They remind me of the Samsung Sync phone, both in sleek angular style and in their ability to sideload music from Napster and Yahoo (and, I am guessing, other PlaysForSure services you may subscribe to).

The badass app for these phones is Video Share, which we first saw demoed during the introduction of Motorola's RAZR 2. While you are talking, you can stream video in one direction as sort of a show-and-tell. (Your listener must have a compatible 3G phone as well, of course.) AT&T says its got over 160 markets with HSDPA, meaning throughput of 400 to 700 Kbps on average. Jump for close-up shots and facts straight from the horse's mouth. – Wilson Rothman

AT&T AND SAMSUNG UNVEIL NEW ULTRASLIM HANDSETS

New Clamshell and Bar-Style Phones Lead Growing Portfolio of AT&T's 3G Devices

SAN ANTONIO and DALLAS, June 1, 2007 - AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung) have announced the availability of the Samsung SGH-a717, a clamshell-style phone, on June 4, and the SGH-a727, a bar-style phone that will be available in the coming weeks. Both devices offer a rich multimedia experience in an ultra-slim form factor.

The a717 (12.9 mm) and a727 (8.9 mm) are currently the slimmest 3G phones available from AT&T. They also offer a multitude of services a customer would want in a device, including AT&T Mobile Music, Cellular Video, access to MobiTV™ and MobiRadio™, Bluetooth® technology, a microSD™ memory card slot and multiple messaging options.

"The a717 and a727 are packed with the advanced features our customers demand and are stunning additions to our growing portfolio of 3G devices," said Carlton Hill, vice president of product management for AT&T's wireless unit.

The phones will also support AT&T's forthcoming Video Share service, launching this summer. Video Share allows users to add a live, one-way video stream to a standard voice call, allowing the called party to view what the caller is seeing during a voice call. Both customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone.

AT&T Mobile Music features connectivity to allow customers that allows customers to use Napster or Yahoo! Music to load music onto the devices, and also includes Music ID, XM Radio, music videos, The Buzz music news portal, and more.

"The a717 and a727 are our slimmest handsets optimized for AT&T's 3G network," said Peter Skarzynski, senior vice president, Samsung. "Both devices embody Samsung's commitment to developing slim, stylish devices that boast a number of multimedia, messaging and music capabilities."

Additional features of the a717 and a727 include:
• 2.0 and 1.3 megapixel cameras, respectively
• Quad-band GSM technology (1900/850/900/1800 MHz), which allows AT&T customers to make calls in more than 190 countries and to download data in more than 125
• Dual-band 3G (850 MHz, 1900 MHz) which provides average download data speeds between 400 and 700 kilobits per second with bursts of more than 1 megabit through AT&T's HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access) network
• Bluetooth 2.0 and a microSD™ memory card slot
• SMS, MMS, Instant Messaging and Mobile E-mail
• MobiTV and MobiRadio

Pricing and Availability
The SGH-a717 is available June 4 through select AT&T retail locations, formerly Cingular Wireless, or via www.att.com/wireless. The SGH-a727 will be available soon. The a717's and a727's suggested retail price is $149.99 and $99.99 respectively, after a two-year contract activation and a $50 mail-in rebate.

The haptic-feedback external touchscreen steals the show button-wise, leaving no doubt that the phone has registered your commands. Generally speaking, the buttons all around have gotten a substantial usability upgrade thanks to the extra space afforded by the phone's added length; the lone exception is the camera shutter button, which for some reason was fairly loose.

The new Moto UI is a major upgrade from the original one that is substantially faster and more customizable: "People will have to forget about how they felt about the old Motorola UI used in the original RAZR handsets, because things are completely different in the new system."

In short, the RAZR 2 "is a good looking, solid folder that is everything the original RAZR V3 was — and then some." Odds are, then, that if you weren't a fan of the original RAZR, you might not fall in love with RAZR 2, either. – Matt Buchanan

Hands-On With Motorola's RAZR2 V8 [MobileBurn]
RAZR 2 [Gizmodo]

It all started at 10am, in cute little brick building in NYC's Chelsea district. If you want to relive the fast paced, down-and-dirty, marketing-speak-laden event, click over to our Play-By-Play. It's in reverse chronological order, so if you really want to feel the suspense, scroll to the bottom first. (Don't forget to check out our immense gallery of Zander & Co. in full PowerPoint effect, too.)

Do you want to skip the fanfare, but still get the next best thing to feeling a RAZR 2 in your own clammy palm? We recommend you start off with our Huge Gallery, a fetishist's delight of phone shots. That's just an appetizer to our main course, the immersive Video Tour.

Maybe you want some context for this shiny newcomer, especially in America where the carrier is king. Check out our outline of the different RAZR 2 editions, and why we think they were each tailor-made for a particular carrier.

We've seen some skepticism today, and I think a lot of it is directed towards the RAZRs of yesteryear. If anything, keeping the name has made those of us who didn't like their RAZRs pessimistic about the experience to come. But it must be said that none of us knows exactly what that experience will be like, yet. So take it all in, throw in your two forty-seven cents, let Moto know how you feel. But recognize that whether it turns out to be an all-star or a supersucker, this is not your grandfather's RAZR. – Wilson Rothman

Special Launch Website [Motorola]

Essentially, Motorola has gone far beyond simply anticipating the network needs of AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and (maybe) Sprint. I've posted a chart from the press materials that you can click to enlarge. But there's more to it than that. Here's my (educated) guess as to which carriers will pick up which RAZR 2 versions:

•RAZR 2 V8 (July 2007) - Totally T-Mobile - It a slender model with 512MB or 2GB of internal memory, its instantly compatible with Windows Media Player 10 or 11 for access to all-you-can-eat "sideload" music. T-Mo isn't in the business of selling music over the air, so it's the most codec friendly (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+) and it's got highspeed USB 2.0. In addition it supports Motorola Linux-Java for super flexible software development. It may be the "slowest" in terms of network, but it very well may be the sweetest palmtop.

•RAZR 2 V9 (August 2007) - Up AT&T's Alley - With its WCDMA 850/1900 or 2100 and HSDPA 3.6, it's clearly developed to be a part of AT&T's aggressive 2007 lineup (not just higher bandwidth than the iPhone but also higher than Sony Ericsson's US HSDPA phone). Optional memory up to 2GB, but nothing to write home about in terms of built-in memory (you gotta watch out for the "upsell"). It will have video telephone and video streaming, including the "See What I See" technology for live in-call video streams. It will not support Motorola Linux-Java, however, favoring what Moto calls "Synergy" (meaning "carrier friendly") software. This will support Windows Media files, but will not come ready to sync with Windows Media Player 10 and 11. (There is a slim chance that AT&T will also sell a RAZR 2 V8, but I'm willing to bet that only happens if there's a serious V9 delay or a huge price step-up.)

• RAZR 2 V9m (July 2007) - Qualcomm Was Here - The good news is, there will be a CDMA version of the RAZR out early. Last time, it took a while for Verizon Wireless to get one, and even longer for Sprint to introduce it. That means highspeed EVDO plus sGPS location technology. The downside is that CDMA carriers will have their way with this handset, and fewer of the options Zander bragged about will be guaranteed. Video streaming is "network dependent" and the software is Motorola Synergy or "carrier proprietary." Music options? "Proprietary customer music players," says another Moto data sheet.

Dear Sprint and Verizon Wireless: when you do get this, please check out some of the software advantages Motorola is introducing. I swear your customers will thank you for it. – Wilson Rothman

Motorola RAZR 2 Launch Coverage [Gizmodo]

The original RAZR was tough, but the RAZR2 is super strong. It has stainless steel supports, chemically hardened glass, and the hinge is good for 100,000 flips. It can support up to 180 pounds, and it easily survives drops.

They've also shoehorned 2GB of internal memory on board, and smartened up its user interface, that is, until lummoxes like Verizon get a hold of it.

The company says the RAZR 2's ARM 11 processor is 10 times faster than the first RAZR, and the company's even punched up the sound quality with CrystalTalk, which is said to automagically compensate for noise by raising its volume. Take the jump for highlights of the RAZR 2's rollout presentation and our exclusive hands-on video tour.

There are noticeably brighter screens inside and out. The inside screen is 2.2 inches diagonally with a 320x240 pixel display, and there's a bigger 2-inch display outside. There's subtlety to the new design, too. That double chin is gone. Plus the glass and finish won't get scratched as easily.

Check out the user interface on the RAZR 2. It's streamlined compared to its predecessor, and felt instantly responsive. As you can see, it supports Java apps as well:

The 2-inch outside screen functions as a touchscreen, and you can check messages, place calls and play tunes without even cracking open the clamshell. They've also incorporated haptic feedback into that touchscreen, which sends a small vibration to your finger to signal that you've pressed the button. A weird but cool feeling.

It's tougher as well. The company says the RAZR 2 can withstand an 180 lb. butt sitting on it (Jason could even put this one down the back of his pants and then have a seat!), and then the guy almost dropped it in an accidental attempt at proving its toughness:

It's not a bad-looking phone for the unadventurous, and it's all yours if you can wait until its July ship date. – Charlie White

Product Page [Motorola]