HTC hopes to Shift new smartphones

The HTC Shift packs a 7in touch sensitive 'slide-n-tilt' screen

Mobile phone manufacturer HTC has unveiled three Windows Mobile-based smartphones aimed at business and enterprise users.

The company hopes that its Shift, S730 and P6500 handsets will meet the varied requirements of all business users.

Scott Horn, general manager of mobile communications business at Microsoft, praised the new handsets, saying that "customers will be able to do more with their phone".

The Shift is essentially a mini-notebook, packing in a 7in touch sensitive " slide-n-tilt" screen and running Windows Vista.

The handset is the first to feature HTC's new SnapVUE technology, which provides instant access to email, calendar, SMS and contacts without the need to fully boot up the device, thereby conserving power and extending battery life.

The S730 is the successor to the S710 which launched earlier this year, adding 3G and a 400MHz processor to the equation.

Like its predecessor, the S730 also features a side-sliding Qwerty keyboard for those who need to type long emails.

Finally, the P6500 is designed for the enterprise market for use in a range of vertical sectors, including logistics companies, hospitals and police forces.

It incorporates a 3.5in screen, 3-megapixel camera with auto focus, and barcode and fingerprint scanning capabilities.

The P6500 is equipped with GPS and 256MB internal memory with the option to add up to 1GB in addition to two external SD card slots.

The Shift and P6500 will be available across Europe from November, and the HTC S730 from October.