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Thursday June 25, 2009
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 Verizon put Sprint and T-Mobile on notice today with a version of the HTC Snap smart phone that's cheaper and more flexible than their two competitors'. The HTC Ozone will sell for as little as $49, and features both CDMA and GSM networks for global roaming.
The Ozone looks a lot like T-Mobile's Dash 3G, or Sprint's HTC Snap. That's because all three are based on the same platform: a non-touch-screen, Windows Mobile 6.1 device with a 320x240 LCD screen and both 3G and Wi-Fi networking. Yes, it's a Verizon smart phone with Wi-Fi. Unlike the Sprint version, the Ozone lacks HTC's special Inner Circle key which lets you quickly access your most frequently used contacts.
But Verizon added a far more powerful twist to the Ozone: CDMA/GSM world roaming. The Ozone works on Verizon's CDMA Rev A network here in the US, and on GSM/EDGE networks abroad. The phone comes with a SIM card with relatively high roaming rates, but you can get the SIM slot unlocked if you've been a Verizon customer in good standing for 60 days.
The Ozone is also available at a killer price: $49.99 (with a two-year contract, after a $70 mail-in rebate.) That's $100 less than Sprint is charging for their model - and Sprint's model doesn't have global roaming.
Otherwise, the Ozone is a slab-style, non-touchscreen Windows Mobile phone with a 2.4", 320x240 screen and a 2-megapixel camera on the back. It has a memory card slot, voice dialing, Bluetooth, and it works as a modem with the appropriate service plan. The 1500 mAh battery promises lots of talk time. It syncs with PCs out of the box, with Macs using third-party software, and with Microsoft Exchange servers seamlessly.
The Ozone will be available June 29th. We'll have a review soon.
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