Samsung’s FlipShot Arrives on Verizon

A high-resolution CCD and swiveling screen nudge Samsung's latest phone for Verizon toward actually replacing a standalone digital camera.

Camera phones have been coming into their own lately. Last week, Nokia launched the N82 with its legitimate camera features, and this week, we finally get the long-leaked FlipShot from Samsung and Verizon. With a 3.0-megapixel CCD, the two companies are pushing the phone as yet another digital camera replacement.

Besides its relatively high resolution, the phone has a rotating display that swivels 180 degrees for picture-taking, effectively putting the interior LCD screen on the outside for use as a viewfinder. Other features include PictBridge for printing photos directly from the camera, Verizon V Cast capabilities for mobile music and video, and Bluetooth.

The black version of the phone is available immediately from Verizon for $199.99 with a two-year contract, with a red version in the works.