While it'd be nice to see a high-end T-Mobile device with 3G support, I really liked Shadow when I reviewed it awhile back, and HotSpot@Home keeps getting better and better.  TMo's really playing up the value angle as of late (well, as of always), and while they're often last to the party when it comes to new phone tech, they also often get it right when they finally do it.  With many of the kinks worked out of the whole UMA calling thing - using the performance of the recent BlackBerry Curve and Pearl as an indicator - here's hoping that T-Mo will soon unleash some uber-phones combining "Value Tech" like myFaves and H@H with some sex appeal like high-speed data.

The new updates include an "audio postcards" feature, free music/ringtones from popular musicians and various movie and wallpaper downloads. T-Mobile "audio postcards" enhances your myFaves experience by allowing you to take a photo with your Shadow and add a personalized message before sending to friends and family.
 
There is also an enhanced myFaves menu, improved text entry and a number of multi-media and personalization options ranging from music to ringtones to wallpapers:

• Three popular movie ringtones (Top Gun, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and School of Rock)
• Two full tracks, ringtones and wallpapers from featured artists Dave Matthews Band and Avril Lavigne
• Various other wallpaper options
  
  The update is available now at MobileShadow from here.
  

A rep at the store told me the phones won't available for purchase until Halloween day (as per the T-Mob press release), but the display models were fully operational, so I set down my packages and played with one for a few minutes.  Color me impressed.

While it seems odd to equate the slogan "The Official Phone of Fun" with a Windows Mobile device, T-Mob and HTC have (at first glace) done an excellent job of burying as much Microsoft nastiness as possible beneath a very simple icon-driven user interface.  The first and second level menus were easy to understand and easy to use, and choices and active settings were generally clearly marked with text and icons.  Screens were simple - imagine that!

Also, while the SureType-style keyboard on the recent T-Mobile Blast was too crowded for my tastes, a similar layout is made comfy and usable on Shadow thanks to larger buttons and a wide (but not too wide) overall footprint.  The combination of a QWERTY style layout with a nifty jog dial/D-Pad combo controller makes for some real usability options.  And the phone as a whole is quite stylish, with that 20-button keypad tucked out of sight when the phone is slid shut.

Good it be that T-Mobile is making good on their promise to launch a new line of easy to use devices with all kinds of features and goodies?  At $149 with contract, the WiFi-packing Shadow definitely looks to be a promising start.