AT&T releases five new Android handsets

SAN DIEGO--AT&T announced five new Android handsets today: the Motorola Atrix 2, Samsung Captivate Glide, Samsung DoubleTime, Pantech Pocket, and AT&T Avail. This release brings the total of Android devices on AT&T to 19 in 2011 alone.

As AT&T hasn't always been so bullish on Android in the past, we're happy to see the carrier renew its commitment to the platform with the release of so many Android handsets.

The Motorola Atrix 2 is perhaps the worst-kept secret on the list; we read reports of leaked Atrix 2 specs almost two weeks ago. A successor to the Atrix, which was announced earlier this year at CES 2011, the Atrix 2 features slight improvements over the original.

It has a 4.3-inch qHD display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 8GB ROM, 1GB RAM, and a 2GB microSD card that's expandable to 32GB, an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and 1080p HD video capture, a front-facing camera, Android 2.3, and support for AT&T's HSPA+ 21Mbps technology, which the carrier claims is 4G. To make the device more enterprise-friendly, the Atrix 2 also has device and microSD encryption, VPN support, enhanced Exchange options, and remote wipe capabilities. As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the Atrix 2 will be compatible with a new laptop dock accessory called Lapdock 100. It appears to be a more universal version of the previous Webtop accessory, which would hopefully fit other Webtop-compatible phones as well.

If you would rather have an Android phone with a QWERTY keyboard, the Samsung Captivate Glide has a sliding design while still retaining a somewhat slim silhouette. It also ships with Android 2.3, and has a 4-inch Super AMOLED display. Features include a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and similar enterprise-friendly functions, like enhanced Exchange ActiveSync, device encryption, and more. The Captivate Glide also supports AT&T's so-called 4G technology with HSPA+ 21Mbps.

AT&T's new Android phones for fall 2011 (photos)

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For a more midrange option, AT&T also offers the Samsung DoubleTime, which has a dual-touch-screen display and a full flip keyboard. It's designed specifically for texting and social networking. Disappointingly, it ships with Android 2.2, but that means that it's not really meant for power users. It does have a 3.2-megapixel camera with a camcorder, and the usual Android features. It has a Qualcomm 600MHz processor, a 2GB microSD card with support of up to 32GB, and a 3.2-inch HVGA touch-screen display.

Pantech is really stepping it up lately with its U.S. offerings. While the Pantech Crossover was more of a basic Android phone, the Pantech Pocket kicks it up a notch with a more appealing design and slightly better features. It has a wider 4-inch SVGA screen that should provide a wider virtual keyboard and improved browsing experience, a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and support for up to 32GB microSD cards.

Last but not least, AT&T is offering the AT&T Avail as the second Android smartphone available on its GoPhone prepaid network; the first was the LG Thrive. As you might expect, it's quite an entry-level device. The Avail, which manufactured by ZTE, has a 3.5-inch touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, and it runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

We don't have availability or pricing for most of these phones yet, but we do know that the Motorola Atrix 2 will be available starting October 16 for $99.99 after a two-year contract.