ZTE's Smooth is an entry-level handset running Android

From the looks of it so far, Android phones tend to be your usual slate form factor or ones that feature a landscape QWERTY keyboard. Aside from that, it's rare to see some ingenious new spin that can perfectly say that it is something truly original. It looks like ZTE took the Palm Pre's design and crafted a handset going by the name Smooth  – it does raise an eye because of its less than popular form factor. What you get with the Smooth is of course that sliding portrait QWERTY design that's intended to be an entry-level handset running Android 1.6 and features all your usual amenities – such as a 2.8” QVGA display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. We mean it when we say entry-level because it should retail under 1000 Yuan, which is approximately $146, and become available sometime in August. It's not to say that the ZTE Smooth is a complete knock off of the Palm Pre, but you can definitely spot some similarities – let's just look forward to some more original looking handsets sporting this form factor in the future.

source: Cloned In China via Engadget