Latest spy shots show AT&T Fuze defaced with carrier's logo

We'd been encouraged in previous spy shots that AT&T was intending to keep a clean, brand-free look on the front of the Fuze, but what were we thinking? That'd never sit well with the suits up on the 49th floor of AT&T's headquarters (we just made that up, by the way -- we have no idea how many floors AT&T's headquarters has), and sure enough, the latest batch of shots is showing a big ol' logo slapped on the upper right of the face. The poster says release is currently planned for early November, but we'd say that target is about as solid as one of those Jello rings you make in a bundt mold. We'll believe it when it's on the shelf, as they say.

[Via wmpoweruser]

[crow610 @ Oct 11th 2008 1:16PM]

awesome! Can't wait to ditch my HTC Touch for something with a crisper screen, more memory/storage and a faster CPU. BRING IT ON!!

[The Dude @ Oct 11th 2008 1:17PM]

I might have forgotten who my carrier was, otherwise. Thanks AT&T. Now when I look at my phone I can be reminded and almost be driven to take a shit on the phone if it wasn't mine.

[Bassir @ Oct 11th 2008 1:25PM]

You're an idiot.

[The Dude @ Oct 11th 2008 1:50PM]

LAWL @ Bassir. No sir, you are the base one.

[EmoChicksAreHot.....Seriously @ Oct 11th 2008 7:28PM]

dude,att is not that bad.

goodness.

[sornypanafonic @ Oct 11th 2008 11:22PM]

what the dude here is talking about is how theres no need for the at&t logo, its like having a direct tv logo on your tv. c'mon! sure its common but still, he has a valid point.

this is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass at&t!! i just wanted to say that.

ima get one of these bad boys from sprint store at full price and see if i can sneak it into verizons network, otherwise im off to sprint. i would do at&t but im not sure of their service in nyc, my building is build like a fort.

[MadMike @ Oct 11th 2008 1:45PM]

It's too bad it's Windows Mobile.

[fanman @ Oct 11th 2008 1:48PM]

From your comment I have absolutely no idea which phone you would prefer. Please put us out of our misery.

[Abuzar Baloach @ Oct 11th 2008 2:00PM]

Yeah, too bad it uses one of the most powerful mobile OS out there.

[Ricardo @ Oct 11th 2008 2:42PM]

Agreed, afterall Windows Mobile doesn't have copy/paste, can't transfer files (or A2DP sound) through Bluetooth, can't copy songs freely, and doesn't support memory cards because they are afraid you will use it for evil. Oops, sorry, wrong OS!

[MadMike @ Oct 11th 2008 5:49PM]

Has nothing to do with the Apple iPhone or Android for that matter. However, Windows Mobile is bloated, and old. You can skin it all you want. You still have a porky, battery wasting OS underneath it. Apple's Mac OS X-ish mobile phone OS is too locked down and true they left out a lot of key features. Android on the other hand, is too new and not ready for prime time.

You want background processes for certain applications, but with WinMo, unless you actually kill the app, it doesn't go away. That and the start menu, on a phone? Old.

Palm's OS should have died a horrible death years ago. RIM has been having issues as of late.

Android needs some more cooking. Throw that on the AT&T "Fuze" and I think you'll have a great phone.

"Most Powerful Mobile OS's out there" - Yeah it is, that's why your battery lasts 20 minutes, jackass. The most power hungry OS out there.

[Mike10010100 @ Oct 11th 2008 6:31PM]

Hey, Madmike, have you even tried using Windows Mobile 6.1?

I would have agreed with you slightly with windows mobile 6, but 6.1 on the other hand is faster, less bloated, and has less memory leaks than its predecessors. And my battery lasts all day. HTC Mogul by the way. Oh, and my phone can check emails while it's in sleep mode! Isn't that just amazing?

Oh, and as for the start menu, it's extremely useful for keeping constantly used apps organized, and has even been redesigned for Windows Mobile 6.1.

The fact that apps run in the background? Well for me, that's helpful for copying and pasting in between apps. However, if it really annoys you that much, you can easily switch one option in the settings and have it so that when you exit out of a program, it closes without being in the background.

From the sound of it, you won't be buying any phone in the next few years what with the lack of features and structure to fit your needs.

Seriously, man, do some research. Asshole.

[Don @ Oct 11th 2008 7:37PM]

Mike, im with what u said..

low rank for all your asses

[MadMike @ Oct 11th 2008 8:22PM]

I actually haven't used Windows Mobile 6.1. But I will try it out.

[Tony @ Oct 11th 2008 8:30PM]

"It's too bad it's Windows Mobile."
"I actually haven't used Windows Mobile 6.1."

STFU

[MadMike @ Oct 11th 2008 11:08PM]

Ooh, a .1 release is such a big deal. You STFU. Like Microsoft would TOTALLY revamp an OS in a .1 release. Just look at Vista, no its not Windows XP with some eye candy and some extra added nag screens, its a completely different OS. Yeah....

Fanboys, really. Go to college, retards.

[telepheedian @ Oct 12th 2008 1:05AM]

It's like comparing XP pre and post SP2. Night and day on speed, security, and overall bugginess. That .1 really can mean something.

[Brian @ Oct 11th 2008 2:12PM]

yeah too bad its going to be a kickass phone and your iphone cant compare :/

[Michael @ Oct 11th 2008 2:26PM]

Well that's not true. The iPhone is perfectly capable of many more things than every other phone out on the market. It just so happens that Apple wants you to believe that you don't need the things it's capable of doing. You just gotta believe, man!

(Really, the one thing it lacks more than anything else in terms of hardware is a real bluetooth chipset. This purposely crippled chipset that they call "bluetooth" is nothing more than a fancy way to do handsfree. The potential for the iPhone as a real "life complement" device shot below negative zero when they left that out. Don't worry though, you don't need it. Apple said so.)

[Dave @ Oct 11th 2008 4:52PM]

I've had the HTC Touch for the past year and now carry the HTC Touch Diamond. I've always thought I had a better phone than the iPhone and that was before I got the Diamond. Now I'm more than certain I've got the better phone. Now that we're done talking about the equipment should we go on to discuss you overpriced wireless plan?

[Jesse @ Oct 11th 2008 2:14PM]

THEY RUINED THE KEYBOARD! WTF! the Touch Pro has the numbers along the top. Why on EARTH would they reconfigure it that way?!?!

[Abuzar Baloach @ Oct 11th 2008 2:18PM]

It's because they are freaking idiots, that's why.

[Christian Walters @ Oct 11th 2008 2:25PM]

Jesus man you are right! I just noticed the new keyboard layout which=CRAP! That sucks mega ballz man....well, I shall be importing one then!

[slowburn @ Oct 11th 2008 2:28PM]

Oh for fucks sake. The one phone I wanted to wish for after the Touch HD was taken away. And now AT&T screws up the keyboard. Many somebody's should be fired, why is it suits seem to think they can do anything better than the experts?

Bastards.

[Michael @ Oct 11th 2008 2:29PM]

It's because they have no standards.

No seriously, they have no standards. If they could just agree on one way to do something simple such as keyboard layout, then they'd be getting somewhere.

[David @ Oct 11th 2008 3:14PM]

Nah. I like number keys in a cluster. It is much easier to hold the "Fn" key with the left thumb and punch out numbers with the right when they are arranged that way.

[imacmatt09 @ Oct 11th 2008 4:54PM]

If you look hard enough you can see there are still numbers on the top.

[fh @ Oct 11th 2008 6:04PM]

It's funny, because Jesse and everyone who has replied used significantly more symbols than numbers in their comments.

It might take a little getting used to, but it makes it easier to express your ?!?! outrage with the device.

[pekosROB @ Oct 12th 2008 5:22PM]

Is it that big of a deal? I mean can't you have the numbers on the touch screen rather than pressing the physical keys to dial a number?

[eggothewaffle @ Oct 11th 2008 2:14PM]

When I read the "That'd never sit well with the suits up on the 49th floor of AT&T's headquarters (we just made that up, by the way -- we have no idea how many floors AT&T's headquarters has)," I knew you wrote this article!

How much are you getting paid by Engadget, Chris? Whatever it is, you should be making twice as much.

[Chris Ziegler @ Oct 11th 2008 2:16PM]

They pay me in friendship and puppies.

[The Dude @ Oct 11th 2008 2:33PM]

I thought it was in friendship and dramatic prairie-dogs.

[noyp @ Oct 11th 2008 10:16PM]

Well they started to, but he kept losing them. See his avatar.

[Richard @ Oct 11th 2008 2:21PM]

The Fuze is the Touch Pro?? Why the hell did I think it was going to be the Diamond? I'm so getting this.... and then removing the carrier logo with that sugar trick...

[Brian @ Oct 11th 2008 2:31PM]

everyone who has used the fuzes keyboard layout actually prefers it
it makes more sense. you use the symbols more in typing then you do numbers plus its much easier to type numbers when they are grouped like that instead of having to find them along the top
try it before you get all crazy about it

[Jonathan @ Oct 11th 2008 2:45PM]

I wouldn't think that many people would really care about the AT&T logo. Pretty much every manufacture phone has it, except for the iPhone. Plus you can always scrape it off, its not like its engraved or embedded.

Jonathan

[grull27 @ Oct 11th 2008 2:47PM]

What did they do to TouchFLO3d?! It's beautiful on the unlocked version and then Sprint put ugly neon colors on it and now ATT put even worse light colors. I'm so pissed!

[Derek @ Oct 11th 2008 2:54PM]

And then that's where XDA-Developers come in...

[John @ Oct 11th 2008 2:55PM]

Uh yeah.. you can modify TF3D extremely easily these days. Im running the GSM TouchFlo3D on my Sprint Diamond. Its a relatively minor issue.

[Quikboy @ Oct 11th 2008 2:47PM]

Ugh. Excessive carrier branding. That really kinda ruins the experience, don't you think?

They should have kept Touch Pro the original way it was designed, keep the same name, drop the AT&T logo on the back instead of obtrusively on the front, and remove the custom AT&T content. I can't believe HTC let AT&T run amok with the phone. I guess sometimes money matters more than consumers.

[cable user @ Oct 11th 2008 2:57PM]

The logo is lame and will come right off. And as for the software I'm gonna put a custom cooked rom on the second I get one. I just don't think there was any justification for the keyboard shuffle.

[_rab @ Oct 11th 2008 5:40PM]

The sad truth is that if you really want a touch pro without carrier's crap... you have to pay $900.
Or you can flash the whole rom if you dont really need waranty...

[Connor @ Oct 11th 2008 2:57PM]

Even with a reconfigured keypad, it is still one of the most sleek and powerful phones to run Windows Mobile. I'll take one please.

[Ayle @ Oct 11th 2008 3:01PM]

They have defiled touchflo3d too as I can see... Oh well reflash with a custom rom from xda-devs as soon as I get it.

[Brian @ Oct 11th 2008 3:14PM]

dont even need a new rom you can simply adjust TF3D it isnt hard

[TheBigB @ Oct 11th 2008 4:02PM]

'Spy shots' of a phone that I'm already owning for 3 months?

Cons:
- Scrolling isn't always really smooth because WM6 lacks a good graphics engine (this compared to the iPhone)
- Virtual keyboard appears in landscape mode too, while you have the keyboard open and there is no setting to disable this (though this is a minor firmware issue)
- Only supports Wireless-G (poor support for B)

But on the whole it's a great phone with great organizing and media capabilities.

Why is it better than the iPhone?
- MicroSD slot
- QWERTY keyboard
- Front-VGA camera
- WM 6 (I like this feature because I can write software for it and also because I can play Guitar Hero 3)

- You don't have to marry a service-provider (at least in Europe)

[noyp @ Oct 11th 2008 10:19PM]

Most americans have to wait months after you europeans and asians get your fancy-schmancy gizmos.

[CJ @ Oct 12th 2008 4:58AM]

Weep for me, I'm Australian.

[holycow @ Oct 11th 2008 4:05PM]

Its 250$ (+3 year contract) in Best Buy Canada on Telus.

[SK @ Oct 11th 2008 4:43PM]

Is this the HTC Raphael?