AT&T was late to jump on to the Android boat and, when they did, it wasn’t pretty. The second-largest U.S. carrier is the exclusive carrier of the Apple iPhone, and for a time, AT&T probably felt that they didn’t need to do much more than watch the money pile up because of this exclusivity. That’s all about to change for the carrier and it is supposedly looking for a great alternative when Big Red end up getting the iPhone.
So what could AT&T have up its sleeve to help ease the bleeding of a Verizon iPhone? How about a handset from Motorola that runs Android Gingerbread and has a NVIDIA Tegra2 under the hood?
That sounds pretty good to me and it will likely be the hottest hardware we’ve ever seen on an Android phone before. That’s the rumor, but we’ve yet to hear this confirmed outside anonymous sources from Android And Me. This isn’t to say the source doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but we’re remaining skeptical, as believable as it may be.
With the loss of iPhone exclusivity, AT&T will likely embrace Android, as well as other smartphone platforms like Windows Phone 7, which they have recently announced. This handset has been dubbed the Terminator, but its official name so far is the Motorola Olympus MB860.
If AT&T can get this handset out this year, or anytime the iPhone hits Verizon, it may turn some heads, as the specs on the device will likely demolish the iPhone in its capabilities. That won’t mean instant success, though – There has been so much hype about a Verizon iPhone that many won’t even think twice before switching over.
Along with AT&T, Verizon should also be getting this Tegra2-toting Android handset as well. If this is the case, the phone (or a similar handset) that AT&T is trying to keep you with them will be available on the carrier it doesn’t want you to switch to most of all. It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out and if AT&T can hold on to some subscribers when the Verizon iPhone hits the shelves.
If you’re an AT&T customer waiting for the Verizon iPhone, would a badass Tegra2 Android phone sway you in the least bit? Let’s just hope Apple does something about this glass thing before it hits Big Red.
[Via: AndroidAndMe]