In a perfect world, a single device would serve as both your laptop and smartphone. The Apple iPhone, the Motorola Q, and the many flavors of BlackBerry are terrific smartphone platforms, but they are far from laptop replacements. By the same token, laptops aren't ready to replace smartphones. The HTC Shift ($1,499 list) comes close to making this dream a reality. The Shift is first and foremost a convertible tablet that doesn't use the old swivel-and-tilt paradigm like the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet. Rather, it slides up to expose a 69 percent QWERTY keyboard, then tilts upward to a 125-degree angle. It has the ability to shift between two platforms: a Windows Mobile–like interface that does push e-mail and a full-blown version of Windows Vista Business. It comes near to being the "smart-top" or "lap-phone" that many have asked for, but with one big omission: a phone. It has no voice capabilities. Its performance as a laptop is actually more consistent with the still-evolving UMPCs, but its price is set too high for a device that's only a little above adequate.