AT&T unveils line-up of full web browsing phones

AT&T today announced the launch of four new mobile phones - two each from Pantech and Samsung - that feature full web browsers as well as physical and virtual keyboards.

The Pantech Reveal and Impact will join the Samsung Mythic and Flight at the head of AT&T's quick messaging and touch-screen phone portfolio heading into the holiday season, a company press release said.

The new phones are the first to come preloaded with AT&T's new richer and faster HTML mobile browser and att.net service, combining the best of full HTML browsing with unique features for personalising favourite bookmarks and local searches. The new att.net mobile platform utilises advanced data compression from Opera Software, allowing for much faster delivery of HTML web pages.

"Customers expect to see the hottest mobile phones at AT&T stores and we've upped the ante for consumer handsets with our quick messaging phone portfolio over the past year," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.

Pantech Reveal: To be on shelves from 18 October, in red and blue, Reveal is a slim and snappy slider that features an open-faced numeric keypad on the front of the phone which slides up to uncover a full keyboard underneath. Uniquely, both sets of keys stay active simultaneously. Reveal utilises AT&T Navigator and 3G.

Pantech Impact: Bringing a new form factor along with a more colour choices to the quick messaging portfolio, Impact features an OLED touch screen that lets users send text messages, make calls, and control their music library without having to open the phone. Impact's screen features haptic controls which register each key-press with a soft, tactile buzz. A sideways flip of the phone reveals a full physical keyboard and a second display screen. Additionally, Impact comes with tri-band 3G functionality and is available in two colours, pink and blue.