Boasting of “the power of Sprint 3G and military-grade toughness,” Sprint announced Thursday the launch of its first sub-$100 submersible handset, the Sanyo Taho. Featuring a ruggedized housing and a non-slip grip, the Taho is an ideal device for a variety of labor industries. Sanyo’s Taho is built to military 810G spec and can withstand dust, shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, blowing rain and even water immersion. It also features a clamshell form factor, a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash and video capture support, GPS, Bluetooth, microSDHC support and more. The Sanyo Taho is available immediately online and in Sprint stores for $99.99 after rebate with a two-year contract. Hit the break for Sprint’s press release.

Ruggedized, Water Resistant Sanyo Taho by Kyocera Gives New Meaning to Term ‘Tough Talk,’ Becomes Sprint’s First Fully Submersible Phone Available for Less Than $100

SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mother Nature has met her match with the new Sanyo Taho by Kyocera, a ruggedized handset that, despite its good looks, can withstand some of the harshest elements and 30 minutes of full immersion in water up to one meter (3.28 feet) deep. Kyocera Communications Inc., provider of Kyocera- and Sanyo-branded wireless devices, announced Sprint’s (NYSE: S) launch of the new handset today, making it Sprint’s first fully submersible device available for less than $100. Sanyo Taho is available beginning today through direct-ship sales channels, including Sprint stores, Web sales (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.* It will be available in all remaining Sprint sales channels beginning Jan. 9, 2011.

“This is our first handset that pairs a tough, military-grade design with features to stand up to the rigors and demands of extreme jobs and lifestyles”

Sanyo Taho’s rugged exterior and non-slip grip make it right at home on construction sites, security beats, delivery routes—anywhere you need (or want) to be. Being “military tough” (military standard 810G) means it can stand up to dust, shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, blowing rain and water immersion. But Sanyo Taho doesn’t scrimp on features; the clamshell handset supports applications including Sprint Navigation and Sprint Family Locator, and includes a robust front-ported speaker phone and a 2 megapixel camera with flash and camcorder.

“This is our first handset that pairs a tough, military-grade design with features to stand up to the rigors and demands of extreme jobs and lifestyles,” said Yasuhiro Ohishi, vice president of sales and marketing at Kyocera Communications Inc. “This is the answer for people who are rough on phones or, for whatever reason, regularly find themselves around water. Between outdoor sports and jobs that routinely involve harsh environments, Sanyo Taho will help make sure its users are always connected. Anyone who has lost a phone to the elements will understand its value.”

Sanyo Taho’s ergonomic shape is covered in a non-slip Dura-Grip® texture to ensure a solid grip. It has a 2-inch QVGA TFT internal display and 1-inch monochrome external display. The phone includes 256 MB of internal memory, a 1 GB microSD memory card (provided with handset) and support for memory cards up to 32GB. Sanyo Taho uses CDMA 1xEV-DO network technology, supporting autonomous GPS and Java Multitasking for third-party location-based services. For workplace or family settings, Sanyo Taho can restrict incoming and outgoing voice calls with password protection, disable both the camera and Web access, and lock the phone’s GPS functionality on so the phone’s location can always be tracked. Sanyo Taho offers a robust talk time of up to 6.1 hours.

Kyocera’s full line of Kyocera- and Sanyo-branded devices can be seen at www.kyocera-wireless.com.

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Samsung announced Monday the addition of the Samsung Contour to MetroPCS’ lineup of affordable feature phones. While the Contour is short on bells and whistles, it will certainly be a great option for customers who make value a priority. MetroPCS offers contract-free unlimited plans for as low at $40 per month including taxes. Samsung’s Contour compliments the carrier’s affordable monthly plans nicely, featuring a clamshell form factor, a VGA camera, a basic Web browser and 3G connectivity. The Samsung Contour is available immediately online and in MetroPCS stores for $49. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Samsung Contour™ (SCH-r250) Available at MetroPCS
Colorful, slim clamshell design with access to mobile E-mail and Bluetooth® capabilities

The Samsung Contour™ (SCH-r250) features a colorful, slim, clamshell design that comes in bright red and is equipped with an integrated  VGA camera, convenient internet access through MetroWEB® and offers messaging options such as text messaging (SMS) and multiple messaging (MMS). The Contour comes equipped with Bluetooth® Wireless technology, making it ideal for hands-free calling and staying connected while on the go. Contour users can stay organized with the Iron Carousel feature, which offers access to one-touch messaging, one-touch calendar and one-touch speakerphone technology. Users can personalize their Contour with a variety of applications including access to unlimited e-mail, downloadable ringtones, wallpapers, games and other applications.

KEY FEATURES

•VGA Camera
•Colorful, Slim Clamshell Design
•Easy-to-Use Interface
•Icon Carousel, Featuring – One Touch Messaging, One Touch Calendar and One Touch Speakerphone
•Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
•Metro Applications, Including – MetroWEB® Internet Access, Metro 411 Directory Assistance, MetroBACKUP, mail@metro® Unlimited E-mail and MyMetro Account Manager
•Text Messaging (SMS), Multimedia Messaging (MMS)
•Speakerphone
•Voice Commands

SPECIFICATIONS

•CDMA 800MhMHz/PCS 1900 MHz, AWS Band 1700/2100 MHz
•Dimensions:  1.7”L x .54”W x 4.2”H
•Weight:  3.04 ounces
•Main Display Type(s) & Resolution: 2.0” QQVGA TFT   Sub Display :1.07” CSTN
•Talk Time: Up to 3.3 hours* and Standby: 200 hours*
•Memory (FLASH/RAM): 1G + 512

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I have to be perfectly honest here… I was anything but excited when FedEx dropped a BlackBerry Style 9670 review unit from Sprint at my door. I have nothing against BlackBerrys and I certainly have nothing against Sprint, but the idea of reviewing what would probably end up being just another BlackBerry was not exciting to me in the least.

Part of me wanted to skip the review altogether. A big part of me. After years of seeing nearly identical BlackBerry devices hit the market one after the next, is there really anything left to say?

So in this review, I tried to focus mostly on what makes the BlackBerry Style 9670 different from its predecessors. If you want to read about why RIM’s email system is great or how awesome BlackBerry Messenger is, feel free to look back on any of the thousands of BlackBerry reviews that have been written over the past few years. You’ll surely find your fill. If you want to read about how crazy it is that in 2010, BlackBerry devices still can’t synchronize read statuses properly with Gmail accounts, please look elsewhere. I’m not here to beat a dead horse.

If instead, you want to know what makes the BlackBerry Style unique and why it might or might not appeal to you, read on.

The Outside

RIM’s last clamshell device, the Pearl Flip, was a mess. It felt cheap and dated, and I wasn’t a fan of the SureType keyboard. Plainly put, it did nothing to push the BlackBerry brand forward. The Style, on the other hand, is a very well designed and well built phone.

When closed, the handset is very compact — it measures less than 4 inches tall, less than 2 1/2 inches wide and less than 3/4 of an inch deep. But it’s not light or cheap feeling at all, weighing in at 4.62 ounces. It fits quite well in the hand and when flipped open, it doesn’t feel overly top-heavy as some clamshells do.

The build is also very solid. Whereas the Pearl Flip felt like a cheap toy, the Style feels sturdy and well made. It’s no HTC Desire or iPhone 4, of course, but for a $100 phone it’s not bad at all. The flip mechanism is smooth and sturdy with no play whatsoever, and the battery cover has a nice aluminum feel to it despite the fact that it is made of plastic.

Like the Pearl Flip, the inner display on the BlackBerry Style is angled slightly inward when the device is flipped open. While the design is nifty from afar, I find it less than ideal. RIM’s best phones all utilize the candy bar form factor, where the display and keyboard are perfectly aligned. On the Style, this is not the case. If you hold the phone as you would any other BlackBerry while you type, the display is angled down slightly, toward your chest. It’s still visible but it’s a bit awkward. If you tilt the phone back a bit in order to achieve the proper viewing angle for the display, typing becomes uncomfortable.

The only time I like the display angle on the Style is when I place it on a flat surface while flipped open. The protrusion on the back of the flip combined with the angle of the display give it a nice viewing angle while resting on my desk. It also makes a pretty formidable catapult at the dinner table.

Another difference between the Style and BlackBerrys of old is the button configuration on the sides of the device. Like the Torch, the BlackBerry Style has a volume rocker and a convenience key on the right side of the device, but there is no configurable button on the left. I’ve grown accustomed to having the left button configured to launch BBM while the right button launches AIM. On the Style, I obviously have to adjust my habits a bit.

The internal display on the Style is about as good as you might expect. It only supports 65,000 colors and the resolution is not spectacular at 360 x 400 pixels. I highly recommend going into the device settings and disabling the option to auto-adjust display brightness. Any setting above 60% will look fine, but the display becomes very difficult to see when it auto-dims.

The Inside

On the software side of things, BlackBerry 6 brings some new features to the table that BlackBerry fans have been waiting for quite anxiously. The full HTML Web browser, for example, is a massive improvement compared to the old BlackBerry browser. Compared to other operating systems such as webOS, iOS or Android, however, RIM still has a long way to go before its browsing experience is up to snuff.

Other new features such as Universal Search and the revamped Options menus are also well received. The former works wonderfully, allowing me to find any app, setting, song, email or contact with ease. The Options section is still overcomplicated though, making even the simplest task far more arduous than it needs to be.

Coming from the BlackBerry Torch, which I’ve spent quite a bit of time with, it is glaringly obvious that many of the styling changes in BlackBerry 6 are designed for use with touchscreens. On several occasions I’ve caught myself motioning toward the display in an effort to flick open the app tray or poke at the on-screen camera shutter button. This likely won’t be a big deal for people who aren’t coming from the Torch, but the UI is still awkward at times.

Have you noticed that there is a touchscreen on every iOS, Android, webOS and Windows Phone 7 device on the market? This is because using an OS designed for touch on a device without a touchscreen is awkward. RIM pulls it off much better than any of the aforementioned operating systems could, but that’s because BlackBerry OS is still in its infancy where touch input is concerned.

As a phone, the BlackBerry Style does its job quite well. This is one area where I’m happy BlackBerry devices haven’t changed much over the years. Reception is terrific, call quality is outstanding and I’ve yet to drop a call — even in areas with spotty coverage. The top speaker is crystal clear and parties on the other end say they can hear me with impressive clarity. The 9670 also has a fantastic speakerphone speaker, even at high volumes.

It makes you wonder why some competitors aren’t prying these puppies open and learning from RIM’s fantastic phone technology.

The Upside

Having a sizable external display on a flip phone is great, and RIM did a good job making use of it. Beyond the nice big analog clock that appears when any side-key is tapped, the display shows signal strength and remaining battery charge along with unread message counts. When new messages hit one of my inboxes, I can view the sender without having to flip the phone open. What’s more, if I have multiple unread messages I can cycle through them on the external display using the volume keys. I can then tap the convenience key on any email to view the message body.

The camera on the BlackBerry Style does not take great shots. It does, however, take ok shots, and that’s more than I can say for most BlackBerry camera phones. The flash works surprisingly well in moderately low light, and well-lit scenes come out pretty crisp. There’s still a bit of grain on images but it’s definitely not as bad as older models.

Battery life on the BlackBerry Style is not great compared to other BlackBerry phones, which typically afford jaw-dropping longevity. On the other hand, this is a compact little phone with a tiny 1050 mAh battery. With that in mind, the battery life on the Style is impressive. Power users might have trouble getting through a long day, but with average to above-average amounts of usage, the Style will go at least a day between charges.

Another big plus on the Style took me by surprise — the music player. The music player app itself is nothing special but the quality of music playback seems to be improved compared to similar BlackBerry models. It’s no iPod, but when I plugged in my Ultimate Ears Triple.Fis and cranked some Taylor Swift… umm… err… I mean… Metallica, I was pretty impressed with the sound quality. It’s still a bit muddy, but it’s really pretty decent considering the phone’s pedigree and price range.

Last up on the plus side but certainly not least, is the keyboard. I don’t really need to get into how great BlackBerry keyboards are, so instead I’ll gauge it among its peers: on a scale of Pearl to Bold, it’s above a Torch and below a Curve 8900.

The Downside

On a device without a touchscreen, BlackBerry 6 is not very exciting. Yes, seasoned BlackBerry users are still giddy over the introduction of a halfway decent Web browser. Yes, BlackBerry 6 does introduce some nifty new features such as Universal Search on the home screen. But overall, it’s still just BlackBerry OS.

It’s slow, it’s clunky and it just doesn’t feel modern or sexy at all. That may seem like a superficial complaint, but I assure you it’s not. There’s a reason you have Windows 7 installed on your computer and not Windows 3.1. And trust me… when RIM finally does start releasing new devices with a modern QNX-based operating system, even the most hardcore BlackBerry junkies you know will be gushing over the new OS while wondering aloud how they dealt with the old OS for so long.

Managing applications is also still very painful. Installations take way too long, deletions still often require a painful reboot, and so on. The first app I installed was WeatherEye, a simple weather forecast viewer I downloaded from BlackBerry App World. The first time I tried to launch the app, I got an “Uncaught exception” error. I cleared out the error and tried again. This time WeatherEye displayed a splash screen, ran through a bunch of text and then froze. I had to pull the battery to exit the app.

The next app I installed was Gmail but it’s nowhere to be found in App World, so I had to search the Web for it.

And so on.

If an app has a fatal error or is not compatible with my phone model, why is it available to me in App World? And why should I have to go hunting around the Web for apps when there’s a perfectly good centralized portal on my device?

Needless to say, this is not an optimal user experience. It’s slow, it’s painful, it’s full of roadblocks and it’s anything but consistent. It needs to be fixed.

My other big complaint is the camera. I’ve already stated that the camera takes decent pictures, but there is a pretty significant flaw that could have easily been avoided — the lens positioning is terrible.

It’s a ridiculous design flaw, actually. The camera is located on the back of the Style just above the battery cover, and it is situated exactly where you would naturally place your pointer as you take a picture by pressing your thumb on the optical trackpad. As a result, you have to adjust your grip when snapping shots and it feels very unnatural. The camera should have been situated on the top of the flip beneath the BlackBerry logo.

As an aside, the BlackBerry Style is clearly aimed at the consumer market. Adding a “self portrait” mode that allows people to take pictures of themselves using the external display as a front-facing digital viewfinder should have been a no-brainer. It would have scored the Style some major points among tweens. Come on, RIM.

The Bottom Line

In the end, the BlackBerry Style isn’t a terrible $100 smartphone from Sprint. It’s also not a great one.

It’s definitely aimed at consumers and it doesn’t have much of a place in the enterprise market. For the younger crowd already hooked on BBM and RIM’s famous BlackBerry keyboards, the Style is a great option. Add to that Sprint’s solid network and extremely competitive rate plans, and you’re good to go.

On the other hand, those who are looking for a modern, streamlined smartphone experience should look elsewhere. I’ve said it before; you’ve said it before; everyone has said it before… the BlackBerry experience as we know it peaked long ago. But if you look toward the horizon and squint your eyes at just the right time of day, you can see QNX riding south with guns blazing. Whether or not he’ll make it to town with enough ammo left to save the townspeople remains to be seen.

If you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the BlackBerry clamshell flip-phone — the 9670 Style — we have a little intel to hold you over. It looks as if three tutorial-style (pun intended) demo videos have made their way onto everyone’s favorite streaming video website YouTube. As previously reported, the Style will have a full-QWERTY keyboard, CDMA and Wi-Fi radios, GPS, 5 megapixel camera, 240 x 320 external display resolution, and  360 x 400 internal display resolution. The demo videos are of the home screen, zooming function, and external display functionality of the device. The three videos are waiting for you after the break, let us know what you think.

[Via CrackBerry]

While we had heard that the BlackBerry 9670 — you might remember its first public appearance — was created solely for Verizon Wireless as an exclusive, that all seems to have changed. We have independently confirmed that the BlackBerry 9670 clamshell will be hitting Sprint in the next “couple months.” Additionally, multiple sources have confirmed with us that they are in possession of Sprint-branded BlackBerry 9670 devices. We are not sure on an actual launch date, but we’re thinking it can’t be too far off now that units are in the wild.

Motorola potentially has not one, not two, but count em’ three China-bound handsets up its sleeve. First and foremost, we have the initial details on the Motorola XT711, codenamed the Sholes Tablet Refresh — the presumed companion to the previously released, Korea-bound Motorola XT701 Motoroi. The XT711 will feature: an 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with Xenon Flash, 720P HD video capture and playback, HDMI out, Google apps and Android marketplace, MotoBlur UI, WebKit browser with Flash integration, and the Android OS (presumably 2.1 or greater). The targeted market for this little beauty is China, and is set to launch at an undisclosed point in the future. One down, two to go. Hit the jump for details on the XT810 and the XT820.

Second, and most mysterious, is the Ming-like clamshell that made its first appearance in a handful of blurry images last week. Though details are still sparse, the handset may be the MT810, a TD-SCDMA handset headed to China Mobile. The MT810 may also be the little brother to the MT820, another Ming-like offering whose hardware is revealed in stunning clarity.

The MT820 appears to be a very polished handset with a Ming-style transparent flip that is rumored to sport a visual 3-D capability as detailed in a recent patent application. On a more realistic note, and out of the sci-fi realm, the transparent flip may also be present for protection, or as a secondary touchscreen in a dual-touchscreen design. What we can infer from the leaked images is that the handset is destined for China Mobile and, as a result, will rock TD-SCDMA 3G connectivity. The MT820 is expected to be announced in the very near future and will run the Android-based Ophone 2.0 platform. Don’t swear-off your DROID, BACKFLIP, or CLIQ XT quite yet..this piece of mobile hardware, showcased in the images below, is also expected to stay exclusively in China.

Thanks, Antony!

[via Soyuu.com , Android and Me, and SlashPhone]

Read (Motorola MT820)

Read (Motorola MT810 and XT711)

With rumors and rumors of a clamshell BlackBerry device going back ages, we finally have some confirmation on the phone, and in a big way, too. Not only do we have the first photos ever of this BlackBerry 9670, and not only is it the first BlackBerry clamshell ever seen (we don’t really count the Pearl Flip), but it’s also running the first ever photos of OS 6.0 (on a device). We’d love to tell you all about this brand new BlackBerry device… after the jump!

The BlackBerry 9670 is a CDMA device packed to the brim with a full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera (a first!), Wi-Fi, a 360×480 internal display, huge external display, trackpad, OS 6.0, microUSB port, microSD internal storage slot, Bluetooth, and a metallic finish casing. Obviously we’re far from final, and things can and will change, but that’s a pretty good overview. We’re working on getting more information, videos — the whole works –but for now, check out the best high resolution photo gallery of an unreleased, unannounced, unheard of device that you’ve ever laid eyes on.

Click on over to our BlackBerry 9670 gallery!

Of the two Project Pink phones that were leaked last September, the Turtle, with its oval shape and bubble keyboard, seems be the first Pink handset to receive FCC approval. Being a Microsoft/Danger-designed phone and the presumed Sidekick replacement, it is expected that Sharp, manufacturer of the Sidekick line, is also the manufacturer of the Project Pink phones. A quick search of the FCC’s Authorized Equipment database reveals that Sharp received approval for a CDMA handset whose FCC label rendering matches the leaked Project Pink Turtle images to a tee. With heavyweights like the WSJ and CNET chiming in on Project Pink  and corroborating evidence like this FCC document being uncovered, the official unveiling of these upcoming teenybopper “youthful oriented” phones is more than likely right around the corner.

[Via wmpoweruser and Zune Boards]

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We know what you’re thinking, the DROID and CLIQ are just too cool, I need something more lame. Well, Motorola has got you covered. Say hello the the MOTO Klassic. This new hotness oddness lameness clamshell will only be available in Korea for the time being but the specs are pretty mind blowing: blazing 2G connectivity, a 5 megapixel camera, external touch screen, and (brace yourself) an “espresso color keypad.” Truth be told, we weren’t completely sold on this one until we read about the espresso colored keypad. So put down those wallets DROID fans, you might want to just wait and see if this hot little number is coming to the good old U.S.A.

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Believe it or not, Christmas is but 11 weeks away which means that every single tech company on the planet is going to be lighting up our inboxes with press releases about their holiday offerings. The first company to do this for 2009 is T-Mobile. Apart from another chance to get us bloggers talking about the Behold II and the Motorola CLIQ, T-Mobile took the opportunity to introduce two new handsets and a limited edition collaboration piece. The first new handset is the Nokia 3711, a 3G clamshell affair with a 2 megapixel camera, GPS by Telenav, and stereo Bluetooth. The second is the T-Mobile Tap. Presumably made by HTC based upon its appearance, the Tap is an “affordable and attractive” full-touchscreen featurephone that, like the 3711 has 3G, a 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth and GPS by Telenav. New in another sense of the word is the myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition. With only 10,000 to be offered sometime this winter, the Fender myTouch 3G sports a “guitar-inspired wood-grain finish”, 16GB microSD card filled with a bunch of music and videos not a soul alive won’t delete, and *gasp* a 3.5mm headphone jack. What do we think, people?

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While heralding the launch of the HTC Imagio, Big Red snuck in a few extra goodies and made the rugged, PTT-capable Motorola Barrage, the entry level Nokia 2705 Shade, the QWERTY-packing Verizon Wireless Razzle and a 3G-enabled Gateway netbook official. All rumors and innuendos about these myriad of devices have been confirmed with launch dates and pricing as follows:

• Motorola Barrage: Available on October 1st for $129.99 after a 2-year contract and a $50 mail-in rebate. Non-camera version available October 21st
• Nokia 2705 Shade: Available on October 6th for $29.99 with a 2-year contract
• Verizon Wireless Razzle: Available on October 6th for $69.99 with a 2-year contract
• Gateway LT2016u: Available on October 4th for $149.99 after a 2-year contract and a $100 mail-in rebate

With a feature phone for every family member, a smartphone and a netbook to boot, there is a proverbial cornucopia of new wireless devices on the way for Verizon Wireless customers. Now if Big Red could just take the wraps off that Motorola Tao so we can stop squinting at those blurrycam photos. Hit the jump for a few more press shots.

While all the world is heralding the arrival of Windows Mobile 6.5 on October 6th, Verizon Wireless will be launching two new feature phones that will almost certainly go unnoticed. We have already seen renders of the Razzle and now we have the launch date and pricing. The Razzle will see an online launch on October 6th with other channels to follow once remaining Blitz inventory has been sold off. Pricing is decent, coming in at $69.99 with a 2-year agreement. Also launching on the 6th, the Nokia Shade is an entry level flip phone with a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, GPS, 1xRTT connectivity, 2.5mm headphone jack and changeable faceplates. The Shade will launch for $29.99 with a 2-year agreement. Hit the jump for a few more slides.

Have you spent hours in front of the mirror perfecting that smooth flick of the wrist that flips opens your clamshell and shows off your expensive Rolex at the same time? Is your entry level Motorola flip phone just not making the cut for your debonair lifestyle? Go ahead and do some donuts in your Lamborghini on the front lawn of your estate as Vertu has answered your prayers. The Nokia subsidiary has just introduced the Vertu Ayxta, a Constellation in the clamshell design. The Ayxta has all the traditional styling of the Vertu including a stainless steel chassis with leather and ceramic accents, scratch-free sapphire glass screen, 3.0 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, microSD expansion (up to 8GB) and 3G connectivity. In addition to the traditional Vertu Concierge service, the Ayxta will include a new feature, City Brief, which alert owners of points of interest, events and etiquette when travelling in one of the 70 supported cities. The Vertu Ayxta is available at locations worldwide for €4,900 ($7,196USD) and €6,500 ($9,545USD).

[Via T3]

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September is the month of the feature phone at Verizon Wireless thanks to launches of the Samsung Rogue, Samsung Intensity, Nokia Twist and soon the Motorola Entice. Our ninja just hit us with all the Entice info fit to print and those looking for a cheap phone with fair specs definitely won’t be disappointed. Those looking for anything else, on the other hand, definitely will be disappointed. The Entice is an entry level clam shell that will replace the Motorola W755 in Verizon’s lineup. Features include a 2.2-inch color display with a resolution of 176×220 pixels, 1X/EV-DO connectivity, 2 megapixel camera/camcorder, built-in music player, microSD expansion (up to 8GB), one touch access to Bluetooth, music and speaker phone, threaded messaging, 2.5 mm headset jack and support for all of the Verizon-specific services like V Cast, Chaperone, VZ navigator. The phone will be available online starting September 22nd and will appear in other channels when the current stock of W755′s has been depleted. In terms of pricing, you’re looking at $39.99 after a $50 mail in rebate and a 2-year contract, $109.99 after a $50 mail in rebate and a 1-year contract or $219.99 for full retail.  Hit the jump for the full slide, some closeups of the handset and the detailed specs.

It might not have a spot for microSD cards or even an EV-DO radio, but Pantech’s Verizon-bound Escapade is a special phone nonetheless. You see, the Escapade, which is all set to launch on August 21st, will be one of the few non-smartphones offered by Big Red that is capable of operating overseas on GSM networks. Without it, you’d pretty much have no choice but to get a loaner phone or pony up the big bugs for a smartphone. Spec wise, as we already alluded to, the Escapade is more like a blast from the past than anything new, but it does have a 2 megapixel shooter as well as GPS. So not only can you take some grainy snap shots while on vacation in Rome, but you can also navigate your way down its maze of winding roads and passages.