The HTC EVO Shift 4G finally is available to the masses and you’re probably wondering if it’s worth the upgrade.  It is a smartphone from Sprint that can connect to this carrier’s high-speed WiMAX network. It pairs HTC’s excellent Sense UI experience with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The metallic-blue and chrome accents keep this device sophisticated but may appeal to a more specific group.
HTC EVO Shift 4G Android Phone (Sprint)

HTC EVO Shift 4G Specs:

Android 2.2 + HTC Sense

Qualcomm MSM7630 (800MHz)

512MB RAM

3.6 inch WVGA (480×800) capacitive touch display

5 megapixel camera with single LED flash

microSD card slot with included 2GB card

4.6 x 2.3 x 0.6″, 5.9oz

1500mAh battery

Integrated WiMAX radio for 4G access and WiFi Hotspot capability

HTC EVO Shift 4G Review

The Sprint HTC EVO Shift 4G runs the Google Android 2.2 operating system with HTC Sense built on top of it. The EVO Shift 4G is powered by an 800MHz processor and 512MB of RAM. It also has a 2GB microSD card, and over 300MB of internal storage at your disposal out of the box.  At 1500mAh the 3.7v battery stays charged for an adequate full working day, around 10 hours of moderate use

The HTC EVO Shift 4G is made of midnight blue plastic, with a faux aluminum texture around the front panel and a soft touch back panel. It’s comfortable to hold and feels well made.  It’s not huge either, but at 4.6 x 2.3 x 0.6 inches and 5.8 ounces, it makes a noticeable bulge in any pocket it goes in and feels heavy in my hand.

The 3.6-inch glass capacitive touchscreen sports a 480-by-800-pixel resolution.  That’s smaller than the expansive 4-inch and 4.3-inch screens you get with the Epic 4G and EVO 4G, respectively, but still a tenth of an inch larger than the iPhone’s panel.

The sliding keyboard is definitely a strong point of this HTC model. The keys are large and well spaced, making thumb typing easy. The keys are very flat and have little feedback when pressing them. The keys are even spaced adequately from the slide-lip allowing easy typing from the top row, which can be a real annoyance when not implemented in phones of this type.

The Shift has a rear facing 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. Video recording is set at 800×480 by default. The camera’s user interface is straightforward, and you get some advanced controls, including exposure, color, white balance, and various photo effects.  Recorded 1280-by-720-pixel HD videos were reasonably well lit and averaged 18 frames per second.  The video quality may not win Academy Awards, but is perfectly high enough to post to YouTube and share with friends and family on that 65 inch HDTV.

See larger image HTC EVO Shift 4G Android Phone (Sprint) (Wireless Phone) List Price: $499.99 USD Release date January 6, 2011.