Verizon Wireless has offered a few world phones, including smartphones, over the years. Case in point: The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, which it introduced last spring. Rumor has it the carrier may soon introduce another smartphone for globetrotters. This one would be a new version of Samsung i760, a device Verizon has only been offering for a month.

Preliminary rumblings around the Internet rumor mill indicate this edition of the Windows Mobile-run slider would include CDMA cell phone technology with support for EV-DO cellular-data networking for Verizon's own network, like in the current version of the i760, but would add in GSM radio for voice service abroad, according to the blog engadget.

But that's not all. There's also the possibility the world edition of the i760 may even include support for the HSPDA 3G technology used by many GSM carriers worldwide. Usually world phones from CDMA carriers only support 2.5G EDGE GSM data technology.

Turning a smartphone or cell phone into a world phone for a CDMA carrier like Verizon is more complicated, and therefore rarer, than with a GSM operator like AT&T. For AT&T, it’s simply a matter of including support for internationally supported GSM bands. As you can see in the i760 scenario above, the inclusion of a second cellular radio, a GSM type, is required for CDMA operators.

Other than the addition of GSM and possibly HSPDA, the world version of the i760 is supposed to offer the same or similar specs to the current version.

These include both a QWERTY thumb-keyboard and a numeric keypad. With the i760 the keypad is on top, so it’s accessible when the smartphone is closed. You access the full keyboard by sliding it open horizontally.

The i760's 240 x 320 pixel (QVGA) resolution touch screen measures 2.8 inches diagonally, while the device itself measures 4.5 x 2.3 x 0.77 inches when closed. It weighs 5.3 ounces.

There's a 1.3 megapixel camera with a flash for picture and video, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, 128 MB of ROM, 64 MB of RAM, and a microSD slot for storage expansion.

Today's i760 supports Verizon's 3G EV-DO network for fast data transfers when Wi-Fi isn't present. It lists the smartphone for $300 with a two-year contract and after a $100 on-line discount.