The fingerprint reader is a godsend for those who are prone to losing things. It can prevent unauthorised third parties from gaining access to your files, and makes it more convenient to log in to the Shift since there's no need to use a password. The Shift uses a trusted platform module (TPM) to generate cryptographic keys, making it exceedingly difficult for would-be hackers to gain access to your data.
The Shift's best feature is its 3G/HSDPA SIM card slot, which lives just below the battery. This allows the device to access the Internet from almost anywhere -- which is where it comes into its own. The drawback -- you knew it was coming -- is that you'll have to pay quite a lot of money for the privilege. Orange recommended its Business Everywhere tariff to us, which has an 18-month contract, costs £17 per month and is 'unlimited' to 2GB of data per month -- whatever that means.
Performance
One of the worst items on the laundry list of disappointments is the Shift's awful performance. It feels slow doing pretty much anything, whether that's loading up an Internet browser or running Microsoft Office. We can't really recommend it for doing anything more demanding. It failed to run our PCMark 2005 or 3DMark 2006 benchmarks, but if it did, the scores would probably be the lowest we've ever come across.
Its battery life makes for slightly more interesting reading, but only if you're grasping at straws. It lasted 2 hours during anecdotal tests, which involved alternating between sitting idle and doing the odd chunk of text editing. This dropped to 1 hour 20 minutes in our CPU-intensive BatteryMark test.
Conclusion
We'd only recommend the HTC Shift to two types of user: those who are exceptionally wealthy or those who are exceptionally ridiculous. It doesn't meet the system requirements to run its operating system and it's hopelessly expensive. Buy yourself a newly updated Eee PC 900, or even -- dare we say it -- a Samsung Q1 Ultra.
Edited by Shannon Doubleday
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