Samsung's new SCH-A950

Samsung today formally announced its new SCH-A950 for Verizon Wireless. Billed as "the perfect music phone for turning customers into mobile DJs," the A950 is clearly an answer to handsets such as Cingular's and the Sony Ericsson W800i. I like the style, particularly the red and silver color scheme and the smooth rounded edges, but it's the multimedia features that sound promising. You get a speakerphone, a 1.3-megapixel camera with video, support for Verizon's 3G V Cast service, and stereo speakers. The MP3 player will hold as many songs as it can fit on the TransFlash memory card (can be purchased separately), which at 512MB should store about 110 tracks in all. There's also Bluetooth, but since this is a Verizon phone, you won't be able to use it to transfer files wirelessly. The A950 is available for $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year customer agreement.