At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, US carrier Sprint announced the new HTC EVO Shift 4G - a WiMax-powered slide-out handset that boasts a four-row QWERTY keyboard.

The Android-based HTC EVO Shift 4G - which will be available from Sprint and its retail partners from Sunday, January 9 - is different in design as compared to its predecessor, the HTC EVO 4G; and essentially takes on Samsung's popular `Epic 4G' handset in the Sprint line-up.

Some of the notable specs of the impressive `4.6 by 2.4 by .6-inch (HWD)' Shift smartphone include a 3.6-inch screen; a Qualcomm 800 MHz processor; a 5-megapixel camera; a camcorder that records 720p video; GPS; Bluetooth; and Wi-Fi 802.11n. The handset also features the ability to work as a Wi-Fi hotspot for connecting up to eight Wi-Fi devices to the Internet.

In addition, the Shift, running Google's Android OS version 2.2, is slightly less than six ounces in weight; and has a battery life of six hours of talk time. The handset also comes with an external 2 GB microSD storage card that can be expanded to 32 GB.

The HTC EVO Shift 4G will cost $150, after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract. Sprint's 3G data plan begins at $70 per month, with an extra $10-per-month charge if the customer wants access to the faster 4G WiMax service, which is available only in select areas.