After being reluctant to support the Android platform, AT&T is now ready to launch five new handsets in the first half of 2010. Established, Android leaders HTC and Motorola will be supplying the phones along with Dell, who will offer their first smartphone for the United States.
Details on the exact models were lacking, but AT&T provided the following information:
- A Motorola smartphone, powered by MOTOBLUR, with a unique form factor and an AT&T exclusive
- Dell’s first smartphone, based on the Android platform and an AT&T exclusive
- A HTC smartphone, based on the Android platform, and an AT&T exclusive
The Motorola phone is almost certainly the Backflip, which features a reverse flip keyboard. This Android phone will be quite similar to the CLIQ (same CPU with Android 1.5), except for the unique form factor. The device is nearly finished and hopefully it will launch in the near future.
Dell recently launched the Android-powered Mini 3 in China and we expect a similar, retooled device for the U.S.
We don’t know of any specific HTC phones headed to AT&T, but check out their leaked 2010 roadmap for a preview of possible form factors. AT&T was rumored to launch the HTC Lancaster last year, but apparently that phone was canned.
AT&T has committed to offer all major smartphone OS app stores (including Android Market), but their Android phones could look quite different from the other carriers. The Motorola Backflip is reported to lack Gmail (and several other Google apps), which has been replaced by Yahoo Mail.
It could be AT&T’s desire to remove all Google services and replace them with their own alternatives.
Head on over to the AT&T News Room for the full press release.
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Taylor Wimberly
Taylor is the founder of Android and Me. He loves playing with all kinds of gadgets, but most importantly cell phones. His other hobbies include cooking (BBQ hero!), politics, football, and watching every MMA event possible.
21 Comments
This is definately great news! For awhile there I was thinking maybe iphone had at&t In their pockets. At&t is the only other carrier besides tmobile that I would consider because I prefer the GSM NETWORKS myself. Somthing kinda cool about being on the phone and browsing the web and using apps at the same time. Now that they are going android I am definately going to recosider t-mobile after all the recent let downs (faster networks that never appear, new plans that I have to pay large amounts extra to just to have the chance to change. Let me be the first toperson on here to say Welcome to the wonderful world of android, at&t!!!!!
Thats great that we finally do get an android phone, but so far the 2 offerings (dell and motorola) look like kids toys that barely have the android feel. And from the sounds of this article (and knowing AT&T cant let a good thing happen) I can see them completely messing up whatever HTC ends up giving them by applying all sorts of limitations and ripping out all that is good about android (like forcing you to use their app system)
I just hope they get the bravo and we can root it.
While it is good to hear that AT&T has finally jumped on the Android bandwagon, I’m sorry to say that AT&T has also completely shot themselves in both feet with it. I’ve been told by an AT&T rep that they will not be getting the DROID (though I would have liked to gotten a few more words out of my mouth 1st), and that the NexusOne is the biggest one they’ve got going at the moment. YAY AT&T you are saving me sooo much money by getting Android phones that I will never buy…….
I just have to wonder how their policy on unlocked Sholes/Shules is???
f**k At&t!