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Alltel adds the Motorola VE20
Alltel isn't typically the first US carrier to release much of anything, with the notable exception of Glimmer. That's alright -- coming it at number five, they probably don't have quite the sway with manufacturers that a Verizon or a Sprint does, for example -- and that'll all change soon enough anyway once the Verizon acquisition goes through. In the meantime, though, Alltel's following Sprint in its release of Motorola's VE20, a midrange flip with an outer touchscreen, 2-megapixel cam, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It'll be available starting this Thursday for $99.99 with contract and rebate in navy and licorice, but if you're dying to get a head start, you can go ahead and preorder now.
Motorola MOTORAZR VE20 hands-on
We're going to confess a dirty little secret here: when we first started playing with the VE20, we didn't realize it was being branded and marketed as a RAZR. As we used it, though, it quickly became evident -- no one had to tell us this was a kindred spirit of the V3. For better or worse, the shape of the phone -- everything from the tapered upper edge of the display to the "chin" beneath the keypad -- looks and feels like an obvious evolution. You might call it a stepping stone in between the V3 and the V9, and considering that the V3 gets closer to its last breath on store shelves with each passing day (or so we hope), Moto and Sprint need something to slot in there beneath the mighty RAZR 2.Call us insane, but for what the VE20 is, we liked it. It doesn't pretend to be a do-all, end-all superphone, nor does it try to wow you with its premium materials; it's just a decent midrange flip with what seems to be excellent build quality. The screen is exceptionally bright, clear, and rich, and the V9-aping secondary touchscreen is a nice touch (pun intended, of course). One area of concern: it froze up on us once, necessitating a restart, and the music app was completely broken in our tester. Our guess is that this'll be resolved in retail units or via a quick firmware update shortly after launch -- at least, it frigging better be.The VE20 is available today for $99.99 on contract after rebates.%Gallery-29859%
Leaked Sprint roadmap reveals slew of releases through September?
Though the document doesn't exactly look magazine-quality, this is a case where we'd argue that it doesn't have to be to be real; it's clearly for internal use only, for one thing, and secondly, we don't know where else the picture of that new Sanyo Katana Eclipse would come from. The Eclipse is just one of several pretty nifty releases claimed to be lined up between now and September, with the Motorola VE20 Vegas and a pair of data cards joining it on August 17. September should bring the Motorola i365 and V950 Renegade, Samsung m220 and m320, and the HTC MP6950 -- which we assume to be either the Touch Diamond or Touch Pro -- clearly in desperate need of an actual name by the time it launches. Go-go gadget, product marketing team![Thanks, Owen]
Motorola VE20 "Vegas" for Sprint is cheaper, less exciting than actual Vegas
Anyone looking to relive the original RAZR's glory years without making the monumental leap up to the RAZR 2 might keep a close eye on Sprint over the next little while. The FCC has revealed the VE20 "Vegas," a flip that smacks of the V3's design cues while taking an ever-so-cautious approach to updating the styling and making sure that the package still stays firmly planted beneath the V9 in the food chain (or at least that's what the abundance of plastic would lead us to believe, but with Motorola, who the hell knows). It'll do EV-DO, a 2 megapixel camera, and touch-sensitive external controls on a fairly generous secondary display whenever it gets around to launching -- just don't expect the excitement, expense, or debauchery of an actual weekend in Sin City.[Via phoneArena]
