Verizon Wireless announced on Monday that is has added the Samsung Omnia touchscreen phone to its lineup. The device uses Windows 6.1 Professional with Mobile Suite, which allows users to view and edit documents for PowerPoint, Excel and Word. In addition, Microsoft Direct Push is also included to provide access to multiple e-mail accounts. Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface and the full on-screen QWERTY keyboard are also to be found in the new phone. Haptic feedback on the touchscreen provides subtle vibrations to confirm selections, and an optical mouse provides navigation. Furthermore, the Omnia also supports Opera 9.5 Mobile browser.

Other features that could make it a desirable device are the VZ Navigator’s GPS software, the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies and the fact that it supports Divx and Xvid movie files. The camera is a 5.0-megapixel one with autofocus and LED flash, zooming as well as a camcorder. In addition, the camera includes face detection, panorama, split shot and antishake camera settings, and SmileShot, which enables the camera to automatically snap pictures when it detects someone is smiling. The Omnia weighs in at 4.34 ounces with a 3.2-inch display screen and has usage time of up to 346 minutes with a standard battery.

As for the price, the gadget is available at $249.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract. The phone will be available for online ordering on Wednesday at Verizon Wireless’ Web site, as well as in business sales channels, being available in stores on December the 8th. Samsung Omnia joins the smartphone battle now, facing rivals such as Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android G1 and RIM’s Blackberry Storm. It has a lot of great features that really make it a powerful opponent for all of these gadgets.