HTC first took the wraps off its first UMPC -- the HTC Shift -- back last spring, but this device still has not yet gone on sale. According to an announcement from the company though, this will soon change.

This model has been expected "soon" for months now, and the last that was heard from HTC was that the Shift would launch in November. This didn't happen, and now the company says this eagerly anticipated UMPC will debut in "Early 2008".

HTC didn't get any more specific than that, but it's likely hoping to be able to introduce the Shift at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January.

An Overview of the HTC Shift

The HTC Shift will run Windows Vista Business, and will include something HTC is calling SnapVUE technology. This will be a sort of mini-operating system running alongside Vista on its own 400 MHz processor and memory but using the same display. It is there to provide immediate access to emails, calendar, SMS messages and contacts, without the need to fully boot up the device, which helps conserve power and extend battery life.

This mini-laptop will have a tablet design with a QWERTY keyboard hidden behind its 7-inch touchscreen. When the screen is slid aside to expose the keyboard, it will flip up at an angle.

When closed, it will be 8.1 inches wide, 5.1 inches tall, and 1.0 inches thick. (207 mm x 129 mm x 25 mm). It will weigh 1.7 pounds (800 g).

HTC says the Shift will run Vista on an Intel Stealey 800 MHz processor. It will have 1 GB of RAM and a 40 GB hard drive.

It will offer Wi-Fi (b/g) and Bluetooth 2.0, as well as the 3G cellular standards UMTS and HSDPA. In addition, there's strong evidence a version with the rival 3G standard EV-DO will be introduced at some point.

Other Shift features will include an SD slot, a GPS receiver, VGA out, and a biometric fingerprint scanner.