New caller tunes: Nokia, Samsung

The war in the mobile manufacturing market is hotting up. Reacting to the competition by Samsung and LG, that have established themselves as stylish handset manufacturers, Nokia is aggressively projecting itself as a company that is also focused on design.

Nokia, that has Shahrukh Khan as its brand ambassador, has recently roped in Priyanka Chopra to add some style and glam quotient. The interesting point, however, is that in spite of the fierce competition in the market, Nokia has remained an undisputed leader.

Nokia has been very aggressive in its marketing approach. Sample this: Nokia launched N96 in India, just three days before the launch of the Apple iPhone. This was an attempt to steal the thunder from Apple’s iPhone.

The N96 was to be launched globally in October but Nokia went ahead to alter its plans with the apparent launch of iPhone and made its first global launch in India. The company is now focusing on becoming solution-centric.Continued...

Samsung Propel Slider Phone Available in US from AT&T

Samsung Propel Phone Samsung has rolled out its new Propel mobile phone in the US exclusively through AT&T. Said to be a fun and trendy messaging phone, it allows users to access multiple messaging options and share video via full QWERTY keyboard.

The other features of the Propel phone inlcude large 2.2-inch display screen, dedicated one-touch messaging key, 1.3 megapixel camera with video capture, stereo Bluetooth technology and up to 8 GB of microSD memory card slot.

Based on dual-band 3G connectivity, the entertainment phone runs on quad-band GSM technology and sports a host of AT&T functionalities such as AT&T Mobile Music suite of services.

Additionally, it also comes equipped with a multimedia features such as AT&T Video Share, MobiTV, CV and AT&T Navigator.

“The Propel is a stylish way to stay connected. With a full QWERTY keyboard, multimedia features and four color options, this handset has something for everyone,” mentioned Bill Ogle, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Telecommunications America.

Weighing 3.79 ounces and measuring 3.85 x 2.33 x 0.58 inches, the Samsung Propel is available in four vibrant color schemes such as red/white, apple green/black, blue/black and red/black.

Priced at $79.99 (approx. Rs. 3,980), the Samsung Propel phone is available across the US exclusively through AT&T with a two-year service agreement and after mail-in rebate.

First Look: Samsung Rugby SGH-a837, mobile phone

Another handy feature is its AT&T Navigator, which gives you GPS driving directions. This service is free for a 30-day trial period after which it costs an additional $9.99 a month.

For connecting to your computer or printer, this item supports Bluetooth so you can transfer pictures and music without hassling with clumsy cables. Play standard MP3 audio files or browse your messages from common e-mail services such as Hotmail, AOL, and Yahoo! For taking pictures, you can use the integrated 1.3-megapixel camera, which provides resolutions up to 1280x960 with 4x digital zoom.

The Samsung Rugby SGH-a837 phone is ideal for anyone who needs a standard mobile phone with a tough exterior that can withstand any hostile environment short of gunfire or flooding. If you’re tired of fragile phones that scratch, chip, or shatter too easily, you’ll find the $279.99 Samsung Rugby an ideal mobile companion that can survive practically anywhere you go.

"I think it's very suitable for people who's work involve a lot of travel. Also, for police and military men."

Source

First Look: Samsung Rugby SGH-a837, mobile phone

continued from previous post...A tiny screen on the outside of the case can display the date and time while also showing you the amount of battery charge remaining. Although this screen remains exposed, it appears made out of scratch-resistant plastic that won’t likely crack or break except through extreme pressure.

If you really want to see how tough this phone can be, check out this video of the phone getting tossed in a pond of muddy water, dropped on the ground, catapulted into the air, shot against a wall with a slingshot, and dunked in water and still working after so much physical abuse.

This phone only weighs 4.66 ounces and takes up little space when folded close (3.95 inches tall, 2.05 inches wide, and 0.90 inches thick). A lithium ion battery provides up to 5 talk time or up to 250 hours standby time.

Beyond its rugged exterior case, this product also offers a Push to Talk (PTT) feature, which lets you check who is available before you call them. Once you find out who is available, you can contact those people individually or as a group. PTT incurs additional charges, but you can convert a PTT call to a regular cellular call at any time. Continued...

"Its durability is really great!."

First Look: Samsung Rugby SGH-a837, mobile phone

Many mobile phones may appear aesthetically pleasing when seen on a store shelf, but they may prove too fragile to deal with the bumps and bruises from everyday life. That’s what makes the Samsung SGH-a837 mobile phone so different. With a flip-up, clamshell case that covers the keypad when not in use, this phone is designed to take abuse and keep on working.

The main feature of this phone is its rubber case with raised bars and bumps so you can grip it easily. Besides making this product easy to hold, its rubber case is designed to meet Military Standard MIL-STD-810F, which is a military specification that specifies environmental conditions that equipment must be able to withstand such as vibration, rain, humidity, solar radiation, dust, and extreme temperatures. Even its recharging port is protected by a rubber flap that snaps into place and pops off so you can plug in its recharging cable. If you need a tough phone that won’t damage easily, this phone should meet your standards too.Continued...

"The rubber case is very practical. I may be able to enjoy my investment long enough before the mobile phone will be repaired."

Samsung S7330 versus Samsung B2700

The Samsung S7330 is quite fascinating, it has TFT screen with 16m colour. The display size is 240 x 320 pixels. The Samsung B2700 has also a TFT screen with 256,000 colours and its display size is 176 x 220 pixels. It is 1.9 inches and has nice wallpapers. It has polyphonic ring tones of 64 channels and it also has the option of MP3 players. On other hand Samsung S7330 also has polyphonic ring tones but it has 72 channels and it also comes with MP3 player.

The Samsung B2700’S model size is quite different from Samsung S700. The dimensions of Samsung S700 are 115 X 52 X 18 mm and its weight is 114 grams. Whereas Samsung S7330’s dimensions are 104.8 x 49.4 x 13.9 mm and it weighs just 110 grams.

Samsung S7330 comes in silver colour and Samsung B2700 comes in matte finish black and blue colour.

Both these handsets can be obtained from the online shops with great gifts and offers. The customer can take advantage of such offers and make his shopping experience a memorable one.

"For those people who plan to buy a new phone, these two models are worth to be considered. Cool."

Source

Samsung S7330 versus Samsung B2700

The Samsung S7330 has number of specifications and it looks really stunning and has a very appealing look. Its key features are 3G with HSDPA support, Quad-Band GSM support and worldwide usable connectivity and Touchpad navigation. Its other features include some phenomenal characteristics like 2.2 inches with 262,000-colour QVGA display, 3 mega pixel auto focus camera with LED flash and lots more.

The Samsung B2700 is another catchy model. Some of its characteristics are pedometer, altimeter and a flashlight which make this handset a unique one among the mobile phone users. The handset is incorporated with Quad-Band GSM/PRS/EDGE phone technology with UMTS 2100 Megahertz. It has a very nice and responsive user interface. It also has a 2 mega pixel camera and secondary video call camera. It has 1.9 inches screen with 256,000 colour display of 176 x 220 pixels. The other features of this phone are a good MP3 player, MPEG4/3GP video player and FM Radio with RDS

The connectivity features of Samsung S7330 include GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth with v2.0 with A2DP and USB cable port and the Samsung B2700 also comes with GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth and USB cable port.

Both the mobile phones have amazing messaging options like SMS (Short Message Service) for text messaging, MMS (Multimedia Messages) for illustrated messages and email.Continued...

"I am a samsung mobile user. The features are great."

Samsung S7330 versus Samsung B2700

Mobile phones with user-friendly features and amazing style comes from the most known mobile phone brand, Samsung. It comes in slim yet powerful handsets. The cost-effective, stylish handsets attract customer's attention at first glance..

MOBILE PHONES nowadays are common among people. It is now a necessity and has become an essential device for every individual. There are number of brands available in the market and most of them are now producing mobile handsets which are easy-to-use and come in a sleek and trendy look.

The most known mobile phone brand, Samsung comes in slim yet powerful handsets. The cost-effective, stylish handsets from Samsung attract customer’s attention at first glance. The high class phones from Samsung are no doubt one of the best among brands. Whether the customer is looking for clamshells, sliders, candy bars, flap or swivel, he can get any of them from the Samsung range of phones. These latest gadgets are designed to live up to the user’s expectations. The impeccable features and striking looks are sure to make you the centre of attraction.

Samsung is one of the best brands in the field of mobile phones. Samsung is a renowned brand; the mobile phones made under this brand name are actually a class apart.Continued...

"Yes, I agree that cellphones are becoming a need nowadays. Communication is very important.

LG Fuels 8-Megapixel Craze With Latest Cameraphone

continued from previous post...The KC780 has Schneider-Kreuznach optics, autofocus, and flash. Additionally, there's built-in software that automatically detects faces, and there's an optional "Beauty Mode" that lets users remove spots and imperfections from photos of people's faces. The camera can also be used to record video that LG said is "DVD-resolution."

The camera phone has a sliding form factor, and the 2.4-inch screen can be used to view Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents. But the KC780 only has EDGE connectivity for on-the-go Internet access, which may not be fast enough for some mobile professionals.

The KC780 does have Bluetooth version 2.1, and this can be used to pair with a computer to use the phone's camera as a Webcam. The camera phone also has a multimedia player, organizer, accelerometer, and expandable memory up to 8 GB via the MicroSD slot.

The handset measures 4.2 by 2 by 0.5 inches and weighs about 4.2 ounces. LG said the KC780 will go on sale in November in Europe, and will then expand to other markets.

The KC780 is the second cell phone from LG to sport an 8-megapixel camera as the company recently rolled out the LG Renoir. Samsung has also introduced a pair of cell phones with a hefty camera, the Innov8 and the Pixon.

Source

LG Fuels 8-Megapixel Craze With Latest Cameraphone

The KC780 handset includes Bluetooth, expandable memory, and a multimedia player, but mobile professionals may be turned off by the lack of connectivity options and productivity features.

By Marin Perez

The LG KC780 has an 8-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, expandable memory, and a multimedia player.

With the introduction of the LG KC780, LG Electronics is the latest to jump in the megapixel race for cell phones.

The latest camera phone from LG packs an 8-megapixel camera, and it may prove to be a good convergence device for shutterbugs. But mobile professionals may be turned off by the lack of connectivity options and productivity features.

"We found that most of the time people use the camera on their mobile phones to take pictures of themselves, their families, friends, and significant other," said Skott Ahn, president and CEO of LG's mobile communications company, in a statement. "With this in mind, LG developed the LG KC780 with a number of face-enhancing features to augment its high-quality 8-megapixel camera." Continued...

An 8 megapixel camera in a cellphone is very high. This can already be used for billboard printing and any other high resolution printing. Advertising companies can take advantage of this. Moreover, cellphone fanatics who love to take pictures of themselves anywhere they maybe.

Scrimp or splurge?: Mobile phones

By Anne-Sophie Jahn

Diamonds are a girl's best fiend, as everybody knows. So to please the rich and famous, Vertu – the specialist in ultra-deluxe cellphones — has launched a new mobile in 18-carat white gold, covered with 429 diamonds (923 precious stones in total). And for the most demanding of ladies, the handsets of the latest Vertu models include a button that connects them directly to a 24-hour global concierge (free of charge for one year). More than a phone, it's jewellery, an accessory for exquisite parties.

But is it really worth spending £39,000 on a phone? For a fraction of that, you can still pick up a phone that is both chic and easy to use.

Thinner, lighter and very elegant, the Samsung Tocco has a five-megapixel camera and a built-in video recorder. It can read Microsoft Office and Power-Point documents, and has a touch-screen. For £315 or free with a monthly plan (with Orange, Vodafone or T-Mobile), you might as well save the £39,000 and buy yourself a sports car or a barn in the French countryside and still have a phone. The bling era's over, anyway.

Mobile phones are now a need and not a want. Communication is always the reason for buying one. Adding diamonds makes it a want and I think its not practical to buy. Unless you are lying on a bed of roses.

Samsung Omnia Review

By Franz Bicar

Multimedia plays a big role on the Omnia. As an alternative to the standard Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, Samsung includes something called the Touch Player, which features a nicer user interface and a functionality similar, but not as streamlined, as the iPhone’s Coverflow. Supported music and video formats include MP3, WMA, AAC, eAAC+, MP4, 3GPP, H.264, and DivX/Xvid.

Other goodies include podcast support, a streaming media player, and an FM radio, though you have to use the included headset for the latter. As for memory, the Samsung Omnia comes in two flavors: 16GB or 8GB. Either way, you should have plenty of storage; plus, you have the microSD/SDHC expansion slot, which accepts up to 16GB cards.

The Omnia comes equipped with a 5-megapixel camera with a slew of advanced features. In addition to video recording and digital zoom, you get a flash, auto focus, and face detection. For still images, there are three quality settings and six size options. You have a grand total of 15 shooting modes, ranging from sports to sunset to fireworks as well as white balance adjustment, various effects, ISO settings, and much more. You can even geotag your photos with the embedded GPS radio. In video mode, you don’t get as many tools, but you still get three size and three quality choices.

Picture quality, in the Omnia, is quite impressive. Objects come in clear and defined in photos, and the camera response time is also good. Video quality is also better than most camera phones out there. Once done, you can, of course, send your photos via e-mail or multimedia message. The Omnia also has a Digital Frame application that displays the time and date, while rotating through your photo gallery in the background. Finally, you get TV-out capabilities and a video editing application is included on the device in case you want to make a quick movie on the spot.

With all the new features that it have, I will not be surprised if it costs a lot.

Source

Samsung Omnia Review

By Franz Bicar

continued...As mentioned, its not the touch screen features that makes the Omnia unique. It is, however, Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface. TouchWiz allows for an extra level of personalization on your Home screen. There is a tray located on the left side with various applications, such as the clock, music player, photo gallery, games, and notepad. You can then drag and drop these widgets to the main screen so they’re easily accessible to you every time you fire up your phone. Once you’ve customized the phone to your liking, you can collapse and hide the tray by tapping the arrow button. Beyond the Home screen, there’s also the Main Menu page that organizes the major applications in a nice user-friendly view.

The Omnia doesn’t look like a traditional Windows Mobile device, but it does run on Windows Mobile 6.1 with all the usual trimmings, including the Microsoft Office Mobile Suite and support for Microsoft’s Direct Push Technology for real-time message delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via Exchange Server. The Omnia can also be configured to access your POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts. There are plenty of other PIM tools to keep you on task and organized, including a task list, a task manager and switcher, a smart converter, a calculator, and a PDF reader, among other things.

For Web browsing, you could use Internet Explorer Mobile but the Samsung Omnia also ships with the Opera Mobile Web browser, which many find to be a superior browser. There’s also Windows Live integration and a Google Launcher that gives you quick access to search, Gmail, and Google Maps. Unfortunately, there’s no Flash support. As far as connecting to the Web, you can use the smartphone’s integrated Wi-Fi or any EDGE network.

Phone features include quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, conference calling, text and multimedia messaging. The phone book is limited only by the available memory, and there’s room in each entry for multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, instant-messaging handles, and birthdays. For caller ID purposes, you can assign a picture, one of 20 polyphonic ringtones, or a group ID. Bluetooth 2.0 is also onboard for use with mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits, object exchange, and dial-up networking. And no need for a Bluetooth GPS receiver, since the Samsung Omnia has assisted GPS. Continued...

Samsung Omnia Review

y Franz Bicar

The Samsung Omnia is arguably one of the most sought after smartphones of 2008. Along with the RIM BlackBerry Bold and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, the Samsung Omnia has made news as one of the alternatives to the very successful iPhone 3G. The Samsung Omnia couldn’t boast of its touch screen feature, after all, the Samsung Instinct couldn’t quite make it. However, Samsung’s TouchWiz interface has piqued the curiosity of a lot of people. This feature brings drag-and-drop widgets for the Today screen and provides an extra level of device customization. Its not as slick as the iPhone but it does make Windows Mobile much easier to use. As an added bonus, the smartphone is loaded with productivity and multimedia features that truly make it an all-in-one device that will satisfy both consumers and mobile professionals.

For now, the Samsung Omnia is available only in Europe. But pretty soon, it will be available to a lot of countries so we all just have to wait. The Omnia is a beautiful smartphone, no doubt about that. It is both simple and elegant. It has an attractive black-and-slate silver chassis and slim candy bar design that measures 4.4 inches tall by 2.2 inches wide by 0.4 inch deep and weighs 4.4 ounces. While light and compact, it has a nice solid construction and feels comfortable to hold and use as a phone.

On the outside, the phone is very simple and has a minimalistic design. There aren’t a lot of external controls and it focuses more on its touch screen capabilities. The Omnia features a 3.2-inch diagonal TFT screen with a 262,000 color output and 240×400 pixel resolution. The display isn’t as large as the Instinct’s or the iPhone’s. The screen, however, is sufficient for most tasks, and very easy to read and vibrant.

For text entry, you can either use the full QWERTY keyboard, the Block Recognizer, or the Transcriber. The touch screen is mostly responsive and offers haptic tactile feedback that lets you know that your touch has registered with vibrations. You can adjust the intensity of the feedback as well as choose from various vibration rhythms under the VibeTonz folder in the Settings menu. In addition, the Omnia’s display has a built-in accelerometer so the screen will rotate from portrait to landscape mode when you turn the phone. Continued...

Android’s here, time to Google

The phone may be a threat to Apple’s iPhone and iPod because the device is able to download digital music from Amazon.com. As a result, about 6million tracks will be available on the G1 at the touch of a button.

However, the G1 cannot compete with Apple’s sleek design. At first touch, the G1 looks and feels plastic and clunky by comparison.

The mobile allows easy access to Google’s range of online applications, such as Gmail — its personal e-mail service — and YouTube. The G1 also allows you to see Google maps in street view, allowing you to explore cities virtually, as if standing on the street corner itself.

However, the buzz surrounding the G1 has less to do with its ground-breaking new features and more to do with Google’s innovation, the Android operating system that runs the phone. Google’s aim is to get more people online and using the search and advertising services from which it makes money.

And there are more Android-powered phones to come, with manufacturers LG and Samsung likely to reveal mobiles that run on the software next year.

Google hopes to overtake Apple by making Android “open source”, meaning that people will not be charged to use it on their handset or for writing applications for it.

“It’s a very clever way for Google to level the playing field in handsets,” says Toby Shapshak, the editor of Stuff magazine. Giving one of the most important components — the operating system — away for free, says Shapshak, allows Google to maintain its dominance in online services, as is the case with computer-based access to the Internet.

“PC users often go straight to Google’s pages for search, mail or documents, so Google is ensuring the same happens on cellphones by building access to its services right into Android,” he says.

“Web-based services, or what everyone is calling Web 2.0, is the future of the Internet. Google has cleverly given itself a leg-up in the crucial cellphone market, which the next generation of web-savvy, Internet users is expected to use as their primary means of going online.”

I love google.

Android’s here, time to Google

It’s not the interface or sleek design that is the point here, the Internet-savvy software is the cellphone’s best drawcard by far

THE first mobile phone powered by Google was launched last month, ready to do battle with Apple’s iPhone for the top spot on many Christmas gift lists.

The long-awaited smart phone, the T-Mobile G1, which was unveiled at a press conference in New York, will go on sale in the US this month and is expected to hit British stores by early November. South Africans might have to wait a while longer as operators have not yet announced plans for a local version.

The New York event, featuring the whooping and cheering more often associated with the unveiling of new Apple products, revealed the first handset to run on “Android”, Google’s new software for mobile phones.

The arrival of Android signals the opening round of the battle between Google and its rivals, such as Nokia and Apple, to create software for the next generation of mobile phones.

However, upon being granted a first glance at the new device, The Times found that the phone did not seem to offer a ground-breaking feature to rival the “wow” factor of the iPhone’s touchscreen. Instead, the G1 happily adopts the best features of the iPhone and BlackBerry, two of the best smartphones on the market.

It has an easy-to-navigate and intuitive touch screen like an iPhone. But, like the BlackBerry, it also has a qwerty keyboard, which slides out and a track ball that helps you navigate around the screen.

The Internet giant emphasises that the phone is not a Google phone per se as it is manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese manufacturer, and will be offered exclusively by T- Mobile in Britain. But it seems the product will be sold on the back of Google’s street cred. Instead of the manufacturer’s name on the back, it reads “with Google”. As a result, it is Google’s brand and reputation that will be enhanced, or dented, by this phone. Continued...

This is great news!Competition from among these giant companies will enable prices of mobile phones to be lower.Thus, more people can afford to buy new versions of these phones.

Verizon Releases Music Phone Slider "Samsung Sway"

by Mitch Marconi

Here is the list of specs:

"Key features and capabilities of the Samsung Sway from Verizon Wireless include:

Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more
Mobile Web-capable – customizable, enhanced wireless access to the latest in news, sports, weather and more
Mobile IM capabilities
Text, picture and video messaging
Bluetooth profiles supported: headset, stereo, hands-free (car kits), serial port, object push for vCard and vCalendar only, basic imaging, basic printing and phonebook access profiles
2.0 megapixel camera with NightShot
Camcorder
Expandable memory up to 8GB with external microSD™ card slot
Hearing aid compatibility = M4
Bilingual user interface (English and Spanish)
Personal organizer with calculator, calendar, alarm clock, world clock, stop watch and notepad
Dimensions: 4.15" (h) x 1.96" (w) x 0.47" (d) with standard battery
Weight: 3.56 ounces
Display: 2.2"
Usage time: up to 270 minutes with standard battery or
Standby time: up to 312 hours with standard battery" (c) tPC

Gee, maybe the new samsung sway is what I want to buy.harharhar

Verizon Releases Music Phone Slider "Samsung Sway"

by Mitch Marconi

Verizon has just announced another great phone, now you can swing with the Samsung Sway SCH-u650. This is verizon's answer to the the up and coming new high-tech phones.

So amoung the many things a lot of do-all phones such as IM cabilities, email, mobile web, GPS, and various of the other standard high-tech phones have nowadays. It's a sliding phone, the sway has a silver finish, 2.2-inch display, and 0.47-inches thick phone. The phone has a 2-megapixel camera with NightShot. THis phone has plenty of other features such as Bluetooth support, media player functionality, with a A2Dp stereo that will be sure to blast your mp3s right out your phone.

Verizon is trying to get Rhapsody service for the phone so you can download music on the go. As usual the phone will have the ever popular V CAST Music. You can load the phone with a 8GB microSD card.

The Samsung Sway phone will be available this October 14th and will be priced at $69.99 with a $50 rebate. That means though you have to get a two-year contract agreement for it at that price though, which would end up around $19.99.

I love this new samsung phone. I will try to check its specifications.

Samsung Sway, Motorola Rapture VU30 and more released

Verizon Wireless today also started selling the new Samsung Sway, a slim slider with a silver finish (check out its menu icons at the bottom of this story - a good example of how Samsung is getting Verizon Wireless on the right track). The Samsung Sway offers a 2.2" screen, a 2-megapixel camera with NightShot and video capture, Rhapsody service, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot supporting up to 8GB cards. Other key features include a media center, offering downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more. Samsung claims a talk time of up 4.5 hours. to Measuring 4.15 by 1.96 by 0.47 inches and weighing in at 3.56 ounces, the Samsung Sway costs $120 with a two-year contract, before a $50 mail-in rebate.

Today, AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile customers also got a couple of new choices through the Pantech C610 (see image at the bottom) and the Motorola W450, respectively. The Pantech C610 packs AT&T Navigator, Bluetooth, microSD and a 1.3-megapixel camera. With 3G connectivity, it also supports AT&T Video Share and MobiRadio (streaming music). Pantech handsets are not something we test all day long here at infoSync, so we can't tell you much about what to expect, but it should be available this week in the price range of the Motorola VU204 mentioned above. The Motorola W450 for T-Mobile is also a low-end phone, selling under the name Motorola Active for $80 with a two-year contract. A $50 mail in rebate is available. Key features include a 1.3-megapixel camera and a claimed talk time of up to 7.5 hours (EDGE only).

The new samsung sway is hot.

Source

Samsung Sway, Motorola Rapture VU30 and more released

AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile today released new cell phones; most notably the Samsung Sway for Verizon Wireless with nice-looking menu icons.

A pile of new cell phones were announced today, including the Motorola VU30 and VU204 for Verizon Wireless, the Motorola W450 for T-Mobile, the Pantech C610 for AT&T Wireless and the Samsung Sway for Verizon Wireless.

The Motorola Rapture VU30 sports a clamshell design with a touch-sensitive external display that allows customers to capture pictures and access their music without opening the phone. The phone also has a dedicated shutter button for the 2-megapixel camera, and music downloaded via V Cast Music with Rhapsody can be stored on microSD cards up to 8GB. Other features include Bluetooth, VZ Navigator and a 2.5mm headset jack. The Motorola Rapture VU30 costs $180 with a two-year contract. A $50 mail-in rebate is available when signing up for a qualifying plan. The new Motorola VU204 is a low-end phone offering a VGA camera, Bluetooth and VZ Navigator, though primarily meant for calling. It's available now for $80, and a $50 mail-in rebate is available. Continued...