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Yesterday it was the Nokia E62, today Cingular announced it has finally shipped the highly anticipated 3125 smartphone, now the only Windows Mobile flip phone available in the U.S. The re-branded High Tech Computer (HTC) Star Trek is only a little over a half-inch thick - it is designed to compete in a world defined by the likes of Motorola's RAZR - and goes for only $149 with the standard two-year service contract.

The quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) GSM/GPRS 3125 comes in two flavors, one with a 1.3 megapixel camera for picture and video and the other, called the 3100, without a camera. Otherwise, both versions appear to be the same, measuring a compact 3.88 x 2.02 x 0.64 inches and weighing only 3.49 ounces.

There's also a 200 MHz TI OMAP 850 processor, Bluetooth 1.2, microSD slot, 64 MB of RAM, 128 of ROM, a 2.2-inch 240 x 320 (QVGA) pixel resolution display, and a second external color display. The 1100 mAh lithium-ion battery is supposed to get up to 4 hours talk and 6 days standby time on a single charge.

As a Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphone device, the screen isn't touch. Cingular is loading Microsoft's Messaging and Security Feature Pack to provide users with push e-mail and data access (including calendar, tasks and contacts) and more for Exchange server out of the box. Additional mobile e-mail arrives with support for Good Mobile Messaging from Good Technology and SEVEN-run Cingular Xpress Mail, which is compatible with many popular Internet Service Provider services.

To play MP3s there’s Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. The 3125 also has a speakerphone and EDGE network support, a 2.5 G technology that exchanges data at about 70 to 135 kbps. Not 3G, but available, according to Cingular, in 13,000 cities and towns and along some 40,000 miles of major highways.

Monthly unlimited Cingular Smartphone Connect plans start at $19.99 with Xpress Mail, $29.99 with Microsoft Direct Push and $39.99 with Good Mobile Messaging with a Cingular voice plan of $39.99 or more.

The Windows Smartphone is already available in other parts of the world as the i-mate Smartflip, Qtek 8500, and Dopod s300.