Pantech Burst, Element 4G devices ship to AT&T
updated 10:40 pm EST, Sun January 22, 2012
Pantech Burst phone and Element tablet arrive
Two of the devices formally unveiled at AT&T's Developer Summit have shipped to stores as of Sunday. The Element is Pantech's first US tablet and focuses on its LTE-based 4G data and its water resistance as its selling points: the eight-inch Android 3.2 device can take splashes and most other common abuse.
The dual-core 1.5GHz slate is also the most affordable tablet AT&T sells. It costs $300 on a two-year contract, but it can also be had for $450 contract-free.
The Burst, in turn, is the least expensive new LTE smartphone in the US and one of the smallest. At $50 on a contract and a four-inch Super AMOLED screen, it carries a roughly $100 price advantage and is about a third of an inch thinner than the frequently large designs dictated by LTE. Most of the cost savings on the Android 2.3 phone come from this smaller display as well as a five-megapixel rear camera and a processor modest enough to stop at 720p video recording rather than 1080p.
The Burst comes in gray or red and is $400 contract-free.
