Motorola Triumph hands-on (photos)

Sprint says Virgin Mobile customers are more interested in messaging, social networking, and data services than in talking on the phone, so it needed to move its device portfolio in that direction. The prepaid carrier was missing an iconic device, but that will change with the arrival of the Motorola Triumph later this summer. Pricing and release date were not disclosed at this time.

Virgin Mobile's current smartphone lineup features low- to mid-tier models, such as the LG Optimus V and the Samsung Intercept. However, as the flagship device, the Motorola Triumph offers more power and higher-end features, including a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The smartphone will run Android 2.2 Froyo with more of a stock Android experience (hooray!). If you're thinking the handset looks a lot like a mini Moto Droid, you're not the only one.

The Triumph sports a 4.1-inch, WVGA (800x480-pixel resolution) capacitive touch screen. It's the largest display available on any of Virgin's smartphones. Below it are touch-sensitive buttons for the menu, home, back, and search shortcuts.

There's a 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the phone. The handset will come preloaded with Virgin Mobile Live 2.0, which is a social music application that streams music by DJ Abbey Braden and offers live concert videos, as well as check-in features at special events.

A volume rocker makes its home on the right side of the Triumph. The smartphone measures 0.4 inch thick by 4.8 inches tall by 2.5 inches wide and weighs 5 ounces. The phone's design is rather bland but has a solid construction.

The power/lock button resides on the left.

On back, you'll find the Triumph's 5-megapixel camera and LED flash. The camera offers auto focus and can record 720p HD video at 30fps (frames per second). There's also a front-facing VGA camera.

The larger screen and landscape support will give all those messaging fans an easier way to text and send e-mails.