AT&T Unveils Android Aria

AT&T has released a video showing its latest smartphone, the Android-based HTC Aria, the most recent device to come out of its lab.

The device, which will launch on June 20, is pocket-sized and will run on Android 2.1 with the latest version of HTC's Sense user interface. It will include seven panel screens and multitouch pinch and zoom functionality. Dante Martin, Product Manager at AT&T for Android devices, described the menu button as "optical, but acts just like a trackball."

In the video, Martin doesn't offer too many details, but gives a short demo of the phone and calls it a "super cool, very easy to use" all-touch, form factor smartphone that makes "ample use of widgets" for music and Wi-Fi, among others.

Martin also demoed the Aria's voice search feature and a microphone button that will type out whatever a person dictates.

The HTC Aria will run on AT&T's 3G network. It will come with a 2 gigabyte microSd card preinstalled, a 5 megapixel camera and a 3.2 inch HVGA display. The battery is 1200mAh.

Pricing will be $130 after a $100 mail-in rebate and requires a two-year agreement.

"HTC Aria is the first of several smartphones in our Android portfolio to run the 2.1 platform," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, in a written statement. "When you combine the nation's fastest 3G network, and access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi network, HTC Aria will be one of the best Android smartphones available."

Martin also appears in a separate video on Android testing at AT&T labs holding a device that some observers are theorizing may be another Android device called the HTC Liberty. It is unclear, however, whether it is a different device from the Aria, or the device's previous name. AT&T's first Android device, the Motorola Backflip, received a lukewarm response and industry observers have said the carrier is behind the curve in releasing a flagship Android phone.