Remember the Vphone? Revealed way back in 2009, Saygus promised that the Vphone would be the first consumer phone to pass Verizon's Open Device Initiative (ODI) certification, promising revolutionary features such as video calling over 3G, Remote backup and restore for data, and up to a three year warranty. The phone won several design awards at CES, and the company promised that the device would be out sometime during 2010. Then, it disappeared. That is, until today.
Sascha Segan, over at PC Magazine, broke the news to day that the Saygus Vphone finally received certification through Verizon's Open Network Initiative and would start selling the handset "soon." The phone's specifications include:
- 3.5" 800x480 screen
- 'Best in class' slide-out keyboard
- 806Mhz processor
- 256MB SDRAM
- 512MB Flash
- "Android OS" - Though the version number isn't listed in this release, the last known version it ran was 2.2 aka Froyo.
- 5MP rear camera with VGA front-facing camera
- USB host port
- USB modem capable
In a market dominated by 4"+ black slabs and dual-core processors, the Vphone won't win any awards in the spec race. It's important to note that this is the first (and currently only) android device to receive Verizon's ODI certification. What this means is that while the device itself will run on Verizon's network, it won't be officially "supported" by them, meaning it should ship without CityID, Vcast, and the other applications Verizon puts on their other devices. This isn't a Nexus device, but it's the closest thing Verizon users have seen to a stock Android device since the original Droid.
On Monday, we wake up to see that Google is buying Motorola, and on Tuesday we discover that the Vphone will actually see the light of day. What will we wake up to tomorrow?
Source: PC Mag. More: Verizon, Saygus
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