While NASA is contemplating on decommissioning the Space Shuttle, Virgin Mobile USA does otherwise by launching its Shuttle, save for the fact that this is no spacecraft but a cell phone instead. The Shuttle holds the coveted position of being the first handset from Virgin Mobile to feature EV-DO connectivity, and was specially designed with high performance for data and content in mind. It will be available on an exclusive basis from Best Buy Mobile and BestBuy.com from September 28th onwards, helping consumers who are looking for a device with
the flexibility of monthly plans sans contract.

The Shuttle is the first handset from Virgin Mobile that will see several key features from the Helio portfolio included, rnaging from improved access to social networking communities as well as other mobile internet sites courtesy of partnerships with Accuweather, ESPN, Facebook*, MySpace, YouTube and Yahoo! among others. Some of Virgin Mobile’s first location-based services from uLocate will also be featured, including :-

Buddy Beacon - The popular ‘friend-finder’ solution which allows customers to find friends in a crowded city and show where they are and what they’re doing; and
Where - The application that delivers local information to easily discover nearby places and things of interest such as locating the lowest gas prices, finding local events, and getting restaurant recommendations

Depending on your budget, the Shuttle can come with monthly or pay-as-you-go plans. The former will feature $5 and $10 packages, that consist of 20MB and 50MB, respectively. As for the pay-as-you-go plans, you will have to fork out $5, $10 and $20 depending on how much (and often) you think you will access the web over your cell phone. Other features of the Shuttle include a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 2″ display, video capture capability, a built-in video player and Bluetooth connectivity with an SD memory card slot for expansion purposes.

Press Release