14 DAY TRIAL // The Zeal was leaked one week ago, along with two more Android-based smartphones, Samsung Continuum and Motorola Citrus. All three devices are set to be released on November 11th at Verizon Wireless.
Coming to confirm the imminent release of the handset, Samsung Zeal has just been spotted on Verizon's website under the form of a 360-degree viewer, which, in fact, only shows the front part of the phone.
The phone has been previously tipped off by a third-party news service that the U.S.-based carrier is using currently. Apparently, the press release has been pulled, but the link pointing to the Zeal photo is still working.
The Samsung Zeal is a dual-hinge messaging phone that features a rarely seen flip-style format. But the real innovation is the Magic Key keypad using e-ink technology, which replaces the standard printed keys.
Basically, the QWERTY keyboard layout can change according to the application used or depending which way the user has opened the phone.
In phone mode, the keypad can be used as a standard phone keypad, while in texting mode the keys automatically change into a full, four-row QWERTY keypad.
These are the only impressive features of the phone, but it may be enough for Verizon customers looking for unique and easy to handle messaging handsets.
Other features of the Samsung Zeal include: 2.6-inch QVGA main display, secondary display, 2-megapixel camera, microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB), Bluetooth connectivity and Skype Mobile.
Samsung Zeal features several dedicated multimedia controls for one-touch access to some of the most used functions of the phone such as Bluetooth, text messaging, voicemail and voice commands, games, alarms and camera.
There are no details regarding the phone's price tag or the exact launch date, but odds are that the Zeal will be launching along with Samsung Continuum, which was already officially confirmed for November 11th.
