AT&T adds four messaging phones with 'real' browsing
updated 12:00 am EDT, Mon October 5, 2009
AT&T intros two Pantech, two Samsung phones
AT&T today sought to address the limits of messaging phones with four new models that center on a new browser. The Pantech Impact and Reveal, as well as the Samsung Flight and Mythic, all have a new AT&T web browser based on Opera that not only renders HTML more accurately -- a rarity on non-smartphones -- but also uses compression to reduce the bandwidth overhead on the 3G network. It further provides shortcuts to location-sensitive news, maps and points of interest.
Pantech's devices lead the pack and center on the Impact (not yet pictured), a unique flip phone that has an OLED touchscreen for common tasks as well as a keyboard and secondary display specifically for messaging. The Reveal is a semi-conventional slider with a number pad on the closed design and a vertical slider QWERTY keyboard. It also carries 3G and GPS. AT&T hasn't disclosed their prices and hasn't said when the Impact will ship, but it has said the Reveal will ship on October 18th.
The Samsung phones include the Flight, a touchscreen and vertical QWERTY slider hybrid, as well as the Mythic, a touchscreen-only device with a 3.3-inch display, Samsung's TouchWiz interface and support for AT&T's version of FLO TV digital broadcasts. The Mythic is the premium device with a $200 price point on a two-year contract while the Flight costs $100 under similar terms. Both are due in November.
Pantech Reveal
Samsung Flight
Samsung Mythic
