HTC EVO Shift 4G Emerges at Amazon Wireless

HTC EVO Shift 4G, the yet unannounced mobile phone that should make an appearance on the US market via wireless carrier Sprint, has appeared on Amazon, with contract price tag and the like, though with the same specifications as the original EVO 4G.

The phone is no longer present on Amazon Wireless' website, but it was there a few days ago, and the retailer listed it with a price tag of $200 attached to it upon the signing of a contract agreement with Sprint.

If purchased free of contract, the handset would set you back $499.99 (Previous rumors on this phone suggested it might come with a price tag of $149.99 on contract, while priced at $449.99 if purchased off contract).

Not only did Amazon put the smartphone on their listing earlier than they should have, but the retailer also messed the hardware specifications up a little, through attaching those of EVO 4G to the new EVO Shift 4G, Engadget reports.

For those who might have not encountered this device before, we should note that the phone reportedly comes with a 3.6-inch touchscreen display, complemented by a side sliding QWERTY keyboard, while measuring 4.5 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.5 inches.

An 800 MHz second-gen Snapdragon processor should power this piece of hardware, while 4G connectivity (WiMAX) would be one of the main features of the device.

Of course, the new HTC EVO Shift 4G would run under Google's Android operating system, the same as do the other two 4G-capable handsets at Sprint.

When compared to the original HTC EVO 4G, this device is lower spec'd, though it would be able to deliver great performance levels, that's for sure.

The fact that it emerged at Amazon suggests that an official unveiling might not be far behind. Previous rumors suggested that the Consumer Electronics Show, which would kick off this week in Las Vegas, is the place where Sprint would announce the new phone.