Mobiles2day – Mobile Industry News

Samsung has announced it will upgrade its Android-based Galaxy Portal smartphone – aka the Galaxy Spica – to version 2.1 of the Google operating system.

Following is from Samsung press release:

Enhanced User Experienced
The Galaxy Spica becomes a highly intuitive communications device offering users the option to personalise no less than nine side-scrolling screens. Users can really let their imaginations run wild, creating different home screens according to different personal interests or requirements.

The handset now features augmented reality technology that displays real-time digital information of your surroundings over the view-finder of the Galaxy Spica’s 3 megapixel camera. The Galaxy Spica also features Samsung widgets, Visual bookmark and PC Sync support to enable users to synchronise their devices quickly.

Enhanced Multimedia and Messaging Functionality
The handset now comes with a number of enhanced multimedia features which transform the Galaxy Spica into a personal entertainment device. Media browser allows you to browse through your media collection with ease. The camera has been upgraded to offer enhanced picture options and viewing functionality.

Improved messaging functionality means that it is much easier to attach files to MMS and email that users can easily add contacts to messages direct from the phonebook. Improved contact management enables users to find a necessary contact very easily through the alphabetical index.

The upgrade will be available from March 2010 in Germany and gradually rolled out to other European markets, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Asia, Africa and rest of the world.

The upgrade will be available through PC Studio 7, Samsung’s sync software

Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of its newest full-touch screen mobiles – S5600 and S5230. Samsung is strengthening it’s position in popular touch screen phone market segment. Earlier models like Omnia and Tocco proved to be very popular among consumers in UK.

“Samsung S5600 and S5230 are significant products to our full-touch screen mobile portfolio, bringing stylish designs and intuitive user interfaces,” said JK Shin, executive vice president and head of Mobile Communications division at Samsung Electronics.

“We are committed to strengthening our portfolio of full-touch phones by introducing a variety of handsets to suit every lifestyle. These two new products will bring the exciting experience of touch to mobile phone users and will further enhance Samsung’s leadership in the full-touch market,” he added.

Samsung S5600

The Samsung S5600 attracts style-conscious users with its slim and compact design. Boasting sophisticated design, the phone is packed with multimedia features that enable its users to enjoy unique mobile experiences.

Equipped with a 2.8-inch QVGA full-touch screen, Samsung S5600 adopted the TouchWiz User Interface, designed to customize and personalize the way you use your phone. Mobile widgets can be dragged and placed on the screen for one-click access to your favorite applications. Full Internet browsing support with an accelerometer sensor for auto-rotation also gives users exciting mobile Internet experiences via 7.2 Mbps connectivity.

To enhance the usability for touch mobile phones, Samsung adapted “Gesture Lock” feature, which enables the users to unlock the phone and execute the menu directly as they draw a letter of the alphabet on the screen. Users can set which menu they want to correspond to each letter, from A to Z.

Samsung S5600 supports a 3 mega-pixel camera with the latest digital camera features such as Smile Shot. The phone also features music recognition using Shazam’s “Find Music” service. With this service, users can find virtually any song they want to listen to, even at an unexpected moment. By recording and sending a tune to the Shazam server, users can easily track down and even purchase the song through participating operators’ music stores. Multi-codec support including H.263, MPEG4, and WMV eliminates the hassle of file format conversions. The handset’s generous memory (80MB and Micro SD slot up to 8GB) ensures ample storage space for multimedia content.

Samsung S5600 will be available in European countries from May.

Samsung S5600 Product Specification

Network: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (900/2100MHz), EDGE/GPRS Quad Band (850/900/1800/1900MHz)

Display: 2.8″ 16M TFT (240 x 320)

Camera: 3 Megapixel CMOS (Smile Shot)

Video: H.263 / H.264 / WMV / MPEG4

Video recording: QVGA@15fps

Audio: FM Radio with RDS, DNSe, MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, eAAC+, WMA, AMR,MIDI,SP-MIDI, i-melody, WAV

Value-added Features: Music Recognition/SNS/Photo Contact/Gesture Lock/Wide Idle screen

Google Search/ Google email/ Full Internet browsing / Photo browser

TouchWiz UI with Mobile Widget

Connectivity: Bluetooth v2.1 / USB 2.0 FS

Memory: Internal Memory 80 MB + External Memory slot : microSDHC^TM (up to 8GB)

Size: 102.8 x 54.8 x 12.9mm

Battery: 1000 mAh

Samsung S5230

Samsung S5230 comes with the latest multimedia features in a slim and compact body that measures a mere 11.9mm. Adopting a 3.0-inch WQVGA full-touch screen and Samsung’s TouchWiz User Interface with Mobile Widgets, the phone enables its users to enjoy their mobile easily and intuitively. Using “Photo Contact,” users can call a contact by simply touching an appointed image.

The S5230 boasts various multimedia features including a 3 mega-pixel camera and video recording supporting QVGA@15fps. It supports multi-format and DNSe for ease of use and better sound quality. The phone also features music recognition using Shazam’s “Find Music” service. To enjoy various multimedia content, S5230 supports 50MB memory capacity with an external memory slot up to 8GB.

Samsung S5230 users can enjoy full Internet browsing with an accelerometer sensor for auto-rotation. For convenience, the phone also supports a QWERTY soft keyboard, “Gesture Lock” and handwriting features.

Samsung S5230 will be available in France and other European countries from April.

Samsung S5230 Product Specification

Network:EDGE/GPRS Quad Band (850/900/1800/1900MHz)

Display: 3.0″ 262K WQVGA LCD (240×400)

Camera: 3 Megapixel CMOS (Smile Shot)

Video: H.263 /H.264/ MPEG4

Video recording: QVGA@15fps

Audio: FM Radio with RDS, DNSe, MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, eAAC+, WMA, AMR,MIDI,SP-MIDI, i-melody, WAV

Value-added Features: Music Recognition/SNS/Photo Contact/Gesture Lock/Wide Idle screen/Handwriting

TouchWiz UI with Mobile Widget, Google Search/ Google email/Full Internet browsing/Online Widget

Various full embedded games

Connectivity: Bluetooth v2.1 / USB 2.0 FS

Memory: Internal Memory 50 MB + External Memory slot : microSDHC^TM (up to 8GB)

Size: 104 x 53 x 11.9 mm

Battery: 1000 mAh

Source: Samsung Press Release

 

I will try to bring to you latest Christmas offering from major mobile networks and mobile retailers.
Today check latest offerings from Orange below. If you are looking for a present or something for yourself, check offers below and you might find something that you are looking for.

	Samsung U900 Pink with 16GB memory card. Offer valid on all pay monthly plans till 5th December 2008.	Visit website and buy
	The LG KF300 flip phone with free Sony PSP, available free on 18 and 24 months plans. Offer valid till 6th December 2008.	Visit website and buy
	This ultra slim W880i WalkmanTM phone is only £68 on pay as you go.You need to top up £10, offer valid until 7th December 2008	Visit website and buy

Other Christmas offers that are coming soon from Orange are:

Motorola E8 for £98

Nokia 6301 + free iPod Nano (on selected plans)

Samsung G600 + free iPod Touch 8GB (on selected plans)

Samsung unveiled it’s new touch phone – SGH-F490 on Consumer Electronics Show 2008 in Las Vegas. With growing popularity of touch phones, Samsung has entered market with this model, which is very similar to LG’s KU990 Viewty model.

LG KU990 Viewty	Samsung SGH-F490

LG Viewty is already available in UK and Samsung is planning to launch SGH-F490 in Europe end of January retailing at 530 euros (approx. £400).

Here is a small comparison table of features of both phones:

Feature	LG KU990 Viewty	Samsung SGH-F490
Camera	5.0 mega-pixels	5.0 mega-pixels
3G	yes	yes
Mobile broadband	up to 3.6 Mbps	up to 3.6 Mbps
Video capture	yes	yes
Bluetooth	yes	yes
USB 2.0	yes	yes
Memory	100 MB internal	130 MB internal
Screen	3 inches, touch sensitive	3.2 inches, touch sensitive
Resolution	262,144 colors	262,144 colors
Memory Slot	MicroSD	MicroSD
Weight	112g	102g

Nokia has launched a set of low-priced phone models:

Model	Price	Description	Image
Nokia 1208	£39.00	Affordable and easy-to-use, with handy One Touch shortcut keys, unique cost management features, and a vibrant color display screen to make your connections hassle-free.
Nokia 2630	£79.00	Celebrate life’s precious moments with the slender Nokia 2630, featuring a VGA camera for pictures and video, email, Bluetooth, WAP 2.0 browser, and FM radio.
Nokia 2760	£69.00	Elegant and modern design, digital VGA camera (4x zoom) with video recorder and playback, large user memory, and easy Bluetooth connectivity.

Phones are available to buy from Nokia website.

Samsung on the other hand is planning to enter low-end handset market this year to compete more effectively with Nokia. Samsung is planning to release phones with colour screens for $40-$50 (£20-£25) and capture market in emerging markets, such as India, Russia and Latin America.

Currently Samsung is number 2 phone maker in the world and is planning to secure it’s market share by expanding to lower-end market.

There are no signs of new inexpensive handsets on Samsung’s website yet, but I am sure they will appear very soon!

Source