BASKING RIDGE, N.J.—Verizon Wireless and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced the first 3.2 megapixel camera phone available to Verizon Wireless’ customers, Samsung’s a990. The CDMA handset also offers video recording and viewing and music downloads on the carrier’s Vcast service. Users can also print pictures using Bluetooth connectivity.
The SCH-a990’s screen rotates 180 degrees to mimic the physical layout of a digital camera. With its high-resolution camera and photo-editing capability, the companies are touting the phone as “the first mobile device that is as much a camera as it is a phone.” The Samsung phone is selling for $400 (or $350 with an online discount) with a two-year service contract.
Separately, Alltel Corp. and Kyocera Wireless Corp. launched the CDMA “Strobe” handset, an hourglass-shaped phone that opens lengthwise to reveal a second color display and a QWERTY keypad. The design is an attempt to attract young customers who want a full keypad for instant messaging, e-mail and text messaging, according to Alltel. The handset sells for $50 with a mail-in rebate and two-year service contract.
Finally, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Motorola Inc. announced the launch of the i580 handset for the carrier’s iDEN network. The phone features a clamshell style, Bluetooth and a camera in a unit that’s touted as “meeting military specifications for blowing rain … as well as for dust, shock and vibration.” The handset is selling at Sprint Nextel for $280, after discounts.
