Samsung Zeal brings e-ink back to Verizon

With a body that flips open vertically and horizontally, and keypads that use e-ink technology, the Samsung Zeal isn't your typical messaging phone. However, we've seen these tricks before.

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Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).

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Jessica Dolcourt

Nov. 9, 2010 9:37 a.m. PT

We see plenty of phones with unique designs, but this week Samsung is bringing Verizon customers a shape we haven't seen in awhile. The Samsung Zeal is a dual-hinge messaging phone. Flip it in portrait mode like you would a clamshell phone to see a numeric keypad. Flip it in landscape mode to see an QWERTY keypad.

What's more, the Samsung Zeal's keypads use e-ink, a technology we've seen before in another dual-hinge e-ink phone, the Samsung Alias 2, also for Verizon. As with the Alias 2, the characters on the Zeal's QWERTY keyboard morph into symbols, while the numbers on the vertical dialpad shift into alphabetic characters.

In addition to a unique design, the Zeal has a 2-megapixel camera, a microSD card slot that holds up to 32GB memory, and Bluetooth. On the software side, it will also have support for Web mail and Microsoft Exchange e-mail, instant messaging, Skype Mobile, a Web app, a social networking app, and VZ Navigator.

You can pick up the Samsung Zeal from Verizon on November 11 for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, and with a new two-year service agreement.

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