Pantech Pocket (photos)

The Pantech Pocket is one of five new Android handsets AT&T announced at CTIA in San Diego. It has a rather unusual form factor--it measures 4 inches diagonally, but it has a 4:3 aspect ratio, which gives it quite a wide footprint.

The Pantech Pocket is Pantech's second Android phone for AT&T--the first was the Crossover--and it's also the first Pantech Android phone to support AT&T's 4G / HSPA+ network. It ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and utilizes Pantech's own UI due to the unusual aspect ratio. The four default buttons along the bottom row of the home screen are shortcuts to the phone dialer, messaging app, browser, and the main menu.

The Pantech Pocket has a textured surface on the back that Pantech says increases the durability of the phone. It certainly feels comfortable and easier to grip. Also on the back is the 5-megapixel camera lens.

The Pantech Pocket has a 3.5mm headset jack along with a power/screen lock key at the top.

As you might expect, the Pocket is actually quite pocket-friendly due to its slim form factor. It might not fit in the narrowest of pockets of course, but we found it fit in our back pocket just fine.

One of the benefits of such a wide design is a wider virtual keyboard. Even though this is in portrait mode, the keyboard is very roomy and spacious.

Of course, the keyboard in landscape mode is wider still, with plenty of space for your thumbs to move around.

We also found browsing large Web sites a little easier on the wide display, as there's less scrolling around to do.