Sanyo's Vero aims to be true

During the past month, Kyocera has touched all corners of the cell phone world with its Sanyo-branded line of cell phones. The Android-powered Zio makes a play for smartphones; the Innuendo centers on messaging; and the new Vero brings up the rear.

Announced today, the Vero offers functional features in a simple flip-phone design that's vaguely reminiscent of the Motorola Pebl. Indeed, it's curved on all sides and has a reverse hinge where the Vero's front flap folds behind its rear face when opened.

Features include a 1.3-megapixel camera with digital zoom, stereo Bluetooth, threaded text messaging, polyphonic ringtones, a 600-contact phone book, a personal organizer, a speakerphone, and parental controls. The Vero carries a bargain price of just $9.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Vero means "true" in Italian, and according to Sprint, that's "what this small and stylish phone delivers." Truth is a concept we don't normally associate with cell phones, but the Vero may prove us wrong. We'll let you know in our review, which we should have in the next few days.