AT&T held a special event in New Orleans to detail its home automation and security system, however the carrier also brought along Samsung's Focus 2. Electronista had a chance to try out the company's latest Windows Phone device, which represents the third model to feature the Focus label and the carrier's first to be equipped with an LTE radio for 4G data speeds.
Microsoft's promised LTE support in Windows Phone may come very early with two devices. A leak Thursday to The Verge had two devices, the HTC Radiant and Samsung Mandel, running an interim version of the OS that would predate Tango but add 4G. Little is known about either device besides that the Mandel would likely have a larger screen than the 4.3-inch Focus S (shown).
Mac users running Windows Phones received a major update to Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac (Mac App Store) this weekend to better accommodate Windows Phone 7.5 phones like the Focus Flash. The new update now lets users transfer the custom ringtones enabled by the OS update and also links up with Windows Phone Marketplace. Pro photographers can now sync with Aperture instead of just iPhoto.
AT&T had one of its bigger non-Apple phone launches in recent memory on Sunday after it launched four headlining smartphones. Its first two LTE smartphones, the HTC Vivid (reviewed) as well as the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, headlined the group. Both run Android 2.3 on 4.5-inch screens and with eight-megapixel back cameras; the Vivid has the slower 1.2GHz dual-core processor but a 540x960 screen, while the Skyrocket's 480x800 screen is made up for through a dual-core 1.5GHz chip.
AT&T on Friday posted launch details for its first two Windows Phone 7.5 devices. Both the Samsung Focus S and Focus Flash will arrive in the carrier's stores on November 6, just a day ahead of a New York City event. The phones will try to cover the full spread of smartphones from the start, beginning at $50 on a contract with the entry Focus Flash and moving up to $200 for the higher-end Focus S.
Microsoft's Andy Lees used the AsiaD conference to show off the finished versions of AT&T's Windows Phone 7.5 roster. Its headliner and completely new model, the Focus S, looks like what Electronista and others saw before with the same 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen and 8.6mm profile as the Galaxy S II, just with a 1.4GHz single-core Snapdragon and a 1.3-megapixel front camera instead of the two of the Android phone. The phone won't necessarily perform slower in practice due to WP7's light demand.
Samsung gave clues that the Focus S was close to launch on Friday after it passed through an FCC approval. Going under its i937 name, it has the expected AT&T 3G frequencies and matches up with the design that Microsoft itself teased earlier in the year. The wireless-focused test also confirms the existences of 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
AT&T revisited Windows Phone on Monday with details of a widened Windows Phone strategy for the fall in sync with the Mango update. The launch will be headlined by the Focus S, better known so far as the i937; the device is effectively a slightly slower Galaxy S II and shares its 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen along with the very thin 8.6mm (0.34-inch) profile. It drops to a single-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon and has both an eight-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera.
AT&T on Tuesday started pushing out its anticipated NoDo update for two of its three phones. Both the LG Quantum and the Samsung Focus both get the promised copy-and-paste text, faster app support, and improved Windows Phone Marketplace access. The update brings two surprises specific to AT&T users, who get support AT&T Address Book cloud syncing and WISPr to automatically connect to AT&T's Wi-Fi hotspots without a sign-in.
Microsoft updated Windows Phone 7 owners late on Friday to say that two of AT&T's devices were finally in step to get the NoDo update. Both the LG Quantum and the Samsung Focus are in "scheduling," or past the testing phase and due to get their patch within 10 business days. The third, the HTC Surround, is still in testing.
