Free Samsung Omnia on Verizon Wireless

In anticipation of the new Samsung Omnia 2, the original Omnia is now available for FREE if you purchase it online from Verizon Wireless. Otherwise, it's $49.99. This smartphone is running Windows Mobile 6.1, but you may find a custom ROM out there that has 6.5.

This is a decent smartphone that has a relatively small screen (compared to the newer Windows Phones like the HTC Touch Pro2, the HTC Imagio, or even the Android phones like the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris). If you want a great deal on a smartphone that has some nice features, the Omnia is a good choice at a bargain price. If you can afford to wait and you're willing to spend a bit, then the Omnia 2 will be a much better choice.

Samsung Omnia Pro or B7610 Louvre

If you're a Windows Mobile user on the Verizon Wireless network and you happen to like sliders, then you're probably going to love the new Samsung Omnia Pro (aka, B7610 Louvre). This phone runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and will be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5. You'll also get a slide-out full QWERTY thumbboard, a 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen with WVGA resolution (800 by 480 pixels), a 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, and 1GB of internal memory. I think this is going to beat out the HTC Touch Pro, but I don't know how it compares to the newer HTC Touch Pro2.

AMOLED = active-matrix organic light-emitting diode
We don't see many phones using OLED screens, but maybe this trend will change with the next generation of smartphones.