Verizon Wireless Announces E-ink Alias 2 Messaging Phone

E-ink on anything other than an eBook reader may come as a surprise, but Samsung has managed to use it on its new Alias 2 messaging phone, which launches today on Verizon Wireless. We had time for a brief hands-on of an early version of the device. The Alias 2 features the same dual-hinge keyboard found on the original, but its keyboard this time around uses E-ink technology so that it can change the key mapping based on what the user is doing. So if you have the phone open vertically the keyboard shows an alphanumeric keyboard, and if you hold it horizontally, the keys have a QWERTY layout and shortcut buttons on them. It’s unique and helps avoid awkward key lettering. There are other uses too. Take games, for example, when you play them an arrow pad can pop up which you can use for navigation. Other features include support for VCast Music and VCast Videos for over the air music and video downloads. You can control your music via the playback controls on the front lid. The Alias 2 is available in charcoal gray and features support for RemoSync ($9.99 per month) which will help you sync your work e-mail, contacts, and calendar with the phone. It has a 2MP camera, support for VZ Navigator, and Visual voice mail. There’s a unique user interface that resembles a classroom for accessing specific menu items. The Samsung Alias 2 will set you back $79.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate on Verizon Wireless. That’s $10 less than the LG Chocolate 3, a feature rich 3G device, and we think the Alias 2 will give it stiff competition.