Pros: Low cost, super thin, Very good QWERTY board, Mobile Email and IM apps presinstalled
Cons: No 3G, WAP-only Web browser, low-res display, no music player, No GMail support
Pantech's Slate for AT&T is like a BlackBerry junior. You won't get 3G speeds, a media player, or a full HTML Web browser on Slate, but you will get mobile Email access backed by a great QWERTY thumbboard. If that's what you want - a device that makes calls and lets you access your Email on the go - Slate should make you happy. So long as you're not a GMail subscriber, that is.
Slate is all about managed expectations. Don't expect to get beyond WAP-formatted sites out to the Web at large with Slate, and don't expect to rock out to your favorite music or watch videos on the device's low-resolution display. Slate's camera is okay for taking caller ID photos, but if you use it a lot you'll probably be disappointed by its image quality.
Slate is made for calling and messaging. Everything else here is more or less an afterthought. Keep that in mind, and there's no reason not to like this phone. Slate is ultra-thin, fairly stylish, and super low-cost. More importantly, its QWERTY board is very comfortable to use, and while AT&T's mobile Email app won't play nice with GMail, it does a pretty good job of keeping you connected on the go.
Verdict: Thumbs Up (if you keep its limitations in mind)
