It seems that everyone wants more out of their cell phones these days than just a device that will handle text messages and voice calls. At the same time, people are typically turned off by the extra bulk of some larger smartphones and PDA phones on the market. That’s why most non-business consumers are less likely to consider something like a Palm Treo or a full-sized BlackBerry device. Well, here is a mobile phone that seems to walk that fine line, providing oodles of functionality in a package that is remarkably compact.

T-Mobile has just announced the availability of the HTC Shadow, based on the HTC Juno platform. This handset features a vertical slider design, but the keypad that slides out is neither numeric nor QWERTY. Instead, it has a 20-key SureType configuration that matches two letters to each button. Coupled with good predictive text software, this should be a great solution for people who want to access their e-mail and text messages on the go. It’s quite powerful too, because the HTC Shadow runs on Windows Mobile 6. However, this has been dressed up in a unique interface skin, making interaction much more user friendly.

Although the 2.6-inch color display is not a touchscreen, navigating through the menus is supposed to be quite easy with click wheel-like navigator in the center. Other features include integrated WiFi, Bluetooth A2DP, myFaves 1.5, and microSD memory card expansion. If you sign up for a voice plan, mate it with the $20/month unlimited data plan, and lock yourself down to a two year contract, the HTC Shadow can be purchased from T-Mobile for just $150. No word on whether this phone will make it to Canada.