Wireless carriers continued to bolster their smartphone lineups leading into the holiday shopping season as AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA Inc. both unveiled new offerings targeting the increasingly competitive segment.
AT&T Mobility this week got the jump on Microsoft Corp.’s planned Windows Mobile 6.5 update announcing a pair of devices running the software giant’s latest operating system.
The carrier said the devices, HTC Corp.’s Tilt 2 and Pure, would be available in the coming weeks for $300 and now at $150 respectively, after all rebates. The Tilt 2, an update of the current Tilt, includes the new operating system, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 3.6-inch tilting screen. The Pure ditches the slide-out keyboard for virtual QWERTY input via its 3.2-inch touchscreen. Both devices will include support for AT&T Mobility’s 3G network.
The upgraded operating system includes a more touch-friendly user interface and an improved browser with support for Adobe System Inc.’s Flash player.
In addition to the new OS, AT&T Mobility said it will support Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile this year. The support will include allowing customers’ purchases from Microsoft’s App store to be billed on their monthly wireless statements. Microsoft is expected to launch the App store later this year.
This will be the first direct support of an application store by AT&T Mobility. The carrier is the exclusive domestic provider of Apple Inc.’s iPhone and corresponding App store, but all purchases through the Apple store go through the device maker’s iTunes infrastructure.
The latest smartphones from AT&T Mobility follows the release last week of the navigation-centric Garmin International Inc. nuvifone G60, which is selling for $299 after rebates.
T-Mo bolsters Android offering
While AT&T Mobility bolstered its smartphone platform on the back of Microsoft, T-Mobile USA Inc. increased its dominance in the Android OS space unveiling Samsung Electronic Co. Ltd.’s first device running Google Inc.’s platform in the U.S., the Behold II.
The device, which does not have a specific launch date beyond “before the start of the holidays,” features a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen and Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface running on top of the Android platform. The device also sports a 5-megapixel camera and support for Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync.
T-Mobile USA currently offers a pair of Android-powered devices provided by HTC and was the first domestic carrier to launch a device running the platform. Sprint Nextel Corp. is set to throw its hat in the Android ring with its HTC-sourced Hero device that is schedule to launch on Oct. 11.
Verizon Wireless announced last week that it would be launching its own Windows Mobile 6.5-powered device, the HTC Imagio beginning Oct. 6. The device includes support for the carrier’s range of Vcast services, including its Mobile TV service, as well as international roaming capabilities. The nation’s No.1 operator is also expected to unveil as early as this week its first Android-powered device.
Browsing for the masses
Beyond the news-hogging smartphone space, AT&T Mobility also unveiled four new devices targeting the traditional messaging and touchscreen space that include the carrier’s new HTML mobile browser and support for its att.net service.
AT&T Mobility said the mobile browser uses data compression technology from Opera Software to allow faster delivery of HTML Web pages. The browser works in combination with the att.net service to provide users with three “windows” to the Internet. The first supports traditional browsing; the second is a location-based service providing access to local news and weather and one-click access to local search and driving directions; while the third delivers headlines of the latest news.
AT&T Mobility added that customers can access the att.net service from their desktop computers to customize the settings or sending shortcuts to Web sites to their device.
The initial devices supporting the services include the Pantech Corp. Reveal and Impact and Samsung’s Mythic and Flight.
