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The Blitz is a messaging phone without the smartphone functions

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

As someone who likes to text more than I like to talk, I am a fan of phones with QWERTY keyboards like the BlackBerry and the Treo. However, not everyone is into smartphones, so there are "dumb phones" out there with QWERTY keyboards too. LG has the enV(2) and the Rumor, both of which have "hidden" QWERTY keyboards underneath a number keypad.

Last week, I had the chance to review the Verizon Wireless Blitz, made by UTStarcom. Aimed mostly at teens, the Blitz takes a different approach from most messaging phones with its square and squat form factor. As a colleague said, it looks like a fat little cell phone. I dubbed it a "BlackBerry for the rest of us," due to the vaguely BlackBerry-esque look the Blitz has when it's slid open.

We have to admit that we liked it--the oddly wide shape is quite conducive to thumb-typing. It even has a pretty decent 1.3-megapixel camera and music player. Probably our one complaint is that it doesn't have EV-DO, and because of that, the Blitz doesn't support V Cast music over-the-air downloads.

Check out our gallery for a closer look at the Blitz and read our review for all the details.

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

Texters rejoice, for Verizon has just introduced the Blitz, a phone made primarily for messaging.

Manufactured by UTStarcom, the Blitz has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard; a dedicated MyMessaging key that will lead you directly to the messaging menu; a 1.3-megapixel camera; a speakerphone; a music player; and even stereo Bluetooth. Even though you can use V Cast Music with Rhapsody for PC downloads and subscriptions, do note that the Blitz does not support over-the-air music downloads, probably because it doesn't have EV-DO support.

The Blitz is definitely no smartphone, but for text messaging fanatics who just want a phone with a QWERTY keyboard, this will do just fine. The Blitz is currently available for $69.99 after a $50 discount and a two-year service agreement.

Virgin Mobile Arc

(Credit: Virgin Mobile)

Virgin Mobile has announced that it will carry yet another UTStarcom phone, and this time it's dubbed the Arc. The Arc is a simple camera phone with trademark Virgin Mobile black and red colors, as well as Bluetooth, a VGA camera, and it's available for only $49.99 without a contract.

Source: Engadget Mobile

UTStarcom

(Credit: UTStarcom)

UTStarcom announced earlier today that it will sell its Personal Communications Division to a part of AIG Vantage Capital for approximately $240 million plus $50 million based on a three-year earn out provision. UTStarcom states in its news release that it is focusing more of its efforts on its core IP-based product offerings and the PCD business will be cordoned off as its own standalone company. The new company will be known as Personal Communications Devices (Still PCD, get it?) and will be taking over UTStarcom's mobile device distribution, though UTStarcom's handset business unit will continue to design and provide handsets and accessories for PCD to distribute. Sounds like consumers won't see too much of a change as far as UTStarcom handsets go, but it'll be interesting to see how the future of the company's devices shape out now that the two divisions are separate.

Verizon Wireless G'zOne Type-S

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

Casio showed off its new G'zOne Type-S for Verizon Wireless in black and silver at the UTStarcom booth here at CTIA. It's almost exactly the same as the original rugged clamshell, but it now supports push-to-talk capabilities. The rest of the Type-S Casios will have this feature as well, it's just that the black and silver version is the first out the gate with it. It's saddled with only a VGA camera, but a rugged phone like this doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles. Verizon is offering it now for $99.99 after a discount and a two year contract.

Day two of CTIA 2008 is over, and it was quite a breather compared with day one. Our feet actually did not hurt at the end of the day! Here are some highlights from day two of the show.

Nokia kicks off the day by announcing two new basic CDMA/AWS handsets: the Nokia 1606 and the 3606, both of which are probably set for the entry-level to midtier market. Next, Senior Editor Kent German talks up the Samsung Alias, which we knew about before, but was officially trotted out at CTIA.

Sanyo also put out a few new devices, namely the Pro-200 and Pro-700, both are push-to-talk phones using Sprint's QChat service. It also introduced the Katana LX, which promises to be a shinier successor to the Katana II, plus it has a translucent OLED display. UTStarcom snuck in with a new basic handset as well--the CDM7126 is a AWS capable phone that will be available to both Cricket and MetroPCS in different designs.

On the smartphone front, rumors swirled around a phone that's not even at the show. Senior Editor Bonnie Cha waxed about the potential BlackBerry 9000 as well as a GPS-equipped BlackBerry Pearl 8110. And, as far as movie tie-ins go, the only product of that nature is the Iron Man branded LG Shine, which is clad with, we kid you not, a solid 18 karat gold battery cover. It won't be available for retail, and will only be available to a select few who are lucky enough to win it via movie-related contests. Which is fine, because we probably won't be able to afford it anyway.

In other news, Yahoo unveiled an upgrade to its OneSearch product, which CNET Download.com editor Jessica Dolcourt had the pleasure of trying out. Also, Vodafone CEO tells us something we already know--that the mobile Internet is for real and that consumers want it--not just some dumbed down version of the Web.

After the big Samsung Instinct announcement yesterday, Kent German wondered if the Instinct can truly take on the iPhone's dominance, and we invite you to chime in to provide your thoughts.

Rounding out the second day are SMS 2.0 (the capability to text in color), cell phones you can't have, and a pair of cute Samsung speakers. Stay tuned tomorrow as we try to wrap things up and let you know what we thought was the cream of the crop.

UTStarcom CDM-7126C for Cricket

(Credit: UTStarcom)

UTStarcom 7126M for MetroPCS

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

UTStarcom didn't have much of a presence at this year's CTIA, but it did sneak in an announcement of the AWS-enabled CDM-7126 handset for both Cricket and MetroPCS. The Cricket version is dubbed the CDM-7126C and the MetroPCS version is dubbed the CDM-7126M. They're both about the same, save for the look of the front surface. As for the phone itself, it's a pretty standard device, made for the entry-level market though it does have Bluetooth as well. The front surface is pretty unique in that there are LED indicators for incoming calls and text messages, as well as battery and signal strength without the need for an external LCD. The pricing and availability are not known yet, but we think both of these will debut pretty soon.

The UTStarcom Coupe has dedicated ICE emergency keys

(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulz)

CTIA Fall 2007 isn't really the place for most cell phone manufacturers to announce new devices; in fact, many companies come here to reannounce devices that have already been, well, announced. That's how it is for the UTStarcom Coupe from Verizon Wireless, that back-to-basics emergency phone that we reviewed a month or so ago. UTStarcom has released a press release announcing that they're launching the phone today, even though it was out a while ago. As we said back then, the UTStarcom 8630 is a phone made for the elderly or older adults; it has a clear display, large keypad, plus dedicated keys for emergency phone numbers. There's really nothing new about the Coupe since its announcement a month ago, except for its price--no longer is it $19.99 with a 2-year contract; it's now $49.99 with Verizon Wireless contract. Guess that's one gadget that actually went up in price over time.

Verizon Wireless Coupe

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

Verizon recently launched the Wireless Coupe, a UTStarcom handset that comes with three unique emergency speed-dial buttons underneath the internal display. The buttons spell out ICE (In Case of Emergency) and provide instant access to 911 and two other emergency phone numbers you can assign yourself. The Wireless Coupe (I don't get it--is there a Wireless Sedan phone somewhere I'm not aware of?) is otherwise a pretty basic phone--no camera or Bluetooth, for example--but this is clearly meant for those who just want a phone around for emergency's sake. The phone is available for $20 with a two-year contract.