More details on HTC's Excalibur smartphone. Yes, it's going to be a full QWERTY device running Smartphone OS but unlike the popular Q, it'll feature QUAD band GSM/EDGE with availabe W-Fi and Blluetooth for a truly encompassing always on experience. Release dates as well as carriers and pricing plans are still in the air, but look for something close to the Q or Cingular 2125 - its main competitors.It will be marketed in the US by T-Mobile as the Dash

Geek.com loves its WIFI capability given spotty EVDO access stateside along with:

• ALL of the MS Mobile QWERTY Smartphones that you've heard rumors about will hit the U.S. this year
• The "Excalibur" is definitely a Q-killer. It's smaller than the Q and features quad-band and Wi-Fi. Check out the touch/jogstrip for scrolling and some interestingly placed buttons on the QWERTY keyboard. It's also a non-touchscreen phone, so it's a true MS Smartphone.
• The Q will launch on Sprint by end of year. My source said "a CDMA carrier"--that's not Verizon Wireless, so I filled in the blanks.

Well, it does look like the Q doesn't it? I personally love any device with a QWERTY keypad and certainly the screen is a vast improvement over other models. Also note the jog strip - I believe a first in menu and screen navigation for such a device. It works exactly like a scrollpad while tapping the top and bottom allows easy navigation. I believe this really does set it apart from the Q and it's a feature loved by Smartphone forum users for good reason.

Via Slashphone

Update: HTC will be updating this phone with the 630 line branded in the US by Tmobile as the "HYPHEN" which will double the processing power, have a light sensetive LCD and reenable the Joggr strip in a manner of speaking. Inital reports  by BGR also suggest a slightly beefier design.  Unlocked versions can be purchased online for around $550 US. I should also admit that I own a DASH and despite many headaches which I attribute more to the flaky MS build OS than actual hardware design, the phone is a delight to own and carry around. I'm not up for an upgrade anytime soon but I imagine this continue to be TMobile USA's top sellind handset especially with the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.1 updates and rumors of virtual Blackberry software. 

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