Verizon Wireless announced Monday that the Samsung Intensity III is available online starting today at www.verizonwireless.com.

The horizontal-slide QWERTY keyboard is ideal for text message fans and the enhanced social networking features make it easy to stay connected with family and friends. The Intensity III boasts a durable and ruggedized design built to withstand wear and tear while also being made from 80 percent post-consumer materials, including recycled plastic extracted from water bottles or other recycled polycarbonate materials. For customers interested in keeping track of their own carbon footprint, the Intensity III offers an eco-calculator that tracks car fuel mileage, efficiency and also estimates the amount of carbon dioxide emissions.

Additional features:
— 2-megapixel camera with photo options including night shot, shooting modes (series and divided), and effects (normal, black and white, antique and negative).
— Meets Military Specifications 810F standards for shock, low pressure (altitude), low and high temperature, temperature shock, solar radiation, salt fog, humidity, vibration, sand and dust.
— 2.4 inch QVGA (240 x 320) TFT screen for easy viewing.
— Full suite of messaging options, including text, picture, video and voice messaging.
— Enhanced social networking capabilities make updating statuses on Facebook® and Twitter™ easier than ever.
— Voice commands and advanced speech recognition for an enhanced user experience.
— Multilingual User Interface that includes English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
— Fake Call feature that allows users to set up a pseudo-call to help them escape unwanted social situations.
— VZ Navigator® capabilities for customers to receive audible turn-by-turn directions to millions of points of interest and share the directions with others.
— Bluetooth technology with support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access, basic imaging, object push for vCard and vCalendar, and serial port.
— microSD card slot with support for up to 32 GB.

Additional environmental features:
— Packaging made from recycled paper (post-consumer waste) and printed with soy ink, along with reduced package size.
— Box: 60 percent recycled paper
— High efficiency charger that alerts when the battery is fully charged.

Pricing and availability:
— The Samsung Intensity III is available online at www.verizonwireless.com and will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the coming weeks for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.
For additional information, go to www.verizonwireless.com.