Samsung B3310 Goes Live in France

That hot pink monstrosity from last week has apparently gone public in France, only sporting a slightly less jarring ice blue paint job. Don’t worry about brushing up your conjugaisons – the specs are pretty easy to translate:

• 320 x 240 screen
• 2 megapixel camera with 2x zoom
• Bluetooth 2.1
• 5 hours talk time, 380 hours standby
• Quad-band EDGE
• microSD memory card slot

The specs are a little ho-hum, but that sidelong row of number keys is a pretty interesting twist. There’s still no word on pricing or carrier, but it’s probably safe to assume this sucker will be sticking around Europe for the time being. The last best guess places a release around mid-September.

Verizon’s Rogue and Intensity Landing September 8?

The last we heard about the SamsungRogue is that it would be coming to Verizon this month for $370, but that window has apparently been pushed up to September 8th. The U960 Rogue is expected to pack GPS, EV-DO, and a a 3 megapixel camera in the Glyde-esque slider form factor. The Intensity handset made a debut in the same leak, carrying a $160 pricetag, although we don’t have any info on specs; regardless, we hear it’ll be launching on September 8th as well. Sprint (NYSE: S)’s Touch Pro 2 is curiously landing on the same day

– I would say it should make for some tight competition between U.S. CDMA carriers for back-to-school crowd, but it’s hard to imagine any students being able to afford the TP2’s purported pricetag.

Korean Samsung Jet available in white and pink

Samsung’s smarter than a smartphone Jet handset is being offered in pink and white in Korea. Actually it’s the Haptic AMOLED W850/W8500/W8550 (depending on the carrier partner) we’re talking about, but that’s only a different name the Korean giant uses to sell the all-touchscreen baby in its own backyard. Actually, the Korean version has a bit larger display (3.5-inch as opposed to 3.1-inch) and a built-in T-DMB mobile TV receiver. Rest of the specs are unchanged, and in that sense I’ve no doubts Samsung will see the Jet being offered in multiple color options around the world, as well. It looks like Samsung wants to test this in the domestic market prior to exporting it elsewhere…

Samsung S3650 Corby Gets Official

The Samsung Corby, which we got a brief look at last week, has been officially announced and slated for a mid-September launch. Few of the rumoured specs were confirmed, but here they are, for posterity:

• Quad-band GSM connectivity with GPRS and EDGE
• 2.8 inch QVGA touchscreen display
• Access to YouTube, MySpace and Facebook
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
• MP3 player
• FM radio
• 2MP camera
• MicroSD card support
• 103 x 57 x 13 mm
• 92 grams

Facebook, MySpace and Twitter integration are all big parts of Samsung’s pitch, so this could easily find its way into the mid-range youth market, although it might take more than a few colourful battery doors and sexy curves to win over the iPhone loyalists. You’ll be able to pick up the Corby S3650 for 150 Euros when it’s available in a few weeks across Europe.

Samsung I8910 Omnia HD gets a firmware update

Samsung has released a firmware update for its powerful I8910 Omnia HD smartphone. The version I8910XEII1 (custom version: I8910SERII2) packs new features such as the 3D TaskSwitcher, one finger zoom, better (more spaced out) on-screen QWERTY keyboard, updated Flash Lite, updated XviD codecs, new widget engine along with several new widgets pre-installed (weather forecast, dictionary, uTalk).

Apparently, at the moment, this firmware upgrade is for those living in Hong Kong and Russia, only. However, I’ve no doubts Samsung will roll it out for the rest of the world in no time…

Video: Samsung I5700 Galaxy Lite Gets Quick Review

The Samsung Galaxy Lite I5700 showed up last week with little more than a picture, but now we get to see it in action on video. There isn’t a whole lot to see, to be fair; the key layout doesn’t look that much different from Samsung’s first Android phone, the I7500 Galaxy, and they aren’t doing anything crazy with the user interface like HTC has done with Sense. Don’t get too worried or excited about that lime green battery door as it apparently won’t be coming to market. As rumoured previously, the specs include a 3.2 megapixel camera (down from 5 in the original), 4 GB of on-board storage (versus 8 GB), but all of the other specs, including the 3.2″ AMOLED touch display are the same. It’ll be nice to see cheaper Android phones out there, but I’m not sure the difference between the I5700 and the I7500 will be enough make one substantially more affordable than the other.

Samsung Reclaim Arriving on Bell September 17th

As rumored a little while ago, we now have word that the eco-friendly Samsung Reclaim is arriving at Bell. The Canadian carrier is set to launch the Samsung Reclaim up north on September 17th. The device will be available in ‘Ocean Blue’ and ‘Earth Green’, and is made from corn-based bio-plastic materials, which make it easy to recycle when you’re done with it. Dummy phones have already started arriving at Bell locations, so there’s no doubt staffers have read the memos and are getting trained up on this one.

The Bell Samsung Reclaim will go for $49.95 on a 3-year term, $99.95 on a 2-year, $199.95 on a 1-year and $219.95 on the prepaid option.

Key features of the Reclaim include a 2.4″ display, 2MP camera with video, microSD expansion to 16GB, 3.5mm headset jack, GPS, a 1000 mAh battery and more.

Stay tuned for the official launch, comin’ real soon!

Bell Launches the Samsung Reclaim

You may recall earlier the plans Bell had to launch the Samsung Reclaim. True to form, those plans have come to fruition and the Reclaim is now available on Bell! You can pick one up for $49.95 on a 3-year contract, $99.95 on a 2-year, $199.95 on a 1-year and $219.95 prepaid.

So why is the Reclaim so special? Well, to start it’s made from corn-based bio-plastic materials and is 80% recyclable. It’s packaged in recycled materials as well, and even the size of the package is smaller. The wall charger is Energy Star approved, which means it takes about 12 times less energy to charge. Impressive! If you’re earth conscious and earth friendly (who isn’t these days), this phone is kinda setting a standard.

The Samsung Reclaim is available at Bell in ‘Ocean Blue’ and ‘Earth Green’, and comes complete with a 3.5mm headset jack, 2MP camera with video, GPS, full HTML web browsing, microSD expansion up to 16GB, and a whole lot more.

Sprint to launch first 4G WiMAX Android smartphone in 2010?

Android smartphones are gaining traction. T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) USA will soon launch the Motorola CLIQ and is already home to two distinct Android handsets – the T-Mobile G1 and T-Mobile myTouch3G. Sprint (NYSE: S) is expected to go live with the HTC Hero next month. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is expected to welcome the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Sholes to its network in October. And, it looks like Sprint is looking to become the first wireless carrier to offer a 4G WiMAX Android handset. PC World speculates that Sprint is preparing to launch a 4G Android smartphone made by Samsung in 2010.

Sprint has a majority stake in Clearwire’s WiMAX business, and has been pushing to get the network up and running across the US. WiMAX can offer mobile broadband speeds several times faster than anything T-Mobile or AT&T (NYSE: T) can serve at the moment. So, it makes sense that Sprint wants to cash in on the Android movement with a WiMAX handset.

If Sprint can get this rumored 4G Android handset to market in time, they might just be able to clinch the “world’s first” title. But, Verizon Wireless is gunning to light up their national 4G LTE network in early 2010. LTE offers much faster mobile broadband speeds than WiMAX, and if Verizon launches an LTE Android handset, it could hurt Sprint.

For now, we don’t have much to go on. Just keep your eyes peeled for a 4G Android smartphone from Samsung going to Sprint in the near future.

Is this the Samsung Houdini?

We’ve spotted a new video claiming it presents the still unannounced Samsung Houdini. However, the problem is that they also say it’s the Samsung B7610, which is the name of the OmniaPRO. From what we can tell – it’s not the OmniaPRO, so it gotta be something else. And that “something else” could be Houdini, the device we’ve seen earlier in T-Mobile’s leaked roadmap.

We don’t have all the details about Houdini, but we do know it will come with an AMOLED WVGA touchscreen, 800MHz CPU, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, TouchWiz UI, WiFi, GPS, 5-megapixel camera, and so on. Hopefully, Samsung and/or T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) will soon bless us with the official announcement. In the meantime, checkout the mentioned Houdini video after the jump. Enjoy!

Samsung adds new members to the Corby family: CorbyTXT B3210 and CorbyPRO B3410

We knew Samsung was working on a QWERTY keyboard-equipped Corby-like device – B3210. However, at the stage when we first covered the phone, we got no clue it will really wear the “Corby” mark. Now we know it does and that it’s not the only Corby texter phone.

Specs wise, the Samsung CorbyTXT B3210 comes with a 2-megapixel camera, changeable battery covers, 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio, as well as such installed applications as social networking app (access to Twitter and Facebook) and the multi-network instant messaging client. The Korean giant will launch the device in Europe during next week.

The other Corby texter unveiled is the Samsung CorbyPRO — pictured on the right — which comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard as well as 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. Camera is better than the one found on the CorbyTXT (3-megapixel), and there are also (in addition to B3210’s features) dedicated music control keys, push-email and threaded SMS support. The device will start shipping in Europe in November.

We’ve no doubts Samsung will price the two phones properly, hence sell tons of these. The way I see it, both of them are perfect phones for young, savvy folks.

Sprint Launches Samsung Instinct HD, Available for $249.99 on September 27

As expected, Samsung’s Instinct HD has been made official on Sprint (NYSE: S) and will be available for $249.99 on contract after rebates as of September 27. The pricetag is just a teensy bit outside the projected range of $99 and $149, but let’s take a look at the specs and see the Instinct HD is worth it.

• 5 megapixel camera, capable of HD video recording
• Wi-Fi, GPS, EV-DO Rev. A
• 3.2″, 320 x 480 display
• 5.8 hours talk time
• 4.63 x 2.28 x 0.50 inches, 4.01 ounces

Sprint makes a point to say that the HD element isn’t actually playback on the device, but rather through the HD-capable TV-out. If that’s something you’re really looking for, Best Buy will have the Instinct HD available on launch day, and Sprint retail stores will have it on October 11.

New Samsung Pixon12 Shows up in South Korea with 3x Optical Zoom

amsung’s photographic beast, the Pixon12, is still relatively young in the European market, but the manufacturer hasn’t forgotten their home turf. South Korean service provider SK Telecom will apparently be offering a new version of the Pixon12 called the SCH-W880, which notably includes 3 x optical zoom. Right, like the camera needed more pampering. A similar model, bearing the number M8920, made the rounds earlier this summer, but not without any additional information; hopefully more detailed specifications will surface in the near future. Aside from the optical zoom, I wonder what else about the M8920 will be different from its older brother…

Samsung SCH-W880: 12 megapixels, HD video, 3.3 inch OLED screen, 3x optical zoom

When Simon posted a leaked picture of the Samsung SCH-W880 last Friday, I told him that it didn’t even look like a mobile phone. A clearer picture has just come out, in Korea, and it confirms that this 12 megapixel successor to the Pixon12 that launched earlier this summer is nothing more than a camera that can make phone calls. With a 3.3 inch wide vga resolution OLED screen and 3x optical zoom, we can’t wait for this to hit the European and American markets. It depends on the OS. If it’s the regular Samsung dumbphone OS then forgetaboutit.

Hands-on with the Android-powered Samsung Moment

Hands-on with the Samsung Moment from IntoMobile on Vimeo.

Samsung has officially gone Android. Today, at the CTIA WITE 2009 conference in beautiful San Diego, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Moment as their first Android phone to hit market. The Moment features a 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera (with autofocus and LED flash), slide-out QWERTY keyboard, GPS, WiFi and an optical mouse. There’s also a speedy 800Mhz processor lying within, ready to crunch numbers like it’s nobody’s business. The Moment will be only the third Android phone to sport a physical keyboard when it launches, putting in league with the HTC G1 and the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) CLIQ. Talk about being in good company. But, the real question is how does the Samsung Moment measure up?

We had a chance to put hands on the Samsung Moment, and it holds its own against the CLIQ. The keyboard slides out with smooth confidence. The camera is decent, especially considering it only packs a little over 3 million pixels onto its image sensor. The keyboard keys are a little small for our tastes, but provides reassuring tactile feedback.

Samsung will be bringing the Samsung Moment to Sprint (NYSE: S) on November 1st for $179.99 (after $50 instant savings and $100 MIR) when purchased with new 2-year contract. Check out the video and photo gallery below for a preview look at the Samsung Moment.

Samsung F839 unveiled in China

Samsung has unveiled a new all-touchscreen device for the ever-growing Chinese market – F839. The somewhat stylish device comes with a CDMA radio along with 1x EV-DO (3G), meaning this baby is slated for China Telecom. Rest of the specs include 3.2-inch WQVGA (240×400 pixels) touchscreen, 3-megapixel camera, media player (DivX), GPS, FM radio, Bluetooth, web browser, email client, office document viewer, 1,000 mAh battery, and of course a microSD memory card slot. Size wise, it measures 115.1×55x12.9 mm and has a weight of 109 grams. Pricing information was not disclosed and we also don’t know whether Samsung plans to export the F839 outside of China…

Giorgio Armani and Samsung copy the Nokia N97 Mini, throw on Windows Mobile 6.5

I had to do a double take when I saw this photo up on Engadget. What you’re looking at is a device with no formal name, I’m serious, it doesn’t have a name, but with specs that are pretty impressive: 3.5 inch OLED display, Windows Mobile 6.5, 5 megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard, 8 GB storage built in, WiFi, GPS, all yours for only €700 ($1035). This … thing (how the hell could it not have a name?!) was announced today in Milan, Italy, with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer himself up on stage calling this device “a statement of style”. Anyway, now take a look at the Nokia N97 Mini:

Which do you think is more attractive?

And am I completely nuts for seeing the resemblance here?

Samsung Blue Earth first to hit Sweden this month

Don’t get me wrong – I’ve never been in Sweden. But when I think about solar panels, it’s probably the last place that comes to my mind. In that sense, I was surprised to learn that Samsung will be initially introducing its eco-friendly, solar panel-equipped Blue Earth phone in the land of Ikea, Absolut vodka and Ericsson later this month. Sure, other places — including France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal and more European and Asian countries — will follow shortly, but that’s not the point here. The point is that it should be launched in a sunny place in Mediterranean first, then and only then moved to northern European countries. Or that’s just me, not seeing the big picture. Go figure.

Anyway, as soon as we hear it’s officially available, we’ll let you know again. This is one handset that should be super exciting for every green-aware individual out there. The reason is simple – features remain on place (even though it’s not a smartphone), and we also have a solar panel on the back. Kudos to Samsung for pulling this out!

Verizon to drop Samsung Omnia II i920 on November 1?

The Samsung Omnia II seems to pop up every now and again, but we have yet to see or hear any details of the touchscreen smartphone coming to the US. But, if a new tip from one of PhoneArena’s readers pans out, we’ll be seeing the Omnia II going live in less than a month! The Omnia II boasts an eye-popping 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, 5-megapixel camera (auto-focus and dual-LED flash), GPS, WiFi and hefty on-board memory stores, so you can see why we’re excited.

We recently spied the Omnia II, at CTIA Fall 2009 conference, wearing a Verizon (NYSE: VZ) logo, so there’s no doubt Big Red will soon offer the Omnia successor. Black Friday (the Friday following Thanksgiving) was a good bet for the Omnia II’s launch, but now we’re hearing that Verizon Wireless could very well go live with the Omnia II on November 1st.

The Omnia II will launch with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional installed, but can soon thereafter be upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 as a free update from Samsung. Of course, Samsung’s TouchWIZ UI is a big part of the Omnia II experience, which is going to suck or be awesome for you, depending on how much you like the widget-based UI. We’re not too big on Windows Mobile, and even less on TouchWIZ, but the Omnia II’s feature-set might be enough to distract us from the awkward UI.

MetroPCS Launches Samsung Code

The Samsung i220 Code that had made its way to U.S. Cellular earlier this summer is now available on MetroPCS (NYSE: PCS) as well. For $299.99 off contract, you get a modest package, including a 2 megapixel camera, full QWERTY keyboard, 4-way jog wheel, and Windows Mobile 6.1. Speaking of which, this is the first WinMo handset metroPCS is offering, and fills out a rather sparce selection of proper smartphones. With Exchange support, it’ll make a fine (if blockish), cheaper e-mail alternative to the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) 8330. Hit up the metroPCS online store to check out the Samsung Code for yourself.

Samsung Trill and Caliber go Live on U.S. Cellular

As expected, the Samsung r520 Trill and r850 Caliber have found their way to U.S. Cellular. Both squarely occupy the mid-range and as such, don’t bring anything earth-shattering to the table. The Caliber sports a full touchscreen, slate form factor, and packs a 3 megapixel camera with video recording, stereo Bluetooth support, and all of the widgets you would expect from Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. The Trill, on the other hand, is a slider with a 1.3 megapixel camera and GPS. You can grab the Samsung Trill here for $85.95 after rebate or the Caliber here for $49.95.

LG, RIM, Samsung and Sharp to support JIL widgets

The Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) announced that LG, RIM, Samsung and Sharp will support the JIL widget specification in future mobile handsets from the first quarter of 2010. As a result, developers will be able to make a single widget that works across multiple platforms and devices. On the other hand, end users will have more widgets available for download.

Other JIL member companies include large carriers like China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), SOFTBANK (OTCPK: SFTBF), Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD), which have a combined user base of more than 1 billion.

Commenting on the announcement, JIL’s CEO Peters Suh said: “The decision of LG, RIM, Samsung and Sharp to incorporate the JIL widget specifications in their future product roadmap is proof of the tremendous potential that JIL offers both to developers and customers. All four companies are innovation leaders and this is another strong affirmation of both JIL strategy and its robust technical specifications.

Samsung’s new Hello Kitty phones for France

Hello Kitty is a cultural phenomenon that I take great care in following. What other brand has appeared on an airplane, on a weapon, or even on a vibrator? Say hello to the “Player One Hello Kitty” above which has dimensions of 105 x 53 x 12 mm, weighs only 85 grams, has a 1000 mAh battery, 3.2 megapixel camera, 3 inch 240 x 400 resolution screen, and Bluetooth 2.1. It’s available now for 220 EUR. Below you can find the “GT-E2210 Hello Kitty” which is a clamshell measuring 94 x 46.5 x 18.5 mm, weighs 88 grams, has a 128 x 160 resolution display, VGA camera, and not much else. It’s available now for 89 EUR. Chances are you’re not going to buy this for yourself, but maybe for the girlfriend?

Samsung i6330 heading to China Mobile

Samsung is preparing a new all-touchscreen phone for China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), which as you can see from the image above looks like some other Samsung models we’ve seen in the past.

The device name/mark is GT-i6330 and unfortunately we don’t have all the details at this stage. We do see a 3.2-megapixel camera on the back as well as a small camera for video calls on the front. That said, it’s safe to say this baby will run on TD-SCDMA waves, used by the world’s largest mobile operator.

Pricing and exact release date are unknown at this point, but considering we’re approaching the holiday shopping season, we would expect to see China Mobile starting to offer this baby within weeks.

Video – Samsung C6625v tour!

Ben gets hands-on with the Samsung C6625V – a qwerty keyboard-packing, candybar device, running WinMo 6.1:

T-Mobile BlackBerry 9700 Launching November 16th?

While the new BlackBerry Bold will be coming to stores sometime in November, we’ve heard little in terms of specific dates. Well, unconfirmed rumours are pointing to November 16 on T-Mobile (NYSE: DT), matching AT&T (NYSE: T)’s $199.99 on-contract price point ($449.99 off contract). Rogers (NYSE: RCI) is looking like they’ll be ready sooner rather than later, but things are still hazy for Bell, telus (NYSE: TU), and AT&T. The same tipster also confirms earlier rumours that one of Samsung’s upcoming Android devices, the Behold II, will come out on T-Mo a short two days later, and retail for $249.99 on contract.

Bell HSPA Network Goes Live, Featuring BlackBerry Bold 9700, iPhone 3GS, OMNIA II, and Video Calling

Bell has today gone ahead and flipped the switch on their brand new HSPA network. Coupled with telus (NYSE: TU) launching their own tomorrow, Rogers (NYSE: RCI) will no longer have a lockdown on hot GSM handsets like the iPhone, and Canadians will get some much-needed choice in service providers. The only devices Bell was forthcoming about before today’s announcement were an HSPA+ internet stick, and MiFi mobile hotspot, but they have really opened up both barrels with their full HSPA family. Earlier today, you might have heard about the Bell BlackBerry Bold 9700, but there’s also the original Bold 9000 for $249.95 on contract, the LG Xenon (simple, full-QWERTY slider; $89.95 on contract), the Nokia 2730 (standard candybar; $29.95 on contract), the Samsung omnia II (touchscreen slate running Windows Mobile with TouchWiz 2.0; $199.95 on contract), Samsung Impact (A.K.A Highlight, touchscreen slate with voice and motion-controlled UI; $79.95 on contract), and of course, the beloved iPhone 3GS.

On top of devices, Bell is also announcing a new HSPA video calling service available on the omnia II and Xenon that not only works with other capable phones, but also through a Facebook app. Overall, this is a huge step for Bell and Canadian wireless overall, and it’s not over yet – we’ll be hearing more about telus‘ HSPA grand opening tomorrow. For a closer look at Bell’s full lineup, check their online store, or their HSPA landing page for more info on the new network.

Samsung News Subscribe to the Samsung RSS Feed Samsung sells 10 million ‘Star’ touchscreen phones, proves the low-end is where it’s at * No Comm

Olympic Games are always a great way to spread your marketing message to a wide audience. Bell and Samsung know that, hence we have Bell’s Omnia II being unveiled as the official mobile phone of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The announcement came just in time to celebrate the carrier’s newly rolled out HSPA network and should certainly help Bell get some love (and new subscribers) from around the country.

You know all about the Omnia II, so I won’t repeat its specs here. I’ll only add that those who own Samsung’s Windows Mobile smartphone will be able to download Samsung’s Wireless Olympic Works (WOW) application, which is used to keep track of the latest news and happenings during the Olympics. Cool for both Bell and Samsung!

AT&T’s Samsung Jack blessed with Windows Mobile 6.5 update

AT&T (NYSE: T)’s Samsung Jack is blessed with the Windows Mobile 6.5 update. The Korean giant announced the upgrade saying existing owners of the full QWERTY keyboard-equipped device will be able to experience the improved UI latest Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s mobile OS brings, better Pocket Internet Explorer, access Windows Marketplace, and also get free access to AT&T hotspots around the country.

And that’s about it. To upgrade your Jack, simply follow instructions on Samsung’s website.

Samsung Behold II Custom TouchWiz UI Caught on Camera

My bud David over at TMoNews has managed to get his hands (from a trusted ninja) on a video look at the Samsung Behold II’s TouchWiz interface. The custom UI ‘Cube’ is certainly a different take on the traditional Android UI. Check it out.

Last I heard the Samsung Behold II will be announced at T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) on November 12th… with availability coming November 18th. Pricing is said to be around the $249.99 mark on a 2-year contract. Would you spend that much for a spinning cube, WiFi, 16GB of storage, and a 5MP camera with auto-focus and flash? Check out the video above if you haven’t already, and leave your thoughts in the comments.

What do you think? Awesomely awesome? Or colossal FAIL?

Samsung sells 10 million ‘Star’ touchscreen phones, proves the low-end is where it’s at

The public eye might be focused on headlining smartphones with bang-whiz features and sleek designs, but Samsung proves yet again that the low- to mid-level handset market is nothing to laugh at. Samsung has announced that it has sold 10 million Samsung Star touchscreen handset since its launch just six months ago, as expected. That’s a lot of handsets, sure, but it’s impressive to see Samsung moving that much volume in such a short time.

Increased consumer interest in touchscreen handsets helped drive sales of the Star. “We’ve entered an era where full touch-screen mobiles are mainstream devices, and we are very pleased with the broad popularity of the Samsung Star,” said Young-hee Lee, Vice President of Marketing, Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is aiming to take the lead in the global touch-screen mobile market with our diverse product line up and customized, unique marketing approach.”

The entry-level handset isn’t going to make headlines for their features or style, but we’re sure Samsung could care less.

Two Samsung devices, Mythic and Flight, hitting AT&T on November 8th

AT&T (NYSE: T) is adding two new touchscreen-equipped Samsung devices to its offering – Mythic and Flight, both which will be available on November 8th.

The first of the two, pictured on the left, comes with 3.3-inch display, 3.2-megapixel camera, Samsung’s well-known TouchWIZ UI, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, and the ability to sing along AT&T Navigator, AT&T Mobile Music and AT&T Mobile TV services. The price is $199.99 on a contract after a $50 mail-in rebate.

As for the Samsung Flight, it’s a non-3G device that sports GPS, 2-megapixel camera, smaller touchscreen, and supports AT&T Navigator and AT&T Mobile Music services. This one’s obviously cheaper device, hence AT&T is asking $99, again on contract and after a rebate…

Samsung makes its Wireless Olympic Works app available for more WinMo smartphones

So it’s not just Bell’s Omnia II that will get the dedicated mobile application for the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Samsung will release the same app (Wireless Olympic Works – WOW) for its other Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.5 smartphones. As you may know from our previous post, WOW will provide users with up-to-date Olympic news, schedules, results and medal standings.

To download the app, visit this page on Samsung’s website and follow the instructions:

• Click on Mobile Phone
• Click on WOW
• Then click on WOW Technology
• Finally, click “Download” application by selecting the appropriate device.

And you’re ready for the Olympics!

Samsung SCH-W920 is yet another DMB-equipped phone for South Korea

Samsung has launched another Korea-only device marked as W920. It’s a decent phone which, as it’s slowly getting a standard there, comes with a S-DMB mobile TV receiver. Rest of the 12.9mm thick phone’s specs include a 3-megapixel camera, front facing camera for video calls, Bluetooth, media player, SOS function, e-dictionary and pre-installed TOEIC/TOEFL test apps for learning English on the go.

As I said, the Samsung SCH-W920 is made for the company’s domestic market only, where interested buyers can grab it for 500,000 won (about $425) in either black or white.

Alltel adds Samsung DoubleTake, low-end QWERTY phone

Alltel has a new device for young but heavy texters. It’s the Samsung DoubleTake which prides itself with a sliding QWERTY keyboard, 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and so on. In a word, nothing special, yet enough for $39.99. That’s of course the price with at least 1-year service contract on a qualifying rate plan and after a $50 mail-in rebate. As for the color options, there are two versions – bold red and sleek charcoal gray, which seem designed for girls and boys, respectively… I guess. Alltel’s website has additional details for those who care.

Samsung announces new mobile OS, forgets to mention why anyone would like it

Samsung has just announced a brand spanking new mobile operating system named “Bada”, which is Korean for ocean. They didn’t mention a single feature that makes it stand out, nor did they include screenshots. Bada will be fully unveiled in December at an event in the UK. In a world where we have Android, Symbian, and Windows Mobile available for handset manufactures to use, and to customize, to their heart’s content, Samsung has decided that neither of those three solutions is good enough. Don’t forget that Samsung already does make Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile devices. This company is starting to feel like an unemployed degenerate who goes to clown college to learn how to juggle just so he can pay for his whiskey habit. It’s the fifth week of class, and he mastered juggling 3 balls, but now he wants to jump to 4 for some strange reason. Moral of the story: I hate clowns, and companies that launch press releases filled with fluff.

Update: And in case you’re wondering, Samsung expects the first Bada powered device to launch in 1H 2010, with more models expected in 2H10. Bada will have an application store, launching in 1H10, and will expand to over 30 countries by the end of 2010.

Samsung M3310 and B3410 appear in official photos

We’ve already talked about two upcoming Samsung handsets – M3310 and B3410. It seems the Korean company is approaching the launch date as we caught the official photos on the Interwebs.

As a reminder, the M3310 is a music-centric device sporting a dual-slider form factor and such things as 3.2-megapixel camera, dedicated music control keys, stereo speakers, 3.5mm headset jack, 2.1-inch QVGA screen, Bluetooth and a microSD memory card slot. The B3410, on the other hand, is a touchscreen phone that is also designed for messaging. Its features include a 2.6-inch QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, microSD memory card slot, whereas Samsung’s well-known TouchWIZ UI is running the show.

Both devices should hit Europe in the near future at the still undisclosed prices…

Samsung Slyde and Intensity Get a New Coat of Paint on Koodo

Koodo has added splashed some new colours on a few of their more popular Samsung devices. The Samsung Slyde is now available in Pink… and the Samsung Intensity is now available in Red.

The Slyde is a slider with full QWERTY keyboard, 2.1″ screen, MP3 player, 2MP camera with video, and more. It’ll run you $175 outright or $25 on your ‘tab’. The Intensity is a slider as well with a full QWERTY keyboard, 2.1″ display, 1.3MP camera, MP3 player, and is expandable up to 16GB via the microSD slot. Pricing? You’ll need to fork over a little bit more, at $200 outright or $50 on your ‘tab’.

Both devices make me go ‘meh’, but I know they’re a fit for a lot of folks out there.

For more, do some shopping over at KoodoMobile.com.

Free National Football Post App for BlackBerry Exists… and it’s Free!

I guess I’m not as connected to the football scene as I once thought. I’ve never heard of the ‘National Football Post’ before… But I guess it does exist, because said organization has a new, very free BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) app available. The NFP worked together with Handmark to release the new app, which aims to keep you up-to-date on the latest football news. Key features:
NFL Hot News and Rumors
Michael Lombardi
Fantasy Football
Scouting Reports
News from your favorite NFL Teams
Oh, and of course I’m talking American Football here. Sorry ‘footy’ fans You can pick up the National Football Post app for BlackBerry right here… Or read more over at NationalFootballPost.com.

Motorola DROID’s Autofocus Woes Change with the Moons

So, a lot of Motorola (NYSE: MOT) droid owners haven’t been too happy with the 5 megapixel camera’s autofocus. In fact, it’s the single biggest complaint about the Android handset to date. All of a sudden, many have been reporting a drastic improvement in the camera, and attributing a silent over-the-air update, but as it turns out, the bug actually had a built-in (but unexpected) fix. Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Engineer Dan Morrill explains:
There’s a rounding-error bug in the camera driver’s autofocus routine (which uses a timestamp) that causes autofocus to behave poorly on a 24.5-day cycle. That is, it’ll work for 24.5 days, then have poor performance for 24.5 days, then work again.The 17th is the start of a new “works correctly” cycle, so the devices will be fine for a while. A permanent fix is in the works.
Like some demented techno-werewolf, the autofocus on the droid will go feral in another 24.5 days, unless you manually set the date back to the clean period. Weirdest. Bug. Ever.

The Five-minute fiddle: Nokia N900

So I just received an N900 in the post today, and one of the things I do like to do with new hardware, is to give it the ‘five-minute fiddle’.
For those of you that are not familiar, the aim of the five-minute fiddle is to spend a very short period getting first impressions of a given handset/service, and then write things up with a summary ‘gut feeling’ about it.
Unpacking
My N900 is a full retail model, and so I got a good feeling for the real end-user experience when opening up the packaging of this little bad boy. It’s an understated box, with a good amount of accessories included – and of course, the device itself. One thing I did ponder as missing was a case for the N900. Now I’m not suggesting some kind o’ freaky faux-leather belt-holster affair (that was SO 90s!), I am talking just about some kinda simple slip case, to protect the decent size screen – and the fact you are carrying a 500 GBP/Euro handset around with you!
Hardware form-factor
Although in my opinion Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has dropped the ball in a big way on software in recent years, their hardware design is usually (I say usually, to exclude things like the N96) pretty good – overall, I think the N900 has good hardware. It IS a chunky monkey, make no mistake, and it’s certainly not ’sleek’ – much more blockish than I was expecting. However, it is clad in various types of black material – now given black is my favourite colour, this is no bad thing!
The Slide mechanism and keys are okay – keys possibly a touch small, but it’s going to take some time typing to find out if emails/texts can be knocked out with ease. For right now, it’s certainly all very satisfactory, and at a push I would say it’s ‘good’. One thing I really wasn’t sure about is the kickstand that surrounds the camera – it seems VERY flimsy indeed – to the point where I wouldn’t want to stand the handset up on it. That’s quite a surprise, since one of the good things (and there weren’t that many) with the N96 was it’s cheeky little kickstand!
The (touch)screen is well-lit, a decent size, and … er … resisitive – darn! I personally cannot stand resistive screens, because it’s difficult in my view to regulate your pressure when scrolling lists etc on screen – and this often means you end up accidentally selecting things – unfortunately it’s the same here, which is a such a shame – this device could potentially have been a killer with capacitive screen (maybe that’ll be the N901 or similar probably….!).
Software / UI
So this is really where it’s at with the N900 – does the UI/software cut the mustard? Well, with my five-minute play, I have to say I’m not convinced one way or the other. It did take me some time to orient myself with the Menus/UI, and try out some things which I thought would work on the device (notably one thing that didn’t work was two-finger pinch/squeeze for zoom in/out. Shame.
So apart from the time needed to get used to the UI, overall I think it’s reasonably clear – the four or so homescreens work out well, and to my mind borrow heavily from the iPhone – but they don’t animate between them as smoothly.
As regards programs that are installed, it would appear that Nokia has included web-links as ‘application icons’- and in fact you have to download apps once you have pressed the icon which is simply a link to a website. I can’t help but feel this is a weak approach for building out menus, and also the tedium of waiting for an App to download and install is not good.
Other Apps that work well are the standard ones you would expect – email, calendar, contacts, phone. There’s nothing revolutionary about these, they just do their job well.
Conclusion
I’ve yet to spend some serious quality time with the device – but my initial thoughts are that the hardware (excepting the resistive quality of the screen) is better than the software. Although I’m wary about judging too quickly, my gut feeling is that the software isn’t quite at the level you would expect as a power user of the device. Going forward, it may be that the OS is upgraded and bug-fixed, and that usage improves significantly. For now though, my rating would be somewhere between ‘average’ and ‘quite good’.

BlackBerry OS Quickie: 5.0.0.306 Now Available for the Storm 9520

A quick OS update here for the folks on Vodafone (NYSE: VOD). Looks like OS 5.0.0.306 is now available for the Storm 9520. This is a very official release, so you’ve got the thumbs up to download and install… Please don’t try to do so on your 9550 though. 9520 only, please!
You can grab the release right here, but as always, be sure to backup your device and take all necessary precautions before you proceed.
Happy OS updating, Storm 9520 users!

Urbanspoon for BlackBerry Ready for Download

One of the gems for the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Developer Conference that slipped through the cracks was the announcement of Urbanspoon for BlackBerry. You might recognize the app for its prominence in iPhone ads – it’s the one where you shake your phone to get suggested restaurants within your area based on GPS location. You can set criteria for cuisine, budget, and area, if you’re feeling picky. The Storm retains the accelerometer support, so you can shake and eat to your heart’s content. To turn the crank and spin the foodie slot machine, check out UrbanSpoon’s BlackBerry page. The iPhone version, as ever, is available from iTunes here.