Verizon launches HTC Ozone, a QWERTY phone for under $50
It’s getting cheaper and cheaper to get a phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard, and the new HTC Ozone from Verizon is making sure it stays that way.
The other day we reported on the Motorola Karma QA1, and while it had a full QWERTY keyboard, it wasn’t so much a smartphone as a mobile social networking device. Still, with the physical keyboard, it was hard to argue with the $79 price when purchased with a two-year contract. Well, the new HTC Ozone smartphone from Verizon is topping that with a $50 price tag after a two-year contract.
The Ozone brings a lot to the table at this price point, even rivaling some BlackBerry handsets, like the upcoming BlackBerry Tour. Features include:
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
- CDMA 800/1900MHz and GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
- 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity
- 2.4-inch 64k color QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) display
- 2.0 megapixel auto-focus camera
- 192MB RAM
- 256MB flash memory, expandable with microSD
- Access to Microsoft Office Mobile
- Access to Verizon services such as VZ Navigator and Visual Voice Mail
- Integrated AIM, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger
Sure it may not be the top of the line for a smartphone, but for $50 it’s a heck of an entry point for those who wish/need a world phone for when they travel. And with Windows Mobile 6.5 due out this fall, you should be able to upgrade to the latest and greatest in the WinMo scene without much difficulty.
With these dropping prices on phones with physical QWERTY keyboards, you have to wonder if this isn’t some sort of side effect of the iPhone’s popularity. Sure these phones may not offer you the slick interface that Apple’s astronomically phone might, but it’s hard to argue with these price points when you’re a small business owner or a writer that works on a budget (which I happen to be both).
The HTC Ozone is schedules to launch next week on June 29th online, and July 13th in the physical Verizon stores.
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July 23rd, 2009
The HTC Ozone has excellent features. The CDMA and GSM connectivity is the best feature in this phone. It is very reasonable. There are some buttons and navigational keys which are quite easier and simpler. The design is very decent. For more details refer http://www.etechreviews.net/htc-ozone-smart-phone-verizon-wireless-review/