AT&T To Launch HTC Surround, Samsung Focus Windows Phones on Nov. 8

AT&T has announced that two of its new models running Windows Phone 7 will launch on the same day next month, while the wait for the third will be a bit longer.

Earlier this month, this carrier announced three smartphones running Microsoft's new operating system. At one point it was thought all three would hit store shelves on November 8. Today, however, AT&T said that the HTC Surround and Samsung Focus are going to debut on that day, but not the LG Quantum, which will be delayed a bit.

All of these smartphones will have a high-end feature set, including WVGA, capacitive touchscreens, 3G, Wi-Fi, and 1 GHz processors. They will also have the same price: $200 with a two-year service contract.

Despite their similarities, these device will use different body shapes.

More about these HTC, Samsung, and LG Models
The Samsung Focus will have a tablet shape dominated by a 4-inch, AM-OLED touchscreen.

The HTC Surround, on the other hand, will have a 3.8-inch display and an unusual addition: a panel that can slide to expose a pair of Dolby Surround Sound speakers. 

AT&T's only Windows Phone 7 model with a landscape oriented keyboard will be the LG Quantum. This smartphone is also going to include a 3.5-inch touchscreen.

Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Preview
Despite its name, this new smartphone operating system has little in common with its predecessors. It has a completely different user interface and can't run applications written for the earlier versions.

Its focus has mostly moved to consumers, and its new UI emphasizes social networking, pictures, multimedia, games, etc. It has also been redesigned to be controlled with a fingertip.

Still, it includes some hold-overs from Windows Mobile that business users want: Microsoft Office Mobile and support for synchronizing with Microsoft Exchange.

It works with Microsoft's Zune music service, as well as the Xbox Live gaming service.

T-Mobile is also going to offer smartphones running Windows Phone 7 -- the HTC HD7 and the Dell Venue Pro. 

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