The Facebook-centric HTC Status smartphone is now available for pre-order from AT&T, with an official launch date of July 17. We knew the Status (once the ChaCha) was officially headed to AT&T, and we had pegged the launch for July, but we didn’t know pricing or availability details until today. The HTC Status will cost you $50 with a new two-year agreement, an understandably low price given the phone’s old-school form factor and awkwardly small screen.
To be specific, the screen measures 2.6 inches, which is much smaller than almost any of the screens we’ve seen in the last year, and has a resolution of 480×320 pixels. On the back, you’ll find a 5-megapixel shooter, along with a VGA front-facing camera for video chat up front. The Status runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread over an 800MHz processor. The phone comes with support for WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and a microSD card.
Additional specs include a 2.6-inch display offering 480×320 pixels of resolution, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a VGA front-facing camera for video chat. Running Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, the Status is powered by an 800MHz processor and has support for a microSD card, Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth 3.0.
Clearly, those specs aren’t exactly awe-inspiring — but wait just one second. Don’t write the phone off just yet. The Status’ claim to fame is its Facebook integration, which, had it not been stuck in an arguably craptacular phone, would be pretty freaking cool. Basically, whatever the user is doing at the moment, whether it be listening to music, flipping through pictures, or surfing the web, can be posted directly to Facebook by simply pressing that Facebook button in the bottom right corner.
That’s all well and good, but the truth of the matter is that if you’re more serious about your phone than you are Facebook, this probably isn’t the device for you. On the other hand, it’s probably a pretty budget-friendly option for a teenage son or daughter.
[via BrightHand]