Las Vegas – AT&T Wireless is expanding its smartphone lineup and Verizon Wireless is
adding third party computing devices to its network.
Both carriers made their announcements on the eve of the CTIA
Wireless 2010 convention, here, with AT&T adding Palm and Dell branded
products, while Verizon Wireless is certifying two mobile computing devices and
a hybrid cellphone/cordless desktop phone for use on its 3G network.
At
AT&T, the carrier said it plans soon to offer Palm’s WebOS-based
as well as Dell’s
first U.S. smartphone, the Android-based Aero,
formerly called the Mini 3.
AT&T’s
Palm announcements make AT&T
after
Sprint and Verizon to offer smartphones based on Palm’s new WebOS operating
system. The carrier stressed, however, that on its network, the two devices
become the first WebOS smartphones to offer simultaneous voice and data, a
feature of AT&T’s 3G network. Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will be available
at $149 and $49.99, respectively, after mail-in rebate and with a two-year
contract that incorporates an unlimited cellular-data plan.
The
unlimited data plan, required of Dell Aero users as well, also gives users of
the Pre Plus, Pixi Plus and Dell Aero unlimited access to AT&T’s more than
20,000 Wi-Fi hot spots.
Details
of the Aero were unavailable, but it is Dell’s first smartphone in years and
has been rolled out in foreign markets in recent months.
AT&T
said it would soon announce the availability dates and distribution channels
for the Palm
devices and the Dell Aero.
At Verizon, the carrier certified Motion’s
ruggedized J3400 tablet PC, Motorola’s ruggedized MC9598 handheld computer and
‘s HomeCel 1000
landline/cellular desktop phone for use on the carrier’s 3G network.
The
hybrid two-line phone, intended for small business and homes, is the first of
its kind certified for use on one of the country’s major national carriers. It
connects to the traditional landline phone network, but it also incorporates a
3G cellular transceiver in its desktop base to receive calls via the cellular
network. It’s designed to let users take advantage of lower-priced cellular
plans to cut home or small-business communications costs, the company said.
The
HomeCel features 2.4GHz digital spread spectrum cordless technology, keypad in
the base and handset, and expandability to up to four cordless handsets. SMS
messages can be sent from the cordless handset, which also enables three-way
conferencing through its cellular and landline connections.
HomeCel
pricing and distribution details were unavailable.
In
portable computing devices, Motion’s J3400 tablet PC joins Motion’s C5 and F5
tablet PCs as Verizon-certified. They feature Qualcomm’s Gobi
chipset, enabling activation on wireless networks based on different 3G
technologies.
Motorola’s
MC9598 handheld computer joins three other Motorola handheld computers
certified for Verizon’s network.
