Verizon XV6800
Verizon Wireless today confirmed that the Windows Mobile 6 powered XV6800 business smartphone will arrive in stores today.

Sporting a conventional, yet popular, Windows Mobile slide-out QWERTY thumbboard form factor, the new XV6800 will replace the nearly two year old XV6700 on Verizon Wireless' network. Most notably, the manufacturer, UTStarcom, has dropped the external antenna and added Windows Mobile 6 to the new smartphone. Its Wi-Fi radio has also been upgraded from b to b/g, and the old 1.3-megapixel camera has been replaced with a 2-megapixel camera with flash. The smartphone's non-volatile memory has also been bumped up from 128MB to 256MB, while maintaining the 64MB of RAM.

Measuring 4.3 by 2.3 by 0.7 inches and weighing 5.8 ounces, the XV6800 is slightly more petite than its predecessor, but continues to focus on messaging, scheduling and productivity tasks. However, with an integrated microSD slot supporting up to 8GB cards and Windows Media Player 10 on-board, it could also be transformed into a decent multimedia smartphone. With a 2.8" touch display, Internet Explorer Mobile, and EV-DO connectivity, web browsing and large attachment downloads should also go like a breeze.

The XV6800 doesn't offer the largest-capacity battery around, yet Verizon Wireless claims a talk time of up to 5 hours. Also worth noting, the device comes with hearing aid compatibility, voice-activated dialing with voice command and Bluetooth 2.0 support.

The XV6800 is available online today for $450 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract.