As we’re sure you’re all very well aware by now, tomorrow marks the day that the iPhone 3G S will be available to the masses. Online pre-orders will be delivered and both Apple and AT&T stores will be opening with stock in hand to sell. Those preparing to score themselves a shiny new iPhone 3G S may want to take heed of some of the information that AT&T and Apple have released regarding tomorrow’s launch however, so hit the jump for a full run down of the launch information.
It looks like iPhone 3G early adopters will get a special bonus courtesy of Apple and AT&T today. For one reason or another, AT&T caved and those who purchased the iPhone 3G between July 2008 and September 2008 will be able to upgrade to the iPhone 3G S at fully subsidized prices — $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model. All of you who are eligible can now stop with the “its too expensive to upgrade” diatribe tout de suite. There is some criteria that must be met in order to be eligible such as plan minimums, credit rating and so on, so hit the read link for all the deets. If you purchased your 3G after September, well, there’s always refurbs or next year if you don’t want to cough up the cash.
LG’s entry level messaging phone, the Neon, has landed at AT&T. Officially announced back in March, the QWERTY side slider is now available from AT&T for a mere $29 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract. The Neon packs the typical entry level fare including:
We were just told the real reason why AT&T won’t be supporting MMS on the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3G S at launch, and you’re going to laugh… Technically it will work right away our ninja tells us. The are no extra plans or higher fees we’ve just learned (the unlimited $20 package covers unlimited SMS and MMS), and the reason it’s not good to go right away is because AT&T has to manually remove all the “Opt Out MMS codes” on each account. Basically, if we were to summarize this, and we’re going out a little bit of a limb, remove the Opt Out MMS code, and MMS will work with the final OS 3.0 build right away. Who wants to try it with the GM 3.0 build just released?
Call it the HTC Rhodium, call it the HTC Fortress, call it the HTC Touch Pro2 or whatever else you like — the bottom line is the AT&T version of this sexy Windows Mobile handset has just received a green flag from the FCC and we want it now. Proving that big really is beautiful, the Pro2 is probably one of the most attractive Windows Mobile phone that has ever been built in every sense of the word. The giant 3.6-inch sliding/pivoting touchscreen display, the spacious QWERTY keypad, the TouchFLO 3D UI… It’s all good. Now that big momma has the green light from the FCC and presuming internal testing it on schedule, it shouldn’t be long before this puppy graces AT&T shelves across the country. Yum.
Good news for those of you who are in dire need of a new smartphone but would prefer to stick to models that have been given the “all clear” in consumer reviews instead of grabbing the hottest new toys. Just like we told you in our scoop back in early May, AT&T has just slashed the 2-year contract price of the BlackBerry Bold to $199.99. What’s more, the Curve 8900 has been cut to $149.99 — the price it was originally going to launch at according to our sources. Previously $299.99 and $199.99 respectively, the Bold shed off a third of its price tag while the newest-kid-on-the-block (to AT&T, anyway) is now ripe for the picking. So what’s it gonna be, people? The brawny Bold or the svelte Curve 8900?
AT&T announced that it will upgrade its current 3G network to faster 7.2Mbps HSPA technology. The network upgrade will begin later this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2010. Along with the deployment of HSPA, AT&T is also adding 2,100 new cell sites, beefing up the capacity of the network by connecting current cell sites to a fiber-optic backbone, expanding coverage of the higher quality 850 MHz spectrum and increasing the availability of femtocells and microcells for improving coverage inside buildings. Along with faster speeds expect to see several new 7.2Mbps HSPA compatible modems and smartphones will be also introduced later this year. Although very much welcomed, this increase is only a temporary measure that will hold everyone until LTE is rolled out. AT&T plans to begin LTE trials in 2010, with commercial deployment beginning in 2011. Woo!
As this never ending gobstopper of a slide deck continues to maintain its flavor and AT&T execs surely continue to steam from the ears, we’re seeing quite the range in AT&T’s upcoming lineup. Suffice it to say, there really is something for everyone. Just about every space on the spectrum is covered and perhaps no two handsets illustrate this more than these two from LG. The HQ, or Herald, is a pretty basic 20-key messaging phone with Windows Mobile 6.1, tri-band UMTS, a 2 megapixel camera, microSDHC support and a 320 x 240 display. The “Opera TV” on the other hand — despite its ridiculous codename — is a high end MediaFLO-enabled touchscreen handset with LG’s S-Class UI, dual-band UMTS, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, a 5 megapixel camera and a 3-inch WVGA display that supports 16 million colors. Both handsets are supposedly due out this Summer. Hit the jump for a slide on each phone.
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.
Next up from the deck that keeps on giving is the Samsung Infinity. Hardly as exciting as some of the other handsets we’ve seen from this deck, the Infinity is presumably set to replace the Samsung Eternity — whose name, by the way, now looks to be a blatant lie. Spec highlights for the Infinity include quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band UMTS, a low-grade 3-inch touchscreen display that’s hardly on par with Sammy’s recent AMOLEDs, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, aGPS and a 1,000 mAh battery. Ok, so we’ve apparently hit the dregs of this slide deck but it was fun while it lasted… And the Infinity will definitely make a decent affordable tween phone when it drops sometime in 2H.
