Verizon : Samsung Intensity II

Verizon Wireless announced this week that it has launched the sequel to the Samsung Intensity, a handset simply known as the Samsung Intensity II . Some highlights of the phone include a horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 1.2 megapixel infrared camera with night vision, a music player and one-touch access to social networking sites. The social networking application called Social Beat offers quick access to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace in addition to email, content feeds, and instant messaging.

Samsung seems to have wanted the Intensity II to be environmentally friendly as well. The phone is partly made from recycled plastic which includes its exterior battery cover which is made from 35% post-consumer materials. Even packaging for the smartphone is environmentally friendly since it is partially made from recycled paper and partially printed with soy ink. For those wanting to take their “green” living to the next level the Samsung Intensity II even comes with an eco-calculator so users can calculate their own carbon footprints by tracking car fuel mileage efficiency and the estimated amount of carbon dioxide emitted.

The Samsung Intensity II is will be available in a few weeks and will retail for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

The good: The Samsung Intensity has an attractive and compact design, a great keyboard, and a nice display. It has a megapixel camera, a music player, and GPS.

The bad: The Samsung Intensity can't download songs over the air even though it is compatible with V Cast Music, the navigation keys are a little cramped, and the photo quality could be improved. The microSD card slot is inconveniently located behind the battery cover.

The bottom line: The Samsung Intensity is a simple entry-level messaging phone with a few multimedia goodies that's very affordable and easy to use.