Checking Out the HTC Merge, Hands-on at CTIA 2011

We just heard yesterday that Alltel is beginning pre-orders for the HTC Merge starting on March 28, and Verizon is twiddling its thumbs trying to decide if it wants to launch it or not. But either way, this horizontal QWERTY slider has been talked about for months and months. Finally I got the opportunity to see it in person at CTIA 2011.

The Merge's keyboard is 4 rows, with the numbers pushed to the background as part of the Function button (or long-press of the letters on the top row). This is one of the skinniest keyboards I've used in quite some time. There very few specialty keys on this board, and seems to be kept to simple basics. The keys themselves are comfortable to press, and I know I could get used to typing on the Merge pretty easily.

Besides the keyboard, the HTC Merge also has these specs under the hood:

Running 2.2 Froyo, the HTC Merge comes with a 3.8 inch WVGA display, Sense UI, Wi-Fi, GPS, 5MP autofocus camera, 720p video recording, and an 800MHz processor. It's not a super-powerful phone, and does not offer any 4G compatibility. So if you're looking for a phone that's laden with features and specs up the wazoo, this will not be an ideal candidate for your phone search.

If it's up your alley, you won't have to wait long!

Source