Dallas – AT&T unveiled the pricing and availability dates of the new 4G LTE smartphones that it is adding to its Windows Phone 8 smartphone selection in time for Christmas-season sales.
The products, priced from $49 to $199, include a previously unannounced 8GB version of HTC’s Windows Phone 8X. The 8GB version will be exclusive to AT&T. The 8X is one of two HTC Windows phones positioned by Microsoft as “the signature phones” among Windows smartphones.
AT&T’s new Windows smartphones, along with a pair of LTE-equipped LTE tablets from Samsung and Asus, represent carrier’s new Windows 8 devices for the holiday season, a spokesperson said.
The Samsung tablet’s $799 price and Nov. 9 availability were announced on Monday. The price and availability of the Asus VivoTab RT, the first quad-core Windows RT 4G LTE tablet, hasn’t been announced.
The new Windows smartphones are the:
–Nokia Lumia 920, available exclusively on the AT&T network at $99 starting Nov. 9 with a promotional offer that includes a free wireless charging plate with purchase of the device. The Lumia 920 will be available in red, white, black, yellow and cyan.
— Nokia Lumia 820, available Nov. 9 at $49. It and the Lumia 920 will be available for pre-order beginning Nov 7 www.att.com/lumia920.
–Windows Phone 8X at $199. It’s due in stores by Thanksgiving.
— and the exclusive 8GB version of the Windows Phone 8X, which will be available in Limelight color at $99. AT&T will be the only carrier offering an 8GB version of the 8X.
The Windows Phone 8X by HTC features 4.3-inch, 1,280 by 720 HD touchscreen with 341 pixels per inch; Qualcomm S4 dual-core 1.5GHz processor; Micro SIM card; 16GB of storage and 1 GB of RAM; nearfield communications (NFC); Beats Audio technology; and the same camera module and imaging chip as the flagship Android-based One X. Rear-camera features include 8-megapixel image capture, 1080p video recording, f/2.0 aperture and 28mm lens.
The 8X’s front-facing camera is a 2.1-megapixel camera with 1080p video capture, f/2.0 aperture, and “ultra-wide-angle lens” that lets users capture themselves and their friends in group shots. The 8X also features Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n with dual-band n.
The Nokia Lumia 920 features built-in Qi wireless charging, 4.5-inch Nokia PureMotion HD+ WXGA IPS LCD screen, 1.5GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4 processor 1GB RAM, rear-facing 8.7-megapixel 1080p camera/camcorder, front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera that records 720p video, PureView camera technology said to deliver stand-alone SLR camera quality, and Super Sensitive touchscreen that lets consumers use their fingernails or gloved fingers to control the screen’s user interface.
The midrange Lumia 820 features 4.3-inch ClearBlack WVGA 800 by 480 OLED screen, Super Sensitive touch, the same Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, and optional exchangeable shells that add Qi wireless charging.
The 820 features an 8-megapixel auto-focus, rear-facing camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash. It also captures 1080p HD video at 30 fps. It adds a VGA front-facing camera.
Both Lumia models feature Nokia Drive, a turn-by-turn voice navigation app with on-board maps; Nokia Music, a free music streaming service; and Nokia City Lens, an augmented reality application that uses the phone’s camera viewfinder to provide information about points of interests in the surrounding area.
