Whether the delay of Windows Mobile 7 is a curse or a blessing, this is the summer of smartphones for AT&T with an assortment of devices that are coming. Of course, whether or not these devices will actually make it to the shelves and into your hands is another story as carrier certification can get tricky, but read on to see what we know so far for Windows Mobile Professional, Windows Mobile Standard, Symbian S60/S40, BlackBerry, Palm webOS, Android, and iPhone on AT&T.
Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional:
Touch Pro2: AT&t has been long rumored to get the Touch Pro2, and now its own carrier-branded version, which may have an
Diamond2: After passing on the original HTC Touch and the Touch Diamond (probably in fear of the Diamond being a competitor to the flagship iPhone), AT&T is finally getting its own Diamond2 probably to diversify its all-touch smartphone offering as its exclusivity with the iPhone may be coming to an end sometime soon. You can read our review of the Diamond2 for additional details. Target date: August 24, 2009.
Samsung Pivot: Despite its name, the screen on this Samsung neither pivots nor tilts. Instead, the Pivot is considered to be a replacement for the Epix. The Pivot will now have a refined keyboard and a standardized 320 X 240 QVGA screen rather than the odd 320 X 320 square display.
LG Monaco The latest device from LG is aimed squarely at taking away the thrown from the Touch Pro2, with its own landscape QWERTY slider sans tilt mechanism. The LG Monaco will get its own Snapdragon processor. The leaked slide made reference to a Windows Mobile 7 launch, but that’s been pushed back. We’ll see if this device will be made available with 6.5 instead. Target date: September 28, 2009.
HP iPAQ K3: HP is looking to make a comeback with iPAQ line. The last device that it offered on AT&T was the iPAQ 6900 series, a successor to the 6515, which we had reviewed. The iPAQ K3 features a capacious keyboard, no stylus (can we say multi-touch), with a forward facing touchsreen like the Samsung Pivot. Pictures depict the device with what looks to be Windows Mobile 7. Target date: November 30, 2009.
Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard:
Samsung Jack: There is a lot of excitement for the Jack, which brings the excellent Motorola Q9keyboard to the BlackJack II successor. The device is said to get an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5, though you may be waiting a while for carrier certification on that one. The Jack is available now.
LG HQ: The SureType 20-key, 2 letters per key LG phone is compact and is sure to take on the BlackBerry Pearl for the market with Windows Mobile 6.1 at its core. Target date: July 6, 2009.
Symbian/Nokia:
Nokia E71x: There is no denying that I’ve been excited with the Nokia E71x, which performed well in our superficial QWERTY battle of devices. The device that AT&T picked up, unlike the unlocked version, is available with a newer Feature Pack 2 and is clad in all-black stainless steel. It is available now.
Nokia Mako: The Mako is an S60 smartphone that runs Feature Pack 2, the same as the E71x for AT&T. The device will have a compact form factor with a horizontal sliding QWERTY keyboard. Target date: June 5, 2009.
Nokia Grouper: The Grouper hopes to capitalize on Motorola’s RAZR success with a slim, slick industrial design and basic S40 OS on the inside. Target date: July 31, 2009.
Nokia Thresher: The Thresher may take its cues from the high-end Nokia N95, but the device lacks the multimedia polish of its higher end sibling. Instead, the
Nokia Snapper: The Snapper follows the cues of the Grouper, but is a slightly bulkier clamshell. Target date: August 7, 2009.
BlackBerry:
BlackBerry Magnum: The BlackBerry Magnum will be a unique BlackBerry device, retaining the forward facing QWERTY keyboard that is the hallmark of most BlackBerry devices while adding the Storm’s touchscreen to the mix. Type and touch. The device will offer a similar user experience as the Treo Pro, Epix, and Pivot. The device will be focused towards high-end enterprise users that are currently using the BlackBerry Bold. Target date: unknown.
BlackBerry Onyx: The device will be similar to the current Curves, but will utilize a faster 3G chipset. We liked what we found on T-Mobile’s Curve 8900, though T-Mobile’s device lacks 3G. The Onyx will be positioned as a high-end consumer device (a higher end Curve, probably filling the position between the current generation Curve and the Bold, which is more enterprise-oriented. The Onyx on AT&T is clad in all-black like the Nokia E71x. Target date: not specified.
BlackBerry Gemini: This is the Curve replacement, and is similar to the Curve 8900 on T-Mobile. The Gemini will use a lower resolution QVGA screen rather than the HVGA screen on the Onyx and touchscreen Magnum. The device will have dedicated media keys and will only run on the slower 2.5G EDGE network rather than 3G. Target date: not specified.
Pearl 3g: This will be a SureType keyboard design, not unlike the LG HQ, but will utilize Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS rather than Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard. It will be similar to current Pearl devices, but will utilize 3G instead. Target date: not specified.
Palm webOS:
Palm Eos: AT&T will be getting its own Palm Pre competitor, which is set to release this summer on rival Sprint. The Palm Eos, which also runs on Palm’s latest webOS operating system, will be a Centro replacement, with a front keyboard, rather than the portrait slider found on the Pre, and capacitive touchscreen. Let’s see how webOS performs, especially with rumors of multiple Exchange ActiveSync accounts synchronization support. The device will boast a super slim form factor, chicklet keys like the Centro, and a mid-range asking price of around $300. Target date: Second half 2009.
Android:
HTC Lancaster: The Lancaster is set to come to AT&T after the carrier has been relatively coy about its intentions with the Google mobile OS. The device will differ from the T-Mobile G1 in that it will use a customized build of Android made for AT&T, and as such will not be Google-branded because of customizations. The device is slick, with rounded corners, and a QWERTY slider in landscape mode. For non-confirmists, this will be the Touch Pro2 for Google-philes. Target date: August 3, 2009.
iPhone:
iPhone: We still don’t know what the naming convention would be for Apple’s third generation iPhone since the second generation was given the 3G namesake to make it distinguishable for the network; using third generation would make it confusing with the 3G network. However, iPhone OS 3.0 promises a lot, including background notifications and an improved App Store experience. However, most new innovations are things that we’ve already seen before on other platforms. The latest iPhone rumors? Matte shells, maybe even rubberized, and some localized versions. Apple may in fact release, for its next generation version, up to 6 versions: 3G/3.5G, 3.75 G, and Chinese CDMA versions, each coming in black and white. (via: The iPhone Blog) Target release date: July/Summer 2009.
Let us know if we’ve missed any major smartphone devices and we’ll keep this post updated.
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