It's a Wi-Fi-wielding 3G QWERTY worldband (complete with international plugs!) Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone that runs a palatable $50 with contract. It goes on sale online June 29 and in stores July 13th.

HTC OZONE BRINGS VERIZON WIRELESS' SMARTPHONE LINEUP TO NEW HEIGHTS

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and BELLEVUE, Wash. – Verizon Wireless and HTC today introduce the Verizon Wireless HTC Ozone™. This easy-to-use smartphone combines a simple design with a host of connectivity options that include the nation's largest wireless 3G network, global roaming and Wi-Fi, making it a smart option and, at $49.99*, a great value for first-time smartphone users or savvy business professionals.

Available color: Black

Key features:

· Ergonomically-designed QWERTY keyboard for fast and easy typing

· Flexible connectivity options with Verizon Wireless' 3G network, global roaming capabilities and support for Wi-Fi

· 1500 mAh battery delivers extended operating time

· Includes international charging adapters to stay powered up while abroad

Lifestyle features:

· VZ NavigatorSM – get audible turn-by-turn directions to more than 15 million points of interest and share the directions with others

· Visual Voice Mail – view, delete, reply, listen to and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions

· Mobile IM – connect with friends on AOL® Instant Messenger, Windows® Messenger and Yahoo!® Messenger

· Mobile Email – access to popular e-mail services such as Yahoo!®, Hotmail®, AOL® and Windows® Live Seamless Microsoft® Exchange synchronization with Microsoft® Office Mobile for maximum productivity

· Access to most frequently used features with a simplified "sliding panel" user interface

· One-touch messaging key for quick connection to friends and family

* Price and availability:

· The HTC Ozone will be $49.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

· VZ Navigator is available for $9.99 monthly access, and Visual Voice Mail is available for $2.99 monthly access.

· Customers can purchase the HTC Ozone beginning June 29 online at www.verizonwireless.com, by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN, or through business sales channels. It will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on July 13. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Since we've played with the Snap (and liked it—warning, April Fools link), and the handset is rumored to be unusually cheap, the two items of interest here are pricing and date of availability. Despite this, T-Mobile neglected to include either of these things in their release, so we'll have to wait, or take the previously leaked July 1st date as fact. [BGR]

T-Mobile Dash 3G Helps Customers Stay Connected to Work and Life

Bellevue, Wash. – June 17, 2009 – T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the upcoming availability of its newest 3G-enabled smartphone, the T-Mobile® Dash 3GTM, offering a balance of personal and professional connections in a sleek design with faster data delivery and Web browsing via T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g).

The T-Mobile Dash 3G, designed by HTC and powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile® 6.1, is available in a glossy-black finish with red accents, features a full-QWERTY keyboard, easy-to-use trackball and vibrant display. This latest version of the T-Mobile Dash delivers easy ways to stay connected and organized with voice calling, messaging, support for personal and business e-mail, GPS for location-based services, and synchronization with Microsoft Outlook®. Whether staying organized while traveling or simply staying connected with friends and family, the T-Mobile Dash 3G provides access to the life tools customers need in a small, sleek package.

"As millions of families prepare to hit the road this summer, T-Mobile is offering our first 3G-enabled Windows Mobile smartphone to help customers stay connected, organized and traveling in the right direction," said Travis Warren, director, product marketing, T-Mobile USA. "We're excited to offer the power and style of the T-Mobile Dash 3G with high-speed Internet access thanks to T-Mobile's rapidly expanding 3G network."

"HTC is designing products like the T-Mobile Dash 3G to appeal to the ever-growing number of customers who are using the empowering features of smartphones to benefit their busy lives," said Jason Mackenzie, vice president, HTC America. "HTC is pleased to continue its long history of working closely with T-Mobile as we today introduce the next generation of the popular T-Mobile Dash."

According to new research by Yankee Group, 41 percent of consumers are likely to choose a smartphone as their next mobile device.* As consumer demand for feature-rich phones increases, T-Mobile is responding with an expanding lineup of 3G-capable smartphones including the new T-Mobile Dash 3G.

T-Mobile continues to expand its high-speed 3G network in 2009 to cover approximately 200 million people across the United States by the end of the year. At the end of 2008, T-Mobile USA's 3G network was available to more than 100 million people in more than 130 U.S. cities.

HTC says this phone will have a VERY consumer friendly pricepoint, and though it may not look quite as slick or customized as the HTC Touch Pro 2, it's powerful enough to let WinMo 6.1 move at lightning speed. The JOG BALLS feels exactly the same as that on the G1 (and the Beautiful Black berry BOLD), and is really the best way to navigate a non touch interface these days, hands down. Also, it's pretty thin for the type of phone it is. I think it has an eating disorder.

The other thing I really liked was the Inner Circle feature. While it wasn't fully operational, the idea that it has it's own dedicated button on the QWERTY keyboard to bring up emails from preferred contacts is pretty effective and neat. It's a good idea people will actually use.

The only downer? It uses that same annoying proprietary G1 port for headphones and audio. Seriously, that thing needs to go.

Anyways, the phone is ramping up for a Spring/Summer 2009 release. If you're looking for something straightforward and affordable, keep your eyes peeled for this.

Anyways, HTC's new smartphone offering sits under a half-inch thick and is surprisingly normal looking, compared to some of their other handsets. Still, it packs in a 2.4-inch screen, 528 MHz Qualcomm processor, 192 MB RAM, MicroSD slot and 256 MB internal memory, 3G HSPA, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11g wi-fi, 2 megapixel camera, GPS and, of course, a QWERTY keyboard. On top of that, it has a lovely 1500 mAh battery with 8.5 hours of talk time, and an estimated 15 days of standby.

HTC also endowed the phone with a new Inner Circle feature, which lets you hit one button that brings emails from a pre-selected group of contacts to the top of your inbox. Basically, it's the enterprise version of T-Mobile's Fave Fives, minus creepy/annoying/brilliant ads featuring Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade.

The HTC Snap will be available in Q2 of this year, though the price has yet to be announced. [HTC on Giz]

HTC Snap™ makes staying in touch with more people less complicated HTC's newest QWERTY smartphone features "Inner Circle" to automatically prioritize email from life's most important people

LAS VEGAS – April 1, 2009 - HTC Corporation today debuted its newest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap™. Designed with a set of features selected to deliver everything customers need without overwhelming them with things they don't, the HTC Snap makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with life's most important people.

A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive® and commissioned by HTC* found that 44% of US adults are often overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive, and over half (55%) of US adults prioritize five or fewer people with whom they communicate via email. In response to these issues, HTC's innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.

"Recognizing that people are being overwhelmed by an avalanche of email, the HTC Snap introduces Inner Circle, an HTC innovation that makes it easy for people to prioritize messages from the most important people in their lives at the press of a button," said John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, HTC Corporation. "The HTC Snap represents the latest step in HTC's mission to create a range of innovative smartphones, each with specific benefits designed to both surprise and delight our customers."
With a slim, sleek profile designed to fit perfectly in the hand, the HTC Snap measures less than a half-inch thick (12 mm), yet it can deliver up to eight and a half hours of talk time with the standard 1500mAh battery. The full QWERTY keyboard is ergonomically designed with extra-large domed keys and responsive tactile feedback to make typing emails and text messages fast, accurate and comfortable. High-speed 3G HSPA connectivity makes it quick and easy to send pictures to friends, access favorite social networking sites, or download large files while on the go.

The HTC Snap is powerful enough for experienced business users looking for an affordable, straightforward choice for remotely synchronizing email, calendar and contacts with their Microsoft Exchange server. However, the flexible Microsoft Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard platform allows the HTC Snap to also be simple enough for first-time smartphone users wanting to keep their family life organized.

The HTC Snap is expected to be available in select channels during the second quarter of 2009, rolling out in markets around the world throughout the second half of the year. Additionally, an unlocked version supporting HSDPA at 850/1900MHz for the US market will be made available under the name HTC S522 during the summer.