AT&T offers new “quick messaging devices,” rivals yawn

AT&T Wireless today introduced coming new phones it calls "quick messaging devices" that, as far as I can tell, are mobile phones that have amped up messaging features.

Rival Verizon Wireless sniffs that it sells phones that already have some of these features.

AT&T defines QMDs, as it calls them, as "wireless handsets that have a messaging-friendly full QWERTY keyboard and other advanced features but at an affordable mid-range price." That would appear to indicate that QMDs are not smartphones in that they don't have a browser.

The new devices, available March 21, include the Samsung Strive for $19.99 and the Samsung Sunburst for $39.99, both requiring a two-year service contract and are net prices after a mail-in rebate. The Strive features a 2.0 megapixel camera and links to social networking applications such as AT&T Social Net. The Sunburst includes GPS capability.

Also coming are the Pantech Link and the Pantech Pursuit, though AT&T wasn't specific on availability or pricing info.

The QMD services accessible from the phones include the AT&T Address Book, which allows the user to manage contacts on an online interface and then sync them with their phone.

Also, enhanced messaging on the phones enables a "reply all" multiple messaging function to up to 10 contacts, plus a threaded conversations format to track who said what to whom.

Lastly, AT&T Mobile Share gives users cloud-based access to the AT&T Locker, on which they can store and manage photos and videos from their phone and their PC. Mobile Share is going to cost an extra $10 a month, though, for up to 50 media transfer or 35 cents per transfer on a pay-as-you-go basis.

A Verizon Wireless spokeswoman was dismissive of AT&T's offerings in an e-mail.

"Creating a new category for phones and doing a press release on features that, in some cases, have existed on Verizon Wireless devices for years doesn't warrant a comment. Customers still want network reliability which isn't mentioned in the release," wrote Brenda Boyd Raney.

Ouch! Can't these two just get along?

Update: Sprint's Caroline Semerdjian in San Francisco had a similar reaction. "These claims of new capabilities for AT&T are not news to Sprint customers. We have been enabling 'cloud storage' at no charge to Picture Mail account holders for years," she wrote.

What AT&T calls Address Book, Sprint calls Mobile Sync, which is available on eight of its phones, Semerdjian said, adding that Sprint also has nine feature phones with full QWERTY keyboards.

Never give 'em an inch must be the philosophy of these rivals in the hotly competitive cell phone market.