pantech

Pantech's Burst and Element will be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment starting today.

Both phones can be upgraded to Android 4.0, AT&T said in a blog post published today. The update brings the phones to the second latest version of Android, behind Jelly Bean, or Android 4.1.

To download the update for the Burst, go here. To download the update to the Element, go here.

The two Pantech phones are mass market smartphones and part of AT&T's strategy to widen its smartphone base with more attractive pricing.

In what's becoming a regular occurrence, Verizon's year-end roadmap has apparently found its way online, according to Phone Arena, tipping the Big Red's smartphone plans.

It should come as no surprise that there's a handful of Android on the horizon, including devices from no fewer than six hardware makers. Should the leaked details prove true, Verizon will soon have a little something for everyone.

First out of the gate will be the Samsung Stratosphere 2, which has been rumored to have a Super AMOLED Plus display, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, an 8-megapixel camera, and a dual-core … Read more

Well, this is a new one for AT&T and Pantech. The two have teamed up to offer the Pantech Flex, a budget Android phone designed to ease first-time smartphone users into the Android experience.

The Flex has an "easy experience" mode that limits Android 4.0 to a single home screen imbued with large text and buttons, and a simplified menu to ease up on the navigation and scrolling needed to operate the full-fledged Android experience. Think of it as Ice Cream Sandwich with training wheels.

Just because the Flex comes with a starter mode doesn'… Read more

Not every phone can be great. Sometimes, in the rush to get a phone to market, the final product comes out a little half-baked.

A few weeks ago, CNET's Jessica Dolcourt published a blog post called "Don't buy these phones." Being the math whiz that I am, I noticed that her list had five phones and I promptly rehashed it to fit my purposes.

Now, these aren't terrible phones. Most are rated between 2 and 3 stars. They work as advertised, they won't fall apart … Read more

Consider the Pantech Marauder a smartphone with training wheels. Verizon's new 4G LTE Android handset has a dual-mode interface that includes a simpler starter mode than the standard Android interface.

In addition to the virtual keyboard is a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Other specs include a 5-megapixel camera, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and 1GB RAM. The microSD card slot supports 32GB of off-board memory.

The Marauder goes on sale August 2 for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, and with a new, two-year service agreement.

AT&T is digging in behind its February promise of eco-ratings for phones sold with the carrier's service with the sale of the Pantech Renue.

The Renue is built from 67 percent recyclable components, and its packaging is constructed from 95 percent recycled paper and printed with soy ink, which isn't a petroleum industry byproduct. The onboard power-saving app is another nod to Earth's resources. In addition, the Renue has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2-inch touch screen, and a 3-megapixel camera. It costs $69.99 with a new two-year service agreement.

AT&T'… Read more

Subscribe: RSS (SD) RSS (HD) iTunes (SD) iTunes (HD) Smartphones are practically essential in this day and age. I mean, how else are we expected to upload pictures of our lunch on Facebook?

Unfortunately, there's still a misconception that smartphones are an expensive luxury item. Not true. I mean, data and messaging plans may bankrupt you, but the phones themselves can be found for next-to-nothing so long as you're on contract.

In this episode of Top 5, I'll count down CNET Senior Editor Jessica Dolcourt's favorite smartphones under $50, for June 2012. Not only that, but … Read more

AT&T is trotting out a new QWERTY messaging phone, the Pantech Swift, going on sale today.

With its lavender accents, there's little question of Pantech's young audience, and the compact phone is appropriately priced at $69.99 with two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

The QWERTY keyboard, by the way, supplements the otherwise too-small 2.8-inch QVGA touch screen. Pantech has also added some curvature -- a slightly curved screen that also angles up when you slide it open. Button-pushers will also get a single hardware select button beneath the phone's face.

The … Read more

U.S. Cellular launched the Pantech Verse yesterday, a messaging phone with a vertical slide-up QWERTY keyboard.

Phone like the Verse may seem a dying breed when you consider all the smartphones making a splash at shows like CTIA and on store shelves, but there's an audience for those looking for simple and cheap.… Read more