Verizon Wireless has announced, a few hours ago, the availability of a new Samsung handset for its US customers. Verizon has dubbed the phone Samsung Knack, although the device itself doesn't live up to this name, not being that advanced when it comes to performance.

 

Having nothing to do with the power pop-rock band The Knack, Verizon's Knack is the fourth Samsung phone to be released these days in the US, after the M320 and M220 (coming from Sprint) and AT&T's a237.

 

Like the other three new North American Samsungs, the Knack (model name SCH-U310) comes in a clamshell form factor and doesn't bring anything out of the ordinary in terms of design, save for the fact that its microSD slot and its headset jack covers are colored in red and blue respectively.

 

The new flip phone offers the following: dual-band CDMA 1X connectivity (800 / 1900 MHz), a 2.2 inch TFT internal display with 176 x 220 pixels and 65K colors, a 96 x 96 pixel external display, a user friendly interface with support for both English and Spanish, an Adjustable Font Size option, three hot keys (for speakerphone / voice commands, 911 and ICE), advanced speech recognition, hearing aid compatibility, TTY capabilities, calculator, alarm clock, world clock and stopwatch. These features make the handset perfect for senior mobile users, although Verizon didn't present it as targeting this category of customers.

 

Samsung Knack weighs 3.63 ounces (102 grams) and, when closed, it measures 3.78 x 2.01 x 0.74 inches (96 x 51 x 19 millimeters). The handset's battery is said to last up to 270 minutes (4.5 hours) in talk-time mode or up to 336 hours in stand-by mode.

 

Users interested in getting this new Samsung phone can visit Verizon's official website. The Knack is offered for the price of a costly morning snack – $39.99 with a contract agreement for two years – and it will also be available in Verizon's retail stores, starting October 14.