Samsung has already sold 1 million Galaxy S smartphones in the United States, with just the variants on  T-Mobile (branded the "Vibrant") and AT&T (branded the "Captivate").  Now as a launch of Verizon's variant, the "Fascinate", appears to be just weeks away, Sprint has become the third major U.S. carrier to officially open sales of the device.

Sprint's Galaxy S variant, dubbed the Sprint Epic 4G, is a bit different than the rest of the Galaxy S pack.  It's the Galaxy S Pro which means it has a half-width, slide-out physical keyboard, which will delight some disappointed by the lack of a keyboard in other variants.  The phone also adds in some features that were scrapped in the "Vibrant" and "Captivate", namely a front-facing camera for video-calling and a rear-facing LED flash.

On top of those advantages over its Galaxy S brethren, the new phone will be compatible with Sprint's growing fourth generation (4G) wireless network, which employs WiMAX.  Many users are already enjoying this union of that network and another Android smartphone, the HTC EVO 4G.  However, the Epic 4G sports a faster processor than the EVO 4G, so it should offer an even more compelling experience.

The only disappointments initially appeared to be a slightly fatter width due to the extra features and a slightly higher price of $249.99 USD.  Apparently some e-tailers are remedying the latter issue, offering the phone for $199.99 USD.  Both Amazon.com and Wirefly are offering the phone at this rate with free shipping.

The phone is already on sale in Sprint stores and will start shipping immediately.  For customers who want to see more specs, you can visit Sprint's page for the phone, but again beware, you probably don't want to buy it there as Sprint is charging $249.99 USD with a new 2-year-contract.