We know that Verizon’s version of the Windows Mobile-based Omnia II superphone is incoming, and by all accounts, we would’ve figured on it looking more or less like its global counterpart — but those tinkerers over at Big Red apparently can’t leave well enough alone, because the phone that’s appeared on Samsung USA’s site actually looks a bit different.
The most notable change is the move away from the original model’s distinctive cubic center button, though the replacement — a shield design in the same vein as the B900 for South Korea — really doesn’t look any more user-friendly. Otherwise, there’s not much to see here, but there’s a brief mention of a relatively generous 1500mAh Samsung battery which should come in handy for spending hours on end using those YouTube, WeatherBug, and Facebook TouchWiz widgets you’ve got installed, eh?
Samsung Omnia II specs
* 65K WVGA AMOLED Display (3.7-inch, 480 x 800–largest AMOLED display yet in a phone)
* Advanced R-type Touch Screen
* Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (upgradeable to WM 6.5)
* 5-megapixel CMOS camera with autofocus and face-detection, plus geotagging and a photo editor
* Video recording at 30fps@720×480, plus video editor (trim video, audio dubbing, live dubbing, add subtitle)
* Audio supported: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WMDRM, OMA DRM 2.1, plus FM radio
* Video supported: DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, WMV9, MPEG4
* A-GPS with Navigation (3D Map)/LBS
* TouchWiz 2.0 UI with Mobile Widget/3D Media Gate
* Multitask manager/3D Interactive Games
* Bluetooth Stereo Headset (A2DP)
* WiFi
* 2GB/8GB/16GB of internal memory (3 different models)
* microSDHC expansion slot (up to 32GB)
* Up to 10 hours (3G) talk time
* Up to 430 hours (3G) standby time
* Dimensions: 4.65 x 2.36 x 0.47 inches (HWD)
A lot of these features look very similar to what the iPhone 3G S is offering, but this model–for better or worse–runs on the Windows Mobile platform. Still, wouldn’t it be nice to see that microSDHC expansion slot on an iPhone?