AT&T said it plans to sell the TerreStar Genus, the first hybrid cellular-satellite smartphone that can make calls on the carrier's wireless network or out at sea, early next year.
TerreStar said the Genus will be able to connect to a satellite, which covers North America, for service in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and offshore coastal waters where the AT&T cellular network doesn't reach -- such as in the deep wilderness or out at sea.
The Genus, which runs Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, will have all the features of a smartphone such as a redesigned Internet Explorer Mobile browser with Flash support, access to Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft's "My Phone" Web backup service.
Additional features include a built-in QWERTY keyboard, 3.0-megapixel auto-focus camera, high-speed 3G Internet, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and a microSD slot.
AT&T has been pushing the boundries of traditional handsets, earlier this week announcing plans to launch Garmin's Nuvifone G60, a touch screen smartphone focused on GPS navigation.
AT&T said the Genus should be launched in early 2010 but hasn't announced a price for the phone or service.
