UTStarcom Slice gets official for Virgin Mobile
by Chris Ziegler 
posted Oct 26th 2006 at 5:09AM
Rumor has it the Slice has been floating around a Wal-Mart here and a Radio Shack there for at least a week or two now, but UTStarcom and Virgin are just now getting around to announcing the slimphone's availability all official-like, and the companies are quick to point out the Slice's main selling point: the candybar is now the thinnest phone (10mm) available in the US without contract. Of course, other critical points to make would be the phone's attractive out-the-door price of $50, while feature-conscious users will still appreciate the MP3 ringtone support with 32MB of storage, reasonable 128 x 128 color display, and that endlessly imitated RAZR-style keypad. Look for the Slice now in stores with online available following on November 2.
Filed under: Handsets, Virgin Mobile, MVNOs, CDMA
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sundance @ Jun 19th 2008 9:20AM
I bought one of these phones. Battery died, my fault, I abused the phone. Why is battery now $40, when phone was only $10 at Best Buy last Thanksgiving?
atomicshockwave @ Oct 26th 2006 10:52AM
I was in the best buy in annapolis MD yesterday, the slice was there!
korey @ Oct 26th 2006 8:38PM
Does this rock a vga or a 1.3mp shooter ? I mean this is cheap so I dont know. im thinkin about pickin one up for txtn since cingulars bangin me for txtng.
josh @ Oct 26th 2006 2:46PM
Who cares. Not only is this old news, its a hunk of junk prepaid phone. I guarentee 99% of engadget readers are in to actual gadgets. not this peice of crap wanabee. If you own this or want to own this, you need help.
solomonrex @ Oct 26th 2006 3:20PM
Actually I saw this in my Target's redesigned cell phone section (looks like you can sign up for real carriers without getting mugged by salesmen in VZ store, Thank GOD!). I loved it, kept playing with it. I also got to handle the RAZR for the first time, and I wasn't impressed, flimsy little screen flicks out from a too-wide pad. Clearly, the RAZR was a high quality phone, but I couldn't take my eyes off the Slice. The number pad isn't great, but this is so sleek it's crazy. How often do I type in numbers anyway? We're heading to Ipod Nano territory here, and I'm far more likely to buy this than the RAZR since it's in the $50 range. I've been wanting to go prepaid, I'm sick of VZW's bad signals and extra fee shenanigans. Best network my A55.
I don't know any hardcore gadget guys, and I read this blog because of the designs. I do have an ipod nano, but I considered that a huge bargain with it's durability, software and media options (podcasts, easy song purchases, easy ripping). I stopped using my palmpilot so I doubt a smartphone is worth it (I'm an adult so pretty much no txting).
So I'm cheap, tech-savvy, like this phone, but somehow I read this blog? Impossible eh?
Pat @ Oct 26th 2006 6:29PM
Dude, this thing was in my local Target at least 3 weeks ago. I think it was even more then that!
Dez @ Dec 20th 2006 9:08PM
this is totally da best phone ever, it is so sleek and thin, it looks just like a slver, i mean handz dwn das iz da best phone ever. 100 starz. the graphics is so good it has an lcd screen over 65,000 colors, the screen iz so brilliantly bright and clear it has no camera but u can recieve pictures on there. the quality of sound is OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!. BEST PHONE EVER!!!
Keyth Halloween @ Jan 13th 2007 10:10PM
I have the Slice, and I love it. It's the first mobile phone I've owned that actually fits in my pocket comfortably so I can have it with me all the time. The other phones were all too fat, but the Slice is thinner than my card & money clip. The keypad doesn't suffer accidental presses in my pocket if I forget to set keyguard, either.
As for features, it may be a prepaid, but it has great ringtones (true and poly), supports some decent games (not that I use it for gaming much, but the function is there and looks/plays well), and has the speakerphone function. The display is good, the sound is good, and the battery life is admirable.
I'm sorry that gadget snobs like josh don't like the idea of letting a prepaid, non-contract phone into their collection, but some of us like the freedom of prepaid and are looking for a good, thin candybar phone, and this is the one that fits the bill.
Would I get the iPhone if it were reasonably priced? Yes, you bet! But for $50 the Slice is a heckuva lot of phone, and I only spend about $20 every 90 days to use it.
marcc @ May 5th 2007 8:27PM
do it get mobile email?