HTC and Rogers Wireless Announce the HTC Shift

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.rogers.com/shift' target='_blank'>http://www.rogers.com/shift</a><br /><br /></div><em>&quot;Rogers Wireless, the leading wireless carrier in Canada, and HTC Corp., a global leader in smartphone design and manufacturing, today announced that the world&rsquo;s first mobile PC with push email - the HTC Shift&trade; &ndash; mobile computer will be released in Canada by Rogers Wireless, on Canada&rsquo;s fastest mobile network from the people that built Canada&rsquo;s most reliable network. The state-of-the-art HTC Shift X9501 is a pure data powerhouse that gives customers the best of all worlds; the power and familiarity of Windows Vista, the comfort and ease of touch screen technology via the Microsoft Origami&trade; Experience 2.0, and the impressive speed of the Rogers 3G HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) network for an unmatched mobile computing experience that can be used seamlessly around the globe. With a sleek design that is half the size and a fraction of the weight of a standard notebook, the HTC Shift X9501 combines extreme portability with cutting-edge software like HTC SnapVUE&trade;, which gives customers instant access to true push email and SMS with up to three days of battery life.&quot;</em><br /><br /><img border="1" src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/spt/auto/1211485134.usr1.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />This is an interesting hybrid device so I'm posting about it on Pocket PC Thoughts, Smartphone Thoughts, and Digital Home Thoughts. Rogers is essentially the only GSM-based mobile phone carrier in Canada (can you spell &quot;monopoly&quot;?), and they carry a good assortment of HTC products - the latest of which is the Shift. But their launch is wobbly at best - I've been holding off on posting this news for several hours hoping that things would start to make sense. <br /><br />Earlier today the URL I was given for further information (www.rogers.com/shift) resulted in a 404 page not found error. Now it finally resolves to a page, but it's in French. My French is a bit rusty, but thankfully numbers are universal: it looks like if you want to purchase that Shift outright, without a contract, it will run you $2099 CAD (about $2170 USD). If you sign up for a three year contract, it will cost you $1699 CAD (there's some sort of promo on where it's $1599, but there are no details on that). To put those costs into perspective, you can purchase the HTC Shift <a href="http://www.expansys-usa.com/p.aspx?i=154230&amp;partner=pthoughts" target="_blank">directly from Expansys for $1465 USD</a> [affiliate], so it seems like Rogers is making a big chunk of change on these devices.<br /><br />The real kicker with mobile devices in Canada is the data rate plans - and I can find no information from Rogers about a new data plan that makes sense. The press release references a &quot;$50 Flex Rate Data Plan&quot;, yet using Rogers' own search engine, <a href="http://your.rogers.com/search/results.asp?shopperid=&amp;ct=&amp;q=Flex+Rate+Data+Plan&amp;Go.x=0&amp;Go.y=0" target="_blank">there's no record of any such plan</a>. I'm holding out a bit of hope, but once again it seems that we have some nice hardware that's largely crippled from real use by the wallet-crushing data plans that Rogers offers.

[canux]

http://your.rogers.com/business/wireless/plans_services/business_plans.asp?plan=flexrate

Not great rates, but I'd take these any day if I could use them with my Q9h...unfortunately, Rogers won't let you.

[Phronetix]

http://your.rogers.com/business/wireless/plans_services/business_plans.asp?plan=flexrate

Not great rates, but I'd take these any day if I could use them with my Q9h...unfortunately, Rogers won't let you.

I am not so sure that is true. This is the same plan that I have used with my iPhone since January, when I learned that Rogers was unofficially allowing iPhone users to buy this plan for their devices. From this place (http://www.howardforums.com).

It is interesting that Rogers seems to be keeping this only pseudo-official now. I find that odd. This is the ONLY plan that one can use with Rogers that will allow one to use their device without restriction, as in one can use any application, in any way one wants, to access the internet. It really points out how ridiculously infantile our wireless data system is here. Hopefully, though, on June 9th (http://gizmodo.com/391960/iphone-3g-launch-date-confirmed) that will change.

Dennis

[canux]

Consider yourself fortunate...I guess it depends who you talk to at Rogers...I've called them a few times to see if I could talk my way into getting the PC card plan for my Q9h and they would not do it. They said that even if someone mistakenly granted this plan to a non-PC card user, that they would be switched if they found out.

Due to the iPhone user in eastern Canada that racked up a mega bill, you also cannot tether your phone to your laptop to use as a modem.

One can only keep trying though...paying $70 for 500MB is crazy.

[Phronetix]

Consider yourself fortunate...I guess it depends who you talk to at Rogers...I've called them a few times to see if I could talk my way into getting the PC card plan for my Q9h and they would not do it. They said that even if someone mistakenly granted this plan to a non-PC card user, that they would be switched if they found out.

Even if that is the case, it appears to be changing, judging by Jason's post.

[canux]

I hope so...it's about time.

[Jason Dunn]

Not great rates, but I'd take these any day if I could use them with my Q9h...unfortunately, Rogers won't let you.

$65 for 1 GB...I guess that's better than their phone rates, but I still think those rates suck. I mean, look, you have a Vista-based laptop with a high-speed data connection. You're going to be doing data-intensive things on it that you wouldn't do on your phone. So even these rates are pretty ugly...:mad:

[Phronetix]

Well, yeah, for a laptop, these rates suck. For my iPhone they are barely tolerable. My average monthly data runs around 100MB, combined up and downstream. I expected heavier data amounts when I first signed up for this plan. This is for email, general surfing (including ThoughtsMedia, which surprising to me has had a custom webclip icon for the iPhone and Touch since shortly after the iPhone/Touch firmware 1.1.4 was released), Google Maps, Weather, Meebo chat on Safari, and usually a YouTube video every other day. So, obviously, not exactly like I would use with my notebook, but then again, that Macbook is an awfully tight squeeze in my jeans pocket.

After going through the many rumors regarding Rogers spring releases, including possibly the iPhone 3G, I believe that come June 9, Rogers will begin offering three new 3G devices, including the htc Diamond, the new Blackberry Bold rumored device and the iPhone. Or they will make a Touch interface promo with the Diamond, the iPhone 3G and perhaps other devices that may fall in this category that I am not familiar with, a Nokia offering, or an LG device. "The iPhone and the 'Killers'" promo if you like.

I must add that I have no additional info than what has been available online. This is me speculating, possibly dreaming even. :wink:

As far as pricing, suffice it to say I have stopped dreaming about this part in Canada. It will get better but not be the price we hope for.

[Jason Dunn]

...including ThoughtsMedia, which surprising to me has had a custom webclip icon for the iPhone and Touch since shortly after the iPhone/Touch firmware 1.1.4 was released

You can thank Darius for that - he whipped it up. :D