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AT&T hopes to bewitch customers with HTC Tilt

AT&T Inc, owner of the biggest US mobile-phone service, plans to woo corporate customers away from Verizon Wireless with a new handset that uses its fastest Internet network and can handle heavy e-mail use.

The AT&T Tilt has a full keyboard and can access corporate e-mail using software from Microsoft Corp or Research In Motion Ltd. The device gets its name from the way it unfolds for typing, opening up to resemble a "mini laptop," said analyst Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research in New York.

AT&T seeks to boost sales from corporate data services such as e-mail and Internet access, a market that could quadruple to US$100 billion by 2012, according to ABI Research of Oyster Bay, New York.

Verizon Wireless's subscribers outspent AT&T's on data services by 12 percent last quarter.Verizon Wireless is co-owned by Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.

The Tilt, made by High Tech Computer Corp (宏達電子) of Taoyuan, will go on sale today for as little as US$299.99 with discounts. The phone can operate in most countries, access Wi-Fi wireless networks and use satellite-based mapping software.

While the phone is "a bit bulky," it's a "very capable device," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis in Sterling, Virginia.

Verizon announced four new phones on Wednesday as it prepares for the holiday season. The new models, including handsets from LG Electronics Co and Research In Motion, are designed to appeal to users of e-mail and other data services.

The Tilt uses a faster network than Apple Inc's iPhone, which also runs on AT&T's service. Some iPhone customers have complained that the mobile phone's network is too slow.
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