The first name that comes to mind when you think of a converged device on the AT&T network may not be Pantech but that’s about to change. Pantech is about to unleash the Slate: the world’s thinnest device to offer a full QWERTY keypad.

Physically reminiscent of a RIM Blackberry, the Slate not only appears designed for typing/ texting duty, it also offers an integrated 1.3-megapixel camera, proving that this handset has more than just business applications in mind.

Of course the Slate will provide methods to stay connected with mobile email services and instant messaging capabilities. Bluetooth connectivity lets users talk wirelessly through headsets and handsfree devices.

The Pantech Slate will be available in late October for $49.99 with a two-year agreement and mail-in rebate.

Reaserch in Motion has unveiled the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 smartphone, which RIM touts as the first BlackBerry phone to come in the flip form factor.

This quad-band EDG based smartphone weighs in 3.6 ounces and features 2 high-resolution, light sensing color displays, an external LCD screen and a 240×320 internal LCD, recognition for Voice Activated dialing, support for mp3 ring tones, conference calling, speed dialing, call forwarding, voicemail attachment playback, background noise cancellation, speaker phone, Bluetooth, GPS receiver, and a large QWERTY thumb pad.

Software goodies include DataViz Documents to Go software suite for editing MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint filee in addition to BlackBerry Professional Software suite and Enterprise Server.

Finally, the Pearl Flip will offer a 2.3 megapixel camera with flash, zoom and video recording.

The 8220 will be available this fall exclusively for T-Mobile.

Sprint, often accused of being overlooked when the latest high power handsets hit the market, has reason to celebrate with the release of Samsung’s new Rant. Offering up a smooth horizontal slide full QWERTY keyboard, the Rant provides access to Sprint Navigation, Sprint Music Store and Sprint TV with live and on-demand content through Sprint’s new One Click customizable user interface.

With One Click, the Rant’s user interface can be personalized and users can select commonly used features such as text messaging, web access, email, Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, Sprint Music Store for easier access right from the home screen.

Additional features include a 2.0-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, expandable memory up to 16GB and speaker-independent voice recognition.

The Samsung Rant will be available on October in either red or black colors for an unbeatable $49.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Move over iPhone, HTC is about to unleash the new Touch 3G, the latest handset designed to make use of TouchFlo finger-touch navigation and simplicity.

The Touch 3G HDwill offer wireless download speeds up to 18 times faster than standard 3G. Mobile broadband and full touch screen navigation allows for simple but effective interface. Users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand as well as search for and watch streaming video from YouTube, watch live TV, get directions and mapping using Google Maps for mobile and stay updated on the latest news with the integrated RSS reader. Like the iPhone, it will switch to landscape mode with a mere twist of the wrist.

Running Windows Mobile 6.1, the Touch 3G will come configured with 3.8-inch WVGA display screen, 5 MP camera, and microSD support. This smartphone will be available next month.

Asus Taiwan has introduced its own take on the touch screen PDA handset which will feature the innovative touch-responsive user interface they call Glide - the ASUS P552w.

Loaded with a 624 MHZ processor and a slew of great features, this mobile phone boasts of 3.5G HSDPA connectivity, GPS, and the Glide touch interface which enables users to perform various navigational actions including selecting, zooming, scrolling and flipping through the phone’s display screen, with just a flick of the users’ fingers.

It also features various mobile applications that provides useful information to users including, news, weather forecast, photo slideshows, listening to music, all within a few finger taps. Additionally the unit will offer Bluetooth, WLAN 802.11 b/g, GPS, USB and other wireless connectivity features.

Asus hopes to bring this unit to the States in the near future, price to be announced.