HTC Sells Shift Ultramobile in Taiwan

Smartphone maker High Tech Computer (HTC) has started taking advance online orders for its Shift ultramobile PC in partnership with one of Taiwan's largest electronic chains.

The company plans to sell as many as 200 units through the advance online ordering system run by Taiwan's 3C electronics chain store, which is owned by Tsann Kuen Enterprise.

The Shift sells for NT$45,900 (US$1,418) each on the site.

"Orders will be delivered in mid-February. We're already in production on the device," said Azucena Lin, a deputy manager at HTC.

HTC's ultramobile PC was announced to fanfare because it combines more of the hardware associated with mobile telecommunications than some other ultramobile PCs. The Shift can connect to Wi-Fi or to 3.5G (advanced third generation mobile telecommunications) HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) services to download data and remain connected to the Internet. It can also be used as a mobile phone and includes support for GSM (global system for mobile telecommunications), GPRS (general packet radio system) and EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution).

The PC side of the ultramobile starts with its 7-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) touch screen, slide out QWERTY keyboard and Windows Vista Business OS. HTC added other extras to make the device even more attractive, including GPS (global positioning system) and push e-mail.