Virgin Mobile introduces the Slice

In a trend that simply will not die, UTStarcom and Virgin Mobile have come together to bring us the latest thin phone to hit the market: the Slice. We've previously known this phone as the UTStarcom PCS-1400 (read our first take here), and yes indeed, it does look a lot like the Motorola Slvr. Measuring a svelte 4.3x1.8x0.4 inches and weighing only 2.3 ounces, the Slice is touted by Virgin as the thinnest phone you can get in the U.S. without a contract or an activation fee. While we can't confirm that statement, the $49.99 price tag paired with Virgin's Pay As You Go plan is certainly hard to beat. Features for such a cheap phone are pretty basic; we're talking a speakerphone; a 1.5-inch 65,000 color display; support for MP3 ring tones; a few preloaded games; 32MB of memory--and that's pretty much it. It is officially available now through Virgin Mobile's retail partners and will be available online at Virgin's site starting November 2, 2006.