Verizon have just launched the XV6900 just in time for CTIA Wireless 2008 and will be available from their stores and website in April. The XV6900 is the HTC Touch rebranded for Verizon and whilst sporting a new white face contains the usual bells and whistles available on the Touch as follows

* Windows Mobile 6 Pro, Outlook Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile
* AIM, MSN and Yahoo messenger services
* One touch access as per the HTC Touchflo
* Speakerphone
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* microSD slot for up to an extra 8 GB
* 2MP camera for stills and video
* 2.8 inch touch screen

This little sucker will set you back US$350 with a $50 rebate plus the usual two year plan. If you’re still keen check out the video review we dug up a while ago of the HTC Touch.

We’ve been hearing all sorts of good things about the Palm Treo 755p, which is available on Verizon, Sprint and Alltel, so we thought we’d better check it out ourselves. Well this is what we found:

So PhoneArena aren’t overly impressed with the Treo and advise Sprint customers to check out the Centro. We must agree with PA on this, the Treo doesn’t look that great and there are better options out there offering the same features and functionality that will fit more comfortably in your, err, palm.

Judging by the amount of interest in our original Verizon Coupe post, it seems a lot of you are quite keen on this phone. So we thought we’d track down a video review of the Coupe to show it in all its $20 glory.

The reviewer, Phone Scoop, aren’t overly impressed with the it but we sort of think what do you expect for US$20. They do make a good point about the ICE buttons being too close to a couple of other buttons which bizarrely are duplicated elsewhere, but otherwise it’s a great little phone for some one who doesn’t want a user guide the size of War and Peace but wants the security of knowing they can quickly contact friends or family in case of emergency. And did we mention it’s only US$20 too?

Over at BGR they’re eagerly anticipating the launch of the Verizon SMT5800 smartphone on the 7th of this month. The SMT5800, aka HTC Vox (S710), sports an external number pad with a slider QWERTY underneath. For those of us traditionalists, we’ll have to wait until the 21st to see it on real store shelves.

Here are a few bits and pieces about the unit

* Windows Mobile 6 Standard
* 128 MB ROM
* 64 MB RAM
* microSD slot
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* 101.5 x 50 x 18.6 mm
* 140 g
* 2.4 inch display

This little sucker will set you back US$315 with a two year plan whilst an unshackled version will remove US$470 from your wallet - however BGR were a little unsure if this was average Joe pricing or pricing for corporate Charlie.

Source: BGR

With online discount and mail-in rebate a mere US$300 will get you a Palm Treo 755p Smartphone and a two year contract with Verizon. The 755p is an updated 700p with internal antenna and ’soft-touch feel’, it also sports a QWERTY keyboard, 1.3 mp camera and support for MS Office docs and pdfs.

There’s a miniSD memory slot so this sucker can expand up to 4 GB, a 320 x 320 color display, bluetooth connectivity and the Pam OS (5.4.9). The 755p also offers VersaMail which has

built-in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync(R) support for Microsoft Direct Push Technology that delivers e-mail and calendar updates from a home or office PC using Outlook(R). Businesses connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server get fast, automatic wireless updates of e-mail, calendar and contact information with added IT security and remote manageability.

If this interests you more, stroll on over to Verizon for more details.

Source: Verizon

Verizon has added a new flavour of the LG Chocolate, the Blue Ice which does indeed accurately (for once) describe the unit’s colour. The marketing spiel doesn’t hold back when describing the latest addition to the Chocolate range

The newest addition to the Chocolate line-up, the silky-smooth slim slider design comes coated with a frosty blue finish and includes the must-have multimedia capabilities for the music and entertainment lover on your holiday list.

I must admit it’ll take more than a new colour and a bit of marketing spin to make me rush out and buy a new phone, but you may feel differently. Anyway for those of us who appreciate numbers and the like, here are the bells and whistles

* MicroSD slot for up to 4 GB of memory
* 1.3 MP camera
* Bluetooth connectivity
* touch keypad with vibration feedback
* high-speed EV-DO
* 3.85 x 1.87 x 0.67 inches
* 3.24 oz
* 240×320 res display
* 250 minutes of talk time
* 350 hours on standby

The Blue Ice will be available on the 7th of December and will set you back $80 with a two-year plan. There’s nothing special to write home about with this puppy, unless of course having a cellphone that matches your eyes is the most important criteria when purchasing a unit.

Source: Verizon

After a long delay Verizon have finally pulled finger and have launched the HTC built smartphone, the XV6800. US$349 (with $100 online and $50 mail-in rebate) will get you this sucker along with the obligatory two year contract. If you’re still keen here are the specs for this baby

* Windows Mobile 6 OS
* Slide-out QWERTY keypad
* Wi-fi (802.11 b/g) and bluetooth connectivity
* 2.0 MP camera
* 2.8 inch, 240×320 touch sensitive LCD display
* MicroSD memory slot for up to 8 GB
* 4.3 x 2.3 x 0.7 inch
* 5.8 oz
* 324 minutes talk-time or 340 hours standby

So was the wait worth it? Not really, despite all the discounts it’s still $350 for some pretty standard stuff, but I do prefer the slide-out keypads, so may be it’s a winner. Let me know what you think.

Source: Verizon