As AT&T continues to expand its high-speed 4G LTE wireless data network, the company has today announced a slew of devices to take advantage of the increased bandwidth. There are five Android handsets on tap, an 8-inch Android tablet and two Windows Phone handsets.
(MORE: Ask Techland: What’s the Deal with 4G?)
Let’s light this candle.
First up, we’ve got the Samsung Exhilarate:
Notable specs: 4-inch screen; made from 80% recycled materials; Android 2.3.
Availability: “In the coming months,” says AT&T.
Price: Unknown, but I’m guessing it’ll be rather inexpensive – perhaps $99 on contract.
Other notes: It’s “the first 4G LTE device to meet environmental and sustainability standards,” says AT&T, so if you’re into green gadgets and you’re looking to get into the whole 4G LTE thing (superfast web speeds), then this is your best – read: only – option.
Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD:
Notable specs: 4.65-inch screen; dual-core CPU, 0.37 inches thick; falls back on slower-but-still-pretty-fast 4G HSPA+ network when 4G LTE isn’t available; Android 2.3.
Availability: “In the coming months,” says AT&T.
Price: Unknown, but I’m guessing around $200 on contract.
Other notes: The model name is way too long, but it looks like a capable phone otherwise. The HPSA+ compatibility is nice, too, since AT&T’s 4G LTE network isn’t available everywhere.
Step right up, Pantech Burst:
Notable specs: 4-inch screen; 16 gigabytes of memory; dual-core CPU; Android 2.3.5.
Availability: January 22
Price: $49.99 with a two-year contract
Other notes: It’s cheap, but the dual-core processor should help.
And speaking of Pantech, let’s take a look at the Pantech Element tablet:
Notable specs: 8-inch tablet; front- and rear-facing cameras; 16 gigabytes of storage; weighs about one pound; it’s waterproof up to one meter for 30 minutes; runs Android 3.2.
Availability: January 22
Price: $299.99 with a two-year data contract
Other notes: It’s waterproof, which is cool, but being forced into a two-year data contract for a tablet that’s going to be obsolete far before then is not. AT&T eases the sting somewhat by offering both the Pantech Burst (above) and this tablet for $250 with a two-year contract for a limited time, which is $100 worth of savings.
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