Tech Phone

Samsung Solstice has appeared on the Samsung website in an image featuring a variety of device for the AT&T network. Rumour is that the Solstice will be launching in the coming days on the nations fastest 3G network.

With a variety of AT&T phones that include impressive features like synchronized calendars, pinpoint accurate GPS, multiple messaging options, brilliant widescreen displays, touchscreens, and Windows Mobile 6.1 OS, Samsung keeps you well connected no matter what your needs.

Expect the Samsung Solstice to launch at the follow points after a $50 mail in rebate:

2 year: $99.99
1 year: $174.99
no term: $249.99

We hope you’re having a fun time keeping up with the schload of leaked internal specs for forthcoming AT&T phones, because we’re not done yet. It’s Nokia’s time to shine, as they supposedly have four phones on deck for the 2nd largest US carrier.

Until the release of the E71x last month, things between Nokia and AT&T were rather quiet. The last major phone released was the 6650, which became EOL only a few short months after it was launched.

For you Nokia fans — and there are a lot of you out there — hearing about these four new handsets are like a breath of fresh air. Let’s check them out.

Nokia Mako

For a landscape QWERTY device, the Mako is the most uniquely designed that we’ve seen in a long time. But on first impression, it looks rather clever. Instead of having a bulky look, the keyboard appears like it easily tucks into the phone without adding any extra size.

The Mako runs on Symbian S60 3.2, the same as the E71x and the 6650.

If we had to guess, this will be intended more as a messaging phone than a smartphone, because the specs are ho-hum. Only 128 MB internal memory with expandable slot, 2 MP camera, and a 2.5 mm headphone jack (Really? 2.5? Really?), for example. But this new design could certainly spark the interest of some of the younger folks.

The slide mentions an early June release, though we tend to disbelieve such a notion simply because we haven’t heard anything about the Mako until now. But we’ve seen crazier things happen.

Nokia Grouper

The Grouper almost looks though Nokia is actually finding inspiration from the Motorola RAZR. The Grouper is a super thin clamshell with external music controls, running Series 40, and offers plenty other standard specs for a mid-range phone.

Below is the pic taken for the FCC filing, and everything looks like it’s going straight to AT&T here, complete with CV button.

Anticipated release date is the end of July.

Nokia Snapper

The Snapper seems to be the 6555’s replacement. Another standard clamshell, the Snapper has almost identical specs to the Grouper, and is music-optimized. Feel free to check the above slide to get exact specs, but nothing we can see really stands out to us.

Anticipated release date is August 7.

Nokia Thresher

As seen above, the Nokia Thresher has a very N-series look to it, complete with a sporty slider style. The Thresher has a few neat features to help it stand above the Grouper and Snapper, such as:

• 360 degree optical joystick
• 3.2 MP camera
• Uplink noise cancellation
• Navigation and entertainment enablers

Perhaps not the most loaded device on the planet, but certainly it has a few things going for it. This one will apparently hit stores September 18.

Thanks to a leaked AT&T rebate sheet, we now have the confirmation that the largest North American GSM carrier will release the following phones: Motorola QA1 Karma, Sony Ericsson C905a and Samsung Jack i637.

Appeared over at BGR, the rebate sheet doesn’t disclose the release dates of said phones, but we guess they’ll all come pretty soon to AT&T (just like the Samsung a177, also unveiled today).

Anyway, let us remind you what these upcoming devices are all about.

Motorola QA1 Karma is a slider that we first saw back in February, alongside the Moto QA4. It has a full QWERTY keyboard, 3G and a landscape display – probably with 240 x 320 pixels:

Sony Ericsson C905a is rumored to hit AT&T since last year, and I’m sure you already know that it’s a Cyber-shot phone featuring 3G, Wi-Fi and an 8MP autofocus camera with Xenon flash:

As a side note, the C905a will also hit T-Mobile, under the name of Sony Ericsson CS8.

Last but not least, Samsung Jack i637 is a Windows Mobile smartphone that we don’t have an image of yet, save for this sketch from FCC:

The features of i637 include HSDPA connectivity, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

PhoneArena has spotted new photos of the LG Neon with a bold AT&T logo at the top. From the official press pics out there, the launch of the AT&T Neon can not be very far off the form of the LG KS360. The phone boasts 2.4 inch QVGA, 240 x 320 touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera, 15 mb of internal memory plus expandable microSD, Bluetooth, FM radio.

The LG Neon will be target to the young. The phone provides a handy QWERTY keyboard for fast text input so it clearly focussed for teens who prefer to live out a life of texting. Sadly, no word on release date and price.

AT&T and LG have just released the LG CF360, a mobile phone targeted at customers in need of some new affordable wireless equipment.
Presented as being a “sleek entertainment phone”, the CF360 is a slider that doesn’t look bad at all, but packs only entry-level features.
With a 2-yr contract agreement and after a mail-in rebate, the phone’s price is of only $29.99. Or, in case a new AT&T agreement is the last thing you desire, you can get the phone free of contract, for $229.99.
But enough about money. Here are the main specs and features of AT&T’s new LG:

* Quad band GSM connectivity (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz)
Dual band UMTS/HSDPA connectivity (850 / 1900 MHz)
A 2 inch TFT QVGA display
AT&T Navigator with Maps
AT&T Mobile Music
MEdia Net
Bluetooth 2.0
1.3 MP camera
microSD cards support, up to 16GB
Talk time: up to 3 hours
Standby time: Up to 10.4 days
3.97 x 1.89 x .66 inches
3.51 ounces

lg-cf360-red

LG CF360 is available in AT&T’s retails stores from across the US, as well as online: here in red, or here in blue.

Mobile phones are getting ever more powerful. And, as cellphone feature-set keep growing, so do cellphone price-tags. It would make sense to protect your expensive handset. Even more sense with advanced devices that contain or can access sensitive and valuable data.

AT&T might just be working on ways to keep you and your precious handset together. AT&T patent applications hint at voice-recognition and location-specific cellphone security technologies in the works.

One patent, filed in 2004, called for a voice-recognition security system that would use a voice sample to determine if the user was authorized to access the handset. The voice sample would be ” analyzed to determine a corresponding selection ID, and a voice print is retrieved from the storage location corresponding to the selection ID and to an ID of the wireless telephone.” Presumably, the same technology could be used to determine just how much access a user is allowed to have, if any at all.
The other patent, also filed in 2004, details a security technology that would disable or completely lock a handset that roams too far from a pre-determined location. Using a “short range wireless signal,” AT&T envisioned a wireless network that would use signal-strength to determine when a device is taken further than allowed. The device would then be disabled until it saw a strong enough wireless signal, indicating that it was back within range.

Now, these patents were filed years ago, so it’s not exactly new news. We may never see these technologies come to market, but it sure would be nice if they did.

If you're in search of an iPhone alternative, AT&T might have the perfect thing for you: the new Samsung Eternity, a handset that's now available via the largest US mobile carrier for as low as $149.99 (after a $50 mail-in rebate and the signing of a 2-yr contract agreement).

Samsung Eternity is part of the TouchWiz series of phones that the South Korean company has recently announced for the US. Thus, the Eternity features specially designed widgets that allow users to personalize its interface the way they want.

Samsung Eternity also comes with AT&T Mobile TV, providing instant access to content from CBS Mobile, CNBC, FOX News, FOX Mobile, Comedy Central, MTV, CNN Mobile and others.

Here is the handset's full list of specs and features:

• Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
• Dual band HSDPA connectivity, 850 / 1900 MHz
• 3.2 inches TFT touchscreen display with 240 x 400 pixels and 262K colors
• On-screen QWERTY keyboard
• GPS and AT&T Navigator
• Accelerometer
• Web browser
• Email and IM
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Music player
• AT&T Mobile Music
• Napster Mobile
• 3MP camera
• MicroSD and MicroSDHC card support, up to 8GB
• Talk time: up to 5 hours
• Standby time: up to 10 days
• Weight: 3.88 ounces
• Size: 4.3 x 2.2 x 0.5 inches

You can buy a Samsung Eternity from AT&T's stores, as well as online. The handset's no-contract price is of $369.99.

Just yesterday the HTC Fuze was spotted for the first time in its AT&T retail packaging and we assumed that the launch was not far off. Fortunately, we only had to wait a few hours. AT&T has announced that the Fuze is now available at stores and online for $299.99 with a two-year contract and a mail-in rebate.

HTC FUZE FROM AT&T FUSES FUN AND FUNCTION WITH
THE ONE-TOUCH POWER OF TOUCHFLO 3D

Powerful New Smartphone Epitomizes Choice With Touch-Screen and Slider Keyboard, Access to Nation’s Fastest 3G Network and Many More Connectivity Options
DALLAS, Texas, and BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov. 11, 2008 — AT&T customers now have the best of both worlds. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and HTC Corp. (TAIEX: 2498; “HTC”) have announced the availability beginning today of the new smartphone HTC FUZETM. The HTC FUZE provides users with a familiar QWERTY keyboard paired with HTC’s intuitive, graphic-rich TouchFLO™ 3D touch-screen user interface for easy one-touch access to a range of fun and powerful features.

TouchFLO 3D is designed for one-hand operation using simple, gesture-based navigation, allowing customers to simply touch, hold and slide along the screen tabs. A quick slide on the home screen quickly activates the most used features such as e-mail, text messaging, music player and camera. This instinctive interface extends to the powerful Web browser. A useful “zoom in, zoom out” feature makes it especially fun and easy to access the Web via the included Opera browser, which provides for desktop-like Web page renderings and user interactions.

Powered by AT&T’s 3G network — the nation’s fastest — and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the HTC FUZE is a compact yet powerful communications tool with a smooth gloss black finish and a distinctive and unique faceted backplate. The HTC FUZE features a sharp, 262K color 2.8-inch (480 x 640) VGA touch screen for touch-sensitive navigation control, complete with three-dimensional animated transitions. For e-mail, messaging and other data input, the HTC FUZE also comes equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard, which was designed specifically for AT&T and slides out from the smartphone’s side.

Connectivity Options
Beyond AT&T’s robust 3G network, the HTC FUZE provides AT&T customers with a host of other connectivity options. When abroad, AT&T customers can use the HTC FUZE to make or receive a phone call in more than 200 countries and check e-mail, browse the Web or perform other data functions in more than 150 countries, including in more than 60 — such as Japan and South Korea — that have deployed 3G networks. In addition, the HTC FUZE boasts:

* Built-in aGPS — for use with AT&T Navigator powered by TeleNav and other location-based applications such as TeleNav TrackTM and Xora GPS TimeTrackTM.
* Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g) — to connect with home or campus networks or access more than 17,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots nationwide, including at thousands of participating Starbucks locations.
* Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) — for simultaneous connection of up to six Bluetooth-enabled devices, including hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits, network printers and other Bluetooth peripherals.
* AT&T Video ShareSM — the first service in the U.S. that allows users to share live video over wireless devices while participating in a voice call.
* Push To Talk (PTT) — via the nation’s largest PTT network.

“The HTC FUZE is a great illustration of AT&T’s commitment to innovation and choice,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Smart Devices for AT&T’s wireless unit. “The HTC FUZE, with its array of connectivity features, provides our customers with the ability to choose the manner in which they communicate using the form factor they deem most appropriate at a given moment — all in a very attractive and sleek package. It’s a fantastic addition to AT&T’s industry-leading Windows Mobile smartphone portfolio.”

Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America, said: “By combining the power of Windows Mobile 6.1 with HTC’s innovative TouchFLO 3D interface, the HTC FUZE ensures that your most important information — from mail to music to images — is never more than a touch away. The HTC FUZE’s range of cutting-edge mobile features, like a desktop-quality mobile browser, paired with AT&T’s lightning-quick 3G network makes it an unbeatable choice for consumers.”

AT&T also offers customers a variety of choices in the types of services available to them when using the HTC FUZE, both during work and after-hours.

Business Use
For business use, AT&T customers will be able to choose from several popular platforms to access their corporate e-mail. The robust Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional platform offers seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook information including e-mail, contacts, calendar and to-do lists. Additionally, Good Mobile Messaging and BlackBerry® ConnectTM compatibility will be offered later this year, while personal e-mail can easily be taken mobile using AT&T’s popular Xpress Mail service. They can access and edit e-mail attachments using mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint. Customers also can choose to tether the HTC FUZE to their notebook computer to wirelessly view e-mail or access the Web. A unique business card application allows users to quickly capture and save contact information with the built-in 3.2 megapixel camera.

In addition, the HTC FUZE supports scores of industry-specific applications as well as Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM), an enterprise-grade mobile device management solution that also provides security, mobile Virtual Private Network (VPN) and software distribution for Windows Mobile devices enabled for Windows Mobile 6.1.

For both business and personal use, the HTC FUZE features AT&T Video Share. Business customers, particularly those in such fields as architecture and engineering, can use Video Share to monitor progress on a job site or review the day’s work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so. When not working, users can share moments with family and friends while the moments are happening — everything from weddings or a baby’s first steps to a Little League at-bat or a clearance-sale find.

Personal Time
The HTC FUZE offers many additional uses during personal time. Users have access to AT&T Mobile Music services, an integrated, on-the-go music experience that delivers “your music, your way” by providing simple access to a robust collection of music content, including access to online subscription music content from eMusic®, XM Radio Mobile™ and more. Using the TouchFLO 3D touchscreen navigation, HTC FUZE customers can browse their music with easily accessible tabs sorted by playing lists, artists, albums, songs and genre views. Music as well as favorite contacts and photos can be arranged on-screen with the dynamic TouchFLO 3D interface.

For the visually oriented, CV (Cellular Video) from AT&T gives viewers access to thousands of video clips — news, sports, weather, entertainment, premium HBO MobileSM content and more — via streaming video. Those who prefer full-length streaming video programming can access MobiTV. Or they can use the HTC FUZE’s built-in camera to shoot their own video.

AT&T Video Share, AT&T Mobile Music services, CV, MobiTV and more than 90,000 additional choices are available through AT&T MEdia Mall directly from the HTC FUZE or online.

Backing the HTC FUZE is AT&T’s 3G BroadbandConnect network, which currently is available in more than 320 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and, by year-end, AT&T expects to offer the service in nearly 350 leading U.S. markets. The network’s HSPA-based technology allows users to perform data functions and conduct a phone call simultaneously. In addition to 3G connectivity, the HTC FUZE is also designed to connect seamlessly with AT&T’s nationwide2 EDGE network, which is available in more than 13,000 cities and towns and along some 40,000 miles of major highways.

Pricing and Availability
The HTC FUZE is available now for as low as $299.991 at AT&T retail stores nationwide, online at www.att.com, at select national retailers and through AT&T’s enterprise and small business sales organizations. AT&T voice plans begin at $39.99 with monthly enterprise data plans priced at $45, and personal data plans at $30 per month. Small business customers also can subscribe to AT&T’s new, industry-first BusinessTalk voice plans, which start at $60 a month for five users and 700 Anytime Minutes and can be expanded for $9.99 a line to accommodate up to 40 users and 20,000 Anytime Minutes. AT&T Mobile Music services, AT&T Navigator, Video Share, Push To Talk and MobiTV all require separate monthly subscriptions.

AT&T Tilt (aka HTC TyTN II aka HTC Kaiser) is finally dethroned: its rightful successor, the HTC Fuze, is now available for purchase via AT&T's website.

Obviously, the Fuze is more expensive than the old Tilt. AT&T is offering the new HTC Pocket PC for $299.99, after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a 2-yr contract agreement.  

HTC Fuze is the AT&T version of HTC Touch Pro, which is already on sale via Sprint. Verizon is rumored to release the handset too, under the name of Verizon Wireless XV6850, so all the major US carriers might soon have it in their offerings (save for T-Mobile).

The specs of HTC Fuze, as shown on AT&T's website, include:

• 2.8 inch TFT touchscreen display with 480 x 640 pixels and 262K colors
• Windows Mobile 6.1
• TouchFlo 3D user interface
• Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz)
• Quad band UMTS/HSDPA connectivity (850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz)
• Full QWERTY keyboard
• GPS
• Wi-Fi
• 3.2 MP camera with autofocus
• Opera Mobile
• Xpress Mail
• Music player
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 288MB of RAM, 512 MB of ROM
• Expandable memory, up to 32GB
• Talk time: up to 7.4 hours
• Standby time: up to 19.3 days
• Weight: 5.82 ounces
• Size: 4.02 x 2.01 x 0.71 inches

Well, the Fuze is definitely a highly-featured device. Now all you need to do is to buy it (if you like it, of course). You can do that online, via AT&T's website.

In the next few days, HTC Fuze should be available for purchase from AT&T's retail stores too.

The AT&T Quickfire will be heating up the competition with the T-Mobile Sidekick when it is released on November 10 this year. This tri-band cell phone will only cost $99 with a 2-year contract—$299 without—and doesn't seem like a Windows Mobile phone, or any other OS we've ever seen. The Quickfire includes a touch screen, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3G, a music player, and GPS, and will come in orange, lime and silver. [Engadget Mobile via cnet]