The US operators may not be making such a big splash as Vodafone with 360, but they are slowly but steadily recreating their web experiences to deliver apps and interfaces that they hope will keep the users hooked on their networks. AT&T is relying heavily on location awareness and a new, full HTML browser (Opera) to excite its subscribers ‘ mainly geared to those who fall below the iPhone smartphone level, but also possibly an important consolation prize if AT&T does lose its iPhone exclusive, as O2 has in the UK.
The new browser and web environment are showcased initially on four handsets, which will ship in October or early November in time for the holiday season. Pricing is not revealed yet, but they are likely to come in around the $29.99-with-contract mark, like the latest Nokia phone that AT&T has allowed into its formerly Finn-free zone, the 6350 flip phone.
The new line-up includes a choice of touchscreen-only and physical keyboard formats, and most of the devices are geared to messaging, location, social networking and a simple, intuitive browsing experience for non-expert mobile net users. The phones come from Samsung, fellow Korean Pantech, and HTC. They run proprietary embedded operating systems ‘ while OS choices may be vital to the smartphone segment, in the midrange, the main aim is to get the AT&T brand across as many webphones as possible, with the OS hidden from the user and developer. The Samsung Mythic and Flight come with its TouchWiz user interface while the Pantech units are the Reveal and Impact.
All this shows AT&T putting its own-branded web building blocks in place, launching key software elements, such as its new full web browser. Opera is the star among multi-platform mobile browsers, rendering HTML more accurately (still rare on smartphones, even those with integrated browsers), and using compression to reduce overhead on the 3G network (vital to AT&T). It also provides location awareness and short cuts to relevant maps and content. All the new handsets come preloaded with the browser and att.net service, which allows for personalization and widgets.
The Reveal’s key differentiator is an open-faced numeric keypad which slides up to uncover a full keyboard, and both sets of keys stay active simultaneously, giving users fast access to numbers and letters at the same time. The Impact has an OLED touchscreen and an interface optimized for messaging and social networking, like many of the new wave of midrange webphones. The Mythic is touchscreen only, with a 3.3-inch display that supports mobile TV and key preloaded apps like AT&T Navigator, AT&T Social Net and att.net. It also runs the Samsung TouchWiz user interface for widgets.
On the Nokia front, AT&T is to launch the 3G flip phone, the 6350, as the latest in a trickle of handsets it is now sourcing from the once ostracized Finnish vendor. The HSPDA device has dedicated music keys, email support and a 2-megapixel camera and will cost $29.99 with two-year contract, after rebate. It runs Nokia’s lower end software platform, Series 40, rather than full Symbian/Series 60. The phone is quite similar to the Shade 2705, which Nokia announced with Verizon Wireless last week for the same price as the 6350. AT&T will make Nokia’s Ovi Store available to its customers later this year, but is not supporting the Finn’s first netbook, the Booklet 3G, which will launch in the US via retailer Best Buy.