Hydrogen One Handset

RED’s Hydrogen One handset is one of those devices

we’ll believe when we actually see it. The company’s

been promising up the $1,200 smartphone for a while

now, only to be hit with delays and outright admitting,

“We have no idea whatsoever what we are doing.”

Consider this some small vote of confidence, however.

AT&T announced today that it will be carrying the 5.7-inch

“holographic display device.” That, of course, shouldn’t be

taken as a tacit approval of the device, so much as a

confirmation of the fact that it does, in fact, exist.

Though in a press release tied to the announcement, a

market SVP says, “This revolutionary smartphone will

provide you with significant advancements in the way

you create and view content on the leading network for

entertainment.” So, take that as you will. Personally, I’m

holding off any sort of judgement until I can hold the thing

in my hands.

The carrier mentions “later this summer” in the press

release, which lines up with RED’s most recent mention of

an August launch date. As for price, your guess is as good

as ours. We reached out to AT&T to see whether the

company will be subsidizing the product on contract, or

simply offering up the $1,200 phone as is through its retail

channel. The carrier won’t comment on that, yet, though its

Next subsidy plan might make sense, cushioning the cost

by stretching it out over a longer period.

The Hydrogen One is, by all accounts, about as far as you

can get from a mainstream piece of mobile hardware. At

the moment, it feels more like a fun consumer electronics

thought experiment, but at least it’s one that’s real — and

coming to the second largest mobile carrier in the U.S. at

some point this summer.