Verizon Wireless and Motorola this week introduced the $150 Motorola Krave ZN4, a new touchscreen flip phone with haptic feedback.

"What's innovative about the ZN4 is that it has a clear lid covering the touch screen," writes InformationWeek's Eric Zeman. "Even with the lid closed, however, you can still interact with the touch screen. In fact, with the lid closed, there is a different menu that gives you quick access to your music, videos, pictures, and navigation. If you open the Krave, this top-level menu changes to more communication-focused tasks, such as the dial pad, your contacts, and messages."

But infoSync's Philip Berne is unimpressed. "Unfortunately, the user interface that hardware supports is something of a letdown, with an inconsistent design and some aging apps, like the V Cast Music Store and the OpenWave Web browser, that haven't gotten better with time," he writes. "In this way, the Motorola Krave ZN4 is like the opposite of the LG Dare on Verizon Wireless, which was a phone that had a unique and modern interface, but lacked the hardware to keep up."

I4U News' Stewart Wolpin agrees. "The concept's innovative in theory, yes," he writes. "But instead of increasing functionality, [the] touch cover actually gets in the way, especially when you're trying to use the touch QWERTY thumbboard. All in all, we don't crave the Krave ZN4."

On the other hand, CNET's Kent German gives the Krave four stars, writing, "The Motorola Krave ZN4 accomplishes something few other cell phones do: it's unique, easy to use, and it performs well."

More here from The Guardian ... more here from TECH.BLORGE.com ... more here from Engadget ... more here from FierceWireless ... more here from MobileGuerilla ... and the press release is here.