New data plans, upgraded tablets, and the most promising 3D phone to hit the consumer market—AT&T is aiming for dominance come back-to-school time. Hosting an exclusive event at the Standard Hotel in New York City, the global carrier made several announcements concerning its future line-up and also gave us a surprise look at the new HTC Status, which has been dubbed by the media as the Facebook phone.
Up close, the Status looks like an old school BlackBerry with touchscreen functionality, except with the addition of a Facebook shortcut button located beneath the QWERTY keyboard. In reality, the phone bears a great form factor that molds perfectly in your hands and feels smooth. The keyboard provides enough space in between keys to type fast and isn’t so stiff as other claviers. The shortcut button does exactly what it’s meant to do, shoot you right into post mode and provide all the necessary FB commands. You’ll also notice an app on the homescreen. In addition, you’re blessed with the best UI found on any Android phone, HTC Sense, and the device comes pre-installed with Gingerbread. The 2.6-inch display isn’t the standard screen most of us are accustomed to, but if you’re a Facebook monger that’s just looking to post on your wall, the Status might be up your alley.
LG blew our minds when it showcased its new 3D smartphone back at Pepcom last month: the Thrill 4G. Safe to say, our second time with the device was just as memorable. The 4.3-inch, glasses-free display produces amazing 3D visuals, plus generates bright and crispy images. You’ll find dual 5MP 3D stereoscopic cameras mounted on the back, which allow you to capture HD 2D or 3D videos that can be mirrored onto any HDTV or 3DTV set. Games like NOVA and Let’s Gold 2 run smooth, play great, and literally look eye-popping at first glance. And just like the HTC EVO 3D, there will be a YouTube app that lets you check out clips in, you guessed it, 3D. How sick is that. It’s also said to be priced cheaper than the other 3D smartphones being released. Considering the EVO 3D is tagged at $200 (w/ 2-yr contract), we’re anticipating a $180 MSRP.
Sony Ericsson also came through to re-introduce the Xperia Play to gamers and announced that the PlayStation-certified phone will be available on the carrier by end of year. So what’s the difference between this and Verizon’s version? The AT&T model will be 4G-enabled, sport a dark-navy back case, offer the optional Sony’s TimesScape UI skin, and feature an exclusive title: Dungeon Defenders 2. The same facets found on the Verizon model are still here, including Gingerbread, 1GHZ Qualcomm processor, dual cameras, and its stunning 4-inch display. As D-pad conformists, we’re looking to take the Play for another spin.
On the tablet end, HP showcased the 4G-enabled version of its TouchPad, which will be exclusive the carrier. Standout upgrades include a faster CPU (1.5-GHZ), 32GB internal memory, AT&T mobile broadband integration, and a tweaked version of its webOS software. We always thought wi-fi tablets were meaningless unless you could pull a connection everywhere you go (impossible btw), so its great to hear that AT&T will provide 4G service for HP’s tablet.
But AT&T’s most surprising announcement was its new international data plans, which will give global subscribers the option of choosing between four price options and offer double the data allocation. Here’s the breakdown: 50MB ($24.99), 125MB ($49.99), 275MB ($99.99), and 800MB ($199.99). The memory boost is a huge improvement over the previous plans, plus its affordable.
Other announcements included an AT&T version of the Amazon Kindle 3G that will sell for just $140. Sweet. The company also showcased some of its premier smartphones on the market like the monstrous Motorola Atrix, beautiful Samsun Infuse 4G, and Windows best handset by far, the HTC HD7S. The mobile provider says it has other devices in the works going into the holidays such as a possible follow-up the the Atrix and other tablets. So we’re curious to see if the company can outdo itself going into Christmas.
