AT&T Quickfire hits shelves a few days early

We hear that some truly lucky humans have gotten their hands on the AT&T Quickfire (also known as the Knick), which is supposed to go on sale November 10th, so that means... yup about two days early. The asking price for the device was $149.99 (with a $50 mail in rebate) with a new 2 year contract. As for details, all we know is that it was purchased in an AT&T store by an unnamed mystery customer in a "small town." Sometimes it truly pays to live in the real America.

[Flashpoint @ Nov 8th 2008 10:46AM]

I think it would look better in a different color scheme.

[KAIKAI @ Nov 8th 2008 10:56AM]

black on black ??

[sortatechish @ Nov 8th 2008 3:30PM]

Black on black would look much better. I'd even get it if it was black and gray.

[JohnTitor @ Nov 8th 2008 1:39PM]

it looks like an old HTC

[Mike @ Nov 8th 2008 10:56AM]

It doesnt have a track ball, so I dont think I would buy, too bad because i was looking for something LIKE a sidekick but not a sidekick..

[DaveIsOnIt! @ Nov 8th 2008 10:57AM]

It has a touchscreen...shouldnt that make up for it?

[GON @ Nov 8th 2008 1:39PM]

"too bad because i was looking for something LIKE a sidekick but not a sidekick"

Then why are you angry because it does not have a trackball?

[Mike @ Nov 8th 2008 6:13PM]

How can you have a sidekick thats not a sidekick without a trackball.

[DaveIsOnIt! @ Nov 8th 2008 10:57AM]

Lime green jus isnt a "techy" color to me...

[EmanueLkonstatin @ Nov 9th 2008 3:37PM]

If its paired with black, I think it looks techy but in a teenager type of way

[DaveIsOnIt! @ Nov 8th 2008 10:58AM]

It has a touchscreen, doesnt that make up for the lack of a trackball???

[DaveIsOnIt! @ Nov 8th 2008 11:00AM]

Sorry for the spammed post, computer was messin up

[Mike @ Nov 8th 2008 11:00AM]

Not really, if the touchscreen is like the one on tmobile wing, it would suck...

[DaveIsOnIt! @ Nov 8th 2008 11:02AM]

Hmm, never really dealt with the wing, but I understand where you're coming from. Does anyone know if dummy fones r in stores yet?

[Cybergypsy @ Nov 8th 2008 11:19AM]

Ugly thing, I will stick with my diamond

[Abuzar Baloach @ Nov 8th 2008 2:49PM]

Which is more than double the price. Not everyone needs the best of the best.

[a ham sandwich @ Nov 8th 2008 11:46AM]

hot damn. at&t gets every single phone to come out. ever. its unbelievable. the only reason i stay with Verizon is for the network.

[AJ in the East Bay @ Nov 8th 2008 12:16PM]

Ummm, not really. AT&T doesn't have the BB Storm.

[helixtimestwo @ Nov 8th 2008 12:37PM]

@AJ

Umm, yes really. Where is the BB Bold on VZW? I can buy an unlocked Storm and it will work on ATT. Can you do that with an iPhone on VZW?

Just another reason why GSM is superior to CDMA -- phone selection.

[ducky @ Nov 8th 2008 1:36PM]

helixtimestwo, that has nothing to do with GSM/CDMA. That's just what the companies choose for their phone selections. CDMA is technologically superior to GSM, and it's just plain faster.

Plus, Verizon Wireless crushes AT&T for coverage reliability in the US. Yes, AT&T has traditionally had a better selection of phones, but that's going to change with the Storm.

[noyp @ Nov 8th 2008 1:50PM]

Every phone? Even a tenth of all phones is really pushing it.

[helixtimestwo @ Nov 8th 2008 6:08PM]

@Ducky

This discussion is about phone selection, not coverage.

Wireless technology has EVERYTHING to do with phone selection. 82% of cell users worldwide use GSM...which is why there is a higher quantity and quality of devices available for GSM users. Why should HTC/APPL/RIM or any business for that matter want to invest money in selling exclusive products to only 18% of market users?

AT&T decides what phones it wants from all global device mfrs, while VZW is TOLD by the same companies what phones will be made for them. This is the exact reason VZW is dumping CDMA in favor of LTE (GSM evolution) in the next 5 yrs.

So tell me another one.

[yikes @ Nov 8th 2008 12:15PM]

looks cheap as hell.

[OCEAN 'CLAK' 20th @ Nov 8th 2008 10:15PM]

agreed, it needs a premium price an looks an no keyboard,

it need to be slimmer black with silver edges, apple os for people to want it

[cwj @ Nov 9th 2008 4:31AM]

@ OCEAN

Uh...what?

[rhcpsfan @ Nov 8th 2008 12:18PM]

is it just me, or has anyone else never heard of this thing?

[Mike @ Nov 8th 2008 12:24PM]

just you :)

[matt @ Nov 8th 2008 12:25PM]

Wow. Looking at the AT&T website, I didn't realise the US phone companies were quite that bad. A w350 on a two year contract, with around the same minutes and more expensive than I paid for my n95 8gb on an 18month contract. You are really being screwed over.

[moomanmitch @ Nov 8th 2008 1:01PM]

All I can say is, yeah, pretty much.

I hate the wireless industry in America...

[DaveIsOnIt! @ Nov 8th 2008 1:08PM]

Yeah...i have a few friends in Lodon. I get so jealous at how they can get a literal $1000 for FREE with a two yr contract. no fair :(

[ducky @ Nov 8th 2008 1:39PM]

Wireless operators in the US are committing mass thievery on their customers, make no mistake about it. The rates they charge are obscene. In many cases, people pay more for their shitty mobile Internet than they do for their home Internet connections. Nothing will be done about it, of course, but that's how it is here.

[therpham @ Nov 8th 2008 12:56PM]

That thing is really ugly in green. I've seen pictures of an orange one that doesn't look much better. It's too bad because it might actually be a halfway decent phone for people who just want a keyboard.

[jason @ Nov 8th 2008 1:00PM]

huh...


this looks like an OLPC version of one of those $99 PDA's several years back.

[mercurysunblast @ Nov 8th 2008 1:24PM]

Too much freakin' plastic!

[Hound @ Nov 8th 2008 3:08PM]

Played with one the other day at my local store. They had just got them in. Cool looking but wish it was a smartphone.

[PriorityPay Payroll @ Nov 8th 2008 2:47PM]

How long do you have to sign up? 2 years?

[Cal @ Nov 8th 2008 4:39PM]

that's gotta be the ugliest phone in recent memory

[DJ @ Nov 8th 2008 9:23PM]

I just got this phone today and already want to take it back, but now ATT charges $25 restocking fee to trade the phone. The touch screen doesn't work half the time when I push the buttons on the screen. You can only use your finger tip. I have tried my fingernail and even an old stylus I had but it won't work with them. It also won't let you forward long messages to your email. It says there is a pdu error and ATT couldn't figure out how to fix it after an hour on the phone trying. The keyboard is too small and again a problem if you have longer fingernails. Camera quality is awful, and I just wanted a decent picture as the wall paper on my phone. I was waiting so long for this phone to come out and it has been a real disappointment.

[helixtimestwo @ Nov 8th 2008 10:28PM]

That's why you try before you buy, sport.

[Hammer @ Nov 8th 2008 8:10PM]

Android's G1 killer!

[QUICKFIREOWNER @ Nov 9th 2008 8:24PM]

i live in a small town & i got one as well. in that exact color today. I think i like it but the touch screen keeps messing up too much; everytime that you try to click on a topic it either goes really fast or just kinda sits there & u have to hit it more than once. Im not sure if i want to keep it. My blackberry pearl (WORST PHONE I HAVE EVER OWNED) messed up the same way and they wouldnt fix it so im not traveling down that road again.

[Skywraith @ Nov 9th 2008 6:26AM]

Lancaster PA AT&T is selling them but doesn't have them on display.

[GotMine @ Nov 9th 2008 8:22AM]

AT&T in Carlisle, PA is selling the quickfire right now too. I got one today. I'm really liking it so far!

[trialanderror614 @ Nov 11th 2008 6:49PM]

Can you post a review, or some more pics? Please!? I want one so badly.

[Fant @ Nov 8th 2008 11:40PM]

I saw this store in the ATT store. Look nice but when i actually went to use it, it seemed ok. I hate how AT&T has the claw on their phones so that you cant even close/open them properly to see how they feel.

[QUICKFIREFAN @ Nov 9th 2008 1:39AM]

I played with this phone yesterday at an AT&T store in a suburb of Detroit Michigan. You get what you pay for folks. The Quickfire is crap. The touchscreen is almost completely non-responsive, has no haptic feedback, and flexes so much that it feels like you're going to put your finger through the screen. It feels like old touchscreen PDA technology from the 1990's. But maybe they had a bad unit. I would love to hear from someone with a different experience because I soooo wanted to love this phone.

[Adagio @ Nov 9th 2008 4:25AM]

The one we have in our store actually has a pretty responsive screen, and it doesnt flex that much which surprised me.

Overall I was expecting a crappier phone when I first saw it, but Its better than I thought it would be. (Which isnt to say that it floors me, but if you're satisfied with a sidekick, I'd see no reason why you wouldnt be satisfied with the Quickfire)

Then again, I'm more of a smart phone kinda guy.

[Adagio @ Nov 9th 2008 4:28AM]

Oh, there's also a silver/black version that doesnt look nearly as bad as the orange or green

[Logan @ Nov 9th 2008 1:42PM]

I just got it yesterday. I LOVE IT. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but its really neat. The GPS is a nice feature too.

[blahh @ Nov 10th 2008 1:25PM]

Is the only way to purchase this phone, with the 2 year contract or would I be able to get it without an upgrade? I'm excited about getting it.