T-Mobile Casts a Shadow (Smartphone, That Is)

Complete with full Exchange messaging support, built-in IM, Microsoft's mobile Office suite, and Wi-Fi, the HTC-made Shadow slider makes for one of the most enticing smartphones I've seen in awhile, and the price is right.

Set for release on Wednesday for just $150 with a two-year service agreement, the Shadow is a Windows Mobile 6-powered slider with a serious dose of style. I got a little hands-on time with it last month, and the compact, slim (a little more than a half-inch thick) handset fit easily in my palm; I also liked the jog wheel, which eases the pain of navigating the frequently annoying Windows Mobile menus.

The Shadow doesn't have 3G capabilities (we're still waiting for true 3G from T-Mobile), but it does come with Wi-Fi, along with a quad-band GSM radio, good for placing calls around the globe. Also on board is full-on Exchange e-mail and Microsoft's mobile Office suite, along with a semi-QWERTY keypad (similar to that of the BlackBerry Pearl). IM fanatics can ping their pals over AIM, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, or Yahoo Messenger, while amateur shutterbugs can snap away with the two-megapixel camera. A microSD memory expansion slot rounds out the list of features. Not bad for $150, if you ask me (although GPS would have been a nice bonus).

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Product page [T-Mobile]