Despite the fact that AT&T has whined almost incessantly about smartphone users gobbling up bandwidth and despite the fact that CEO Ralph de la Vega seems to think there just isn't enough 3G capacity, gosh darnit, and iPhone users might have to be throttled back on their data plans, the carrier is ready to add more smartphones.

Anyone else see some disconnect between these facts?

Over at Engadget, they've been liveblogging AT&T's Developer Summit and every iPhone owner's favorite corporate boogeyman has been front and center for most of the time. He's been talking up new apps and how they've revolutionized our phone experience, how AT&T is going to build a platform that is able to get apps to people who want them, and how the carrier wants to find ways to get apps to people with what you might call, for want of a better term, dumbphones. Yadda yadda yadda.

Then he lets loose with how five new Android phones and two new webOS phones will soon be coming to AT&T. With manufacturers ranging from Dell, HTC and Motorola, clearly, AT&T is aggressively courting the smartphone market. This addition of webOS phones comes at a time when Palm's previous exclusivity deal with Sprint has clearly been hurting the manufacturer. Some have speculated that the two models AT&T will add to their roster are the Pixi Plus and Pre Plus.

So why have they been so cheap on the 3G network upgrades? You'd expect a business, anticipating and marketing to a whole range of new customers, might prepare the ground for these new customers by seriously bulking up their capacity. As in before the new customers will begin taxing your already overtaxed system.

However, you have to give the man credit for moxie. The carrier's network troubles are well-known and legion and yet he manages to put in this honey of a comment regarding the launch of these new devices: "Our customers will have a better 3G experience."

We'll see, Ralph, we'll see.