AT&T Reveals Windows Phone Mango Smartphones

AT&T has become the first U.S. carrier to show off smartphones that will be powered by Microsoft's Mango update to Windows Phone 7.

The phones, two manufactured by Samsung and one from HTC, all will feature support for 4G data speeds, according to AT&T. The company also said all existing Windows Phone 7 customers would have access to Mango, also known as Windows Phone 7.5, this fall. Mango adds 500 new features, from major improvements like multitasking to numerous, transparent backend services, according to Microsoft.

"We're taking our leadership to a whole new level by getting the Mango update to all existing customers and rolling out awesome new Windows Phones," said Jeff Bradley, senior VP of devices in AT&T's mobility and consumer markets group.

AT&T said it will add the Samsung Focus S and Samsung Focus Flash to its lineup.

The 8.55-mm thick Focus S features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1.4-GHz processor, and a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera. It also boasts a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat. The Focus Flash, which is aimed at more budget-conscious consumers, comes with a 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 1.4-GHz processor, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a front-facing camera.

Also coming to AT&T's roster of Windows Phone devices is the HTC Titan. Geared toward video consumption and gaming, it sports a 480 x 800, 4.7-inch display--the largest in AT&T's smartphone family. It also comes with a 1.5-GHz processor, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1.3-megapixel rear-facing camera.

AT&T did not announce pricing or ship dates for any of the new phones.

AT&T is the top seller of Windows Phones, for now at least. The carrier will get some competition when Redmond's partnership with Finnish phone giant Nokia takes effect. Nokia has committed to porting its entire U.S. phone lineup to Windows Phone. Executives from the company have said they expect to start shipping Windows Phone devices in the United States in bulk by early 2012.

Many pundits believe Mango represents Microsoft's last chance to make a dent in the smartphone market. Microsoft held just 5.7% of the U.S. smartphone market as of July, according to Comscore. By contrast, RIM held 21.7% of the market, Apple held 27%, while leader Google, with its popular Android OS, held a commanding 41.8% stake.