AT&T finally made its jump into the Android pool.  They announced that they will be releasing five Android phones during the first half of 2010.  Three of these phones will be exclusive to AT&T.  First one is from Motorola powered by MOTOBLUR with a unique form factor.  The second phone is Dell’s first smartphone, which is currently only available in China.  Finally, their third exclusive with be an HTC Andorid phone.  The Motorola and HTC are not much of a surprise.  Both companies have expressed a strong commitment to Android.  However, it will be nice to get a close look at the Dell phone when it arrives.

My big question is, what does this mean for the iPhone?  Is AT&T trying to gather more high-end phones in their camp for fear of losing their iPhone exclusivity?  How about their network?  Can it handle even more traffic?

Via phandroid

Believe it or not, AT&T’s wireless service isn’t what it should be.  You would think that since they are the sole provider of the number one smartphone in the United States, and perhaps all of this planet Earth, that it would be outstanding in coverage and reliability.  You might also think that since so many customers have come to them for that darling called the iPhone, that they would be trying to continually enhance the service those customers received.

Unfortunately, it is quite the contrary.  AT&T’s coverage has always been a bit on the poor side (areas of no coverage, dropped calls, etc.), and since the onset of iPhone users consuming network resources at a rate far exceeding regular phone users, it has become worse.  To make matters worse, Gizmondo is reporting that instead of reinvesting some of those dollars that loyal customers pay in into a more reliable phone experience, they are actually doing the opposite, with a decrease in network maintenance and expansion that started with the initial onset of the iPhone.

All the more reason to be glad that I opted out of my contract with them.  How about you?  What has your experience been like?  If it has been poor, does this make you even a bit more frustrated?  Let us know!

You think you deserve a new BlackBerry or Samsung Solstice and are in desperate need of AT&T? Take note of this limited (and unknown!!) time offer.

Image courtesy of AT&T

Obviously, you will have to sign for a two years agreement, as stated in AT&T press release:

AT&T is putting the holiday shopping sled into high gear with two great promotions available on the nation’s fastest 3G network. Beginning Friday, Dec. 4, AT&T customers can get any new BlackBerry^® smartphone, including the new BlackBerry^® Bold™ 9700, at 50 percent off after mail-in rebate and two-year agreement. In addition, AT&T is offering the Samsung Solstice™, a compact touch screen phone, for free after a mail-in rebate. Both offers require a new two-year agreement and are only available for a limited time. The offers are available both online and in AT&T retail locations.

Half Price BlackBerry Smartphones
BlackBerry smartphones, a leading choice for consumers and mobile professionals alike are ideal for anyone that wants to keep in touch with friends, family and coworkers. Customers may choose from the following BlackBerry smartphones in the AT&T portfolio:

• BlackBerry^® Bold™ 9700
• BlackBerry^® Bold™ 9000
• BlackBerry^® Curve™ 8900
• BlackBerry^® Curve™ 8520
• BlackBerry^® Curve™ 8320
• BlackBerry^® Curve™ 8310

AT&T was the first U.S. carrier to offer BlackBerry service, and offers the best selection of smartphones. Plus, twice as many smartphone customers have chosen AT&T as any other carrier.

Free Samsung Solstice
The Samsung Solstice™ is available for free after mail-in rebate. (After $50 mail-in rebate AT&T Promotion Card with minimum $20 data or messaging package purchase and two-year service agreement.) The device features a full 3.0 touch screen; a virtual, landscape QWERTY keyboard; and Samsung’s unique TouchWiz™ user interface, which includes one-touch access to frequently used applications and social networks through new widgets for Facebook, MySpace and Yahoo! oneSearch™. The Solstice also provides customers with access to mobile broadband from the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T Navigator and AT&T Mobile Music with Napster Mobile® and eMusic^TM Mobile. Featuring multiple messaging options such as Mobile Email, IM and MMS and equipped with a 2.0 megapixel camera with camcorder, the Samsung Solstice is perfect for capturing those spontaneous holiday moments.

Noticeably the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 is included in the 50% off offer, while the Samsung Solstice is given away for free after mail-in rebate.

There is no explicit time limit to the offer, but I would expect this to end soon.

Via: Boy Genius Report

After some minor waiting, the new Samsung Omnia II will be finally available on Verizon network for circa $200 price on contract.

The device will be available for purchase at all Verizon Wireless stores and online on the carrier’s website. The price has been fixed at $199.99 after signing a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

From the press release:

Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced the availability of the Samsung Omnia® II™, a full-touch all-in-one smartphone powered by Windows Mobile® 6.5 to keep customers connected to their corporate and personal e-mail accounts and synchronized with their schedules and contacts.

Available Colors: Black with red accents on the battery cover

Key features:

• 3.7-inch ultra-brilliant touch screen
  • Widescreen WVGA AMOLED (Wide Video Graphics Array Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) responsive touch screen results in one of the brightest and clearest displays on a mobile phone in the United States
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology allows customers to input text faster and easier with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard
• Features Windows Mobile 6.5, which keeps customers connected with corporate and personal e-mail and synchronization of schedules and contacts
• Microsoft Office Mobile® enhances productivity with the ability to manage Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® documents
• Enhanced 3D cube user interface
• Full HTML Web browsing capabilities with Opera 9.5 enhanced browser
• One-touch access to social networking sites via shortcut widgets
• Supports Verizon Wireless services, including V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video on Demand, V CAST Song ID, Visual Voice Mail, VZW Tones, VZ Navigator(SM), Mobile IM and Mobile Email

Additional specifications:

• Full messaging suite, including SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, Mobile Email and Corporate Email
• Access to social networking applications, including YouTube™, Facebook® and MySpace, with Samsung’s unique TouchWiz™ 2.0 user interface
• 5.0 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus and camcorder and decoder with DNSe technology and on-device editing capabilities
• Wi-Fi technology (802.11 b/g)
• Support for Divx and Xvid movie files
• 8 GB internal memory and expandable memory of up to 16 GB with microSD™ memory card (card sold separately)
• Bluetooth® profiles supported: headset (mono and stereo), hands-free (car kits), object push for vCard, basic imaging, phonebook access profiles. Also supports serial port, dial-up networking, object push for vCalendar, file transfer, basic printing and human interface device profiles

Pricing and availability:

• The Samsung Omnia II will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning Dec. 2 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

A video of the device is also available here.

I just wonder if the phone will be able to access the Samsung Widget Store, in order to increase the number of widgets to be integrated in Samsung’s TouchWiz interface.

Via: Gizmodo

Via: Verizon Wireless

I love a good rumor as much as the next, but this looks to be getting closer and closer to reality.  The HTC Dragon, or Passion, is due to hit Verizon sometime around the middle of December.  This will be another member of its AnDroid family.  What’s special about this phone?  Well, it will be the first smartphone to use Qualcomm’s 1 GHz Snapdragon processor.  Other alleged goodies include:  a 5 megapixel camera, Android 2.0, and a 4.3″ touchscreen. 

The announcement and rumors of this phone is what’s keeping me waiting from buying one of the current Droid phones.  All of the reports on various Android phones say HTC’s Sense UI is the best out there.  So, if this phone is going to have a faster processor and a better interface, it will beat the Droid.  However, it will give Verizon the 2 top Android phones available.  You can never have too many good choices. 

Via Brighthand.com