We knew the thinnest QWERTY keyboard phone was coming, but AT&T and Pantech have officially launched the Slate. The phone measures less than one centimeter deep and is equipped with standard 2006-circa specs: 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth, and multimedia functions. To be honest though, the phone is only going to be $50 after a two-year agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate so what more can you want?

Here’s another phone that’s destined to be bought by dozens of people, the Pantech Slate. This AT&T-branded device, which is due for release later this month, comes with all the normal (for 2006) fixings: a 1.3-megapixel camera, e-mail, IM, yada yada.

Supposedly it’s the thinnest QWERTY device out there. You really do wonder, though, as everything these days is thin to one degree or another, how much traction can Pantech, AT&T or whomever get out of calling a device the “thinnest.”

She should cost $50 with two-year contract.

In addition to the Slate, Pantech also has the Matrix up its sleeves, and this one, I think, looks a hell of a lot nicer than said Slate. It’s a dual slider, as the photo shows, and fully compatible with AT&T 3G network. She’s $80 with the same two-year contract.

Are phones commodities yet? They’re all starting to blur…

Available starting today is the Pantech Matrix for AT&T. It features the same dual sliding keyboard from their Helio Ocean design in a much better looking form factor. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the pill design, but this new QWERTY keyboard looks a lot easier to use. It features a 1.3-megapixel camera, XM radio, Bluetooth and an MP3 player. Get it now in blue, green and red for $80.

Pantech’s C610 clamshell was announced today for AT&T and we were lucky enough to have one dropped off at the office. The C610 isn’t a bad looking phone to be honest and is well equipped. It can tap into the 3G network for downloading music, games and watching TV clips. It even gives directions with built-in GPS. Memory is expandable via microSD and also includes Bluetooth. The 1.3-megapixel camera also shoots video (sample after the jump). AT&T’s video sharing feature is also supported along with Music ID and has three hours of talk time with up to 10 days of standby.

Check out the rest of the images, sample photo and video over at MobileCrunch >>

Oh boy! Gear Diary has the inside scoop on AT&T’s remaining lineup of devices for the rest of the year and it looks pretty good. Lots of Windows Mobile 6.1 devices along with a few BlackBerrys. Details after the jump.

For Blackberry expect the following:

3Q/08:

BlackBerry Curve 8320 (Wi-Fi)
BIS 2.5 (done)
BlackBerry Bold
BlackBerry version 4.5 OS released (8820, Pearl 8120, Curve, Curve 8310)

For Windows Mobile Devices:

Q4/08

New Pantech Duo Device, specs below:

•Windows Mobile SP 6.1
•Tri-band HSDPA (3.6)/Quad-band EDGE
•528 MHz Processor
•128MB RAM
•256MB ROM
•USB, Bluetooth 2.0
•Micro SD
•2 MP Camera
•GPS

6.1 upgrade due in Oct for the old Pantech

Samsung Blackjack 2 6.1 upgrade due in July

Moto Q9H 6.1 upgrade due in July

Samsung Blackjack 3 due in Q4 this year, specs below:

Windows Mobile SP 6.1
Tri-band HSDPA (3.6); Quad-band EDGE
528 MHz processor
128MB RAM/ 256MB ROM
Camera 3 MP
AGPS
VSC
WiFi

Launch Target: late Q4/08

AT&T Tilt 2 due Q4 – Specs below:

Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition
Tri-band HSDPA (3.6); Quad-band EDGE
Qualcomm 528 MHz processor
256MB ROM/ 128MB RAM
3.0 MP camera
WiFi; Bluetooth 2.0
PTT; AGPS
VSC (at launch)

AT&T Tilt 6.1 upgrade due in July

There is also another Samsung Device coming in Q4 as well, no name yet (Omnia maybe?):

Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition
Tri-band HSDPA (3.6); Quad-band EDGE
Marvell 624 MHz processor
256MB ROM/ 128MB RAM
2.0 MP camera
WiFi; Bluetooth 2.0
AGPS
VSC

No upgrade on 6.1 for the Treo 750 even though Palm already has it done, go figure.

Plus an LG Non Qwerty Device due in Q4 as well

It seems a video of the Ocean 2 was up last night, but that’s clearly not the case now since we can only provide a screen shot. Not a whole lot to glean from the Heliocity message board, but it appears the d-pad is touch sensitive and the “Helio” is backlit. Looking forward to this upgrade.

Japan’s second biggest mobile phone carrier KDDI au yesterday followed DoCoMo and Softbank with their presentation of 12 new cell phones to be released this summer. The first models will be sold at the end of June.

Here is the complete line-up:

W62H from Hitachi
(equipped with a 2.8 inch OLED display featuring 480×240 resolution)


W62SH from Sharp
(equipped with an FM transmitter and a 3-inch screen)

W63SA from Sanyo
(featuring “global passport CDMA” for business people who travel worldwide)

W63T/Sportio from Toshiba
(designed in collaboration with Adidas and featuring a calorie-counter function)

W63K from Kyocera
(extra-simple to use handset aimed at Japanese men over 40 years of age)

G’z One W62CA from Casio
(designed for outdoor use with waterproof and extra-sturdy body)

W62PT from Pantech
(featuring illuminated buttons to facilitate operation of the phone)

W62K from Kyocera
(with trimmed-down functionality for users over 40 years of age)

W64SA from Sanyo
(the panel can sparkle in different colors via the “shake illumi” function)

W63S from Sony Ericsson
(with expanded options for exchange of damaged phone parts at au stores)

W62T from Toshiba
(standard model with aluminum panel)

W64K from Kyocera
(featuring optimized access to One-Seg TV)

In addition to this impressive line-up, au also announced the start of their new “Lismo Video” service by which customers can playback movies downloaded from KDDI’s PC web site on their cell phones. The Lismo Video store [JP] currently features over 2,000 different titles.

AT&T is all about red devices lately and, of course, they’re pushing them hard for Valentine’s day. Already in the red line-up is Samsung’s Blackjack II, LG’s Shine and BlackBerry’s Curve. Enter Pantech’s Duo. Yeah, it’s still the so-so Windows Mobile device we reviewed a short time ago. A $99 smartphone isn’t too shabby.

Product Page

Helio has once again dropped the price of their unlimited plan down to $99 from $145. You know the drill. Now drop on by your nearest store and take advantage while you can. The Ocean and Mysto are great choices in case you needed some advice on a handset.

Helio

Feeling loverly? This cute little phone would go great with that purse, although if your girlfriend is a gearhead she may be disappointed. But who can resist that little pink jewel? Every time you send, it’s like a baby Rudolph is giving your thumb an Eskimo kiss.

The only stat I could gleam was that the thing only has a 1.3-megapixel camera, so despite having a price tag topping $400 before rebates and such, it doesn’t seem to be a powerhouse, exactly. Don’t have a lot to do and speak Korean? Try navigating the Pantech site and see if you can scrape any more info out of the Flash love story they’re telling there.

Pantech’s curvy SKY IM-S300 [Mobiunity.com]

What would a week of “Smartphones Now” be without a review of a smartphone? A terrible one, I’m sure. So what are we going to look at today? The Duo from Pantech for AT&T. Not exactly the hottest smartphone on the market, but it does have a few qualities that are quite endearing. I’m also jaded and hate all phones to begin with. Heh. That’s not entirely true. I just hate the iPhone. That one’s for you, dwalk.

The most significant feature of the Duo is its dual slider design, which it borrows from its bigger brother over at Helio, the Ocean. The main difference and unfortunately the biggest pitfall for the Duo is the lack of spring assist for the QWERTY. You see, the Ocean has spring assist in both directions. You may not think it’s necessary but it is. Sliding the Duo to get to the QWERTY is painful and gritty. Of course, if you’ve never touched the Ocean then you wouldn’t know any different. It’s something you can get used to, though.

The keyboard itself has its pros and cons. The overall size of the Duo is rather small so the keyboard is a bit condensed. The numbers are like that of a BB. You have to hit function button, which is tedious but as I said, the Duo is small and if you want a small device then you’ll just have to deal with it. I’m not a fan of the keyboard itself, though. It’s entirely too flush for me. You don’t know what keys you’re hitting unless you’re looking at it and even then it’s a chore. The dividers are entirely way too thick and the buttons are way too small. It may be better suited for a lady with dainty hands then a big burly guy and his meat hooks.

The 1.3-megapixel camera with 4x zoom is ok, but you won’t really be getting any shots worth framing. The video cam is so so, but it does that weird vibration when you move it around too fast. Check the video and picture for yourself.

The music player was fine and it has stereo Bluetooth, but you’re using AT&T’s music services so it kind of blows. As does the video service. It supports Telenav maps and navigator, which is a nice touch in case you’re prone to getting lost.

Being a 3G/HSDPA handset is in and of itself a big seller, but the overall design of the Duo is bit low budget for my taste. It has a cheap-y plastic feel to it. Call quality was superb, though. Download speeds were wicked fast. It runs WinMo 6 so you love it or hate it. Talk time was actually pretty good edging over the rated 3 hours at over 4 hours. If you want a smartphone running WinMo that’s small and on AT&T then the Duo isn’t a bad choice. It’s available now for $200.

After a dreadful day of sitting on the couch, sleeping on the couch and playing Assassin’s Creed from the couch since I was under the weather yesterday, I return to the CrunchGear/TechCrunch office to find a UPS box waiting for me. What could it be?! Yeah, I know you already know since it’s blatantly obvious in the headlines but bear with me.

So what I have here is the Duo, which is Pantech’s take on the Helio Ocean. They did a pretty decent job, too. The QWERTY and 12-key are reversed on the Duo and it’s considerably smaller than the Ocean. My initial impressions are of the Duo are good so far. Each QWERTY keyboard is unique so I won’t be commenting on that just yet. I’m transitioning from the Sidekick Slide back to the BlackBerry keyboard so I’m all sorts of confused. Add to that my Ocean addiction and you may know what my mind and fingers are going through. It’s WinMo 6 so I already want to throw it against the wall, but we’ll see what I say next week with my full review. In the mean time, enjoy the pics.

We’re big fans of the Ocean for its design, but it’ll be interesting to see how the form factor carries over to WinMo 6. We’re not big fans of the phone’s OS, but it’s better than nothing.

The phone is running on AT&T’s HSDPA network, which means it’s fast. We get downlink speeds of 1.2Mbps regularly here in Seattle, and the theoretical speed limit is 1.4Mbps. Not bad at all.

AT&T is positioning this device as a half-consumer, half-business handset, which makes sense. You’ll see more phones hitting this dual-purpose demographic in the future, and we’re glad to see it as a market segment that’s growing.

AT&T, Pantech Double-Up on Cool with Slim, Dual-Keyboard Pantech Duo [AT&T Press release]

Apparently, this is quite an award as it’s been going on for over 50 years and entries come in from all over the world and number in the thousands. I guess that’s what I get for not keeping up on German design competitions.

This candy bar style handset — whoa, I just noticed the photo on the phone’s screen as I was writing this, hah cha cha! — comes with Bluetooth, mobile e-mail via Yahoo!, AOL, and Windows Live Mail, MP3 ring tones, and a VGA camera that also shoots video.

The phone is less than half an inch thick and costs a big fat donut with a two-year contract, $199 without.

Pantech Launches Stylish Award-Winning Camera Phone Press Release via [Businesswire]

The Korea Times

Dual-Sliding Messenger Phone for Helio Spotted on FCC Site [PhoneScoop]

PN-820 [Product Page, you'll need your ZIP]

Pantech has launched a clamshell phone known as the IM-U170, sporting both looks and functionality. Its metallic casing comprises of magnesium and its keypad is illuminated with Electroluminescent light which makes you look like a complete badass. The IM-U170 has two camera’s for video conferencing. The outer camera is a pretty standard 2 megapixel while the integrated VGA camera is utilized by the world’s first face-recognition mobile game that tracks the user’s face movement and acts as a controller for the game. The phone also includes support for MS Office files and yeah you guessed it, not available here!

Face-recognition [Mobile Korea TV]