SGH-A717
(Credit: Samsung)AT&T/Cingular has been a bit quiet lately, but that all changed this week when the carrier announced three new cell phones. Tuesday it was the RIM BlackBerry Curve, and today it's the Samsung SGH-A717 and SGH-A727. Though the handsets aren't brand new (we saw the former at CTIA and the latter at CES), this is the first time they've landed at a U.S. carrier. And it's interesting to note that these are two of the first handsets to show the new AT&T branding. Both offer multimedia features, and this being Samsung, both sport thin designs. Would you expect anything less?
The SGH-A717 is a minimalist flip phone that somewhat resembles Sprint's Samsung SPH-M610. That means it's decidedly trim (0.5 inch) but it's saddled with a ridiculously small external display. Inside, find support for AT&T's 3G UMTS networks, access to the carrier's music and video applications, a 2.0-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, an MP3 player, world phone support and a speakerphone.
SGH-A727
(Credit: Samsung)The SGH-A727's candy bar design won't be new to Samsung fans, as it resembles no less than three other phones from the manufacturer. It shares its design (0.35 inch wide) with the Samsung SGH-X820, the SGH-T519 and the SCH-R510. Its features include quadband world phone support, compatibility with AT&T's 3G network and services, a 1.3-megapixel camera, a digital music player, Bluetooth 2.0, and a speakerphone.
The AGH-A717 will be available Monday but we don't know an exact release date for the SGH-A727. Samsung said only that it will be "soon". Both phones are $149 or $99 with a two-year contract.
Apple iPhone open to third party applications?
(Credit: CNET Networks)During the interview with Walt Mossberg at D5, Steve Jobs apparently let slip (according to the transcript from Gizmodo and Engadget), that even though the Apple iPhone won't start out of the gate with support for third-party applications, Apple is open to it and is working on making that possible later this year. Both transcripts imply that Jobs was concerned about security issues, which is what presumably was holding up the process. The lack of third-party support was one of the biggest complaints about the iPhone when it was first announced earlier this year, so if Apple actually makes this happen, it'll make a lot of people happy. (And one of them is me.) Now if only they'll work on 3G support as well.
RIM BlackBerry Curve
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)For those of you who have been making regular visits or calls to your local Cingular/AT&T store about a certain BlackBerry Curve, you can stop reciting "Is it here yet? Is it here yet?" Today, the carrier announced that the Curve will be available in stores and online, starting tomorrow, for a reasonable $199.99 with a two-year contract and after mail-in rebates.
Some highlights of the Curve include a 2-megapixel camera, a built-in spell checker, noise-cancellation technology, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Bluetooth 2.0. The device also supports a number of AT&T's add-on services, including push-to-talk, AT&T Music, and TeleNav maps. It's lacking Wi-Fi and 3G support, but this sexy little thing of a smart phone offers a well-rounded set of features that should attract its fair share of fans. Check out our full review and video for all the details.
Prepaid iPhones? We think not.
(Credit: The Boy Genius)The Boy Genius came across AT&T screenshots that show the Apple iPhone will be available to the carrier's Go Phone prepaid users once it launches next month. Such news is contrary to everything we've heard about the iPhone so far (and granted, that isn't much), so we're a bit skeptical the screenshots are authentic. The iPhone's price with a plan is already sky-high at $499 for a 4GB version and $599 for an 8GB version, so it's not far-fetched to suggest that the cost of an iPhone sans any service rebates would be astronomical. And since prepaid plans are typically marketed toward cell phone users who don't want to pay a monthly fee, it's hard to imagine a Go Phone customer forking over that much cash. It just doesn't make much sense, but we suppose it could happen. Like everything with the iPhone, we'll have to wait and see.
Apple iPhone
(Credit: CNET Networks)The Boy Genius got his hands on a Cingular/AT&T sales brief for the upcoming Apple iPhone. Though we don't know for sure if the document is legit, it doesn't have any red flags that would denote it as a fake. And while it doesn't answer the biggest iPhone question (the release date), it predicts the handset's software will be five years ahead of any cell phone.
According to the document, presales of the iPhone will not be allowed, and there will be no waiting lists for interested customers. The document then repeats the prices for the phone ($499 for 4GB, $599 for 8GB) and warns that there should not be any additional speculation/discussion about pricing. It also cautions against providing specific release dates to customers and repeats that we'll see it "sometime in June." One step forward, two steps back.
The rebranded AT&T 8525
(Credit: Cingular/AT&T)Today, AT&T/Cingular announced a rebranded and upgraded version of the Cingular 8525 called ... wait for it ... the AT&T 8525. Aside from the new name, the 8525 brings push-to-talk capabilities and support for the carrier's Mobile Music and Cellular Video streaming service (aka Cingular Music and Cingular Video). This is, of course, in addition to the 8525's already powerful feature set of push e-mail, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, HSDPA support, and a 2-megapixel camera. The AT&T 8525 will be available starting May 14 for $399.99.
And hey, Cingular 8525 owners, don't get all worked up now. You can also spruce up your current device by downloading the software update from HTC's site. Cingular/AT&T says there are plans to release a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the smart phone later this year, but no specific date was announced today.
Click on the image to begin the Nokia N75 slide show.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Now, by big and bad, we don't necessarily mean that in the "This phone is so rockin', it'll knock your socks off" kind of way. The Nokia N75 is big in the bulky sense and it's bad in that there are some major disappointments to this much-anticipated phone. Is it all bad? I mean, there's got to be a reason why there's been so much clamor for this phone since it was first introduced in September 2006, right? Well, we finally got our hands on one, so take a look through our photo gallery and then read our full review to see what the N75 has to offer and see if it was worth the wait.
Nokia N75
(Credit: Cingular)After a bit and back and forth last week the Nokia N75 is officially back on sale with AT&T/Cingular. Last Friday, the N75 popped onto the carrier's Web site, only to be removed moments later. Cingular never came clean on the cell-phone hokey pokey but the same thing happened to the LG CU500v. Now a week, later both the N75 and CU500v are back on sale. The N75 is $199 with service.
Click on the image above to start the BlackBerry Curve slide show
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Ooo, we'd hate to be a RIM BlackBerry 8800 owner right now. Just months after the 8800's release, Research In Motion and Cingular/AT&T have released a sleeker, sexier model that will make you wish that you had waited a while longer. How the world of technology can be so cruel. The RIM BlackBerry Curve (aka BlackBerry 8300) is the smallest and lightest, full-QWERTY BlackBerry to date, and we're absolutely stoked on the design. We want to be clear that the BlackBerry 8300 is more about the revamped design rather than new features (read: still no Wi-Fi or 3G support), but what can we say? We're a sucker for a pretty face. Unfortunately, Cingular didn't announce an exact availability date or pricing today, but we'll keep you updated as we get the information. In the meantime, check out our full review and First Look video of the BlackBerry Curve for all the glorious details.
LG CU500
(Credit: CNET Networks)Update: Mere hours after we posted this blog entry, we got the news that Cingular/AT&T has pulled down the LG CU500V from its site. So either someone jumped the gun and listed it early, or the site is experiencing some technical difficulties. Plus, it looks like the Nokia N75 is suffering from the same launch fake-out. What's up, AT&T? The following is the original blog entry prior to the take down:
AT&T has just launched the LG CU500V, which is the first phone to offer live mobile video calls in the U.S. We mentioned it awhile ago, back during CES 2007, and like we said back then, the LG CU500V is essentially identical to the LG CU500 save for the Video Share feature. It's not exactly true synchronized video calling however, as the video is transmitted only one-way, though apparently the direction can be switched during the call if the receiver has a compatible handset. Engadget suspects that AT&T plans to launch true video calling later this year, but that remains to be seen for now. Also, unlike what we reported at CES, it seems that existing LG CU500 users can't upgrade their firmware to support the new Video Share feature; they'll have to pony up the extra cash to buy a new LG CU500V just like the rest of us. The LG CU500V will cost about $29.99 after a two-year contract and a rebate.
