The new FlipShot for Verizon Wireless really isn't all that new; it's essentially a minor update of the Samsung SCH-A990 camera phone from last year, just in a thinner, lighter package and with a snazzier keypad. That said, the old A990 was one of the best camera phones I'd ever tested, and I'd expect more of the same from this nifty swiveling handset.

Available now on Verizon for $200 with a two-year service agreement (pricey, I know), the FlipShot has the same swiveling-display design as the A990, which I reviewed way back in July 2006: basically, the flip swivels 180 degrees, turning the big internal display into an external viewfinder for the 3-megapixel camera. It looks like FlipShot has practically the same camera hardware as the A990 (including autofocus), and that's a good thing: the older handset took some of the best pictures I'd ever seen from a phone, even by today's standards. If you've got an on-the-go shutterbug on your holiday list, the FlipShot looks like a good bet.

As with the A990, the FlipShot supports Verizon Wireless' 3G network (good for video streaming and full-track music downloads), and it comes with VZ Navigator for turn-by-turn directions, PictBridge direct-to-printer printing, a TV-out port for showing slideshows on the big screen, stereo Bluetooth (a new feature for the FlipShot), and microSD memory expansion.

Related:
Press release [Verizon Wireless]