Since it’s introduction, the AT&T logo has reminded many users of the Death Star. Sure, that’s not what it’s supposed to look like but no matter how many times they tweak it, I just see the Death Star. So it was amusing to me when over the weekend the first leaks (or release depending on your point of view) came about Verizon’s latest campaign about a phone called the Droid that’s poised to take on the iPhone.
The surest way for someone to generate attention is by making an Apple prediction. Apple has a cult following, and its product development and launch strategy is famously secretive, so the fact that your source is the lunch counter guy across the block from the Hon Hai factory in Taiwan won’t be discovered (or may even be considered authoritative!). Financial analysts are often the worst offenders – we have been promised an Apple tablet more times than I can count, assured that an iPhone nano was on the way, and where’s that iPod touch with a camera?
However, market analysts like me (and fellow SlashGear columnist Michael Gartenberg) rarely talk about specific products before they’re launched. Often, that’s because I can’t: vendors frequently tell me what they are working on ahead of time under non-disclosure agreements. Another reason that I don’t make specific predictions is that I simply hate being wrong: my job depends on my being both trustworthy and generally accurate, and I’m not about to jeopardize that for a bit of extra attention in the press.
Wireless provider AT&T has been beefing up the number of notebook and netbooks that it offers with subsidized integrated 3G WWAN. The new notebook is one of the Dell machines that AT&T has announced the addition of with embedded mobile broadband.
I mentioned back at the beginning of the month that the Nokia Booklet 3G had turned up in the Best Buy inventory with a price tag of $599.99 attached. Nokia has now officially confirmed that price tag for machines that are purchased without an accompanying data plan. It also appears that the netbook will be operate on the AT&T network and is a Best Buy exclusive as previously reported.
Continued »
After spending most of Friday curled in a ball twitching and drooling after losing power and Internet access for almost 12 hours, I am glad to be back online and in the 21st century again. Just in time to hunker down and dose myself with a nice helping of week in review for your perusal. Chris reviewed the GSM Palm Pre and found the camera wasn't as good as some of its peers but found plenty to like in the end. The webOS operating system stands apart from rival OS'. Buffalo announced the HD-HU3 USB 3.0 drive and controller that will be shipping in Japan this month. The drive isn’t even that expensive; I hope it comes to America too.
AT&T has come in for no small amount of criticism for its network’s ability to cope with avid iPhoners, both in dropped calls and tardy data, so we’re not sure the carrier’s latest news – that it has opened up VoIP support for the iPhone over 3G connections – is 100-percent good. Pushing network capacity to one side for the moment, the announcement means that – assuming Apple approves their software applications – companies like Skype will be free to enable 3G VoIP apps on the iPhone.
What’s unclear from the press release (which you can read after the cut) is whether VoIP use will be included in the standard “unlimited” data package iPhone buyers sign up to. Given one of AT&T’s arguments in the past has been that VoIP consumes significantly more network capacity and data than regular use, it’s possible that they could look to squeeze more money out of subscribers for its use.
Amazon have finally announced an international launch for their Kindle ebook reader. The new version gains both US and international 3G capabilities – though still no WiFi – and will ship both domestically in the US and to 100 different countries worldwide. Priced at $279 and shipping October 19th, the International Wireless Kindle is now $20 more expensive than the original US-only Kindle, which has been discounted to $259; otherwise the two devices are identical.
AT&T’s first Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone, the HTC Pure, has some reasonable heritage; while the casing may look new, the guts of the handset are shared with HTC’s Touch Diamond2. Back when we reviewed the Diamond2 in May, we described it as the best Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone on the market, and suggested it was well placed for the promised update to 6.5. Has the Pure managed to deliver on that? Check out the SlashGear review after the cut. Click to Read Windows Mobile 6.5 Review
If you fancy a new phone from AT&T, but aren’t too fussed about Windows Mobile 6.5, then the carrier has four more options for you to choose from. Left to right you’re looking at the Samsung Mythic, the Samsung Flight and the Pantech Reveal, which offer differing combinations of full touchscreen and hardware keyboard. Meanwhile there’s also the Pantech Impact, not pictured, with an OLED touchscreen and full QWERTY.
With Windows Mobile 6.5 set to make its official debut tomorrow, Tuesday October 6th, AT&T have outed a couple of new smartphones based on the Microsoft OS. They’re not unfamiliar devices, however; the AT&T HTC Pure is the carrier’s re-shelled HTC Touch Diamond2, while the AT&T HTC Tilt 2 is their HTC Touch Pro2. As well as the updated OS, each handset has 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth.
JP
