Could HTC be working on a slider version of the HTC EVO 4G? A recent trademark application on the name “HTC EVO Shift 4G” would certainly suggest it. Given the similar name, this could also hint at a sequel to HTC’s foray into the MID market, though the application is specifically for smartphones and cell phones, not MIDs or computers.
Even if HTC just slapped a slide-out QWERTY keyboard on the EVO 4G, it would probably win over at least a few people who can’t deal with on-screen keyboards. At this point it would be hard to ask of any more upgrades, since the EVO already has a 4.3″ WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera, 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, and of course WiMAX capabilities (or “4G” as the marketers would like you to think).
The more far-fetched alternative, a WiMAX-enabled MID, would be an interesting counterpoint to all of the tablets coming out of the woodwork lately. No doubt Android 3.0 Honeycomb would fare just as well on a more traditional laptop-esque form factor as on tablets – hell, we’ve already seen major laptop manufacturers have a go at the idea, but until the update lands, Android really isn’t built for that sort of thing.
It’s entirely possible that we’re getting ahead of ourselves too, since big companies often snag the rights to product names that are close to ideas they’re kicking around prior to launch. Regardless, anyone else want to take a guess at what the HTC EVO Shift 4G is?
[via Engadget]