Sprint HTC EVO Shift 4G available January 9th for $149.99

If you liked the Sprint EVO but found yourself missing a physical keyboard then get ready for the new Sprint HTC EVO 4G which will be available from Sprint January 9th for $149.99 with 2 year contract of course. The first and very popular Sprint EVO 4G came packing with Android 2.2 and a large 4.3 Screen, the new Sprint EVO Shift 4G will have a smaller capacitive pinch-to-zoom screen at 3.6 inches to make way for the QWERTY Keyboard. Another bummer with the loss of screen real estate is the downsized camera from 8mp to 5mp. It still will be shooting your front facing camera at 1.3mp for all you video conferencing fans.

The rest is as you would expect and the EVO Shift 4G will be sporting Android 2.2 as well. Check out the press release below for the full scoop on the EVO Shift 4G from Sprint.

Sprint’s 4G Leadership Extends into 2011 with Introduction of Second Generation of Industry-Leading 4G-Capable Devices

HTC EVO Shift 4G with slide-out QWERTY available exclusively from Sprint on Jan. 9 for $149.99

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As the first national wireless carrier to launch 4G in 2008, Sprint (NYSE:S) wrapped up 2010 with a lead in 4G wireless device innovations. Further extending that lead, the company today introduced the upcoming availability of two products in Sprint’s second generation of 4G-capable devices: HTC EVO Shift™ 4G and MiFi® 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Novatel Wireless. With these two devices, Sprint has now introduced 17 4G-capable devices for consumers and business, including three phones, a 4G netbook and notebook from Dell, numerous USB modem options, and several mobile hotspots and routers.

“Our proven leadership as a 4G pioneer has allowed our customers to enjoy 4G from Sprint first, and these new products exemplify Sprint’s commitment to put industry-leading performance and capabilities in the hands of our customers.”
“Sprint will continue to set the bar for feature-rich and customer-friendly 4G devices into 2011,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “Our proven leadership as a 4G pioneer has allowed our customers to enjoy 4G from Sprint first, and these new products exemplify Sprint’s commitment to put industry-leading performance and capabilities in the hands of our customers.”

A Feature-Rich 4G Phone with QWERTY

As the 16th 4G-capable device from Sprint, HTC EVO Shift follows in the footsteps of the award-winning HTC EVO™ 4G, bringing customers an attractive, compact design and an impressive list of features with the addition of a sliding QWERTY keyboard. Beyond the highly acclaimed HTC Sense user experience, HTC EVO Shift also boasts the power of 4G, Android 2.2™, a 5MP camera, 720p HD camcorder and a 3.6-inch capacitive touchscreen display with pinch-to-zoom capability.

Additional key features include:

• HD Video Recording
• Wi-Fi®
• Sprint Mobile Hotspot (supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices)
• Android Market™ with access to more than 100,000 apps
• Messaging – Personal and business e-mail, IM and text messaging
• Social Networking Integration – Facebook®, Twitter™, Flickr® and more
• Visual Voicemail
• Google™ Mobile Services, including YouTube™, Gmail™, Google Talk™, Google Voice™ and Google Maps™
• GPS Navigation
• Stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology
• microSD slot (supporting up to 32GB memory card)

The Web browser on HTC EVO Shift is optimized for convenient mobile use and a full Internet experience with functions like pinch-to-zoom and automatically reflowing text. Adobe Flash technology ensures that rich Internet content, such as embedded video and animation, are displayed the way they are meant to be seen. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard makes staying in touch with friends and family through messaging and social networking quick and easy.Priced at the lowest cost at launch for any current 4G phone, HTC EVO Shift will be just $149.99 (excluding taxes) after a $100 mail-in rebate and activation on a new two-year service agreement (or eligible upgrade), and activation on a data plan with the required $10 Premium Data Add-On. It will be available in all Sprint retail channels, including www.sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint, on Jan. 9. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/shift.