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Verizon adds Skype to Pantech Crux, LG Octane, and Samsung Zeal
A proper Skype experience still remains pretty tough to get in the US, unless you have the good fortune of being on Verizon or you own an iPhone -- but Big Red's seen fit to expand its reach a little further today with the announcement that three more phone models are supported with the official Skype Mobile app. The new devices are the LG Octane, Pantech Crux, and Samsung Zeal, none of which are being announced today for the first time today... and none of which are even remotely close to smartphone territory, so it's nice to see that Verizon seems committed to keeping Skype available across the breadth of its lineup. The updated app is available right now; follow the break for the full press release, or hit up the Source link to grab the goods.
Samsung Zeal and its dual-hinge design now official on Verizon: $79.99 (updated)
If the paper trail for this handset wasn't enough for you, here's the first official imagery of the Samsung Zeal. It is, as speculated, a dual-hinge, dual-display affair, equipped with an E Ink keyboard that transitions from a four-row QWERTY arrangement to a dialpad depending on orientation. If you're thinking you've seen this before, that might be because you were one of the few to notice Samsung's Alias 2, which also called Verizon its home. The Zeal is expected to arrive in stores on November 11th, so you can expect this premature little cameo to be augmented with full specs and a price very soon indeed. Update: The leak has turned into a full-on press release. The Zeal will cost $79.99 on a two-year contract (after a $50 mail-in rebate) and will be available in stores and online starting on November 11th, as expected. Skip past the break for the full announcement. Having checked it out for ourselves, we've found that this isn't like the Alias 2, this is the Alias 2 ... but in black. Shame on Verizon and Samsung for building up our interest for what's essentially a soft relaunch with a freshened up nomenclature.
Verizon nabs Samsung Continuum, Zeal and Motorola Citrus on November 11th, according to gushing leak?
Someone's found their way into an internal database and pulled out details on three Verizon phones -- the Samsung Continuum, Samsung Zeal and Motorola Citrus, all of which will reportedly drop on the 11th of next month. We don't have any reason to doubt that, as all three showed up on a recent rebate, but there's more to these leaked screens than a release date. For instance, the Continuum will apparently sport a Swype virtual keyboard on top of a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED screen, to say nothing of that secondary display, and the Motorola Citrus explicitly doesn't support tethering. The Samsung Zeal, meanwhile, isn't a modern smartphone at all, but rather a dual-hinge device with "magic" e-ink keys that change from a standard dialer to a four-row QWERTY layout. Isn't it nice to have all that sorted out? [Thanks, Gavin]
Verizon's new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more
Carrier rebate forms have a fun tendency to reveal unannounced hardware, since they cover several upcoming weeks when they're published -- and Verizon's latest for the month of November is a particularly juicy one. Here's what we've got: There are two SKUs listed for the Droid 2 Global, but only one for the Droid Pro, leading us to wonder whether it'll actually be the Global that's getting a cameraless version. Speaking of Motorola, the WX445 Citrus is in the mix for the first time. The Pre 2 is in the system with a $100 rebate. There are two new SKUs for the Bold 9650, possibly indicating the release of new versions with BlackBerry 6 pre-installed. The LG Cosmos Touch is in here, which we imagine will be a touchscreen successor to the Cosmos. There's a Samsung Zeal listed with a $50 rebate, but we're not sure what it is -- we know that Sammy has a number of Android phones in the pipe for Verizon, and we suppose this could be one of 'em (likely low-end considering it's not a $100 rebate). More interestingly, the Samsung Continuum is in here, suggesting that the November 8 event could be for this dual-screened (and Galaxy S-branded) beast. $100 rebate here. Of course, November is a time when retailers of all types and sizes bring out new products in time for the holidays, so we're not surprised to see the mother lode here. Who's excited?
