After a few camera phone shots of the T-mobile Shadow II 2 in action, we are pleased to bring you the first decent quality picture of the upcoming Shadow II live and in the flesh. Labeled the HTC CONV100, the Shadow II is set to replace the existing T-mobile Shadow or those familiar with HTC nomenclature, the HTC Juno. While the Shadow (HTC Juno) was a decent device and redefined the top layer GUI for Windows Mobile 6, the HTC Shadow II only has a few improvements over its predecessor. Main improvements include Windows Mobile 6.1, a 2.0 megapixel camera and overall speed improvements.
The original HTC Shadow (HTC Juno) was a mixed bag in our book due to its sluggish performance at times and the all too common lack of sufficient program memory (RAM). While T-mobile is not to blame for these flaws since HTC was the one who decided to ship another Windows Mobile device without the neccessary 128MB of RAM it really needs, the device is what it is and we are forced to settle. Thankfully HTC has turned wise and the HTC Shadow II will come equipped with the full 128MB RAM / 256MB ROM that Windows Mobile 6.1 needs in order to run smoothly with all the multi-tasking capabilities that define the OS.
Along with the 2.0 megapixel camera and Windows Mobile 6.1, the HTC Shadow II features a 260MHz processor, Wifi b/g support, and a QVGA 240 x 320 pixel display. The standard microSD memory card slot, Bluetooth 2.0 and MP3 player capabilities are still present on the upgrade to the Shadow / HTC Juno, but we are still baffled at why a Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard (non-touchscreen) device would still be powered by anything less than 300 MHz. I guess T-mobile is slowly starting to accept that you can have a device running 400 MHz, but feels the need to gradually introduce the technology to customers. While the rest of the world will be enjoying the 528 MHz of the HTC Touch Diamond and HTC Touch Pro, here in the US on the nation’s ‘other GSM’ provider, we are not quite as lucky.
On the plus side, it is nice to see T-mobile upgrading their line up and I am more than confident that current T-mobile Shadow / HTC Juno users will be happy to see an upgrade. The faster CPU and added memory combined with Windows Mobile 6.1 should do well on one of the most affordable carriers, but honestly could we at least get some 1700 MHz UMTS love? The network is up (in select cities) and every other nationwide carrier in the US is running a 3G network so why can’t T-mobile start including the band in their upcoming devices even if we aren’t able to use it? In any case, stay tuned and we will continue to let you in on the inside scoop for the T-mobile Shadow II as the story evolves.
In case you are curious about the picture, it comes from an eBay auction that recently ended for $499.99. It looks like someone got a nice deal on an unreleased cell phone even before T-mobile confirmed its existence. Excellent work my friends and if you happen to know this lucky buyer, go ahead and tell them that Cellfanatic wants some pics, thanks.