Sprint UpStage Music Phone Debuts

Sprint has finally unveiled its mysterious new music phone, and as many had predicted, it's a re-branded version of the dual-faced Samsung Ultra Music F300 candy bar. Now dubbed the UpStage, the trim (0.37 inches thick) handset is a "flipper": on one side, it has a small screen and numeric keypad on for all your typical calling and messaging features, while a bigger screen plus music controls sit on the flip side. Sounds cool on paper, but the little LCD on the calling side of the phone looks too small for text messaging; I'm curious how it works in real life.

The two-and-a-half ounce UpStage packs in EV-DO access for speedy mobile web-browsing, watching video clips over Sprint TV, and full-track music downloads from the Sprint Music Store. The phone also comes packaged with the new Sprint Music Manager, which lets you transfer tunes from your PC to the phone's memory—a welcome change from the norm, given that cell carriers typically do everything they can to make you buy songs from their online music stores. Also included is support for stereo Bluetooth headsets, a 1.3-megapixel camera, a slot for up to 2GB of microSD memory expansion (good for several hundred songs), and over-the-air backups of all your contacts.

Expect the UpStage to hit stores in early April for $150 (with a two-year service agreement).