Verizon Wireless Introduces Entry-Level LG Cosmos Touch

Verizon and Korean handset manufacturer LG have just announced the launch of the LG Cosmos Touch feature-phone. The device will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores starting November 18th.

This is the second device in the Cosmos series after the LG Cosmos handset, which is still available at Verizon and can be obtained for free with a new two-year contract.

LG Cosmos Touch is an entry-level handset targeting customers that want a messaging device with a QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen.

The device comes with a 2.8-inch WQVGA touchscreen and a slide-out 4-rows QWERTY keyboard. The Cosmos Touch features a Flash-powered UI with three home screens and seven customizable shortcuts and widgets.

The handset also packs Bluetooth 2.1 capabilities with support for a wide range of profiles such as: headset, hands-free, object push for vCard and vCalendar, stereo, file transfer, phonebook access and message access.

Additional features include: microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 16GB), Voice commands, VZ Navigator capable (receive audible turn-by-turn directions to millions of points of interest and share the directions with others), Media Center (access downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more), Full suite of messaging options, including text, picture, video and voice messaging, Mobile IM, Social Beat and Mobile Web Email.

It sports a sub-par 1.3-megapixel camera with three different camera resolutions, up to 2 times zoom, Night mode, Self timer (3, 5 or 10 seconds), customizable shutter sound, brightness, white balance and color effects.

Pictures taken with the camera can be set as a wallpaper or picture ID or uploaded directly to Facebook, MySpace or other social networks. The phone also comes with an Image editor that enables users to zoom, rotate, crop, stamps, add borders and draw directly on photos.

The LG Cosmos Touch can purchased starting on November 18th for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.