Just three days ago, Pantech announced that the “Discover” would be released through AT&T on January 11th. This device will only run you $49.99 with a 2 year contract. Despite the low price tag, it is a 4G LTE device and packs a 4.8 inch 1280 x 720 pixel display. It also comes with a 12.6 megapixel camera and a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor.

As noted before, the Discover will only be on AT&T. However, thanks to a render picked up by Unwired View, we have reason to believe that Pantech is bringing a similar device to Verizon. Given that the Discover costs $50 at AT&T, we would expect its sibling to cost the same price.

As for specs, Ubergizmo is reporting that the Perception will have a display of 1196×720 pixels and will run on a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. Furthermore, it is hard to believe that Verizon would be releasing many non-LTE devices in 2013. So you can expect the Pantech Perception to be 4G LTE ready.

There is no word on when this device will be released or if it will even be released on Big Red. Stay tuned to Mobile Magazine for more info on the Pantech Perception as it is announced.

Would you like to see more low-cost smart phones released this year? Do you think Pantech will survive much longer against Samsung and Apple? Let us know in the comments below.

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When HTC announced the J Butterfly for the Japanese market, a new chapter smartphone technology was revealed. The age of full HD displays on smartphones is now starting to heat up, with Sony and others all working on entries of their own. In China, there is also the Oppo Find 5, which is expected to arrive in the United States in unlocked form. And now Pantech is joining the club as well.

The Pantech Vega IM-A860S and A860L are heading to South Korea and appear to be the same phone, just different variants for different carriers.

The Vega IM-A860 is a flagship device and is said to have a formal launch just around the corner. Not much is known about the rest of the specs here, but odds are that it will likely have quad-core power to go along with the impressive display. It also very likely has a 5-inch display.

So when will a formal announcement arrive? CES 2013 seems like as good of bet as any. If Pantech eventually brought a full HD phone to your local area would you consider it or not?

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The post Pantech Vega Joining the 1080p Smartphone Club appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

There aren’t a ton of 1080p smartphones out there yet, but we do have the HTC J Butterfly and the upcoming Chinese-market Oppo Find 5. Hoping for more devices that support true HD in the near future? Your wish is about to be granted.

Samsung, LG and Pantech all have affirmed plans for 1080p smartphones in 2013. These high-end devices should start showing up before the end of the first half of the coming year.

So what could these devices be? For Samsung, our money is on a True HD display for the Samsung Galaxy S4. For LG and Pantech, it is less clear. Pantech could do just about anything here, and LG already has its ‘core’ flagship device with the Optimus G.

Either way, HD fans will have plenty of choices next year. While these are the only new companies to affirm plans, I have a feeling we will also see 1080p smartphones from companies like Motorola as well.

How important is the idea of true HD on such a small display, in your opinion? Are you excited for future 1080p smartphones or are you perfectly content with 720p resolutions?

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The post LG, Samsung and Pantech Both Promise 1080p Smartphones by mid-2013 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Remember how I said the growth in smartphones is being fueled entirely by the rapid adoption of prepaid smartphones? It’s probably because of great deals like this where you are able to get $25 of free airtime credit when you spend $80 on the outright purchase of a brand new Android smartphone.

Over on Amazon, you are able to buy the Pantech Crossover with AT&T for just $79.99, which is $120 off (60% off) the regular price of $199.99. Remember that this is the no-contract price, so the phone is yours free and clear. The phone works with the AT&T GoPhone prepaid service, so you only pay for the minutes that you use. The $25 airtime credit is then added to your account when you activate this phone. The GoPhone SIM kit is included in the box.

The Pantech Crossover isn’t the most powerful smartphone out there, but it looks like it can get the job done. Tehre’s a 600MHz processor, 3MP camera, GPS, 3.1-inch touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 3G support, microSD expansion (2GB included), wireless-N, and the AllSport GPS app.

Check out the product page on Amazon.com for more information about both the smartphone itself and the compatible AT&T GoPhone options that you have. You can pay by the month, by the day or by the minute, but prepaid data is only available with the monthly option. There is no pay-per-use data.

The post Get $25 Free Airtime Credit on $80 Prepaid Android Smartphone appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It seems that 2012 is the year of ‘waterproofing’. I find this ironic, since in the movie “2012”, the world is destroyed by a variety of disasters, ending in massive flooding.

Maybe companies are thinking, “Hmm… just in case?”  All jokes aside, we’ve seen some interesting pushes towards waterproofing technology such as P2i’s Aridion technology, and the new waterproof Pantech Element.

Now it seems that both Apple and Samsung might be making a move down this road as well, as both are actively looking into a hi-tech spray that make smartphones waterproof, and such technology could even arrive with the iPhone 5.

Keep in mind that this technology isn’t about deep scuba diving or water-sports, but it is still an innovative way to ensure that you don’t have your phone destroyed by accidental water damage.

I can personally attest to how you useful this could be, since about a year ago my then 1 ½ year old daughter actually did manage to get ahold of my phone and took it to meet the bathroom sink. While I was wise enough to have a replacement plan, having waterproofing like this would have made things a whole lot easier.

In recent demonstrations, a working iPhone and Samsung Galaxy, using this type of coating, were dunked into a bowl of water and were still working even below the surface.

The hi-tech coating will be available ‘pre-sprayed’ on iPods and other Apple devices in the near future it seems. Even if Apple and Samsung don’t officially offer devices that are pre-sprayed, part of the company, Zagg, is to incorporate the HZO coating into custom iPhones next year, and offer pre-treated phones for sale.

So will 2012 be the year of waterproof smartphones and tablets? It certainly looks that way.

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The post Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 To Be Waterproof? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It seems that Pantech is finally diving head first into the tablet market with the Element. The Element is a waterproof tablet that is designed to withstand a good splash, you can even submerge the new tablet in one meter of water for up to thirty minutes. Of course the question begs, why would you want to do that? Still, it’s nice to know there is finally a good tablet option for those of us that love going to the beach or pool.

The Element runs on a dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon processor, has HDMI-out, 1080p video playback, and a 5MP camera. Of course, you only get Android 3.2 for now, though it is planned to have an upgrad path to Android 4.0 in the near future.

Outside of its fairly beefy specs, what really makes the Element stand out is that it will be the first tablet to feature Immersion’s Hi-Def Haptics technology that was soon off at CES. The Pantech Element combines a single piezo actuator from Samsung Electro-Mechanics Corp and the DRV-8662 haptic piezo driver from TI with Immersion’s TouchSense 5000 control software and MOTIV integrator tools.

Sounds complicated doesn’t it. So what does it all really mean? Simply put, it means it has cutting edge touch feedback effects.

Here is what Dennis Sheehan, Immersion’s vice president of marketing, had to say about the Immersion technology that will be found in the Element:

“Immersion’s TouchSense 5000 software takes advantage of the unique capabilities of high-fidelity actuators to create responsive and distinct haptic effects. By working with Pantech to customize the Element with our MOTIV Integrator, we developed an intuitive and engaging user experience. Users not only receive subtle and compelling enhancements to their device navigation, but they also receive enlivening haptic feedback for multi-media content.”

Overall this translates out to: Pantech’s first tablet is certainly no slouch by any means. The 8-inch tablet is also reasonably priced at $300 with a two-year contract and is planned for a January 22 release date.

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The post Pantech’s Android Waterproof Tablet Has ‘Immersion Haptic Technology’ appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

AT&T is expanding their LTE wireless network and, as expected, has announced the addition of a number of devices into their LTE handset line-up at CES. The devices that will soon be released onto their high-speed network include five new Android handsets, an Android tablet and two Windows Phone smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy Note
First up is the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note (pictured above) smartphone/mini tablet which boasts a 5.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus display with a resolution of 1280×800, dual-core CPU, the S-pen stylus and it runs Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread.

The device will be available “in the coming weeks” and we are expecting the device to come with a price tag of $300 or more on contract. In Europe, the non-LTE unlocked version of the device costs around $700. That’s a bit too expensive considering the Android version its running.

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket LTE
The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket LTE appears to be a capable phone with its 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display, and Android Gingerbread. The device also features HPSA+ compatibility which can be utilized when AT&T’s 4G LTE is not available.

It will be available sometime soon and we don’t think that there will be any change to that long model name. You can expect it to cost around $200 on contract.

Samsung Exhilarate
Samsung has taken the eco-conscious path with the Samsung Exhilarate which is made of 80% recycled materials. The device runs Android 2.3 and features a 4-inch AMOLED display. Other specs are not available at the moment which suggests that the device might not be a head turner.

The device will be available “in the coming months”, says AT&T, and we believe that it’ll be rather inexpensive. It might cost around $99 on a contract.

Pantech Element Android Tablet
The LTE-capable 8-inch Pantech Element tablet is now official and it features front and rear facing cameras, 16 GB of storage, Android 3.2 and weighs in at about one pound. The device can also survive under water up to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes.

The device will be launched on January 22 with a price tag of $299.99 with a two-year data contract.

Pantech Burst
And that’s not all from Pantech. The device that you see above is the Pantech Burst handset which will be taking advantage of AT&T’s network from Jan 22. The Android 2.3.5-powered device is coming with a 4-inch screen, 16 GB of memory and dual-core CPU.

Although it does not reach the level of the high end devices on the list, it appears to be a good option for all the budget-conscious customers out there as it will arrive with a price tag of $49.99 with a two-year contract.

Xperia Ion
And Sony is also joining in on the action with their Xperia Ion. Notable specs of the handset include a 4.6-inch HD (1280×720) screen, 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU, 720p front-facing camera, 12MP 1080p rear-facing shooter and Android 2.3.

According to the carrier, the handset will be the “first smartphone to be sold under the Sony brand in the US”. And since it’s a PlayStation-certified phone, you should get access to more than a few good games.

The device will hit the carrier in Q2 2012, with a price tag most probably around $200 on contract.

Titan 2
If Android is not the thing for you, you can choose one (or both, if you are rich) of the latest Windows phones that will be available soon on AT&T. The Titan 2, previously known as the Radiant, is the first LTE-capable Windows Phone from HTC.

The handset features a 4.7-inch 480×800 screen, a 16 megapixel camera to attract all the shutterbugs, a 1.5 GHz single-core CPU and Windows Phone Mango 7.5. You can expect a price tag close to $200 on contract.

Nokia Lumia 900
And last but definitely not the least, the Nokia Lumia 900 will be available in the coming months exclusively from the carrier. The high-speed Windows Phone runs Windows Phone Mango 7.5 and boasts a 4.3-inch 800×480 display, 1.4 GHz single-core processor, and front and rear facing cameras.

The device appears to be similar to the Lumia 800 as both the handsets have the same single injectable polyurethane matte plastic build. The difference is that the Lumia 800 has a smaller 3.7-inch screen, and it comes with a slower 3G chip. We are expecting the Lumia 900 to cost around $200 on contract.

So, which phone are you interested in?

The post AT&T LTE Lineup Includes Samsung Galaxy Note, HTC Titan 2, Nokia Lumia 900 And More appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

On January 8th, just a mere three days away, it seems that a new tablet from Pantech will be hitting the AT&T network.

The Pantech Element features an 8-inch display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Android 3.2 Honeycomb, 16GB of internal storage, an davanced “Piezo Motor” haptic feedback, a 5MP rear camera, a 2MP front camera, 4G LTE, and is what AT&T calls “Waterproof for real life”.

What this really means is that it has an actual waterproof rating of IP57, which means it is splash resistant as long as the ports of closed. This means that submerging the unit will still harm it.

Quite a few great features for just $299.99, as long as you are willing to pay for contract service. If you decide to get the phone without a contract, it will run you about $449.99.

The post New AT&T 4G LTE Tablet From Pantech appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Pantech Link on AT&T

You don’t see too many Pantech phones around these parts anymore, but the Korean electronics maker is still around and it’s got a new handset for all the budget-minded texters in the audience. It has just been announced that the Pantech Link will be heading to AT&T and it’s going to be a bargain.

While its outward appearance may lead you to believe that it’s a smartphone of some kind, the Pantech Link is probably better classified as a feature or messaging phone. There’s a full QWERTY keyboard on this “quick messaging phone” and it measures under 10mm in thickness.

The Pantech Link may not have access to an app store in the same way that a BlackBerry or Android device would, but it has been preconfigured to work with AT&T services like AT&T Social Net and AT&T Mobile Share. They say that it is the “slimmest way to stay connected to your social life.” Somehow, I don’t think the slimness in that statement is supposed to refer to its features.  Rounding out those features is a 1.3MP camera, music player, 3G connectivity, and mobile web access. The Pantech Link sells for a paltry $9.99 when accompanied with a two-year contract and rebate.

The post AT&T launches Pantech Link QWERTY phone for ten bucks appeared first on Mobile Magazine.