Well we're sold. T-Mobile looks to be prepping the Shadow as a launch-off point for a whole line of consumer-friendly fancyphones that can finally give the Sidekick some competition in T-Mobile's lineup, and this first Shadow certainly doesn't miss its mark. The HTC hardware itself is pretty much spot on in every aspect, with a bright screen, solid slider action, thumb-friendly tactile keypad, smooth scroll wheel and a pocket-friendly form factor. We can't say we're crazy about this copper color, but it's subtle enough, and it's really a question of taste. Typing was a breeze on the SureType-esque keyboard, and while we wish the soft keys were a bit bigger, that's about our only caveat. It is a bit of a chore to slide open the phone and close it without resting your thumb on the screen, so smudgephobia types might have some difficulty, but we're basically resigned to that fate with any phone this glossy. Unfortunately, while T-Mobile has done its best at wrapping up Windows Mobile 6 with a glossy interface, it's still Windows Mobile, and we found the whole interface a bit sluggish. The main screen is also a bit short on data, since T-Mobile has monopolized it with those fave five. WiFi was a snap to set up, but that doesn't mean we're entirely OK with EDGE data as 2007 is coming to a close, and the slow processor wasn't helping our browsing experience either. If those few foibles can be overlooked, this could be your ticket out of smartphone monotony when it hits on October 31st for $149.99.