Hasta La Gadget!

Jun 14

HTC Aria goes official for AT&T, gets toyed with on video (update: $130, coming June 20)

Posted in: Android, att, breaking news, BreakingNews, Google, GoogleAndroid, HTC, htc sense, HtcSense, sense, smartphone, Today's Chili, video

Um… okay? In what’s easily one of the most curious product introductions of the year (in terms of method, not design), AT&T has seemingly just made official the first not-awful Android device to be sold in subsidized fashion for its network. ‘Course, those who don’t mind ponying up for an out-of-contract phone have been able to to pick up an AT&T-compatible Nexus One for a few months now, but contract lovers have been stuck with the Motorola Backflip and the promise of Dell’s admittedly underwhelming Aero. Dante Martin, a product manager at the carrier, has followed up on a prior video with a confirmation that the HTC Aria is indeed “launching on AT&T,” though he gives precisely no specifications in his address posted after the break. All we know is that the phone will most certainly ship with Sense and an optical trackball, but mum’s the word on a price or release. For now, anyway. Here’s hoping this is just the beginning — AT&T needs a decent dose of Android in the worst possible way.

[Thanks, Travis]

Update: Ah, and here’s the official presser. It’s a mid-range phone with Android 2.1, a five megapixel camera, 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchpanel, inbuilt WiFi and support for 7.2Mbps HSPA. There’s also a soft-touch back and a total weight of around four ounces, and AT&T says this one will be available on June 20th nationwide for $129.99 on a two-year contract (after $100 mail-in rebate, of course). As for specs? There’s a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM 7227 processor, proximity sensor, integrated GPS, a digital compass, light sensor, 512MB ROM / 384MB RAM, a microSD card slot (2GB included) and a 1,200mAh battery good for up to six hours of yapping.

Gallery: HTC Aria for AT&T