Samsung provides Clearwire with new WiMAX device, the Mondi

Samsung announced the Mondi, a 4GB, 4.3 inch touch screen portable media player WiMAX device available now from Samsung for $449.99 and August 1st from Clearwire and Best Buy in the markets Clearwire serves: Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Portland. This product is like a cross between a netbook and an iPod Touch, and can only use the mobile internet provided by Clearwire or Wi-Fi.

This is a good thing if you live in a Clearwire area, as it can be twice as fast as anything the phone company can sell you and the wireless broadband Clearwire service only costs $29.99 a month.

Sold in the ubiquitous black, it has a 3 megapixel camera and camcorder, full slide out QWERTY keyboard and supports Fring (which lets you use Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, SIP, Twitter, Yahoo! and AIM), GyPSii (a mobile social network that lets you geotag pictures and videos, find your friends and link to Twitter and FaceBook) and Windows Messenger IM services, MMS as well as Microsoft Office Mobile and GPS with turn by turn directions. And since it uses Fring and has a camcorder, which means somehow someway you will be able to make a VOIP phone call with Skype even though this is not a phone. It uses the Opera 9.5 browser, Windows Mobile and has an HDMI TV out. It comes with a charger, USB cable, 3.5mm headset, navigation car kit, and a car charger.

The Mondi is currently available right now unlocked here for $449.99 plus $4.95 shipping. Considering how many devices this replaces, it is quite the deal. However, it may be cheaper later when you can buy it subsidized with a Clearwire plan.