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AT&T Pantech Element hands-on at CES 2012 (video)
The Pantech Element has been hanging around the rumor mill for quite some time, so it wasn't much of a surprise when we saw it show up at the AT&T Developer Summit keynote earlier today. All of the specs were right on with what we'd heard before: 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU, 8-inch TFT XGA display, 5MP rear camera / 2MP front-facing, 6,400 mAh battery for over 12 hours of high-use battery life and of course, waterproof with IP57 certification. We got a little clarification on what Pantech means by this, and it turns out that the tablet can be submerged in up to one foot of water for thirty minutes without batting an eye. Playing around with the tablet, we were surprised by its light weight and classy look. It was incredibly glossy, however, which was painfully obvious by the number of times we felt compelled to wipe smudges off the front and back. The ports of entry were all covered appropriately by secured plastic flaps, but it's necessary in order to keep water or other liquid from getting inside. The tablet runs on Android 3.2, and in our limited time with the device felt smooth and without lag. Overall, it felt as though the tablet certainly fit the price range, which isn't something we were able to say about the $600 (on contract) HTC Jetstream. The Element will be available starting January 22nd for $300 with a two-year commitment, though AT&T is running a limited promotion in which you can get both the Element and the Pantech Burst together for $250. Take a look below to check out some up close and personal images and a snazzy video.
AT&T Pantech Burst hands-on at CES 2012 (video)
Pantech has been going after the budget-conscious subscribers on AT&T for quite some time now, but it now it finally has the opportunity to do the same thing on Ma Bell's network that it did with Verizon: offer a cost effective handset with LTE included. And we have to say: we were overall quite impressed both with the phone's feel and laundry list of specs. For $50 with a two-year commitment, the newly announced Burst -- available in both black and red -- offer a 1.2GHz dual-core Scorpion CPU, Android 2.3 (which Pantech confirmed to us that it will be upgradeable to ICS at some point in the future), 5MP rear camera with LED flash and 720p HD video capture and 2MP front-facing cam.Our first impression was rather positive. The 4-inch display will be a convenient option for most, and the Super AMOLED makes it bright and colorful. It felt comfortable in the hand and we enjoyed the smooth design and tapered sides. As always, we were disappointed in the lack of a dedicated camera button, though we can't say it surprises us anymore -- it seems as though Pantech typically shies away from that option. We're not huge fans of the proprietary OS, as mentioned in our review of the Pantech Pocket, but during our brief time with the device, it seems to be incredibly speedy and void of bugs. Check out the gallery below for plenty more angles, and feel free to watch our hands-on video.
Stephen Elop: Nokia Windows Phone coming to AT&T, will support LTE
Stephen Elop has just taken the stage at AT&T's Developer Summit here at CES, taking the opportunity to confirm that an LTE-enabled Nokia Windows Phone will indeed be heading to the carrier. The exec didn't offer too many details beyond that, but promised to reveal more at his company's event this afternoon, scheduled for 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT. Could it be the Lumia 900 we've been expecting? We'll have to wait a little longer to find out, but will be sure to keep you posted as soon as we hear more.
HTC Titan II coming to AT&T, finally delivers LTE to Mango lovers
The HTC Radiant has gone official, except it's now called the Titan II, and it does in fact come packing Mango and LTE. Around back is a 16-megapixel camera capable of capturing 720p video and a 1.3-megapixel shooter up front for video chats. We can tell that it's packing the dual-flashes from the leak but, we're not sure about not much else -- including processor, pricing or availability. So, there it is folks -- LTE on a Windows phone, and it's appears to be quite a beast of a device. Update: Official PR has finally hit the wires and we now know it's packing a 1.5GHz Snapdragon (single-core, of course) and a 1,730mAh battery pack. The latter necessary to keep that huge 4.7-inch display and power-sucking 4G radio humming as long as possible. One more photo after the break. Update: Check out our hands-on here
AT&T Galaxy Note with LTE hands-on at CES 2012 (video)
It's official! As expected, everyone's favorite giant superphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note, is finally making its way to the US -- and with a dash of LTE, no less. The mini tablet will be available on AT&T in both carbon blue and ceramic white for an undisclosed price sometime in the near future. Specs are almost identical to its global sibling -- 5.3-inch 1280x800 HD Super AMOLED display, S Pen, Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread), 1GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, up to 32GB of additional storage via microSD card, 2,500mAh battery, eight-megapixel 1080p AF camera with flash and two-megapixel front-facing camera. Like its stablemate, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, AT&T's Galaxy Note receives a brain transplant with a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU (presumably a Qualcomm Snapdragon S3) replacing the 1.4GHz dual-core Exynos processor. Beyond support for AT&T's speedy LTE network, the device includes UMTS/HSPA+ (21Mbps) and GSM/EDGE world radios. This US variant will also be available with a number of accessories, including a desktop dock, a spare battery charging system, flip cover cases (available in multiple colors) and the Galaxy Note S Pen holder kit.We took AT&T's Galaxy Note for a spin, and it's a dead-ringer for the global model in terms of size, weight and general layout. The most obvious differences are the carrier logo just below the earpiece, and the four capacitive keys replacing the three-button layout (physical key flanked by capacitive buttons) common to non-US Galaxy handsets. Pop the battery cover and you'll notice subtler changes, with the plastic SIM and microSD card holders being replaced by thinner metallic ones in order to accommodate the additional thickness from (presumably) an LTE the NFC antenna mounted inside the battery door with matching contacts on the phone's chassis [see update below]. Another difference is with the S Pen, which now features a contrasting grey side-button instead of the same black color as the pen's body. While the key is still just as difficult to locate by touch, it's now trivial to find at a glance. Performance wise, during our brief time with it, this version of the Note felt just as snappy as its predecessor, despite the aforementioned chipset swap. Unlike the other Galaxy S II-class devices on AT&T, there's no sign of NFC here. We'll keep you posted as we learn more, but until then check out the galleries below and hit the break for our hands-on video and the mandatory PR.Update: We've been able to confirm that AT&T's Galaxy Note features NFC. The antenna is located inside the battery cover, just like on the Nexus S.Richard Lai contributed to this post.
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD coming to AT&T: 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, LTE, 'razor-thin'
AT&T has just added a new handset to its stable of devices today, introducing the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD at its Developer Summit keynote, here at CES. Powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, this "razor-thin" handset boasts a spacious 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 720 resolution), boasts LTE support, and comes with a removable battery. No word yet on pricing, but AT&T plans to bring it to market within "the coming months." For slightly more details, head past the break for press pics and the full PR.
PS Vita coming to AT&T next month
The 3G PlayStation Vita is finally coming to the US in February, courtesy of AT&T. Sony's latest handheld gaming platform is being billed by the carrier as a product that is "going to change the gaming industry. Period." Those are mighty bold words but, as we already learned, it's a mighty bold device. You'll be able to sign up for one of two data plans directly from the device -- $15 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB. Of course, that's not terribly surprising since those are the standard contract-free data plans available from Ma-Bell. You'll be able get your 3G Vita fix starting February 22nd. PR is after the break. Update: In an interesting twist Ralph de la Vega said it'll be even better when it "gets LTE." Though, we've heard nothing official about a 4G vita -- so this is either an unintentional leak or a simple slip.
AT&T announces API Catalog: U-Verse, payments, wireless and more
We're live at AT&T's Developer Summit keynote here at CES, where the carrier has just announced a revamped U-Verse API catalog. According to the company, the new U-Verse catalog features APIs that support payments, MMS/SMS, location, device capabilities and AT&T's mHealth app. The payment API utilizes HTML5, with revenue split 70 / 30 between developers and AT&T. The entire collection will be available through cloud services like Windows Azure, and developers will have to pay a $99 registration fee to get started, giving them unlimited access to the catalog through the end of 2012. The APIs will also allow devs to build apps that let you check out what's playing on TV, and use them as a remote control. There's also support for the Twonky Beam Browser app, which allows users to beam content directly from their tablets to a U-Verse equipped TV.
Live from AT&T's 2012 Developer Summit keynote!
We're here at the Palms for the opening keynote at AT&T's annual Developer Summit. Last year's event brought us the Motorola Atrix 4G, HTC Inspire 4G and Samsung Infuse 4G, among plenty of other little nuggets. We're expecting to see another great showing, courtesy of AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega, CTO John Donovan and CMO David Christopher, so read along as we bring you the updates as it happens.
