Cricket today announced their next Android smartphone , unveiling the $250 Huawei Mercury putting it on sale immediately. As the most powerful device in the carrier’s lineup thus far, the specifications are on par with some of today’s better handsets.  We’re not exactly clear as to what version of Android is under the hood but we’re hoping for at least Gingerbread.  The Mercury is designed to pair with Cricket’s $55/month no-contract unlimited talk/text/messaging plan which also includes 1GB of 3G data.

Huawei Mercury Features

• 1.4Ghz Processor
• 4″ FWVGA Touchscreen
• Email application for both consumer and business email
• 8.0 MP AF HD rear camera/camcorder
• VGA Front Camera
• 2GB Internal Memory
• Real Web Browsing at 3G speeds
• Wi-Fi Capable
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Mobile Hotspot (i.e. Tethering); supports up to 5 devices
• Support for Google Mobile™ Services – Gmail™, Google Maps™ with 3D maps and free turn-by-turn navigation, Google Earth™, Movie Studio, YouTube, access to more than 300,000 apps, millions of eBooks, thousands of movies to rent from Android Market

Press release