Samsung, Verizon Launch SCH-a970 Phone

New multimedia cell phone plays MP3s, supports Verizon's V Cast wireless broadband service and offers Bluetooth, among other features.

Samsung and Verizon Wireless today announced a new multi-functional clamshell style cell phone for users of the cell provider’s service. The SCH-a970, available now, is priced at $299.99 after a mail-in rebate and two-year customer agreement.

The SCH-a970 sports a number of multimedia functions, including a built-in MP3 player which plays music off of TransFlash memory cards and allows users to manage the music files as well as creating playlists. This phone also supports Verizon’s V Cast wireless broadband consumer multimedia service for viewing video clips on demand.

Other features of the SCH-a970 include a swivel, 262-k color LCD screen design, Bluetooth support, stereo speakerphone, 2 megapixel digital camera with video recording capability, speech to text dictation technology for text messaging and one-step voice commands to access features.