Pantech’s other investors include Qualcomm – which holds the largest individual stake, at 11.96-percent of the firm – and the Korea Development Bank, a government-run institution, which comes in just behind at 11.81-percent.

Given the inevitable concerns about anti-competition behavior, what with both Samsung and Pantech being well-known players in the Korean market and abroad, Samsung has been keen to point out that it will be taking a back-seat in how Pantech runs its business. In a statement to The Next Web, Samsung confirmed it would be operating with a hands-off approach.

“The investment is aimed at solidifying our relationship with Pantech, a key component customer of Samsung” the spokesperson said. “Samsung will have no involvement in Pantech’s business management in any way or form.”

Outside of South Korea, Pantech is known best for its more affordable devices, such as the Perception on Verizon we reviewed earlier this month. That device attempts to straddle the mid- and high-end of the mobile market, with a 720p OLED display and 8-megapixel camera, but a sticker price of $99.99 with a new, two year agreement on the carrier.

Hardware

This device features a setup that, at the start of 2012, would have seemed like quite the beast. You’ve got a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 720 pixel resolution resting in a chassis largely made of hard plastic. This device does appear to have a brushed metal back, but don’t be fooled – it’s not quite that hardcore.

Inside you’ve got a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro dual-core processor clocked in at 1.5GHz and 1GB of RAM. So you’ve got an SoC that’s basically as powerful as the first wave of dual-core smartphones from the beginning of last year with half the RAM that any of those devices – like the Galaxy S III or DROID RAZR family – had under their hood.

You do have an 8 megapixel camera on the back of this device with a single LED flash bulb as well as a few fun features in the software attached to it. This device has a 2-megapixel camera up front that you’ll be able to use for video chat as well. This device has 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot to add an additional 32GB if you have the need.

Software

Easily the most excellent feature of this device is its set of motion controls. You’ll be able to wave over the display of the Perception to change songs, answer calls, browse through your photo gallery – basically anything you’d normally do with a swipe across the screen with your finger. These controls can also be found – ever-so-slightly different though they may be – in the Samsung GALAXY S 4. Here you’ll find them for a few dollars less, of course.

This device comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box. That’s bad news for those of you looking to work with Google Now. Verizon has made it clear in the original announcement of this device that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but haven’t given a timeframe for such an update.

You’ll get a set of odd apps like Document Viewer for your PDFs and Word files, Net Media for controlling your local network media, and Smart Voice. Pantech’s implementation of this command-ready voice app may appear to be similar to systems like Sherpa and Google’s own voice recognition for search, but we’ve found it to be surprisingly finicky and unhelpful. We’re expecting some upgrades to this system before it can be considered ready for any big battle with the top guns.

You’ll find benchmark results for this device to in some cases be beating previous generations of devices and in others failing miserably. While this device appears to win over a device like the HTC One X in Quadrant with overall score, a significant amount of this comes from memory and I/O while basic CPU power lacks in a large way. This device certainly shouldn’t be picked up if you’re looking to best your buddies at the latest shooting games, that’s for sure.

Camera

The photo software being implemented on this device is oddly enticing – while it’s not up to par with HTC’s current offering in the photography user interface department, it does do the trick. Hidden features like quad-photos and the ability to use voice commands (“cheese!”) to take photos are well received. Have a peek at some examples and see what you make of them.

Above you’ll find an HDR photo example from the Pantech Perception while below you’ll find a photo taken in the same position without HDR activated.

Here you’ll also find a back-facing video demo recorded with the Perception. We’re going from inside to outside and back in and down into a low-lit area with this one. Note the speed at which the camera reacts.

Battery Life

The battery issues with 4G LTE appear to be a thing of the past here in 2013, this holding true for the Pantech Perception. With Qualcomm’s handling of the situation with its modem making the task of transferring data not quite so painful as it was back when Verizon first brought the network to the public, we’ve seen all-day battery life without an issue. The biggest drain on your battery here will be your display, so if you’re aiming for an 8-hour session, you’ll be best off turning the brightness down somewhat.

Wrap-up

The Pantech Perception is a fine addition to Pantech’s archive of relatively unique devices, and makes one wish they’d continue to push forth in the USA for a more on-time release. This device could have been a really great addition to Verizon’s ranks if it’d been brought to the market right around a year ago. Unfortunately, since it’s being shown here in the Spring of 2013, this release falls flat in the face of its much more robust competitors.

This Motion Sense technology will be appearing on the Verizon-exclusive smartphone Pantech Perception, this device also including several specifications that push it to the top tier smartphone category. The Pantech Perception includes a 4.8-inch touchscreen with HD Super AMOLED technology, its back features an 8 megapixel camera, and its front uses a 2 megapixel camera. Pantech will be delivering this device with a 16GB bit of internal storage as well.

The 3D sensor technology Motion Sense will allow users to wave their hand over the phone without touching it to activate several features. When the Pantech Perception rings for a phone call, the user will be able to wave their hand over the face (without touching it) to answer said call. Users will also be able to scroll through songs in the smartphone’s basic music app, look through photos, or move through contacts with this new technology.

The Pantech Perception will not be delivered with the most recent version of Google’s mobile operating system Android Jelly Bean. Instead the Perception will be delivered with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a guarantee from Verizon that it will be upgraded to Jelly Bean “soon”. So says Verizon Wireless representative Albert Aydin along with a note on how this device will be sold for 99 dollars and 99 cents just so long as users agree to 2-year mobile contract and send in a 50 dollar mail-in rebate.

This effort will be appearing in the USA this month, starting no earlier than the 25th day of the month. Have a peek at SlashGear’s Pantech tag portal for more information on what this manufacturer is doing to come in full force to the North American mobile device market with smartphones galore.

But alas, it is not to be. Pantech has been clear thus far that their primary market will be South Korea with this release – but we’re still crossing our fingers! This machine works with a 2150 mAh battery so you can work all day long and works specifically with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean – not quite the newest, but certainly not bad!

Inside you’ll find 4G LTE connectivity, wi-fi, Bluetooth, and 32GB of internal storage. You’ll also have a microSD card slot so you can expand your storage by another 32GB, and you’ll find no less than 2GB of RAM backing you up as well. This device is being released with a bezel that’s so very tiny you’ll feel as though you’re only holding a display, too – watch out for sharpness!

This device will also be working with its own unique Android user interface. While it will have Jelly Bean under the hood, you’ll be working with Pantech’s lovely diamond-like user interface, complete with unique gestures and thin-line icons. This device will be appearing with its own little metal loop in it’s upper right-hand corner so you can hang your dongles, too!

Pricing and release information are forthcoming – stay tuned in our Pantech tag portal for more information!

News of the Vega Iron comes from South Korea with word that the smartphone could launch as early as next week. Of course with the announcement coming next week as well, we must take a wild guess and say that it’s not the actual store availability that’s coming next week, but the announcement only. Along with this tip comes a suggestion that the Vega will not be rounded off as its predecessors have been, but a sharp rectangular visage – maybe even bringing some “Nokia-esque” color casings with it as well.

Under the hood it’s suggested that the Pantech Vega Iron will be bringing a massive 5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. This beast is said to be powered by a rather big 2150mAh battery while it features a 13 megapixel camera on its back. Inside you’ll find what some sources suggest will be the Snapdragon 600 while other suggest the Snapdragon 800, both of these being quad-core processors of note, and in either case a 2GB bit of RAM to back it all up.

Have a peek in the timeline below and get pumped up for this release – everybody’s joining in on the massive smartphone with powerful processor party! Everyone in the whole entire world, for sure!

[via MyDrivers]

The camera has a resolution of 13-megapixels on the back and the front camera has a resolution of two-megapixels. The front camera can record video at 30 frames per second. Pantech promises that the camera has DSLR image quality. The actual screen size for the smartphone is 5.9-inches.

The big-screen phone has a 3150 mAh internal battery and uses a Snapdragon S-4 Pro processor. The smartphone runs Android 4.1 for the operating system and will be available in black or white colors. Pantech offers no details on availability within Korea or in other parts of the world.

The phone also features something called V Touch technology. This technology appears to use a touchpad on the rear of the device allowing users to operate the phone with one hand without blocking parts of the screen.

[via Engadget]

The Pantech Perception is said, via the leak, to run a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB of RAM. The display is almost in the phablet range at 4.8-inches offering HD 1280 x 720 resolution. Other specs, such as internal storage space, battery capacity, and which version of Android it’s running are unknown.

This won’t be the first Pantech cell phone to make its way to Verizon, with the carrier already offering the Pantech Marauder, a lower-end handset. Likewise, AT&T also offers a Pantech smartphone, the Discover HD, which also features a 720p HD display. This will make the Perception Pantech’s second HD display-wielding handset.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any word on how much the Pantech Perception will cost. The company’s current HD smartphone offering, the Discover, costs only $49 when purchased with a two-year contract, and the company is known for relatively low pricing in general. We’re hoping the Perception will have a similar price, but until then, we’ll be keeping an eye out for this handset.

[via Android Community]

Under the hood of this machine you’ve got dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 processor, that being the same processor you’ll find in a surprisingly large number of phones (and some tablets!) over the past several months. You’ve got the ability to use NFC to beam URLs and contacts (and other fun stuff) from the Pantech Discover to any other Android device working with the technology as well.

This machine’s main point is to bring you a rather powerful presentation at an extremely low price point. Whether or not you want a smartphone now, with a $50 phone you’ll have a bit more difficult time saying no – or that’s AT&T and Pantech’s intent, anyway. This device does not work with the most recent version of Android, nor does it stagger the masses with highest-level specs in all areas, but the target audience isn’t those that need the best of the best, it’s those that want a fabulous Android phone for $50 USD.

Have a peek at our hands-on video above as well as our hands-on photos above and below to get a hang of this machine before it hits stores rather rapidly. Also be sure to stick around our CES portal all week long for more fun from all angles!

The security software also protects any data stored on SD cards that are used in the device. VeloDAR uses Mocana’s government-certified FIPS 140-2 Level 1 cryptographic module called NanoCrypto. VeloDAR was specifically designed for Android device manufacturers to enable encryption capabilities beyond what is natively available in Android.

The software provides high-performance, efficient encryption, and promises virtually zero performance penalty. VeloDAR is a key component of the Mocana Security Detail for Android, which is a comprehensive suite of security software, services, and expertise that allows OEMs to build secure Android devices. The idea is that Android manufacturers can focus on hardware design with Mocana handling security.

Other components of the Security Detail for Android suite include the Mocana VeloVPN Client, which promises to be the most complete IPSec VPN Client for Android device manufacturers in the industry. One of the first Pantech devices to get the Mocana software will be the Flex. The Flex will have 4.3-inch HD Super AMOLED and a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor along with the eight-megapixel rear camera.

Pantech says that the operating system updates enhance the performance and usability features on each of devices with a focus on custom tools and refining the user interface. The Burst is a 4G LTE smartphone with a four-inch super AMOLED screen using a 1.5 GHz dual core processor. This device is one of the cheaper smartphones that AT&T offers selling for $.99 with a new two-year agreement.

Some of the features the operating system upgrade adds to this device include an updated lock screen, a new recent apps button, and enhanced home screen with a canvas switcher edit function, and improved text input and spell checking. The update also enhances the camera with a new self-mode and a new panoramic capture mode.

The Element is an AT&T exclusive that is waterproof and sells for $399.99. The device supports 4G LTE connectivity, and the Android 4.0 update adds a number of settings and features to this device. The update brings the ability to customize the number of home screens with up to five. The update also allows the ability to combine and organize app shortcuts in the folders and a redesigned settings menu. The update for either smartphone requires the device be tethered to a computer.

We first spotted the name Flex in some benchmarks and then late last week this smartphone leaked as the Pantech Magnus. Today however AT&T has confirmed the name will in fact be the Pantech Flex and part of the name comes from the fact that it features an “Easy Experience Mode” to be flexible to first time smartphone buyers.

The Pantech Flex includes specs that could almost rival top handsets too. It comes with a 4.3-inch qHD 960 x 540 display (its lowest quality) but runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It is powered by the same 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor as AT&T’s Galaxy S III, has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Other specs include an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video, 2 megapixel front for self portraits and video chat, and then all of this will last all day with Pantech’s 1,830 mAh battery.

The announcement didn’t reveal much on the Easy Experience Mode but it should be able to quickly be toggled on and off for those loving the specs of this device but don’t need that mode. Again all of this will be available starting September 16th for just $50 after a new 2-year contract. If you’ve been eying a powerful budget smartphone or a new device for Mom or Dad this would be a good start. Enjoy the video and let us know what you think about the “Easy Experience Mode” in the comment section below.

According to the tipster providing details to Engadget this will be know as the Pantech Magnus and they are hoping it will be “great” because Magnus in Latin means exactly that. As you can see from the leaked image above the new device has some rather nice styling and on-screen Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich navigation keys — or it could even be Jelly Bean but that is doubtful.

Sources confirm the new handset is rocking the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor just like the Galaxy S III, which is a 1.5 GHz dual-core chip, 1GB of RAM, and rumored and recent benchmarks suggest this smartphone will have a 720p HD display. There’s no actual details on screen size or resolution but looking over the image we can expect 4.3 to 4.5-inches here.

Then as you can see there is a front camera, 8 megapixel rear with LED flash, a speaker grill and some rather odd design humps. This looks like a mix between the DROID Incredible on the rear, with aluminum accents from old HTC smartphones. Either way Pantech is aiming higher this time around and we like it. The more competition the better. Pantech and AT&T haven’t said a word yet but this pretty much makes it official. Hopefully we’ll know more soon on this “great” smartphone.

Verizon and Pantech’s announcement mostly talks about the MARAUDER’s Starter and Standard modes. By switching the phone to Starter mode, users will be getting a more “intuitive” setup that includes four home screens, preset widgets, and a quick-dialer that allows for making calls directly from the home screen. In other words, it’s meant to give new users an introduction to smartphones that won’t overwhelm. Standard mode unlocks the full Android experience for users who already know what they’re doing, unleashing the full set of seven customizable home screens. Users will be able to switch between both modes freely without losing any saved settings, so if you jump into Standard mode a bit too early, you’ll be able to return to Starter mode with everything still in place.

On the technical side of things, the MARAUDER comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 4-inch screen, a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth 3.0 and mobile hotspot capabilities, a 5-megapixel camera, a microSD slot, and is 4G LTE ready. It also comes equipped with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which is getting on in days. The specs will leave something to be desired for smartphone aficionados, but the MARAUDER wasn’t exactly made with them in mind anyway. Overall, this sounds like it’ll be a decent phone for getting your feet wet, but we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that consumers are moving on from the MARAUDER after they’ve had their first taste of the “smartphone experience.”

The MARAUDER will be available at Verizon starting August 2 (that’s this Thursday), and will cost $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Even with the mail-in rebate, you’ll still need to sign a two-year contract to get the MARAUDER for that price, so keep that in mind. Finally, Verizon also says that those who purchase the MARAUDER will be required to sign up for its Share Everything plan.

[via Android Community]

What you’ll get from the Pantech Star Q is an overall decent mid-range smartphone. It runs on Verizon 4G LTE, and packs the same 1.5 GHz dual-core S4 processor as the Galaxy S III, but that is where the good news ends. Most likely it will be a free device, or around the $49 mark — otherwise I doubt many will be buying it.

It rocks a 4-inch display, 3 megapixel camera on the rear and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Sadly for some reason Pantech’s UI changes to Ice Cream Sandwich makes this phone look like something from 2009. The low WVGA resolution screen and measly 3 megapixel camera (without flash) will keep this phone on the low end of the price spectrum, that is for sure. It has a 5 row hardware QWERTY keyboard for fans of those, and will most likely be a very budget friendly phone. Now all we need is a price, release date, and official announcement. We’ll update when we hear anything more.

The phone will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, LTE connectivity, and a 13-megapixel camera. A 2,100mAh battery is also onboard that’s rated for up to 11 hours of talk time. Going back to the screen, the company says that 5-inches is the optimal size for Korean hands, with thumbs able to touch any part of the screen thanks to the lack of bezel. Pantech says other devices around the 5-inch mark lack portability, a problem which the company thinks it’s solved.

Other features for the phone include zero shutter lag for the camera, continuous autofocus while recording video, and a Mini Window feature that sound similar to Samsung’s Pop Up Play, allowing the user to watch video in a small window while using other functions on the phone. Pantech has also included Smart Voice, its own voice recognition feature.

While it might sound like a nice device, the Vega S5 will only be available in South Korea starting from this month. The company hasn’t announced any plans to take the handset worldwide either, so you’ll have to gaze on it lovingly from afar, or save up some pennies for a grey import that probably won’t be able to get online.

Ceramic bodies are believed to be more durable than plastics and may just become one of the next trends in smartphone specs like HD screens and multi-core processors. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III is also expected to feature a ceramic body, so perhaps Pantech will attempt to release the Vega Racer 2 prior to the rumored May 22 launch of Samsung’s new flagship offering.

However, the Pantech device will most likely never be sold outside of South Korea if it’s going the same route as its predecessor, the Vega Racer. That device had ambitious specs as well when it was released last spring and sold 1 million units in South Korea. Current Pantech offerings in the US are limited to mid-range devices such as the Pantech Breakout and Pantech Burst, but the company has been rumored to be working on bringing its high-end smartphones stateside.

[via Unwired View]

If you don’t want to deal with contracts, you can purchase the Element at $449.99 with no contract. I think that no contract price is a bit high, but likely, that was done to push people to the contract version. If you missed the details the first item around, the tablet has a waterproof design to survive the elements. The screen is an 8-inch unit with a resolution of 1024 x 768.

The battery inside the device is a 6400mAh unit good for up to 12 hours of use and 25 days on standby. The tablet weighs 16.57-ounces and measures 8.36 x 6.12 x 0.42 inches. The processor is an APQ 8060 running 1.5GHz packing in dual-cores. Storage onboard is 16GB, expandable to 32GB, and the machine has 1GB of RAM. It will work on 2G, 3G, and 4G HSPA+/LTE networks. The rear camera is a 5MP unit, and the front is a 2MP unit. The tablet runs Android 3.2.

Pantech will likely sign a royalty agreement with Microsoft that will involve paying $5 per Android device sold, a fee that other Android OEMs have been rumored to pay, including HTC, Samsung, and LG. Samsung had agreed to pay Microsoft in a deal signed last September and LG, the second largest South Korean handset maker, had just signed a deal last week.

Microsoft is now collecting fees from nearly 70 percent of Android device makers and the animosity between it and Google are apparent in their public spats via Twitter and blog posts. Microsoft is currently suing Motorola over similar Android patent issues, but Motorola is also in the process of being acquired by Google. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

As for Pantech, the company showed a strong effort at CES 2012 with its Pantech Burst 4G LTE smartphone and its Pantech Element 4G LTE tablet. Make sure to check out our hands-on for those two devices, both of which are heading to AT&T.

This device is the next generation of Pantech devices in a smartphone, it coming in titanium or a lovely maroon/red, and is set to be released on the 22nd of January, 2012. This device is part of two deals: one is the price point by itself, that being $49.99 by itself on a two-year contract or FREE if you buy it with the tablet. Both colors look fabulous, the metal feels excellent, and Pantech’s own custom user interface is in full effect.

We’ve been told that both the Element and the Burst are fully capable of being upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich and both upgrades are on the roadmap for Pantech and AT&T, but no dates have been given thus far. This smartphone is meant to work with the mid to upper range of devices what with its high quality build and value offer. This is a device that’s made to beat up the mid-range, if I do say so myself, LTE and a lovely little machine like this are just begging to be picked up by a whole new generation of smartphone users.

This tablet has a 5 megapixel camera on the back, a 2 megapixel camera on the front, and works with Bluetooth Stereo 2.1. The big money item on this device seems to be the waterproof nature of it, complete with IP57 certification and the ability to dunk in your bathtub for a full minute. We both literally saw it dunked in the water the entire time it was being presented on stage earlier in the day and we had our own dunk test performed for us here –

Pantech Element hands-on dunk

What’s great about this tablet though is not that it’s dunkable, not that it’s the first LTE tablet from Pantech, but that it’s both inexpensive and nice: this is definitely NOT one of the hundreds of terrible knock-off Ice Cream Sandwich tablets you’ll otherwise see at CES 2012. This is a high quality offer from Pantech on AT&T.

Also there’s a bit of information on the feedback: it’s a new system that works with a motor inside the tablet, offering somewhat of a bit of localized touch-responsiveness, but not exactly. Holding the device we can feel how it’s feeding back anywhere you touch or with whatever you’re doing, but it’s an odd feeling: might be turning it off for the full experience. That said: we’ll be bringing you a full review of this device in the coming weeks. Meanwhile get pumped up about it.

The Pantech Element, specifically, is waterproof. But that’s not all that important when you consider how big a high-five this is between AT&T and Pantech as the latter is still on its way into the USA in the smartphone market. The Pantech Element has a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and has an 8-inch XGA display. This device has a non-localized enhanced haptic feedback display as well, providing a rather strange feeling for your tips. Throughout the set of announcements for the tablet, the Waterproof bit did keep coming up though, with the device dunked in a tank the entirety of the talk.

We’ll be getting some hands-on looks at these devices this week.

As well as LTE support for AT&T’s fledgling network, there’s a 5-megapixel main camera capable of 1080p Full HD video recording and a 2-megapixel front camera for video calls. 16GB of internal storage shares space with a “piezo motor” haptic feedback system, though it’s unclear how much that will differ from the current buzz that Android tablets give when you tap them. There’s no word on whether it will see an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade, though we’d hope so.

AT&T is supposedly set to include the Pantech Element among its big CES reveal – the carrier is also expected to show off the first LTE Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 900 “Ace” - at next week’s infamous show. Pricing is tipped at $299.99 with a new, two-year data plan agreement, or $449.99 off contract.

If it turns out to be true, that pricing seems surprisingly reasonable given what, say, Verizon is doing with its own 8.2-inch XYBOARD. That Motorola-made slate is almost as much as the contract-free Pantech but in subsidized form, at $429.99 with a two-year agreement. We’ll have to wait and see quite how the Element holds up in performance and build quality, but on specs and cost alone it’s off to a solid start.

Still, the Captivate Glide does offer a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, paired with 1GB ROM, 1GB of RAM and a preinstalled 8GB microSD card. The ATRIX 2 lacks the integrated ‘board but can be paired with Motorola’s Lapdock 100 notebooks-style docking station, and has 8GB of internal storage and 1GB of RAM.

The Samsung DoubleTime, meanwhile, is an Android flipper, with a flip-out QWERTY keyboard, Android 2.2, a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen and a 600MHz processor. There’s 260MB of memory and triband UMTS. As for the Pantech Pocket, that offers an unusually-proportioned 4-inch SVGA (600 x 800) display, Android 2.3, 5-megapixel camera, around 600MB of internal storage and a memory card slot, along with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and triband UMTS.

Finally there’s the AT&T Avail, a prepaid budget device on the GoPhone network, offering a 3.5-inch touchscreen, Android 2.3 and a 5-megapixel camera, along with triband UMTS, WiFi, 512MB apiece of RAM and ROM and a 2GB preinstalled microSD card slot.

No word on pricing for any of the devices at this stage, nor specific availability. AT&T originally expected to release 12 Android devices in 2011, so it’s already ahead of its target. Still, the carrier says there are more to come before the year is through.

[via Android Community]

Currently, on the other hand, the device is only slated for release inside South Korea, so don’t get your hopes up TOO high, but check it out here anyway. It’s got a 720p screen, has a gigantic 1860 mAh battery inside, and runs on 1GB or RAM. Inside you’ll also find 16GB of storage with no word on the ability to add microSD cards to bump this up, but by the looks of it there might be a port on the right side of the display – look like that to you?

The user interface appears to be the newest lovely look at Android from a Pantech perspective, that means modified UI along the lines of the Pantech Breakout, the company’s first US-bound LTE device (and the least expensive in the country, I might add.) You’ll also get NFC and T-DMB mobile TV viewing (if you’re in South Korea, that is,) the NFC bit likely to cause a stir of commotion if it stays put in its journey across the ocean.

Look at that winner, seem like a device you might wrap your fingers around?

[via Android Community]

This newest device is, again, called the Pantech Hotshot and although it does not run on Android, it’ll be running no less than Opera Mini Browser for all your web browsing needs. It’s ultra-slim at just 0.35-inches, and it’s got a rather nicely sized (for its price) display at 3.2-inches. This display is an LCD touch display, and on it you’ll be working with text, photo, video, voice messaging, calls, and mobile instant messaging. And like your smartphone counterparts, you’ll get VZ Navigator for GPS navigation, turn-by-turn directions spoken to you in a loud clear voice by Verizon.

You get Bluetooth for all your easy connections to your PC, there’s a 2GB microSD card pre-installed, and you’ve got space to expand to a 32GB card. The only thing truly confusing about this device is the fact that it costs the same (after mail-in rebate) as the Pantech Breakout previously mentioned – that is, $99 USD. Why on earth would they release a lesser device for the same price? Perhaps some people do not want 4G connectivity? Madness!

Either way, Pantech, you’ve been bringing some decent devices into the states lately, keep em coming.

Hardware

What we have with the Breakout is a pretty unique and well rounded individual. It looks completely different than any Android device thus far, and they’ve added their own user interface overlay atop Android too but lets breakdown the hardware. We have a 4.0″ WVGA 480 x 800 resolution display, a 1.0 GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM, then the usual Wi-Fi, Blueooth, and standard sensors. This is all rounded off with a 5 MP camera on the rear (no flash) VGA front for video chatting, and powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Verizon Wireless 4G LTE.

Pantech Breakout 4G LTE hands-on

This might not be the top of the line handset you were thinking about when you decided you’d get an LTE smartphone, but this would have been a top tier smartphone not too long ago, yet it has 4G LTE and is only $99 — a steal if you ask me. As for the hardware around the smartphone we’ll start with the front. We have 4 dedicated standard Android hardware buttons. Menu, home, back, and search. The middle has a unique and different brushed aluminum design that looks nice but has an odd texture I’m not sure I like.

The entire design actually feels really industrial and quite solid. For a $99 dollar entry level priced phone you get excellent build quality and a very solid, nice feeling phone in your hand. On the right side we have a dedicated camera button, an oddly placed power and wake button, then a door that opens up to our micro-USB port for charge and syncing. I must say I’m not a fan of where the power and wake toggle button is. Samsung has a familiar idea but its higher up and out of the way while the Breakout’s button is right where I reach to hold the phone while placing calls or picking it up and I’ve accidentally turned it on or off way too many times already.

If you follow the aluminum bezel wrapping around the face of the Breakout over to the left side we have a few more dedicated buttons. The 3.5mm headphone back, volume up/down switch, and then a dedicated voice control button for hands-free calling and dialing controlled by Nuance Voice Control. Again this is a nice feature but the button location seems a bit odd and if you hold your phone as I do — your ring finger might toggle it a few times accidentally. I may be a bit critical here but they seem too easy to push if you ask me. A great feature for those that need or want it, I just wish it wasn’t so easy to accidentally activate.

While the hardware is exceptionally great for a phone of this caliber and price, lets move on to the software and 4G LTE shall we?

Software

Running on a mildly skinned version of Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread the performance is a decent for the most part. Sliding the lock screen and occasionally while panning through my homescreens it seemed a little slow. Nothing we haven’t seen on skinned versions in the past like Moto Blur so this isn’t really an issue — I’d just prefer vanilla Android personally. In general the user interface is nicely polished. We have custom widgets, quick toggles for W-fi, Bluetooth, Data and more in the notification drop-down bar. The app tray is very standard but we have a nice carbon fiber looking backdrop in the application tray that seems to fit with the textured back of the device.

Also we have about the average amount of pre-installed bloatware that we’ve come to expect from Verizon. Amazon Kindle, Blockbuster, City ID, a Doc Viewer and more. One new thing is a converter tool that will convert ft to inches, temperatures and weight types and more. Another reason the phone has an industrial like attitude. Then we have those other standard Verizon apps like Need for Speed, NFL Mobile, Slacker Radio, and then way too many VCAST applications. This is about average for most phones and anything out of big red so we’ll take it. For only their second Android smartphone here in the U.S. Pantech has done a nice job with the user interface although a few of the widget icons are a bit generic. Performance was rarely sluggish and overall performed as we’d expect from a single-core 1 GHz Android smartphone.

Performance and Speedtests

Like mentioned above we have a 1.0 GHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM and 4G LTE. This next set of pictures tests both the device performance with Quadrant, as well as a few speedtest runs to see how Pantech handles the Verizon 4G LTE network. Given the internal specs the Pantech Breakout performs right on track with something like the Nexus One. With a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and all. We saw Quadrant Advanced sit around 1400 — give or take a few. Again, no dual-core here but for the price this smartphone rocks compared to other similarly priced phones on the market.

Next, to test the 4G LTE performance we’ve ran Speedtest, as well as another popular network testing applications called BenchBee speedtest. Take note Benchbee still scores quite well but the only server is located out of country so results may vary. Speedtest.net was accurate like always and we are seeing similar results to the DROID Bionic, peaking around 10,000 kbps on average and sometimes a bit lower.

Camera and Battery

Just like the phone we’ll keep this short and sweet. The camera found on-board is a 5 megapixel shooter with no LED flash, with VGA up front we all know what to expect from that. Below I have snapped a few test photos both indoors and out to see how well the 5MP lens handles things. Unless otherwise stated the camera is like many we’ve seen thus far and does decent. For a $99 dollar entry level phone this beats most others in its range, do consider that.

Battery life has been pretty pleasant so far. I know many are wondering what to expect here so lets go over this. All other 4G LTE devices have 4.3″ displays, some AMOLED, and then the Bionic is a dual core. The Pantech Breakout has a smaller 4.0″ display, a large 1500 mAh battery, and an efficient single-core processor and so far its proved quite nice. I was able to use the Pantech Breakout all day each day I’ve used it. I made a few phone calls, ran all my benchmarks and speedtests, browsed the web plenty, even played some Need for Speed and tried the Mobile Hotspot service. After an entire day I still had about 25% come morning. It lasted overnight — something most other 4G LTE phones can’t even touch.

4G LTE plays a big role in battery life, like most LTE devices we have 3G/4G switching throughout the day that can also hinder battery life as its constantly changing. I never once disabled 4G to test battery life as I felt I didn’t need to. For someone coming from a smaller smartphone, or even a dumbphone (feature phone) the Breakout will have better battery life than any other LTE smartphone available.

Wrap-Up

To sum things up in a very understandable and straight shooter way — this phone is nice and it has impressed me. It may not have a simple, thin, and elegant design like the Galaxy S II. Nor does it boast a dual-core processor, and the screen isn’t 4.5″ inches either. What we do have is a very very solid device that has great build quality, almost every feature we’ve come to want and expect from our smartphones, a decent sized screen that actually looks great for the price, all powered by 4G LTE and the latest Android Gingerbread. You add all that up and learn it only costs $99 (with a new contract of course) this really is hard to beat.

For those looking to get into the world of Android, try their first 4G LTE smartphone, or just are on a budget the Pantech Breakout will make one great choice. Many might opt for the high priced Bionic at $299, but Pantech is clearly aiming this device toward new buyers or someone that isn’t a power-user and they’ve achieved just that — a phone that fits its price. While this isn’t a phone I’d buy for myself (I’m a speed and overclocking junkie) I would recommend this for first time buyers looking for a good experience at an affordable price. If you like what you’ve seen head over to Verizon Wireless and pick one up for just $99.

Your money gets you an 8GB microSD card preinstalled, Bluetooth 3.0 and WiFi b/g/n, along with a 5-megapixel main camera with 720p HD video recording. A front-facing VGA camera is used for video calls, and you get mobile hotspot support with up to ten simultaneous WiFi clients able to connect. Verizon also preloads Swype.

Not the most inspiring spec-list, then, but the price is likely to catch some attention all the same. The Verizon Pantech Breakout will go on sale September 22, priced at $99.99 after a mail-in $50 rebate.

This list contains Android devices mainly, including a device, first of all, called the Pantech Null. This device has an 800×600 pixel resolution display that’s considered odd because the bulk of Android devices on the market today have a resolution of 800×480. Our sister site Android Community had a bit of information about a Vega No. 5, a Pantech device with 800×480 display – maybe they pulled it out a bit? There’s also a Pantech device on the list called Pantech Onza P7050 with 800×480 pixel resolution – is this match enough for you? Last time we spoke about a Pantech / Android device it was the Pantech Crossover, a device which again Android Community has a full review of. That device was also released on AT&T.

Next there’s the Samsung i777, a device whose specs could very well line up correctly with a variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II. Next there’s the Samsung Gidim SGH-i927 which we’re guessing is the Galaxy S II slider variant we found to < a href="http://androidcommunity.com/samsung-slider-phone-for-att-is-not-the-galaxy-s-ii-attain-20110729/" target="_blank">not be a replacement for the skinny as it should be AT&T version of the original Galaxy S II. Neither of the Samsung / Android devices named here are set for Q4, but we’ve got to still assume the Samsung Impulse 4G LTE will be coming out this year.

There’s a Motorola MB865 “Fuath” that we’re going to give an educated guess on and say that it’s an ATRIX 4G refresh similar to what happened with the PHOTON 4G. This device could be called the ATRIX HD or Diana based on intel and photos of this possible future device. Finally for Android there’s the Huawei Jengu U8652, a mid-range phone with mid-range specs.

Then we’ve got a couple of Windows Phone 7.5 Mango devices, the first of which is the Samsung Kupua SGH-i937 that we saw just this past month in a leaked video and an HTC Bunyip P139100 which we know little about but does appear to be a high-class phone indeed.

For BlackBerry 7 there’s two devices, the first being the RIM BlackBerry Maero 9360 coming out with the smallest battery on the list at 1000 mAh making us believe that this 480×360 pixel resolution device must be a mid-range device. Then there’s the RIM BlackBerry Danava 9860 which does appear to have a bit better of a set of specs with an 800×480 pixel display and a Q4 release date the same as the Maero.

Get pumped up! Also note the lack of an iPhone device here, but remember that its doubtful that Apple would allow such a slip.

[via PocketNow]

The phone also offers drag and drop shortcuts and a 2MP rear camera with video recording function. Pantech pre-loads social networking widgets on one of three different home screens that the user can slide around to find what they need. The Pursuit II is designed to be a quick messaging phone and it has a full HTML web browser too.

Other features include USB connectivity, mobile email support, AT&T Navigator, and more. The camcorder function has a 4x digital zoom lens and the resolution of the screen is 240 x 320. The device uses a QSC 6270 ARM 9 processor at 230MHz and has up to 32GB of storage via a microSD card. The phone will sell for $49.99 and the big issue I see is that you can get the iPhone 3G for the same price.

An odd factor with this phone that I believe might be important to mention is that it will be traveling along this summer with the Dew Tour, a Mountain Dew touring of x-games individuals riding their BMX bikes and skateboards doing tricks and flips and bashing their brains in for your entertainment! Look for this phone to sell off the shelves as a result. Of course, with a unique look like this, with all the sharp corners and slidy goodness you can handle, one would have already expected such a thing, yes?

This device will be connecting along the following: HSPA Tri-Band 850/1900/2100 MHz; Quad-Band GSM850/900/1800/1900 MHz and Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n, it has voice recognition and an accelerometer, micro USB jack for data transfer and power, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. In addition, it’s got a 1500 mAh batter which, given that this phone is relatively small, should last you for several days, no problem. It’s got a 3-megapixel camera on the back with fixed focus and 4x zoom, and it sizes in at 4.45″ (L) x 2.28″ (W) x 0.56″ (D), Weight: 5.15 oz. Also there’s a microSD card slot pre-installed with a 2GB card and space for a 32GB card.

Check out the full press release below:

New Android 2.2 Smartphone Available to AT&T Customers June 5
Dallas, Texas, May 31, 2011

Key Facts
Perfect for first-time smartphone users, the Pantech Crossover™ is the first Android™ smartphone from Pantech in the U.S.

Crossover boasts a slide out full keyboard, a 3.1-inch touchscreen display, 600 MHz processor, 3-megapixel digital camera with camcorder, the popular AllSport GPS™ app and Mobile Hotspot support.

Pantech Crossover will be available from AT&T* at company-owned stores and online at http://www.att.com/ on June 5 for $69.99 with a two-year contract and minimum monthly data plan.

Pantech Crossover will be one of the premier phones promoted this summer on the Dew Tour, a major coast to coast action sports tour, of which Pantech is the official handset sponsor.

Customer Benefits
The Pantech Crossover™ makes it seamless for active people to stay connected through messaging and social media. Ideal for customers looking for additional features, personalization and convenience in their next phone, Crossover runs the Android 2.2 platform, has a side-sliding, full QWERTY keyboard, a five screen customizable interface, and an easy-to-use 3.1” touch screen to access apps, widgets and more. For users ready to make the switch from a messaging phone to smartphone, Crossover is a simple take on the popular Android operating system.

Crossover’s durable design means it can go wherever you go. With a textured back cover and rubberized corners, it’s not afraid of a little action and is packed with features customers use most. The full QWERTY keyboard makes it a breeze to text, email and surf the web, and from the touchscreen, AT&T customers can use Android Market™ to grab the latest apps for social networking, games and more. Crossover is preloaded with AllSport GPS™, an application that offers workout tracking, maps, a calorie counter and more features for your active lifestyle. Sporty good looks and durable design come together to make Crossover a perfect fit for any active lifestyle.
In addition, Crossover also offers AT&T Mobile Hotspot to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices for customers who choose a tethering plan. Customers can also enjoy unlimited Wi-Fi usage on the entire national AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot network with qualifying data plans.

Key Specifications
• Android™ 2.2 (Froyo)
• 3.1″ Full Touchscreen Display with Full Keyboard Slider
• HSPA Tri-Band 850/1900/2100 MHz; Quad-Band GSM850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
• 2GB card preinstalled
• microSD™ Memory Card Supports up to 32GB
• 4.45″ (L) x 2.28″ (W) x 0.56″ (D), Weight: 5.15 oz
• 3-megapixel camera with camcorder, fixed focus, 4x zoom
• 600 MHz processor
• Micro USB and 3.5mm headset jack
• 1500 mAh Lithium-ion battery; Up to 5 Hours, Standby Time: Up to 360 Hours
• Voice Recognition
• Accelerometer

To learn more about the Pantech Crossover, visit www.att.com/mobilephones-news.

Quotes
“Our Android portfolio continues to grow with unique options for customers of all types,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Device Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “The Pantech Crossover with its unique finish and full keyboard will introduce new and existing customers to smartphone features for the first time.”

“Crossover is the latest addition to our popular lineup of AT&T mobile phones,” said Wyatt Whaley, vice president of product planning for Pantech Wireless. “As our first Android™ smartphone for AT&T customers, we’ve made sure that Crossover has all of the features our users consider indispensible and more – a full keyboard for messaging, a touchscreen for apps and games, easy access to favorite social media pages and many others.

Crossover is a simple, sporty Android device for people on the move and it will be a central part of this year’s exciting Dew Tour.”

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Coverage including mobile broadband, not available everywhere. Limited-time offer. 2 year agreement, new activation, eligible voice and a minimum $15 a month smartphone data plan required. Qualified customers only. Other conditions & restrictions apply. See contract & rate plan brochure for details. Subscriber must live & have a mailing addr. within AT&T’s owned wireless network coverage area. $36 activ. fee applies. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days, but up to $35 restocking fee may apply to equipment returns; thereafter up to $325. Smartphone Data Plan Requirement: Smartphone requires minimum DataPlus (200MB); $15 will automatically be charged for each additional 200MB provided on DataPlus if initial 200MB is exceeded. All data, including overages, must be used in the billing period in which the allowance is provided or they will be forfeited. For more details on Data Plans, go to att.com/dataplans. Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment.Mobile Hotspot requires a minimum $45 a month DataPro 4GB plan. Devices connected to your Mobile Hotspot use data from your DataPro 4GB plan. Overage charges of $10 per GB provided apply if the included monthly data allowance is exceeded. Performance may vary depending on the number of devices connected and other factors. If you do not use a password, others will be able to use your Mobile Hotspot connection. Wi-Fi Access – Access includes AT&T Wi-Fi Basic. Other restrictions apply. See www.attwifi.com for details and locations. AllSport GPS requires a subscription.

We’ve already actually seen an unofficial UML290 Mac hack, but this new release makes things a lot more official. The Pantech UML290 is priced at $100 with a new, two-year agreement; data plans range from $50 to $80 per month.

[via Macworld]

Update: It seems the workaround was originally sourced from here.

The hack isn’t officially supported by Verizon, but was apparently developed with some help from the carrier’s advanced support team. It’ll work not only on Macs but on Linux, UNIX and other platforms, though you’re out of luck if things go wrong; there’s no tech support until the proper VZACCESS app is released. More on Verizon’s LTE service in our LG VL600 review.

[via UberGizmo]

Device wise, the first USB modem that Verizon will launch for their LTE network, will be the LG manufactured VL600 LTE USB modem. This is the modem that customers will be able to pick up at the initial launch. Verizon says that the device will cost customers $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, and you sign over a new, two-year contract. The other USB modem is the Pantech UML290, which Verizon says will be available soon. It will be the same cost as the LG version: $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, with your signature on a two-year contract.

The plan pricing is where the main focus is. Verizon has announced that they will be charging $50 per month for 5GB, and $80 per month for 10GB, as part of their new 4G LTE Mobile Broadband plans. If you do go over, it will be $10 per GB. One thing to note, though: we’re hearing reports trickle in that the LG VL600 LTE USB modem, and perhaps even the Pantech UML290 isn’t Mac-compatible. As far as phones go, Verizon says they expect to have a device launched in the early part of 2011. Check out the full press release below.

Press Release

VERIZON WIRELESS LAUNCHES THE WORLD’S LARGEST 4G LTE WIRELESS NETWORK ON DEC. 5

Laptop Users Benefit First from Fastest and Most Advanced Wireless Network, Arriving in 38 Major Metropolitan Areas with New Value-Priced 4G Data Plans

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless announced today it is turning on the world’s first large-scale 4G LTE network on Sunday, Dec. 5. Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network will be the fastest and most advanced 4G network in America. Business users will be the first to take advantage of the 4G LTE network with speeds up to 10 times faster than the company’s 3G network.

With the launch, Verizon Wireless is also offering new value-priced 4G LTE Mobile Broadband data plans starting at $50 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance, as well as two new 4G LTE USB modems: the LG VL600 which will be available at launch, and the Pantech UML290, available soon.

Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless, said, “Beginning Sunday, Verizon Wireless is making the best network even better. Our initial 4G LTE launch gives customers access to the fastest and most advanced mobile network in America and immediately reaches more than one-third of all Americans, right where they live. That’s just the start. We will quickly expand 4G LTE, and by 2013 will reach the existing Verizon Wireless 3G coverage area.”

Road warriors using laptops will immediately benefit from Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network with super-fast connectivity that’s up to 10 times faster than the company’s current 3G network. The company expects 4G LTE average data rates in real-world, loaded network environments to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.

Mead continued, “We are building our 4G LTE network with the same commitment to performance and reliability for which we have long been recognized. Our commitment to superior network performance, combined with broad 4G coverage areas and the strong value of our data plans make 4G LTE Mobile Broadband the best choice for laptop users.”

4G LTE Mobile Broadband Data Plans, Devices and Coverage Areas
Verizon Wireless customers can choose from two 4G LTE Mobile Broadband data plans: $50 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance or $80 monthly access for 10 GB monthly allowance, both with $10/GB overage. For laptop connectivity, two 4G LTE USB modems will be initially available: the LG VL600 is available at launch and the Pantech UML290 will be available soon, each $99.99 after $50 rebate with a new two-year agreement. Both USB modems provide backward-compatibility with Verizon Wireless’ 3G network. If laptop users travel outside of a 4G LTE coverage area, they will automatically stay connected on the company’s 3G network.

The two modems harness the power of the company’s 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network to help enterprise, business and government customers make their workforces more productive, providing super-fast laptop connectivity. Both modems will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, online at www.verizonwireless.com, by phone by calling 1-800 256-4646 and through the company’s business sales channels.

The company expects consumer-oriented handsets will be available by mid-2011.

Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network is initially launching in 38 major metropolitan areas and in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast – at both airports within the launch areas plus airports in other key cities. Street level coverage area maps will be available online on Dec. 5. Today, customers can go to www.verizonwireless.com/4Glte to check if their addresses will be in the initial 4G LTE coverage area.

Spectrum and Network Partners
By leveraging its 700 MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the United States, Verizon Wireless is capable of quickly deploying a high-quality wireless broadband network with excellent coverage. Verizon Wireless’ primary 4G LTE network vendors, Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, are providing the underlying infrastructure for the 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.

Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Major Metropolitan Area Deployment (Dec. 5, 2010)
Akron, Ohio
Athens, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Houston, Texas
Jacksonville, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
Nashville, Tennessee
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York, New York
Oakland, California
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Orlando, Florida
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rochester, New York
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California
San Francisco, California
San Jose, California
Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
St. Louis, Missouri
Tampa, Florida
Washington, D.C.
West Lafayette, Indiana
West Palm Beach, Florida

Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Commercial Airport Deployment (Airport Name, City, State) Dec. 5, 2010
Austin-Bergstrom International, Austin, Texas
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal, Glen Burnie, Maryland
Bob Hope, Burbank, California
Boeing Field/King County International, Seattle, Washington
Charlotte/Douglas International, Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago Midway International, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago O’Hare International, Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Covington, Kentucky
Cleveland-Hopkins International, Cleveland, Ohio
Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas
Dallas/Fort Worth International, Fort Worth, Texas
Denver International, Denver, Colorado
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
George Bush Intercontinental/Houston, Houston, Texas
Greater Rochester International, Rochester, New York
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Atlanta, Georgia
Honolulu International, Honolulu, Hawaii
Jacksonville International, Jacksonville, Florida
John F. Kennedy International, New York, New York
John Wayne Airport-Orange County, Santa Ana, California
Kansas City International, Kansas City, Missouri
La Guardia, New York, New York
Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis, Missouri
Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts
Long Beach/Daugherty Field, Long Beach, California
Los Angeles International, Los Angeles, California
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, Metairie, Louisiana
McCarran International, Las Vegas, Nevada
Memphis International, Memphis, Tennessee
Metropolitan Oakland International, Oakland, California
Miami International, Miami, Florida
Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nashville International, Nashville, Tennessee
New Castle, Wilmington, Delaware
Newark Liberty International, Newark, New Jersey
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, San Jose, California
North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Orlando International, Orlando, Florida
Orlando Sanford International, Sanford, Florida
Palm Beach International, West Palm Beach, Florida
Philadelphia International, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, Mesa, Arizona
Pittsburgh International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Port Columbus International, Columbus, Ohio
Portland International, Portland, Oregon
Rickenbacker International, Columbus, Ohio
Ronald Reagan Washington National, Arlington, Virginia
Sacramento International, Sacramento, California
Salt Lake City International, Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antonio International, San Antonio, Texas
San Diego International, San Diego, California
San Francisco International, San Francisco, California
Seattle-Tacoma International, Seattle, Washington
St. Augustine, Saint Augustine, Florida
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, Clearwater, Florida
Tampa International, Tampa, Florida
Teterboro, Teterboro, New Jersey
Trenton Mercer, Trenton, New Jersey
Washington Dulles International, Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C.
Will Rogers World, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
William P. Hobby, Houston, Texas

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Media can access high-resolution images and video related to Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network in the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.)

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

The Laser is marketed as a quick messaging phone, but some of the features may strike it similar to some smartphones we see on the market now. For instance, the device has a 3.1-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display. You’ll be able to access your email, social networking services like MySpace and Twitter, and Pantech’s new “Drawing Commander,” which lets you simply draw a shape on the display, and the device will launch an app, make a call, or even start a message.

The Pantech Laser will be made available in AT&T stores beginning October 17th. It will be made available online at the same time, too. It will cost you $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. You’ll have to sign a new, two-year contract and pay at least $20 per month for messaging, or higher for a messaging/data plan to get the discounted price, too. Check out the full press release below.

Press Release

AT&T* announced today the latest addition to its portfolio of quick messaging phones – the Pantech Laser will be available exclusively through AT&T beginning October 17.

Pantech Laser is the thinnest, full sliding keyboard device (9.95mm) AT&T has ever offered.

Pantech Laser will be available in AT&T company owned stores nationwide and online for $99.99 after $50 mail-in rebate (pay $149.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $50 AT&T Promotion Card. Two-year agreement and $20 a month messaging or combination of messaging/data plan required).

Customer Benefits

The Pantech Laser, an ultra-slim and stylish quick messaging phone that features a vibrant 3.1” AMOLED touchscreen and a full sliding QWERTY keyboard, allows for access to email, social networking and messaging. From the touchcreen, users can activate Drawing Commander, a feature that allows for calls to be made, messages to be opened or favorite apps to be accessed by simply tracing a shape with a finger. Laser further prioritizes the personal experience by allowing voice memos to be recorded on the Voice Memo app and shared via text, or the 3MP camera to be used for updating social media statuses with pictures and videos. Pantech’s latest quick messaging phone proves that functionality doesn’t have to be sacrificed for a thin phone.

In addition, the Pantech Laser boasts:

AT&T Address Book –syncs contacts to an online address book so customers can access and manage their mobile contacts from their handset — or their PC. Synchronization occurs automatically when any change is made, so contact information is always backed up.
AT&T Navigator –offers turn-by-turn voice and onscreen driving directions, automatic rerouting, real-time traffic monitoring and more. AT&T Navigator is available for $9.99 per month, and new subscribers receive their first 30 days of their subscription for free.
AT&T Social Net – provides easy access to all your social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace in one easy-to-use interface.
AT&T Mobile Share – helps customers quickly transfer photos and videos captured on their mobile phone to other destinations and allows customers to manage that content across the mobile and PC screens.

Limited-time offer. Other conditions & restrictions apply. See contract & rate plan brochure for details. Subscriber must live & have a mailing addr. within AT&T’s owned wireless network coverage area. Up to $36 activ. fee applies. Equipment price & avail may vary by mrk & may not be available from independent retailers. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days, but up to $35 restocking fee may apply to equipment returns; thereafter up to $150. Some agents impose add’l fees. Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment.
2AT&T Promotion Card: Allow 60 days for fulfillment. Card may be used only in the U.S. is valid for 120 days after issuance date but is not redeemable for cash & cannot be used for cash withdrawal at ATMs or automated gasoline pumps. Card request must be postmarked by Nov. 6, 2010 & you must be a customer for 30 consecutive days to receive card.

Messaging charges apply to voice memos sent via text.

4Mobile Share-Requires a data plan. Monthly Recurring Plan includes 50 transfers. The overage rate and Pay-per-use rate is 35 cents for each transfer. You are charged for each transfer to or from your device. Transfers exceeding 2 MBs will be charged for each additional 2 MB increment or fraction thereof. Normal data charges apply when browsing your online locker or other sites from your Mobile device

Pricing established by AT&T for AT&T-owned retail outlets.

The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

The jest has a slide-out portrait mode QWERTY keyboard. The screen of the handset is a 2.6-inch 262K color TFT and the user can customize all the phone’s icons. The device has a 2MP digital camera that can shoot still shots and record video.

The handset also has full text, video, and voice messaging capability as well as mobile I’m and chat apps. The phone has access to Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. The device can be had for free during the special launch promotion and will land in stores on July 5 for $69.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.

The Best of R3 Media

Samsung Galaxy S Pro for Sprint Poses for Camera: The Samsung Galaxy S is a pretty good device. And, by “pretty good,” we mean fantastic. So, to think that Samsung’s created the same device, with all that Super AMOLED display goodness, plus the 1GHz Hummingbird processor under the hood, and added a physical keyboard to the mix, well, that’s almost too good to be true. According to the tipster, it even gets goodies like WiMAX (4G) support from Sprint. So, take that, HTC. No word on release date, sadly, and no mention of pricing quite yet, but we can imagine this going for a pretty penny once it releases. [via Android Community]

Pre-Order Your iPhone 4 Tomorrow: All of the hype out there about the iPhone 4 is just about due to run its course, considering the device is set to launch in just ten days time. And, we’re sure a whole bunch of you out there are getting ready to pre-order it, sitting on your hands, waiting. Well, we’ve got a lovely list for you, telling you where you can visit, pre-order, and set yourself up for a bunch of happiness come June 24th. Walmart, Best Buy, RadioShack, AT&T stores, and Apple Stores all fit the bill. But, hit up the link to find out the details. You won’t be leaving those stores without dropping some cash. [via SlashGear]

Pantech Ease for AT&T Launching June 20th: In a world filled to the brim with smartphones, you have to wonder if there’s a place for featurephones, even with full slide-out keyboards. Well, companies like Pantech surely think there is, and we’re pretty sure wireless carriers like AT&T are willing to assume the same. A featurephone just has to get the message across, and some of them are the best messaging devices out there. With the release of the Ease from Pantech, they’re obviously trying to sneak into that latter category, as they’ve just announced a 3.2-inch touchscreen, full landscape slider QWERTY keyboard messaging device. It features things like an “easy mode,” which makes it have streamlined menus, and larger font and touch-points. It’s going to be available June 20th, for $120. If you’re interested, hit up the link for more details, and a picture. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge ‘Net

Apple Rumored to Release an iOS App: For some reason, hearing news that Apple’s about to release an application for their own App Store is pretty mind-boggling to us. Maybe it’s just a long-time coming. In any event, right now it’s just a rumor, but it does make a lot of sense. According to those “well in the know,” Apple’s about to release an application into the App Store that would allow current iPhone users to set up Genius Bar appointments at their local Apple Store (which they can also find with the app, too), and “purchase and reserve products including reservations for the new iPhone.” Very, very interesting. That should make reserving your new iDevice all the more easier, so if it comes true, let us know in the comments if you download it and take advantage of the easiness. [via IntoMobile]

Verizon MiFi Hacked Into an iPad: Sure, the iPad 3G, rocking AT&T’s 3G network, is one of the most enjoyed devices out there. Especially when the 3G works. But, for some people out there, they’d rather have the magical and revolutionary tablet from Apple without the hassle of AT&T (especially considering the changes recently made). And we don’t blame them. So, what to do? Why not shove a Verizon Wireless MiFi’s circuit board into your iPad, and make it connect to a whole new network? That’s what one man did, and he managed to make it work quite well. Now his iPad’s a Verizon WiFi hotspot. Pretty great, righht? Check out the link for more details. Though, we should mention that this isn’t for people not comfortable with some hardware disassembling, so, be forewarned. [via DISH TV HD Store]

New Xbox 360 Up for Pre-Order Now: Right now, if you are really interested in picking up the new Xbox 360 that Microsoft announced earlier today, then you can make sure you’ve got one waiting for you in store when it shows up later this week. Pre-order one from your favorite retailer, like Amazon or GameStop, and have it all plugged in and ready to go the same day it arrives. You get the new, shiny black box, the integrated 802.11n WiFi, and that expansive 250GB hard drive all for only $299.99. Good deal, so get on it! [via Amazon; via GameStop]

The Pursuit has a touchscreen with a 2.8-inch display and it features a digital camera, access to social networking, music player, and video playback. A slide-out QWERTY keyboard is also featured and the handset comes in blue or green colors.

Pantech adds in some different features for the phone like Drawing Commander that dials contacts and activates apps on the handset by tracing a finger on the touchscreen. The device also has a graffiti mode that lets you draw on images using a finger right on the screen. The handset is also designed for multitasking and connects to the AT&T 3G network. The device is available now and is $49.99 after a new contract and a mail-in $50 rebate.

The ORNL updated its Jaguar supercomputer with new 6-core Opteron processors recently. The newly updated rig grabbed the top spot on the list of fastest supercomputers in the world. The Samsung Go netbook is coming to the AT&T Wireless network as a subsidized offering. The machine will hit November 22 for $199.99 after rebates and a new agreement.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 smartphone was spied on video this week. The snapdragon speed that the prototype spied previously lacked was in effect this time around. A paper claims that the Dell Streak MID will be hitting the AT&T network in 2010. I’m not sure that a MID will really make the grade; most of us want smartphones today.

A job listing over at Apple is looking for a game engineer. This has rumors swirling that Apple is set to develop first party games for its rumored tablet and the iPhone/iPod touch. We heard this week that the fix for the camera autofocus woes of the Droid may be as easy as wiping the lens well. Other reports claim that an unannounced software patch was pushed out to fix the issue.

The Windows Marketplace for Mobile hit WinMo 6.0 and 6.1 smartphones early in the week. The store had previously only been offered to those running WinMo 6.5 devices. The Malata R108T Windows 7 convertible touchscreen netbook broke cover Tuesday looking familiar. The rig has a 10.1-inch screen and Intel Atom processor, standard netbook fare.

MSI debuted the Wind Top AE2220 AIO 1080p computer mid-week with multitouch and a 21.5-inch display. The machine can be had with Intel Core 2 Duo power and Ion graphics. ATI unveiled the Radeon HD 5970 dual GPU video card this week. The thing is very powerful and has a price tag to match.

A report came in Wednesday that had Nokia using mostly Maemo rather than Symbian on its N-series devices by 2012. Nokia later came out and said that the announcement was premature. The sexy Dell Adamo XPS went on sale this week at $1799. It’s expensive; by man do I want one.

Vizio again grabbed the top spot on the LCD shipper list in the US for the quarter. People are flocking to the firms lower priced LCD TVs rather than the more expensive big names like Sony and Samsung. Sony Ericsson has confirmed that the Xperia X1 will not be getting a WinMo 6.5 update. A ROM hinted previously that such an update might be coming.

A new version of the ever popular Flip camcorder is coming in the first half of 2010 that has a sliding screen and WiFi. The WiFi will presumably allow you to send your movies directly to your computer without connecting a USB cable. The Sony Reader Daily Edition is available for preorder now for $400. The device has wireless access to the Sony eBook store.

Olive debuted a new 4HD Hi-Fi music server this week. The thing offers audiophile grade sound quality at a steep price of almost $2000. This is a strange report, the Apple tablet is said to be delayed until the second half of 2010 to get OLED and LCD versions. The odd part is how can a device be delayed when it was never officially announced?

Thursday we detailed the Chrome OS on video. The OS has been anticipated for a while and could replace Android in devices like netbooks. The Archos 9 PC tablet has been delayed with preorders shipping in December and the full retail launch pushed until 2010. You should be able to pick the thing up at retail locations once it launches.

Imation unveiled the world’s first wireless USB external storage solution Friday called the Pro WX. The HDD has a 30-foot range and enough speed for data backups sans cable. The Motorola Motus was spotted in a particularly blurry pic this week and promises an unusual form factor. The device appears to fold back.

The Pantech Impact is now avaialbl on the AT&T network for $99.99 after rebates. The device has haptics feedback for the touch panel front keypad. That’s it for this week, have a great Thanksgiving!

We already know some of the specifications and features of the device, but I will run them down again. The device has a flip out full QWERTY keyboard and a range of shortcut keys for one-touch access to IM, text, email, and apps.

The headset has a second screen inside that is made for watching video and viewing pictures. Speakers are located on each side of the screen and the device has GPS built-in. The touchpad has feedback via buzzing and controls are located on the outside of the device for music and sending texts. The Impact sells for $149.99 before the mail-in rebate.

The Samsung Mythic packs a 3.3-inch touchscreen and the company’s TouchWiz UI, together with AT&T Mobile TV and AT&T Navigator.  As for the Samsung Flight, that has a smaller touchscreen but hides a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard which, AT&T claim, is just the right size for one-handed use.

Meanwhile over at Pantech, their Reveal has both a numeric keypad on the outside and a QWERTY ‘board underneath, together with a smaller display than either of the Samsung handsets.  It’s 3G, has Navigator and GPS, and both the keyboards are active at the same time meaning you won’t need to reach for the Fn button to add strings of numbers to an email.

Finally, the Pantech Impact has us intrigued, with a “new form factor”, OLED touchscreen and haptic feedback.  It flips out sideways to reveal a QWERTY keyboard and second display, and has triband 3G.  Like all four of the phones, the Impact has AT&T’s new mobile browser – based on Opera – which promises full HTML access together with sliced-up location-aware and topical information windows.

The Mythic will arrive next month for $199.99 after a $50 rebate, while the Flight is $99.99, also next month and after a rebate; there are no prices for the two Pantech handsets.  However we do know that the Reveal will drop on October 18th, in red and blue, while the Impact will come in pink and blue; no word on the latter’s availability, though.

Press Release:

AT&T Unveils Lineup of Full Web Browsing Phones

New Quick Messaging and Touch Screen Phones from Pantech and Samsung to Arrive in Time for the Holidays

Dallas, Texas, October 5, 2009

AT&T* today announced four new mobile phones, two each from Pantech and Samsung that feature full Web browsers as well as physical and virtual keyboards. The Pantech Reveal™ and Impact™ will join the Samsung Mythic™ and Flight™ at the head of AT&T’s quick messaging and touch-screen phone portfolio heading into the holiday season.

The new phones are the first to come preloaded with AT&T’s new richer and faster HTML mobile browser and att.net service, combining the best of full HTML browsing with unique features for personalizing favorite bookmarks and local searches. The new att.net mobile platform utilizes advanced data compression from Opera Software, allowing for much faster delivery of HTML Web pages.

“Customers expect to see the hottest mobile phones at AT&T stores and we’ve upped the ante for consumer handsets with our quick messaging phone portfolio over the past year,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Not only do these four new consumer phones have either a virtual or physical full keyboard, they now come with our richer and faster att.net mobile browser.”

Pantech Reveal™
On shelves October 18 in red and blue, Reveal is a slim and snappy slider that features an open-faced numeric keypad on the front of the phone which slides up to uncover a full keyboard underneath. Uniquely, both sets of keys stay active simultaneously, giving users fast access to numbers and letters at the same time. Whether updating your status with new pictures and videos, or texting, IMing or emailing friends, Reveal keeps you connected to your digital life at every turn. Reveal utilizes AT&T Navigator and the power of 3G to make GPS, surfing the Web and listening to music fast and convenient.

Pantech Impact™
Bringing a new form factor along with a more color choices to the quick messaging portfolio, Impact features an OLED touch screen that lets users send text messages, make calls, and control their music library without having to open the phone. Impact’s screen features haptic controls which register each key-press with a soft, tactile buzz. A sideways flip of the phone reveals a full physical keyboard and a second display screen, allowing for a fuller experience when typing longer messages. Additionally, Impact’s bright screen and tri-band 3G functionality, lets users manage social networks and explore the Internet with quickness and ease. Available in two colors, pink and blue.

Samsung Mythic™
A touch screen-only device, the AT&T Mobile TV-capable Mythic will be available in black in November. The large 3.3 inch touch screen scrolls left to right on the home screen for additional applications with the touch of a finger. With the swipe of a finger you are a touch away from your favorite apps including AT&T Navigator, AT&T Social Net, att.net and more. Samsung’s TouchWiz™ user interface allows for quick access to your favorite features and has specially designed widgets to customize and personalize the way you use your phone.

Samsung Flight™
The next generation messaging device from Samsung, the Flight has a vertical sliding form factor, with full keyboard underneath. A textured design and subtle ridge on the back make it easy to text or use the touch screen with one hand. The main display features a unique user interface which provides one-touch access to functions like shortcuts, favorites and messaging. The Flight, available in red and silver color options, will be available in November.

New AT&T Mobile Browser
“The new browser powering the att.net service brings the best of the open Web to consumer feature phones while making the mainstay of the mobile Web easy to find and also delivering local tools and bookmarking management,” said Ted Woodbery, vice president of Wireless Data, Voice and Ancillary Products for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “It’s a rich hybrid experience that gives you a HTML experience similar to your PC browser at home — and works really well on a feature phone. Plus, it gives you easy, one-click access to the tools and content you find most valuable.”

AT&T’s new att.net mobile browser gives customers three windows to the Web. From the homepage, users can easily browse the global Internet as well as assign bookmarks and shortcuts or set other preferences so they have quick access to their favorite content. A second window gives users location-aware local news and weather; one-click results for nearby restaurants, nightlife venues, ATMs and other points of interest; and access to maps, driving directions and traffic information. A third window delivers the latest headlines from popular news, sports and entertainment sites.

Additionally, customers accessing att.net from their PC can customize their mobile att.net page by sending shortcuts to popular Web sites through a “Send to Mobile” feature.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com. For photos of the new phones, visit www.att.com/mobilephones-news.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.