Dallas – AT&T is expanding
its selection of 4G LTE Windows Phone smartphones with the May 20 launch of the
$49.99 Samsung Focus 2.
The device will join the
carrier’s two other LTE Windows smartphones, the $99.99 Nokia Lumia 900 and
$199 HTC TITAN II. All use the Windows Phone 7.5 OS.
The Focus 2 is Samsung’s first 4G
LTE Windows Phone, and AT&T is the only U.S. carrier to date offering
LTE-based Windows Phones, said Jeff Bradley, AT&T Mobility’s devices senior
VP.
On the eve of CTIA Wireless 2012,
the carrier described the glossy-pure-white phone as measuring 0.43 inches in
thickness, weighing 4.3 ounces, and featuring 4-inch Super AMOLED screen,
1.4GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera. The phone also features 720p video
capture, front-facing VGA camera, hands-free messaging via speech-to-text and
text-to-speech conversion. Another feature is a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot to
connect up to five Wi-Fi devices to the AT&T network.
Like AT&T’s other Windows
Phones, the Focus 2 also features 4G HSPA+21technolgy so that data speeds don’t
slow dramatically to 3G speeds when used outside on of AT&T’s current 35
LTE markets. AT&T’s LTE expansion is scheduled to be largely complete by
the end of 2013.
Like other Windows phones, the Focus 2
features Live Tiles user interface, Microsoft Office Mobile and SkyDrive, which
lets users store and access documents in the Cloud.