Those lads over at idnes.cz have been at it again and have revealed details of the Samsung i740 smartphone, a feature-reduced version of the Omnia. So if you’re concerned about the impact of purchasing a smartphone on your wallet then check out what the i740 has to offer you.
* GSM (850/900/1800/1900) GPRS/EDGE connectivity
* Windows Mobile Professional 6.1
* Monahan LV 624 MHz CPU
* 2.8 inch 320×240 res QVGA touchscreen with haptics feedback
* 3 megapixel camera
* GPS navigation
* FM Radio
* microSD slot (up to 4GB)
* Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 connectivity
* 107 x 59 x 13.8 mm
So what’s missing? 3G for starters along with WiFi connectivity and a QWERTY keypad, all of which we’d expect from a modern day smartphone. However the real kicker will be the price tag, and it looks like it could be low, so if a cheap smarty is what your after this could be your saviour, but if you’re into bells and whistles and have a bulging wallet move along please!
For a super low US$130 you can score yourself the snazzy Samsung Instinct touchscreen phone over at Sprint. Unfortunately for that price you also get a two year plan. Here are the usual bits and pieces on this sucker
* 56 x 117 x 13 mm
* 128 g
* 5.75 hours of talk time with the 1000 mAh battery
* GPS Navigation
* 2.0 Mp camera and video recorder
* Voice-activated commands
* Bluetooth connectivity
* 2 GB memory card upgradable to 8 GB
* Contact sync with PC
Undercutting the US$200 Apple iPhone, Samsung have produced quite a nice competitor in this market. We don’t think it quite matches the iPhone in looks or specs but if dollars are your main priority then this could be your ‘iPhone’.
With Apple about to presumably announce the 3G iPhone, Samsung are trying to steal their thunder by launching their i900 Omnia. So is the Omnia an iPhone killer, check out the following bits and pieces and make up your own mind.
* Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro
* Quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE support
* HSDPA at 7.2 Mbps for 3G connectivity
* Wi-fi connectivity
* USB connectivity
* FM radio
* Bluetooth connectivity
* 3.2 inch 400 x 240 res display (Wide QVGA)
* 5 Mp auto-focus camera
* 8 and 16 GB options with an extra 8 GB or more storage available from a microSD slot
* Samsung’s TouchWiz interface
* Opera Mobile browser
* DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, Windows Media Video and MP4 support
* 112 x 57 x 12.5 mm
This little sucker will be seeing the light of day this month in certain parts probably Asia, with a European appearance the following month. The Omnia will also play nicely with US networks but none have made any announcements as of yet.
So is this to be Samsung’s iPhone killer? Well, without a price tag, we’re not going to fully commit, but that aside there’s the matter of smaller, lower res display and a slightly thicker body, so unless the price tag comes up trumps we’ll be siding with Steve on this one.
Samsung will be launching a new version of the L870 Symbian smartphone next month at Communic Asia in Singapore. The L870 has been given a bit of ‘Soul‘ and will sport the following specs
* Tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900), 2100 UMTS
* 3.6Mbs HSDPA connectivity
* Symbian 9.3 S60 3.2 OS
* 2.3 inch QVGA 240×320 res display
* 3 MP camera
* USB 2.0 connectivity
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* microSD slot
* 102 x 50 x 13.55 mm
It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the Soul, so hopefully the price tag will reflect this. One thing it does have in common with the Soul though, is that it won’t be available in the US - not sure what Samsung are playing at. Anyway if you live outside the US it may be worth you giving the L870 the once over especially if that price tag rocks in at a user-friendly size.
Combining your phone and mp3 player seems to be a very popular option at the moment. Samsung have just launched their latest offering in this market, the F400, which according to Samsung is
Fully equipped with ICEpower® technology by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower
So with the help of B&O, Samsung have cranked out a not too shabby dual slider phone/music player with the following bits and bobs
* stereo speakers
* 3 MP AF camera
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* 1GB micro SD card with appropriate slot (up to 8GB expansion)
* 3.5mm output jack
* FM radio
* HSDPA Tri-band 3.6 Mbps
* 2.2 inch display
* USB 2.0 connectivity to allow the unit to be used as a mass storage device
* 103.2 x 48.2 x 16.9 mm
Strangely there’s no joy for US Samsung fans as France will be the first to see the F400 in May, later followed by Europe, Asia and the Middle East. May be Samsung feel it lacks the features to make it in the US market? Whatever the reason is, the associated price tag should be low as there’s nothing really special on the unit other than a rather sexy design. All in all a bit of a sad phone really.
You lucky Europeans, Samsung has decided to launch their ‘flagship product’, the ‘Soul’ mobile phone on your very shores before letting it loose over the rest of the globe. Starting later this month, this little sucker will hit the shelves of cellphone retailers all over the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium. Here’s the low-down on the Samsung ‘Soul’
* Quad-band HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
* 5 MP camera with auto-focus and 4x digital zoom
* 2.2 inch QVGA display
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* Plays mp3 and wma files
* 105.9 x 49.5 x 12.9 mm
The unit is available in three colours, Sterling Steel, Soul Gray and Platinum Silver and will retail for around 400 euros (US$630).
We told you all about the snazzy looking Samsung F700 back in September last year. However we thought we’d try and track down a video review to really persuade you of the sexiness of this unit … and here it is!
Whilst the young lass doesn’t go into great detail over the F700 she does seem quite impressed with the unit. I must admit I do like the slide out QWERTY rather than the Blackberry-style option and touchscreen always seems sexy at least!
How about a few more opinions? Over at ReviewCentre, the F700 has acquired a user rating of 8.4 out of 10 and mobile88 give it 4 stars (5 max).
So how about the cost? We did track down an unlocked version at mobilecity for US$700, which is a pretty good deal.
So the F700 rocks? It certainly seems that way from various online reviews, but if you think otherwise then feel free to let you know!
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