It's a trait we've seen on other HTC phones and other sideways sliders. Perhaps I have ham-sized thumbs. With the slider open, the D-pad is above the keyboard to the left of the screen.

The Dual will be sold as an unlocked phone at Best Buy retail ... out messages in short order. The keypad is nearly identical to the one used on the HTC Shadow. The keys felt and looked similar.

The company released the news just ahead of the CTIA Wireless trade show that begins Monday in Las Vegas and includes RIM, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, Sprint, HTC ... phone with a full keypad for text ...