Verizon Gets Omnia 5MP Camera Smartphone

Samsung's formerly Euro-only handset makes a 5-megapixel camera its primary attraction and features haptic feedback for an improved touch experience.

AT&T isn’t the only carrier building up its arsenal of touch-screen smart phones for the holidays. Following the release of BlackBerry’s much-anticipated Storm last Friday, Verizon has slipped out another touch device on Tuesday with the launch of Samsung’s Omnia. The formerly Euro-only handset makes a 5-megapixel camera its primary attraction and features haptic feedback for an improved touch experience.

Much like the Eternity that Samsung recently debuted on AT&T, the Omnia includes a 3.2-inch touch screen and runs Windows Mobile 6.1, with Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz interface plastered over the top to give it a fresher look and feel. More standard features include 801.11b/g Wi-Fi, media playback capabilities, support for multiple Bluetooth profiles, a full touch-enabled browser, and a host of features from Verizon like VZAppZone and VZ Navigator.

Besides its unusually high resolution, the built-in camera also has a number of other standout features such as face detection, SmileShot for automatically snapping a picture when a subject smiles, as well as panamora, split-shot and anti-shake settings.

Verizon offers the Omnia immediately for $250 after a $70 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract.