Right on cue according to our scoop, Verizon launched two new devices today in the Motorola Rival A455 and the Casio EXILIM C721. The Rival is a pretty standard messaging device that has a full QWERTY keypad, a 2 megapixel and a 2-year contract price of $99 after a $50 MIR. Have at it, tweens. The EXILIM on the other hand, which goes for $279.99 after rebates on a 2-year deal, features a 2.3-inch pivoting QVGA display, 5.1 megapixel camera with auto-focus, flash and 3x optical zoom, GPS and all of the standard Verizon apps that you would expect. Oh, and it also meets Military Specifications 810F standards making is dust and water resistant. So what say you, people — do either of these devices strike your fancy or are you waiting for something bigger and better to come along?

Read (Moto Rival in silver; purple also available)
Read (Casio EXILIM C721)

We scooped the launch date for the Motorola Rival A455 yesterday and now our trusty ninja is back with the skinny on the pricing and a full run down of the specifications for this QWERTY side-slider. This colorful phone packs plenty of tween-friendly functionality — hit the jump for all the details:

• 1X EV-DO connectivity
• 2.2-inch, 176×220 display
• External touch dial pad
• Up to 8GB microSD optional removable memory
• Bluetooth (Headset, Handsfree, DUN, A2DP, Phonebook Access, Basic
  Printing, Basic Imaging, Object Push for VCard & VCalendar and File Transfer)
• 2 megapixel camera/camcorder with dedicated camera/video key
• Text, Picture, Video & Voice Messaging with threaded messaging feature
• GPS (VZ Navigator capable)
• Visual Voice Mail capable, Mobile Broadband Connect capable
• One-touch access to Text Message composition, emoticons, symbols and IM or email
• Special keyboard backlighting
• OTA device software update
• Verizon Services including V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Videos, Chaperone Parent/Child, Media Center, Mobile Web, Mobile Email, Corporate Email, Mobile IM, & Chat
• Dimensions: 2.0(w) x 3.8(h) x .71(d) inches; Weight: 4.4 oz
• Usage Time – Up to approx. 320 minutes OR Standby Time – Up to approx. 510 hours

The Motorola Rival will launch in purple and tin silver for a reasonable $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and 2-year contract, $169 after a $50 mail-in rebate and 1-year contract and $269 for full retail.

June looking a bit boring for you? Not enough phones launching already?. Well you’re in luck as one of our ninjas just came through with two more handsets to throw onto the pile in June, this time from our pals at VZW. First up, the QWERTY-sliding Motorola Rival A455. Since making a brief appearance earlier this month, not much has been heard from this tween-centric handset. Other than the fact that the initial model number was wrong — it’s the A455, not A445 — you’re looking at a slide-out QWERTY keypad, EV-DO connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth and a 2.0 megapixel camera. Woo hoo. Next up is the only-slightly more intriguing Casio Exilim C721. We’re sure you remember it. The C721 sports military-grade dust and water resistance, a 5.1 megapixel camera and a swiveling WVGA display. Pricing is not yet available for either phone but you can expect them both to drop on June 10th.

Thanks, KrazyVZW!

We first outed the RUSH 2 along with a ton of other Motorola handsets headed to Verizon and it looks like we’re getting closer to finally seeing one of the more interesting ones reach market. Thanks to Mobile-review, some new press shots of the RUSH 2 have leaked out and, well, they look exactly like the internal mock ups. Anyway, the thing doesn’t look too bad for the relatively cheap text and navigation-oriented slider it’s designed to be. In terms of specs, we’re still looking for more of them, but for now we can safely say it’s got EVDO connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth, and a flashless camera with an unknown resolution. No clue on pricing, but we’re still sticking with this quarter. Hit the jump for a few more pics.

Read