Wireless mobile phone carrier Orange has announced today the release of Vegas, a touchscreen handset that comes to UK users as the smallest, lightest and cheapest such device available on the market. The new Orange Vegas comes in two color variants, black and, exclusive to Orange, pink, and features a price tag of £48.50 for pay-as-you-go customers.

The simple one-touch interface it includes has been designed exclusively for Orange, while a variety of features have been packed inside it, such as a 1.3-megapixel photo snapper, photo and video sharing capabilities, MP3 and media player, or a built-in FM radio. The new phone comes with a 2.4-inch high-quality touchscreen offering users an easy way to navigate through their favorite social networking sites or to stay connected to their friends at all times.

Those who would like to purchase Vegas can also combine it with Orange’s pay-as-you-go Dolphin package, which offers 300 free texts and £10 credit to spend the way they want to, plus free access to Bebo, Facebook and MySpace. According to the carrier, the pay-as-you-go Dolphin proves to be the best value package on the market to those who would like to access social networking sites on their phones, while Vegas would be the best-fitted option for a phone, as it combines great functionality with style and a low price.

Commenting on the launch, Francois Mahieu, director of Devices, Orange UK, said “The Vegas is the perfect handset for customers who wish to have the touch screen experience without breaking the bank. It provides a good functionality with a touch screen at a cheap and affordable price. Combined with our pay-as-you-go Dolphin package which offers free access to Bebo, Facebook and MySpace - it really does offer consumers tremendous value.”

Orange Vegas comes with an internal memory of 128MB, but also includes a microSD memory card slot that can offer support for up to 4GB of additional storage space. The handset is available immediately and can be acquired by pay-monthly customers as well. More details on it can be found at Orange shops or on the carrier's official website.