clicked like an iPod wheel to navigate through menus, and it can also be used as a four-way directional pad, as well. The wheel is flanked by six buttons, and they’re all easy to get to and click. Shadow also features a so-so two megapixel camera mounted on the back, and a microSD memory card slot so you can load up a bunch of music and movies to play back on the Windows Media Player software that’s built in.
Next: Usability & Performance »
4.5
