Alltel has launched a new handset by Samsung, the Hue, which offers Alltel's patent-pending Celltop UI, an MP3 player with Jump Music capabilities, a 1.3 megapixel camera with video, and a choice of colorful, interchangeable faceplates. The device is available for $39.99 with a $50 mail-in-rebate and two-year service agreement.

Usable Products Company recently released a report that found Alltel's Celltop UI was harder to use than WAP, which should come as a surprise to many in the industry--in fact it won a BREW award. The company compared Celltop to Axcess Web, a WAP portal on LG's AX8600.

"Unfortunately, Celltop is less usable than WAP," stated Usable Products' president Scott Weiss. "Only 7 out of 10 usability test participants were able to successfully check the weather in Miami, Florida using Celltop, while all 10 were successful using Axcess Web, a WAP portal. Furthermore, of those who succeeded, Celltop took 36 seconds (27 percent) longer than WAP."

UPDATE: An Alltel spokesperson questioned the study's conclusions because it only included data from 10 participants, who were based in New York City, which is outside of Alltel's coverage area.

For more on Celltop and the Hue:
- read this press release about the Hue
- check out this release about the study