Earlier this week, Verizon Wireless and Samsung Mobile announced the availability of the Samsung Omnia II, Samsung's latest full-touch all-in-one smartphone, powered by Windows Mobile 6.5. The North American CDMA Omnia II features a 3.7" WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, a 5.0 megapixel autofocus camera with flash, camcorder functionality and decoder with DNSe technology and on-device editing capabilities, WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. Like the European pendant, Verizon's Omnia II features Samsung's enhanced 3D cube user interface, running on top of Samsung's unique TouchWiz 2.0 user interface. The 8 GB internal memory is expandable up to 16 GB, using a microSD memory card.

The Virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology allows customers to input text faster and easier with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard. Since the Omnia II is a Windows phone, for sure it features Microsoft Office Mobile, which enhances productivity with the ability to manage Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. Also the device comes with Opera 9.5 preinstalled and supports Verizon Wireless services, including V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video on Demand, V CAST Song ID, Visual Voice Mail, VZW Tones, VZ Navigator, Mobile IM and Mobile E-Mail as well as SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, Mobile E-Mail and Corporate E-Mail and access to social networking applications, including YouTube, Facebook and MySpace.

The Samsung Omnia II, which will be available in black with red accents on the battery cover, will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning Dec. 2 for US$ 199.99 after a US$ 100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

Cheers ~ Arne