Is AT&T Thinking About Giving Up On The HTC Status?

When Microsoft launched its KIN phones last year, we barely had time to react to their presence before Microsoft pulled the plug on the project, deciding to focus all its phone efforts on Windows Phone 7. It's easy to draw a few comparisons between the KIN line and the recent arrival of Facebook-centric Androids. Besides the emphasis on social networking, there are even some physical similarities, with the HTC Status mirroring the general layout of an opened-up KIN One. Might the Status have a similar fate in store? A new rumor says AT&T may be ready to throw in the towel.

A source TechCrunch calls "trusted" and "close to AT&T" says that the carrier is thinking long and hard about dropping the Status after disappointing sales. AT&T has responded to the rumor, saying, "the HTC Status is a great product and our plans for it to be part of our portfolio haven’t changed," but would it really admit it was thinking about halting sales before finalizing its decision?

It's clearly not just social networking that's the problem, as those apps are popular on other smartphones, and it can't just be the hardware layout, since it works so well for BlackBerrys. It might be the combination of all these factors, making a smartphone that feels too laser-focused on social features. When you can pick up another Android with a larger, prettier screen, faster processor, and access to plenty of social apps, why settle for what might seem like a one-trick pony?

Source: TechCrunch, BGR