AT&T roadmap: two WP7 Mango phones, two Samsung Androids
updated 05:40 pm EDT, Tue August 23, 2011
ATT roadmap for fall 2011 tips up
An AT&T roadmap surfacing Tuesday has given clues as to the network's non-iPhone launch strategy for the late summer and fall. Along with known quantities like the Torch 9860, it shows at least two Windows Phone 7 Mango devices. One fall release, the "Kupua," is Samsung's i937, is believed to mostly be a take on the Galaxy S II using Microsoft's OS. The other seen by PocketNow, the HTC "Bunyip," is most likely the Eternity 4.7-inch flagship.
Samsung would play more of a role in the Android lineup than thought. The "Singa," or i777, has the high-end specs and summer release window to suggest it's AT&T's version of the US-spec Galaxy S II. The "Gidim," or i927, could be the unnamed QWERTY slider and might ship at the same time.
Other devices are few and would all be ready by the fall. The Motorola "Fuath," or MB865, should be Motorola's LTE smartphone. Pantech is due to have two budget phones, the "Nuli" (P9060) and "Onza" (P7050), with five- and three-megapixel cameras respectively. Huawei should bring up the rear with an entry-level phone, the "Jengu" (U8652), with Android 2.3 but a 320x480 screen, a three-megapixel camera, and just 256MB of RAM. RIM's BlackBerry Curve 9360 would have to wait for the fall as well.
The roadmap is plausible and lines up with rumors. The codenames may all be AT&T-only, though, as none of them are used by the hardware makers themselves.
At least one of the Samsung Android phones should be made public next week, at Samsung's August 29 Galaxy S II event.
