U.S. Cellular launches HTC Merge today; LG Genesis to follow on June 9th

Regional carrier U.S. Cellular is now offering the HTC Merge. The handset is U.S. Cellular's first Android model that is Global Ready so if traveling abroad, all you need to do is pop in the appropriate SIM card for the country you're in. The 3.8 inch display offers up resolution of 480 x 800 pixels allowing you to clearly see the pictures you have taken with the 5MP camera (which captures video at 720p). A single-core Qualcomm MSM7630 is under the hood, clocked to 800MHz and the HTC Merge is equipped with a landscape sliding physical QWERTY keyboard for sending out quick and accurate texts and emails; with Android 2.2 aboard, the Merge can view Flash in the browser. An 8GB microSD card comes with the model. The carrier is offering the phone for $149.99 after a $100 mail-in-rebate and a signed 2-year pact. As we reported, Verizon's version of the Merge was launched in the middle of this month, but is available only through third party retailers like Best Buy.

U.S. Cellular also announced that it will be offering the LG Genesis on June 9th. Some might find that the Genesis resembles the LG Voyager with the clamshell form factor that opens up to reveal a second display and a physical QWERTY keyboard. The device offers up a 3.5 inch external screen and a 3.2 inch internal display, both with resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. Unlike the Voyager, both screens on the LG Genesis are touchscreens. Android 2.2 is installed and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor powers the show. On back is a 5MP camera and 32GB of storage is aboard with an 8GB microSD card pre-installed. For those who like to use Swype, you will be happy to know that the swipe to type application comes with the unit right out of the box. The price tag for the LG Genesis will be $149.99 after a $100 mail-in-rebate and a 2-year contract.

source: U.S. Cellular via AndroidCentral