For obvious reasons, AT&T hasn’t been too keen on carrying Android phones that may outshine the iPhone. Its first Android device, the Motorola Backflip, was by many accounts a disappointment, and everything we’ve seen on the upcoming Dell Aero doesn’t inspire much excitement.
Today the carrier unveiled the HTC Aria, its first Android device that appears to be a decent alternative to the iPhone. The phone will retail for $129.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate, and with a two-year contract) on June 20, reports Engadget.
While the device certainly is no iPhone 4 competitor, it could be a decent option for consumers who want an Android device on AT&T that’s still somewhat powerful. It will sport Android 2.1, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, and a 5 megapixel camera — all powered by a 600Mhz processor.
In many ways, the Aria is a great Android competitor to the iPhone 3G S, and the fact that it’s being released so closely to the iPhone 4’s June 24 launch seems more than a coincidence. It leads me to think that AT&T will aim to keep its better Android phones a generation behind the iPhone, which remains its flagship device. Such a maneuver makes sense for the mobile carrier, although it must also keep in mind that the iPhone won’t remain its exclusive device forever. It initially inked a five-year exclusivity deal with Apple, which was set to end in 2012. We don’t know if any changes have been made to that original contract, which could see the iPhone on other carriers later this year, or in 2011.
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