Announced at the beginning of April, together with Velocity 111, the Velocity 103 smartphone is now commercially available and can be pre-ordered from Expansys. The handset is priced at 334.99 GBP (about 420 Euros or 590 USD) and it will begin shipping, unlocked, towards the end of September. 

Built by Velocity Mobile in collaboration with the Taiwanese notebook maker Inventec, Velocity 103 is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional handset that packs about anything a pretentious mobile user might desire. One of the highlights of the new device seems to be its Odyssey Interface. This is made to simplify the use of Windows Mobile and it can be updated directly from the handset, hence there is no need for desktop computer syncing when a new software version must be installed.

The other features of 103 include: a 2.8 inch TFT display with 480 x 640 pixels (like HTC's Diamond and Touch Pro), quad-band GSM connectivity (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) with GPRS and EDGE, tri-band HSDPA/HSUPA connectivity (850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz), internal GPS, a Qualcomm Mobile Station Modem MSM7201 chipset, 256MB of ROM and 128MB of RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, TV out, a 2 Megapixel camera, a front-facing video calling camera and memory expansion slot.

Measuring 113 x 58 x 15 millimeters and weighing 130 grams, Velocity 103 comes with a 1410 mAh battery said to last up to 4 hours in talk-time mode or up to 200 hours when in stand-by.

"Consumers these days are demanding more from their phones," stated David Hayes, president and managing director of Velocity Mobile. "Our research tells us that people want experiences, not applications and functions. Velocity Mobile has brought together some of the greatest minds and best of breed partners in the industry to deliver positive experience and value to consumers."

Up to this point, there are no details about the future availability of Velocity 103 via a mobile carrier. Anyway, given its worldwide connectivity, the smartphone can be used almost all over the world and on the network of any GSM carrier.