Responding to the popularity of multi-tasking handhelds, Verizon Wireless is
introducing a new PDA phone for its business customers and more flexible
rate plans.
Samsung Telecommunication’s i730 runs on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile
software and is available for large-account customers today and will be available for consumers July 7.
It features a full slide-under keyboard and color touch screen for viewing
Web pages in Internet Explorer and documents in Pocket Excel, Outlook,
PowerPoint and PDF formats.
The South Korean handset maker’s new PDA phone also has built-in Wi-Fi
“The i730 combines the familiarity of Windows Mobile software with the
innovative design of Samsung that will be a popular choice for mobile
professionals,” Suzan DelBene, a Microsoft marketing
vice president, said in a statement.
The device will sell for $599.99 with a two-year contract and is available
in 1,900 Verizon Wireless Communications stores, including those inside
Circuit City, Best Buy and RadioShack.
In related news, Verizon Wireless said it will start new rate plans on
Monday that bundle voice minutes, unlimited nights and weekends for calling
and data access from a PDA, Smartphone or BlackBerry.
Verizon Wireless, which is owned by U.S. regional telecom Verizon
Communications and British carrier Vodafone
, said the new plans recognize that users are “increasingly
dependent upon a single wireless device for voice and e-mail.”
With nearly 46 million subscribers, the Bedminster, N.J.-based carrier is
the second-largest mobile operator in the United States behind Cingular
Wireless.