ZTE took its first fledgling steps into the world of US cellphones this morning with the release of the C88 on the MetroPCS network. The China-made clamshell is simpler than the D90 available through TELUS in Canada but is designed to offer more than just the basics: Bluetooth, a VGA camera, and Internet support for e-mail, IM, and the web are part of the core design. The C88 also holds 60MB of internal memory and comes preloaded with a variant of Sudoku to get the user started with mobile games.

As part of MetroPCS' unlimited calling service, ZTE's inaugural phone is available for $139 without any contracts or subsidies. It should be available today both online and through the provider's retail shops.