AT&T just introduced a slew of new phones, intended for inclusion in its 2010 Spring Cell Phone Portfolio. All four devices, which comprise of the Samsung Strive, Samsung Sunburst, Pantech Link and Pantech Pursuit, are geared towards messaging-centric uses and are billed, in fact, as Quick Messaging Devices (QMD).

Along with the new handsets, the company also announced three new data services that will be present in phones grouped in the QMD category. The most notable is Next Generation Messaging, which adds group messaging and "reply all" functionality, along with a consolidated inbox, threaded messaging format and improved multimedia display (they didn't elaborate on the latter). A free contacts list (AT&T Address Book) and paid media-sharing capability (AT&T Mobile Share), both PC-accessible and cloud-based, round up the rest of the new services.

The Samsung Strive, a vertical slider, will be the first handset from the lot. Details include a full QWERTY keyboard, a 2.6-inch QVGA screen, built-in social networking apps, IM, Mobile Email, 3G connectivity and a 2.0 megapixel camera module. Price will be $19.99 on contract. Samsung's other offering is the Sunburst, an entry-level touchscreen with a widget-based UI, 3-inch WQVGA resistive display, accelerometer, GPS, Bluetooth and microSD slot. Expect it in-stores by March 21, priced at $39.99 with contract.

Similar to Samsung, Pantech's offering will also consist of one QWERTY and one touchscreen phone. The former is the Pantech Link, which will come with IM, social networking apps, Mobile Email and GPS. The latter is the Pantech Pursuit, a touchscreen with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Feature set appears similar to the Link, although the press release hints that it will have a slightly more powerful camera.  No pricing or release dates were announced for the two.

[AT&T via Unwired View]

One of the freshest-looking phones to come out of late, the Samsung B3310 (aka the Corby Mate) is a definite attention-getter.  If nothing else, people are bound to fawn over the unusual positioning for the T9-style keypad, which sees its keys lined up along one side.

Physically, it's a good-looking compact phone, with a youthful design.  The decision to place the number keys on the left hand side makes it possible to use them when you pull down the side-sliding QWERTY keyboard.  It sounds like a functional and novel idea, but the actual implementation isn't very comfortable.  In fact, it made typing numbers a bit cumbersome unless you've got the phone on landscape mode (and even then, it's not the best).  Build is entirely plastic, although construction feels solid.  The screen is a little too small at only 2 inches, but it does offer good resolution (320 x 240) and bright colors.

As a phone, the Corby Mate manages excellent calls, making for clear conversations and natural-sounding voices.  Those on the other end reported a similar pleasantly performance.  Speakerphone sounded a bit too tinny, but it could have been a problem on the unit.  Battery life is rated for five hours of talk time, which should be good for two or three days of normal use on a non-3G handset.

Considered a budget messaging phone, it does come with a small but tidy range of features.  It has the basics covered well, with a 1,000-entry phone book, messaging (SMS, MMS and email - no IM) and standard PIM tools.  There's also stereo Bluetooth, a web browser (strictly GPRS/EDGE, though) and an FM radio.

The music player (which you can load up with songs via SD card) is just average, but the big letdown is the lack of a 3.5mm jack.  It can be a real issue with "cheaper" phones and this one is no exception - the bundled buds are quite unappetizing.  The 2.0 megapixel camera manages decent-looking shots, however.

Overall, the Samsung B3310 is a slider with a very pronounced selling point - an unusual keypad configuration that you're likely to either love or hate.  It comes in a bevy of very bright colors, so the young ones should find it affable.  If you can get used to the slightly cramped keyboard (it's a compact phone, after all), it could be worth the $150 or so price (exact retail pricing depends on where you are).

A new flip phone just went up on Samsung's South Korean website under the ever-growing Corby line.  Called the Samsung CorbyF (the F stands for Folder), the handset bundles a fun, playful design, along with smooth, curvy lines.

Intended for mid-range to low-end markets, the device borrows the youthful style available from previous cellphones in the series, making it a bit more attractive than the form you usually find on flip-style phones.  Otherwise, it seems like a conventional clamshell, with regular, non-touchscreen displays.

The 15.9mm-thick Samsung CorbyF features a 2.6-inch internal LCD (QVGA resolution), an external LED display (unspecified size), a 3.0 megapixel camera module, a video-calling front camera, DMB TV, SOS calling, subway maps and microSD card extension (up to 16GB).  It supports HSDPA 3.6Mbps (for SK Telecom and KT, not sure for non-Korean versions).

From the looks of it, this will be running Samsung's default non-touch interface, which isn't really anything special, despite being quite easy to use.   The device will come in Candy Pink, Lime Green and Blue Black colors.

There's no exact pricing nor availability date, but Samsung says the CorbyF should come to South Korea soon.  Since it's coming out with the the usually-affordable Corby branding, expect it to be generally inexpensive.

[via Samsung Hub]