AT&T let the cat out of the bag a little ahead of the CTIA conference, introducing to its upcoming offerings two LG handhelds with slide-out QWERTY keyboards, the LG Xenon and the LG Neon.
Both handsets have touch-screen displays, and yes, both have QWERTY keyboards for easy messaging.
The LG Xenon measures 4.16 inches long by 2.11 inches wide by 0.62 of an inch thick. Weighing about 3.81 ounces, it has a large 2.8-inch display with vibration feedback, a home screen menu similar to the interface on other LG touch-screen phones, and a visual contacts interface.
Features include an MP3 player, a microSD card slot, a video player, stereo Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera and camcorder, threaded text messaging, instant messaging, mobile e-mail, quad-band GSM, 3G/HSDPA speeds, GPS, and access to AT&T broadband services such as Cellular Video and AT&T Mobile Music. It is set to start selling on April 8 for $99.99.
The LG Neon, sporting a slightly different design, has almost the same features as the LG Xenon. Its touch-screen display is smaller, and there is a navigation toggle underneath it. The Neon is already available in Canada through Rogers.
Features of the Neon include a 2-megapixel camera and camcorder, a microSD card slot, a music player, stereo Bluetooth, and tri-band GSM. The Neon has GPRS and EDGE connectivity but no 3G. No word on the Neon's pricing or availability just yet.