It looks like a news source for Big Red decided to give the Samsung Zeal a taste of the spotlight a little early. Word of the device has been mentioned before but with it being a messaging phone in a smartphone world, it hasn't received a whole lot of publicity, but this cements the rumors. A third-party news service used by Verizon accidentally posted about the device a little prematurely this morning, and was re-released as a press release while I was writing this.
Little was known about the Zeal but the press release revealed that it is a dual-screen, dual-hinged messaging device that uses E Ink technology in its keyboard. This is used to switch the layout of the keys when you open the device the different manners. Flip it to the side and a QWERTY keyboard appears, flip it up and a number pad will display. Personally, I'd like to see this technology be used more widespread, possibly in smartphones and not limited to keyboards. Other than that, the specs of the phone are nothing out of the ordinary with a 2.6-inch display on the inside and a 2 megapixel camera.
It now makes sense why little was said about the Zeal before now. You may be thinking that it looks almost identical to the Alias 2, and it should because it's just a refresh of the same device in a black color. I guess this is also an explanation as to why the specs are so unimpressive. Why they would change the name from Alias 2 to Zeal, I have no clue, but if you want to pick one up, the Zeal will cost $79.99 with a two-year contract after a $50 mail in rebate and will be available on November 11.
Via Engadget
Source Verizon Wireless
