Today, AT&T introduced the Pantech Laser handset, a device the company is billing as the “thinnest full sliding keyboard phone” on the market. The handset, which measures 9.95 mm in thickness, will have a 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, full QWERTY keyboard, and 3 megapixel camera. The feature-phone quick-messaging device (sorry, no Android) will be available starting October 17 and will retail for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and 2-year agreement. Hit the jump for the full press release.

AT&T Introduces Thinnest Full Sliding Keyboard Phone From Pantech

Pantech Laser hits AT&T Stores Nationwide October 17.

DALLAS, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/

Key Facts

• AT&T* announced today the latest addition to its portfolio of quick messaging phones – the Pantech Laser – will be available exclusively through AT&T beginning October 17.
• Pantech Laser is the thinnest, full sliding keyboard device (9.95mm) AT&T has ever offered.
• Pantech Laser will be available in AT&T company owned stores nationwide and online for $99.99 after $50 mail-in rebate (pay $149.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $50 AT&T Promotion Card. Two-year agreement and $20 a month messaging or combination of messaging/data plan required).

Customer Benefits

The Pantech Laser, an ultra-slim and stylish quick messaging phone that features a vibrant 3.1″ AMOLED touchscreen and a full sliding QWERTY keyboard, allows for access to email, social networking and messaging. From the touchscreen, users can activate Drawing Commander, a feature that allows for calls to be made, messages to be opened or favorite apps to be accessed by simply tracing a shape with a finger. Laser further prioritizes the personal experience by allowing voice memos to be recorded on the Voice Memo app and shared via text, or the 3MP camera to be used for updating social media statuses with pictures and videos. Pantech’s latest quick messaging phone proves that functionality doesn’t have to be sacrificed for a thin phone.

In addition, the Pantech Laser boasts:

• AT&T Address Book –syncs contacts to an online address book so customers can access and manage their mobile contacts from their handset — or their PC. Synchronization occurs automatically when any change is made, so contact information is always backed up.
• AT&T Navigator – offers turn-by-turn voice and onscreen driving directions, automatic rerouting, real-time traffic monitoring and more. AT&T Navigator is available for $9.99 per month, and new subscribers receive their first 30 days of their subscription for free.
• AT&T Social Net – provides easy access to all your social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace in one easy-to-use interface.
• AT&T Mobile Share – helps customers quickly transfer photos and videos captured on their mobile phone to other destinations and allows customers to manage that content across the mobile and PC screens.

(1) Limited-time offer. Other conditions & restrictions apply. See contract & rate plan brochure for details. Subscriber must live & have a mailing addr. within AT&T’s owned wireless network coverage area. Up to $36 activ. fee applies. Equipment price & avail may vary by mrk & may not be available from independent retailers. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days, but up to $35 restocking fee may apply to equipment returns; thereafter up to $150. Some agents impose add’l fees. Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment.

(2) AT&T Promotion Card: Allow 60 days for fulfillment. Card may be used only in the U.S. is valid for 120 days after issuance date but is not redeemable for cash & cannot be used for cash withdrawal at ATMs or automated gasoline pumps. Card request must be postmarked by Nov. 6, 2010 & you must be a customer for 30 consecutive days to receive card.

(3) Messaging charges apply to voice memos sent via text.

(4) Mobile Share-Requires a data plan. Monthly Recurring Plan includes 50 transfers. The overage rate and Pay-per-use rate is35 cents for each transfer. You are charged for each transfer to or from your device. Transfers exceeding 2 MBs will be charged for each additional 2 MB increment or fraction thereof. Normal data charges apply when browsing your online locker or other sites from your Mobile device

(5) Pricing established by AT&T for AT&T-owned retail outlets.

Read

The FCC has graciously put up several images of AT&T’s Pantech P9050, also to be known as the Sparrow. The Sparrow is a dual-band GSM/WCDMA device with a 3.1-inch display, 480 x 800 resolution, full-QWERTY horizontal sliding keyboard, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 3 megapixel camera. No operating system was specified by the FCC, however – judging by the lack of Android keys and the look of the device — we’d guess that the OS is going to be something proprietary from Pantec. We’re sure AT&T will be incorporating this little guy into its feature phone lineup soon… we know you can’t wait.

[Via PhoneScoop]

Read

After releasing the Razzle last year, Verizon Wireless is teaming up again with Pantech to launch another entry-level messaging handset. Touted as the successor to the Razzle, the Pantech Jest is a standard slider with QWERTY keyboard, 1xRTT connectivity, 2MP camera with camcorder, Bluetooth, up to 16GB microSD expansion, GPS, 2.5mm headset jack, dedicated messaging key, and oh-so-important vanity mirror. The Jest is expected to launch in all channels via direct fulfillment with the launch coming as soon as Razzle supplies are depleted, which may be as soon as next week. Hit the jump for a full rundown of specs and a few more slides from the deck.

Thanks, anonymous!

Literally moments after announcing the June 20th launch of the HTC Aria, AT&T announced an addition to its messaging, feature-phone lineup with the Pantech Ease. The Ease has a 3.2″ touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 7.2 Mb/s HSPA connectivity, and 2 megapixel camera. The phone is billed as one for “simplicity seekers,” and AT&T boasts: “The handset can also be switched from Easy mode to Advanced mode for a more traditional quick messaging user experience with a quick settings change. Customers of all types may enjoy the Easy mode, especially seniors.” Watch out Jitterbug! The Ease will be available on June 20th and will retail for $69.99 on contract after a mail-in rebate.

Read

First up is the Samsung Strive. Available March 21st for $19.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate (pricing reflects a limited-time AT&T promotion), the Strive features a sliding full-QWERTY keypad and a 2 megapixel camera. Second is the Samsung Sunburst. Also available on the 21st but for $39.99 after a $50 MIR, the Sunburst is a candybar touchscreen that features widgets which offer one touch access to frequently used services like SMS and social media sites. Other than that, all we know at present is the Sunburst also has GPS capabilities. Although pictures, pricing and specific release dates have not been announced, AT&T also announced two devices from Pantech in the Link and Pursuit. The Link, which will be available in the coming weeks, is described as an “ultra slim and light, full keyboard quick messaging phone” that has a wide range of social media capabilities. As for the Pursuit, it has both a touchscreen and sliding QWERTY keypad and its camera of unknown megapixelage supports facial recognition and geotagging. It will be available this summer.

In other news, AT&T also announced three new services for low-end devices. AT&T Address Book is a free OTA contact sync system that backs up to AT&T’s servers and is accessible via the PC. AT&T Mobile Share is lame lets users upload pictures and videos up to 10MB to their PC and social media sites as well as send it to friends or upload it to the new AT&T Locker. The service will cost $10 per month or $0.35 per use and provides 250MB of storage which is expandable to 10GB for an additional $5. Last and quite possibly least is Next Generation Messaging which enables threaded SMS in addition to group messaging and the ability to reply to all for up to 10 contacts at time. Why this is needed is beyond us, but we think it has something to do with scaring parents into buying their tweens an unlimited SMS plan.

Any takers?

Read

After we whispered that AT&T might be requiring messaging plans when you purchase select feature phones, we were hit up by a flood of connects. Long story short, it’s true, and here’s the break down:

• Phones that require a messaging plan at time of purchase include: Pantech Reveal, Pantech Impact, Motorola Karma, Samsung Flight, Samsung Impression, Samsung Magnet, Samsung Solstice, Samsung Mythic, Samsung Propel, LG Xenon, LG Neon, and the LG Vu.
• It looks like the minimum monthly cost when buying a “Quick Messaging” phone is around $20. That’s a $5 200 SMS/MMS plan and a $15/month unlimited data plan. It doesn’t look like you can walk out of the door without paying less than $20/mo in features in addition to your voice plan.
• There are slightly different requirements if you have a family plan, so check those out in detail with your AT&T liaison.
• If you have an existing “Quick Messaging” device, you don’t have to do a thing. But, if you want to ever upgrade to a new device, you’d then be hit with the messaging feature requirement.

Not exactly the best news for those looking to keep their wireless bill pretty low (and straight forward). Catherine Zeta Jones, where you at?

Thanks, to all our connects that broke this down for us!

What do you do with a bulky QWERTY messaging phone that makes everyone yawn? You give it a snazzy name and add some twisting action to the form factor in order to garner the people’s attention. Such is the case with the Pantech Razzle, the successor to the rather ho-hum Pantech Blitz. The prominent feature of the new Razzle is a spinning keyboard that will twist from a QWERTY pad on one side to music controls on the other. Our previous scoop pegs the arrival of the Razzle sometime in late October with a very attainable entry-level price. Hit the jump for some swiveling action.

Read

It might not have a spot for microSD cards or even an EV-DO radio, but Pantech’s Verizon-bound Escapade is a special phone nonetheless. You see, the Escapade, which is all set to launch on August 21st, will be one of the few non-smartphones offered by Big Red that is capable of operating overseas on GSM networks. Without it, you’d pretty much have no choice but to get a loaner phone or pony up the big bugs for a smartphone. Spec wise, as we already alluded to, the Escapade is more like a blast from the past than anything new, but it does have a 2 megapixel shooter as well as GPS. So not only can you take some grainy snap shots while on vacation in Rome, but you can also navigate your way down its maze of winding roads and passages.

As you might have imagined, the unending leakfest continues today with information about two more handsets headed AT&T’s way. First up is the Pantech Aladdin, a QWERTY slider with HSDPA connectivity, 2.2-inch QVGA display, 1.3 megapixel camera, aGPS, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, microSD expansion, threaded SMS, and support for Napster, eMusic and other forms of Windows DRM. This entry-level handset will fall in line with the Pantech Matrix / Matrix Pro and is expected later this year. Also expected to drop at AT&T is the LG Monaco, a high-end Windows Mobile side slider. The Monaco will feature a 3.2-inch WVGA touchscreen display, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, microSDHC support and a sweet-sounding Pico projector accessory. The Monaco will reportedly run Windows Mobile 7 which likely pushes the launch date of this phone well into 2010. Hit the jump for the associated slides.

Read (Pantech Aladdin)
Read (LG Monaco)

It looks like Bell isn’t going to be the only Canadian carrier to offer both the Palm Treo Pro and Samsung OMNIA as TELUS is getting ready to launch both devices for $149.99 each. Well, based upon some advertisements that have appeared in several newspapers across Canada at least. Despite the good news of their impending arrival, both handsets are more expensive on TELUS with the OMNIA and Treo Pro commanding an extra $20 and $50 respectively over the prices offered by Bell. It might not seem like the biggest deal, but considering that these prices are based upon 3-year contracts being signed we have to say that the extra dollars are likely to rub more than a few people the wrong way. Now, we don’t have any specific release dates as of yet, but we will be sure to keep you all updated with the latest news as it happens.

UPDATE: Surprise, surprise, TELUS announced the OMNIA shortly after this was published and dropped the price to $129.99.

Read

We knew this one was coming

Read

AT&T and Pantech have officially announced the Matrix Pro this morning and while it won’t knock you out of your seat per se, it definitely fairs well as far as bang for your buck is concerned. As the smartphone successor to the dual-sliding Pantech Matrix, the Pro model maintains the same form factor while adding Windows Mobile 6.1 to the mix for a much more capable result. The design of the handset has also been refined to an extent and the specs have be freshened up a bit. Highlights include an upgrade from dual-band to tri-band 3G for the travelers among us, a 2 megapixel camera, aGPS, threaded SMS, Video Share, stereo Bluetooth, microSDHC support and last but certainly not least, a snazzy mirror finish. In terms of pricing and availability, the Matrix Pro will be available beginning next Tuesday, February 24th, for a respectable $179.99 after $50 mail-in rebate. As an aside, if we see “nation’s fastest 3G network” in one more AT&T press release before the company addresses the 3G network speed and dropped call issues plaguing various regions across the country, we might just lose our cool.

Read

At long last, the Helio Ocean 2 is now available online. Many will just chuckle and give this bubbly handset a pass (especially for those who gave up after waiting for so long), but for those few die-hard Helio fans left it’s better late than never. If you have been lusting after this device and were waiting for its official release, head on over to Helio’s website where you can grab one for $149 with a two-year contract. If you click on the little “lawyers note” where the phone is available for online ordering, it also mentions that this is a limited time offer only. We’re not sure exactly what they mean by that, but it’s a pretty good cue to get one soon. Is there anyone out there getting ready to pick one one of these “3G social networking powerhouses”?

Read

After one long year of waiting in agony, excitement, disappointment, despair and lastly hope, it looks like the Helio Ocean 2 has finally materialized and it appears to be a sure thing now. The packaging looks very similar to the first Ocean, though it is now just called Ocean 2 given the Virgin Mobile acquisition of Helio. There’s no mistaking this for anything else as it looks very much like the original and exactly like all the leaked images from a few months back. Word seems to be pretty solid that this is coming on February 12, so we’re just days away from salvation. The second generation Ocean has an upgraded version of the Ultimate Inbox which now threads SMS messages and has Google Talk included. The browser now supports full HTML and with 2GB of internal storage, you won’t be aching for memory as often as you did with the first Ocean. Hit the read link for a full unboxing treatment.

Read

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• 2 megapixel camera
• Video recording
• Bluetooth
• MicroSD expansion slot
• Dual-band 850/1900 GSM/EDGE/WCDMA

No word on release, pricing, or carrier availability yet. From the looks of the draft manual, and the fact that the first version appeared on AT&T, we’re thinking it’s going with the boys in blue again. The device looks pretty sweet and if it’s solid as Pantech’s Ocean and slim and light as the first Duo, the Korean company will have another winner on their hands.

[Via FCC]

Read