By now, we’re all used to spotting the occasional commercial for HTC phones.  The myTouch Slide and the DROID Incredible have some great spots, but neither of them can boast about making a 60 second appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.  Earlier this week, the HTC Aria was featured as an in-show ad with Jimmy Kimmel, Guillermo, and Little Guillermo in an attempt to prove that bigger isn’t always better.  

It’s nice to see HTC expanding their reach, testing out new ways to get their products in front of potential customers.  The Aria is a pretty descent phone, but now has some direct competition on At&t from the new Samsung Captivate. 

We’re pretty sure that HTC ads are here to stay, though it would be nice to see some of our favorite HTC phones get some strategic product placement in TV shows or some big budget movies.

At&t customers finally have an HTC phone running Android. Yes, you can guy the At&t compatible Nexus One from Google, but the HTC Aria is the first HTC Android phone can get directly from At&t. Those looking to buy the phone from At&t will be looking at a $129.99 price tag after a $100 mail-in-rebate, but if you’re hoping to get the Aria for a bit less, we suggest surfing on over to Wirefly where you can find the HTC Aria for free. Our contact at Wirefly has informed us that there’s end date for this incredible sale yet, but we would suggest making your purchase sooner rather than later. We’re sure a few of you have already picked up the Aria over the weekend. Feel free to let us know what you think of it in the comments.

Source: Wirefly

Just a few short minutes after we finished up our last post on the HTC Aria, we received the official press release for the HTC Aria from HTC. At&t have finally made the HTC Aria official, setting the launch date of At&t’s second Android phone for June 20th. Pricing for the Aria will be $129.99 after a $100 mail-in-rebate and a new two year agreement. The HTC Aria features Android 2.1, HTC Sense, a 3.2” HVGA capacitive display, 600MHz processor, 512MB or Rom, 384MB of RAM, 1,200mAh battery, 5MP camera, and a 2GB microSD card. As we suspected, the HTC Aria’s features list lines up quite nicely with the HTC Legend which launched in Europe a few months back, but we exterior of the phone has left us scratching our heads.

Initially we thought that the HTC Aria was just a smaller Incredible, but the official images now reveal that the Aria shares the same shell of the Windows Mobile powered HTC HD Mini. While the Legend and the HD Mini share nearly identical widths and thickness, the HD Mini (and the HTC Aria) is more than a ¼ inch shorter than the HTC Legend. The difference may not be huge, but it almost makes up for the fact that the HTC Aria does not have the Legends aluminum body.

HTC Aria Press Release

Pocket-Sized HTC Aria to Premiere on Nation’s Fastest 3G Network
Android 2.1 & HTC Sense(TM) Experience Combined With 7.2 HSPA Speeds Offers Exceptional Mobile Broadband Performance
 
DALLAS and BELLEVUE, Wash., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AT&T* and HTC Corporation (“HTC”) today announced that HTC Aria™, a rich and powerful addition to AT&T’s Android smartphone portfolio, will be available exclusively at AT&T beginning June 20.  Pocket-sized and packing the power of the Android 2.1 platform, a five megapixel camera and a bright 3.2 inch HVGA display, HTC Aria offers AT&T customers Android smartphone functionality in an amazingly easy-to-carry design. The combination of 3G speed, a responsive capacitive touch screen and an optical joystick makes HTC Aria an ideal smartphone for mobile broadband.
 
HTC Aria is Wi-Fi capable and qualifying customers will receive access to AT&T Wi-Fi, with more than 20,000 hotspots across the U.S.  In addition, HTC Aria is compatible with AT&T’s High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 Mbps technology.  This technology provides a considerable boost to 3G speeds when combined with expanded backhaul. The combination of faster wireless networks, smartphones like HTC Aria, and tens of thousands of available innovative mobile apps allows AT&T customers to mobilize virtually everything, from video and music, to social networking, to business applications.
 
“HTC Aria is the first of several smartphones in our Android portfolio to run the 2.1 platform,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “When you combine the nation’s fastest 3G network, and access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network, HTC Aria will be one of the best Android smartphones available.”
HTC Aria features the acclaimed HTC Sense experience, which automatically delivers the most-wanted information by bringing it to the forefront of the mobile experience.  Featuring the latest version of HTC Sense, HTC Aria offers even more ways to stay connected, including Friend Stream, which delivers Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates in a single, consolidated view.
 
“Its unique combination of compact size and beautiful design instantly separates HTC Aria from the pack of ‘me-too’ smartphones,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “But what really differentiates HTC Aria from other smartphones is the acclaimed HTC Sense experience, which we are pleased to be bringing to AT&T customers. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC Aria organizes all of your communications in the most human way possible – by person.”
 
A full selection of the newest and most popular Google services can be accessed with HTC Aria. This includes Google search, Google Maps, Google Navigation, Gmail, YouTube and more. With Android Market, customers can also choose from more than 50,000 applications to further personalize the mobile experience.
Along with being ultra-small at just over 4 inches long and weighing a mere 4.05 ounces, HTC Aria’s seamless wrap-around soft-touch back cover eliminates sharp edges, making HTC Aria exceptionally convenient to carry and comfortable to hold as well.
 
Featuring the best selection of smartphones and OS, AT&T is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among smartphone owners.  AT&T plans to expand its Android portfolio to include other Android smartphones during the second half of 2010.
 
Pricing and Availability
HTC Aria will be available on June 20 at AT&T retail locations nationwide or at http://www.att.com/wireless for $129.99 after $100 mail-in rebate (pay $229.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $100 AT&T Promotion Card.  Two-year agreement required and smartphone data plan required).
For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com
(1) 3G coverage is not available in all areas.
(2) Coverage not available in all areas.
(3) AT&T Promotion Card: Price for HTC Aria before AT&T Promotion Card & with 2 year contract is $229.99. Allow 60 days for fulfillment. Card valid for 120 days wherever major credit cards accepted. May be used to pay wireless bill. Not redeemable for cash and cannot be used at ATMs or gas pumps. Some restrictions and other charges apply. See terms at store or at att.com/wirelessrebate. You must be customer for 30 consecutive days to receive Promotion Card.
(4) Limited-time offer. Other conditions & restrictions apply. See contract & rate plan brochure for details. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days, but up to $35 restocking fee may apply to equipment returns; thereafter up to up to $325.
(5) Largest Wi-Fi network claim based on non-municipal company and owned and operated hotspots. An 802.11 b/g enabled device required. Other restrictions apply. See www.attwifi.com for additional services details and locations.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
 
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTVbrands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine. 
 
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.  This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz  to discover more about our small business services.
 
About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.
© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

There have been quite a few rumors flying around in regards to HTC’s Android phones on At&t.  Fortunately, At&t has finally moved one of those rumors over to the fact list by unveiling the HTC Aria.  Dante Martin, At&t’s product manager for Android phones gives us a short tour of the HTC Aria in a new YouTube clip posted up by At&t.  While it’s nothing mind shattering, the HTC Aria will be a huge step in the right direction for At&t after their rather boring introduction of the Motorola Backflip a few months back.  The video didn’t give us any additional details on the HTC Aria in regards to specs, launch date, or pricing, but we are able to deduce that the device does sport a Android 2.1, HTC Sense, 3.2 inch screen, four capacitive buttons, and an optical joystick. 

Initial speculation was that the HTC Aria would have a small screen, similar to the HTC Wildfire which was just released in Europe.  Fortunately, it looks like we might have an HTC Legend variant with a slightly shorter body.  As much as we all love black phones, I wish HTC would stick to their original designs for many of their handsets. 

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Holiday weekends come and go, but it’s always nice when they leave up with a little parting gift to remember them by.  Late last night, AndroidGuys posted up a few new pictures of what could be the upcoming HTC Aria.  The handset appears to be a cross between the HTC DROID Incredible and the EVO 4G, but a whole lot smaller than both of those phones.  The front of the handset features four circular capacitive buttons similar to the EVO and the optical joystick from the Incredible.  The bottom of the handset features a single microUSB post while the top has a 3.5mm headphone back and a power button.  To give you guys an idea of who small this phone really is, the tipster snapped the picture below with a business card in the shot. 

Due to the smaller screen size (between 2.8 and 3.2 inches), we could speculate that this handset could be a U.S. variant of the recently announced HTC Wildfire.  If that is the case, it’s nothing too exciting but it does mean that At&t customers could be looking at their best in store Android option to date.  Rumors are that At&t will be unveiling the HTC Aria on June 7^th. 

Source: AndroidGuys

At&t customers looking to sink their teeth into Android may finally have something to celebrate.  An employee at At&t has let PhoneDog know that the company is planning on launching an Android 2.1 handset from At&t, names the HTC Aria.  For now, all we know is that the HTC Aria will feature HTC Sense and that it will be unveiled by At&t on June 7^th.  If that date looks familiar to you, it’s because that is the same day Apple is expected to finally unveil their new iPhone.  So far, At&t has only launched one Android powered handset, the Motorola Backflip.  At&t pledged to roll out nearly a half dozen Android phone before the end of the year, hinting that one or two of their Android phone would be coming from HTC.

Source: PhoneDog