Samsung Galaxy Tablet

Samsung Electronics’ first tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab, will go on sale in two weeks, it said, turning up the heat on Apple Inc’s iPad.

Global handset vendors and PC makers including Nokia, LG Electronics and Hewlett- Packard Co are moving into the new category of devices, between traditional PCs and smartphones, taking a cue from Apple.

Dell Inc said last month it was launching its new tablet device, the Dell Streak, to U. S. customers. « We see huge potential for this kind of product, » YH Lee, head of marketing at Samsung Mobile, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the IFA consumer electronics fair. The Galaxy Tab, with a 7- inch screen, will go on sale in European markets in mid- September. The device, which uses Google’s Android software, offers access to books, films and music.

The first wave of tablets following in the iPad's footsteps are (almost) here. Powered by the Android 2.2 (Froyo) OS, the Samsung Galaxy Tab ($TBA) sports a 7-inch TFT-LCD display (1024 x 600), front (1.3 MP) and rear (3 MP) cameras, full HD video playback (DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264), and comes in 16GB and 32GB models. It's also got built-in 3G HSPA connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 3.0. It will be launching in Europe later this month and in the U.S. in the "coming months."

Samsung Shark Range (S3550, S5350, S5550)

The Samsung Shark Range is this Korean manufacturer's attempt to make a big splash at the beginning of 2010 - unfortunately, it looks like these three phones might be more of a wet thud instead. We understand that all three handsets should be available this month.

Samsung Shark (Samsung S5350)

The Samsung Shark S5350 can best be described as a standard candy bar phone with social networking capabilities thrown in, with everything wrapped up in a pretty user interface. Other than that, we have to say that the Shark is a pretty dull mobile phone, sporting a basic 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2.2" 240 x 320 pixel display, Bluetooth, microSD expandable memory and an FM radio. This is a 3G device with unconfirmed reports that it supports HSDPA. The Samsung Shark S5350 does not support WiFi or GPS. Despite the impressive-sounding name, the Samsung Shark is only a run-of-the-mill midrange handset when you look at it closely.

Samsung Shark 2 (Samsung S5550)

Marginally more exciting than the S5350, the Samsung Shark 2 S5550 packs a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, 3.5G support plus the social networking features of its sibling.

Despite Samsung's boast that the "Shark 2's well-crafted mix of extrusion, Kevlar, and metallic surface creates a strong, chiseled look that dictates the form factor" it actually looks rather retro and not a million miles away from the D500 and many other Samsung phones.

Samsung say that the S5550 can record video at up to 320 x 240 pixels at 30 frames per second, which is hardly great but should be just about passable for YouTube.. and it's certainly better than the awful video recording on some other Samsungs.

Samsung Shark 3 (Samsung S3550)

Confusingly, the Samsung Shrek 3.. sorry, the Samsung Shark 3 (or the S3550) is the bottom of the range. A GSM-only device with a 2" 240 x 320 pixel display and a 2 megapixel camera, the Shark 3 apparently also supports "some" social networking sites. Unfortunately this is a handset of few interesting features, other than we assume it will be very cheap and at just 79 grams it is reasonably lightweight.

Samsung Lindy (Samsung M5650)

The Samsung Corby (sold in the UK as the "Genio") has been quite a sales success this year, even spawning a couple of spin-offs in the Corby Pro and Corby TXT devices.

Taking things a little but more up-market than the Corby is the Samsung Lindy or Samsung M5650, which takes the same basic approach of being a fun and stylish touchscreen phone, but it adds a lot more features.

The Lindy M5650 is very lightweight for a touchscreen device, coming in at just 98 grams and measuring 106 x 57 x 12mm. Central to the phone is the 2.8" QVGA display, plus a navigation key, call and end key and multimedia controls. Flip the Lindy M5650 over and there's a 3 megapixel camera with video capture capabilities. There's an FM radio in addition to the built-in media player, and all the usual features are here such as Bluetooth, USB connectivity and microSD expandable memory.

The Corby was a GSM-only device, but the Samsung Lindy M5650 is a fully-connected 3.5G handset that supports downloads of up to 7.2 Mbps, and on top of that it is also WiFi capable, which is ideal for households with wireless networking.

There's a pretty comprehensive range of software including a web browser, email client and support for social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and more. The user interface has a "cartoony" look and feel about it, and when combined with the blue or black external styling, then it is very clearly a mobile phone aimed at younger customers.

Samsung have decided to go for a very soft launch with this phone, and it turns out that they have already been selling it in Portugal for a little while at for €159 through a few retailers. Samsung say that it should be available in most markets outside the Americas very soon.

Samsung Lindy M5650 at a glance

Available:
Now / Q1 2010

Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
UMTS/WCDMA (bands not specified)

Data:
GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + WiFi

Screen:
2.8" 320 x 240 pixels, 262k colours

Camera:
3 megapixels

Size:
Compact touchscreen
98 grams / 106 x 57 x 12mm

Bluetooth:
Yes

Memory card:
MicroSD

Infra-red:
No

Polyphonic:
Yes

Java:
Yes

GPS:
No

OS:
Proprietary

Battery life:
3 hours talk / 12 days standby

Samsung S5560 preview: First look

Ah, the futuristic appeal of touchscreens - consumers can't get enough of them. Enter the Samsung S5560. With a 5MP camera and Wi-Fi, it's two widgets ahead of the competition. The rest mostly follows the recipe for success from the S5230 Star cookbook, with a few tweaks to bring it up to speed.

Samsung S5560 official photos

The Samsung S5560 lacks 3G connectivity but comes with Wi-Fi connectivity. It's hardly the solution that most carriers opt for (and carriers ARE the biggest cellphone contractors), but we guess Samsung have gone for pleasing the end client this time. In an effort to keep the price down, trading 3G for Wi-Fi is a compromise many users would make.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, check out the rundown of the Samsung S5560 features:

Samsung S5560 (a.k.a Marvel) at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions: 107.5 x 52 x 13.2 mm, 95g
• Display: 3.0 inch WQVGA TFT resistive touchscreen, 240 x 400 pixels
• Platform: Latest TouchWiz 2.0 UI, Smart Unlock
• Memory: 78MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash, image stabilization, WDR, face detection, Smile Shot, blink detection and QVGA video recording at 15 fps
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack
• Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute, FM radio with RDS
• Battery: 960 mAh battery

Samsung S5560 in our office

This phone is clearly a Samsung Jet wannabe - the styling, the camera, the Wi-Fi connectivity all make it a cheaper alternative to the Jet. Sure, tradeoffs have been made for the sake of a lower price, but if you've never owned a touch phone before, the S5560 makes a great introduction.

The timer on non-touch operated phones seems to be running down - touch phones seem to get the best features and the most hype. This makes it harder and harder to say no, especially now that their price is no longer prohibitive.

Samsung Omnia Pro B7330

The Samsung Omnia Pro B7330 might look familiar to regular readers, because it very closely related to the existing B7320 launched a few months ago.

The main differences between the B7330 and the B7320 is that the newer handset now comes with Windows Mobile 6.5 preloaded, and it has a slightly larger display.

The is a BlackBerry-style messaging smartphone with a compact QWERTY keyboard, a 2.6" 320 x 320 pixel display, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus, integrated GPS, 3.5G data, WiFi, microSD expandable memory, a multimedia player and FM radio. Maximum download speeds on HSDPA are 7.2 Mbps, plus a maximum upload speed of 2 Mbps on HSUPA.

A large 1500 mAh battery powers the B7330, although Samsung haven't given any guidance on talktime or standby time. Despite the impressive feature set, the B7330 isn't particularly big, weighing only 107 grams and measuring 115 x 60 x 11mm.

It's perhaps not the sexiest phone in Samsung's range, but it does seem to be a very practical messaging smartphone. The B7330 should be available this month for a SIM-free price of about €400 plus tax.

Samsung Omnia Pro B7330 at a glance

Available: October 2009

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 + UMTS

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + HSUPA + WiFi

Screen: 2.6" 320 x 320 pixels, 65k colours

Camera: 3 megapixels

Size: Messaging device
115 x 60 x 11mm / 107 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Limited

GPS: Yes

OS: Windows Mobile 6.54 Standard

Battery life: Not specified

Samsung AMOLED 12M (SCH-W880)

The Korean market is often a good place to look for upcoming technologies, and the Samsung AMOLED 12M (or the SCH-W880) is a good example of this. It's a 12 megapixel touchscreen device, following on from the likes of the Pixon 12 - but the AMOLED 12M adds some new and interesting features.

The main innovation here is the camera - the 12 megapixel unit has a 3X optical zoom and the camera lens pops out of the back of the AMOLED 12M when in use. Optical zoom is very rare in mobile phones, but it makes a huge difference to the phone's capabilities. Although most phones have digital zoom, this is only really a pixel resize which produces grainy results.

Added to this are a set of dedicated camera controls, again almost the same as you would find on a standalone digital camera. In fact, the AMOLED 12M looks so much like a digital camera that it is hard to recognise it as a phone at all.

In addition, the camera comes with a Xenon and LED flash (why just have the one?), plus the same intelligent autofocus system as the Pixon 12 plus all the usual clever features that Samsung put into their cameraphones. The AMOLED 12M can move from shot to shot in just two seconds, which is a lot faster than most similar handsets.

The video capture looks good too, with a whopping 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second capture rate. This is equivalent to the display on a 720p HD television set, so it is much better than almost everything else on the market.

The large 3.3" 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen panel uses Samsung's AMOLED technology, which gives a bright and clear display. Samsung are proud of this technology.. proud enough to name this particular phone after it.

There's no mention of GPS on the AMOLED 12M which is odd, but the phone does pack a T-DMB terrestrial digital TV receiver. The AMOLED 12M can also play back a wide variety of multimedia including DivX and XviD movies plus all the usual formats. Internal memory is a massive 4GB, and this can be expanded using microSD cards up to 32GB.

The Samsung AMOLED 12M is a tri-band GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 phone with WCDMA 2100 support. Although this theoretically means that the SCH-W880 will work in Europe, the handset is going to the Korean market only. However, it is likely that we will see this camera unit in other handsets soon.

Samsung say that the AMOLED 12M should be available in Korea from early October.

Samsung B3310

A candidate for the oddest looking phone of 2009 is the Samsung B3310. And to be blunt, by "odd" we really mean "ugly".

This is a fairly straightforward GSM device with a 2" 240 x 320 pixel display, a 2 megapixel camera, multimedia player, FM radio, stereo Bluetooth and microSD expandable memory. There's a compact slide-out QWERTY keyboard.. and of course the most obvious thing is the bizarre set of number keys along one side.

Putting the keys down the side has been tried before, notably with the Siemens SX1 and the Nokia 7600. But this sort of arrangement has never really caught on, probably because it isn't really very easy to use. However, on the Samsung B3310, the number keys double as an extra row above the QWERTY keys when the keyboard is slid open.. we suspect that this is of minimal use though.

The QWERTY keyboard on the B3310 is a little unconventional too - the bottom row of letters is split by a small space bar and a key labelled SYM, and overall the arrangement is very compact but it could be annoying for some users.

This is one of those Samsungs that has a heavy emphasis on social networking sites, with support for Facebook, MySpace and Picasa included. All the usual features such as a web browser and email client are here as well.

The Samsung B3310 also makes phone calls, and this is a quad-band GSM device with support for EDGE and GPRS data (but no 3G). It is fairly small at 91 x 54 x 17mm and it comes in at 101 grams. Talktime is quoted as 5 hours with about 15 days standby time.

It isn't a pretty phone to look at, but it is at least very distinctive. The Samsung B3310 is available now across Europe, with SIM-free prices coming in at about €140 in the shops.

Samsung Corby (Samsung S3650)

Many manufacturers these days like to give their phones a pet name as well as a model number, and Samsung are no exception. But with a couple of recent handsets, it appears that either Samsung are having a funny turn or perhaps someone is up to mischief.

First there was the Samsung Preston S5600 and now there is the Samsung Corby S3650. Now, imagine that you are in a marketing department and you hit on the idea of naming your handsets after European towns and cities. You'd think that would be easy, as there must be hundreds of attractive places to choose from. Well, somehow Samsung ended up naming the S5600 after the British town of Preston, which can be pretty grim.. but at the time, we assumed that perhaps it was some other Preston.

But now, the S3650 turns up bearing the name "Corby", apparently named after another pretty grim British town. They could have called them something like "Venice" or "Prague".. but no. Unsurprisingly then, the "Preston" is generally called the S5600 in the UK, and we somehow doubt that the Corby name will stick either.

Before we offend any more of our readers, perhaps it is time to look at the phone itself. The S3650 is designed to be a low cost and fun touchscreen phone, retailing for between €160 to €200 SIM-free across Europe. For this, you get a fairly large 2.8" 240 x 320 pixel display, a 2 megapixel camera, microSD expandable memory, FM radio and a multimedia player.

Samsung say that the Corby integrates with social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Flickr via a set of "widgets", however the S3650 is a GSM-only device, so it doesn't support 3G (or WiFi) which means that uploads and downloads will be quite slow.

The Corby S3650 comes with Samsung's TouchWiz interface, but on this occasion it has been modified to give a simpler and more "cartoony" feel. The fun continues with the interchangeable back covers (or "fashion jackets") which allow the handset to be customised to the owner's taste.

Despite the large screen, the S3650 is quite lightweight at just 93 grams. Talktime is not specified, although the 960 mAh battery should provide a GSM-only device like this with enough power to be useful.

Normally we don't like touchscreen phones that lack high-speed data, but the lightweight and inexpensive S3650 certainly has its charms. It is available in some regions to buy now, with other European countries following in the next month or so.

Samsung S3650 Corby now official, live photos inside

The Samsung S3650 Corby just got official and it's dressed to impress with its Fashion Jackets and ready for a night out, partying in social networks. With a price tag of 150 euro and attractive design, Corby aims to be affordable and appealing to the young audience.

The basic specs are reminiscent of the Samsung S5230 Star, but Corby maintains its own identity very well. Starting off with the physical dimension of the S3650, it's 103 x 56.5 x 12.0 mm big and weighs 93 grams. Packed in that compact shell are a 2.8" QVGA capacitive touchscreen (yes, capacitive) and a 2-megapixel camera.

MP3 player, microSD card slot for cards up to 8GB and a FM radio with RDS keep the S3650 rocking, and the WMV support is a really nice touch. A USB port and Bluetooth 2.1 will aid in loading up the phone with music from your computer, but unfortunately, the USB port is the proprietary Samsung one.

The Samsung S3650 is a globetrotter with its quad-band GSM and EDGE support, thought it's not the speediest one - it's 2G only. The 960-mAh battery should give it good standby and talk time numbers though nothing official was quoted.

On the social side, Samsung Corby offers Facebook, MySpace and Twitter integration and the list goes on. YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket are Corby's playground as well. You can update your status on the various social networking sites and receive updates from your friends via a simple pop-up notification feature.

The Samsung S3650 also incorporates a lot of the know-how that went into the likes of the Samsung Jet, like one finger zoom, smart unlock and as with any recent touch-based phone from Samsung - TouchWiz user interface and a great deal of widgets. It also offers something called Cartoon UI, which is described as "a highly stylised graphical menu and wallpaper that adapts according to handset functionality".

One of the main things that Samsung hopes will attract people to the Corby (aside from its bargain price point) is the interchangeable back covers. The S3650 is available in bright colors, Jamaican Yellow, Cupid Pink, Minimal White, and Festival Orange (with more to come in the future), but can get fancy too. Included in the box will be two additional back covers - the Fashion Jackets.

Corby's front is black, and it's the back that receives the vivid color treatment. One of the Fashion Jackets is black, making the entire phone black (and black is elegant, right?), while the other one is more interesting - a unique pattern design color.

The Samsung S3650 Corby will be available in Europe from mid-September for about 150 euro (215 US dollars). No word on its availability outside Europe just yet.

Samsung S3650 - a new touch phone on the cheap

It seems that Samsung have another budget touchscreen phone in store for us besides the already available Samsung S5230 Star - meet the Samsung S3650. It's got a quite compact design, unique colors and a 200 euro price tag. And it's almost knocking on your door due for release within 10 September.

Samsung are ready to introduce their next low-end cheap touchscreen phone. Next in line after the S5230 Star and the S5600 Preston is called Samsung S3650 (codenamed Corby) and comes in extremely compact and unique design. The handset's front is painted with standard black color while the rear panel shines in yellow.

Samsung S3650 Corby

The smallish rounded S3650 (called internally Corby - it should have another marketing pet name) has a 2.8-inch QVGA touch display, a 2 megapixel camera, quad-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth, FM radio and microSD card slot. The S3650 is only 13mm thin and weighs 92 grams.

Following the recent trends, the Samsung S3650 will also come with native social networking integration including MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.

The Samsung S3650 is supposed to hit Europe before 10 September with a retail price of 200 euro. Even better - it has also passed the FCC scrutiny so the US should have it soon as well. We really hope that price will go down to at least 150 euro as otherwise it would be really hard for it to beat tough competition such as that of Nokia 5530 XpressMusic - the third most popular phone in our database.

Bear in mind though, that Samsung have not officially announced the S3650, so we're yet to hear all the details from the horse's mouth.

Samsung Comeback (Samsung T559)

Available now
26th July 2009

On the outside, the Samsung Comeback looks a little odd - it looks like a normal cellphone, except that for some reason it is a lot wider. The reason for this strange shape becomes apparent when it is opened up - inside is a QWERTY keyboard and a large 400 x 240 pixel display.

It is a little like a cross between a Nokia E90T-Mobile Sidekick, aimed at those who want to send a lot of email or IM messages, but at the same time it can be used like a traditional cellphone. and a

Exclusive to T-Mobile in the US, the Comeback is priced towards the upper end of their range at $130 after rebates and subsidy. So it's clear that T-Mobile think that this is a fairly desirable product.

What do you get for the money? The Samsung Comeback is a 3G phone with a basic 2 megapixel digital camera, an MP3 player, web browser, email client, Bluetooth, microSD expandable memory and of course two displays and a QWERTY keyboard. The external display is a basic 128 x 128 pixel panel, but inside the larger 2.6" display is ideal for messaging use.

Inside, the small widely-spaced keys are very much like those found on the popular sidekick range. The addition of a "www./.com" key speeds up entry of web addresses, the dedicated smiley key makes it easier to use emoticons in your messages. There are also a large number of other keyboard shortcuts available if you have the willingness to learn them.

Two screens and two keypads means that the phone is a little on the heavy side at 4.6 ounces (131 grams), and it measures 4.3 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches (110 x 56 x 19mm). The 960 mAh battery is quoted as giving up to 5.5 hours talktime and 12 days standby time, although we suspect that is a GSM-only figure.

This is a 1700 MHz UMTS phone with no mention of European 2100 MHz support. In addition, the Samsung Comeback has quad-band GSM, but it lacks WiFi connectivity.

The Samsung Comeback looks like a good alternative to a Sidekick. Oddly enough, T-Mobile seems to be competing with T-Mobile in this respect as the Sidekick is also a T-Mobile exclusive. The Comeback is available right now in "Frost Siver Cherry" and "Pearl White Plum" colour combinations, which are perhaps better described simply as "red" and "purple".

Available: July 2009

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 + UMTS 1700

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G)

Screen: 400 x 240 pixels, 262k colours (main)
128 x 128 pixels, 65k colours (sub)

Camera: 2 megapixels

Size: Large QWERTY clamshell
4.3 x 2.2. x 0.7 inches / 4.6 ounces
110 x 56 x 19mm / 131 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Not specified

GPS: No

OS: Proprietary

Battery life: 5.5 hours talk / 12 days standby

Samsung Gravity 2 (Samsung T469)

Expected August 2009

The Samsung Gravity 2 (also known as the Samsung T469) is exclusive to the T-Mobile network in the USA, and it comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and 3G support.

Primarily designed for messaging, the Samsung Gravity 2 isn't a particularly high-end phone. There's a standard 2.4" 240 x 320 pixel display, a fairly basic 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, an MP3 player and support for microSD expandable memory.

Samsung say that the Gravity 2 has "Band IV" UMTS, which indicates that it only supports 1700 MHz 3G, which is fine for T-Mobile in the US, but if you want to roam to Europe then you will need to fall back on the phone's quad-band GSM. The Gravity 2 does not support WiFi.

The main selling point with the Gravity 2 it its messaging capabilities, designed to interface with AOL, Yahoo! and Google mail plus standard internet formats. There's also an RSS news reader, a web browser and a set of personal information management tools.

The slide-out QWERTY keypad has a fairly conventional layout with a small space bar in the centre (much more convenient than the Nokia N97, for example). The spacing between keys is good and should help to prevent more than one key being pressed at a time. There is also a useful "www./.com" key to make entering web addresses easier, and perhaps a rather less useful "smiley face" key.

The Samsung Gravity 2 measures about 4.5 x 2.1 x 0.6 inches and weighs 4.4 ounces (or 114 x 52 x 15mm and 125 grams). Talktime is up to 5.5 hours with a maximum of 12 days standby time, we assume that these are GSM-only figures though.

It's not the world's most exciting phone, but it does manage to squeeze a decent keyboard into something that looks just like an ordinary cellphone, without making it too bulky.

Samsung say that the Gravity 2 should be available on T-Mobile USA from August onwards in a variety of colours. No guidance was given on price, but the original Gravity is around $30 after subsidy and rebates.

Sam sung Gravity 2 (T469) at a glance

Available: August 2009

Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1900 / 1900 + UMTS 1700

Data: GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G)

Screen: 2.4" 320 x 240 pixels, 262k colours

Camera: 2 megapixels

Size: Slide-out QWERTY monoblock
4.5 x 2.1 x 0.6 inches /4 .4 ounces
114 x 52 x 15mm and 125 grams

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: MicroSD

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Not specified

GPS: No

OS: Proprietary

Battery life: 5.5 hours talk / 12 days standby

Samsung S9110 Watch Phone

You probably didn't know that you wanted a phone that you could wear as a watch, but Samsung and some other manufacturers seem to think that you do, and they have given us a preview of the Samsung S9110.


Full technical details are not currently available for the S9110, but we do know that this phone is just under 12mm thick and has a 1.76 inch touchscreen display.

The S9110 comes with an MP3 player, Bluetooth and voice recognition support. Samsung say that the S9110 synchronises with Microsoft Outlook and you can even read your emails on it.

There's not much more to go on, except that the S9110 will cost about €450 when it goes on sale in France sometime this year. Presumably it will be available in other countries too, although perhaps you will need to find a specialist retailer.

It's all very clever, and while we admit that the S9110 would be a pretty cool thing to own.. we can't really see what the point is. We don't know exactly when the phone will be available, but rumours say that the S9110 should be out sometime this summer.

Samsung S9110 at a glance

Available: 2009

Network: GSM

Data: GPRS, other data not specified

Screen: 1.76", resolution not specified

Camera: No

Size: Watch phone

Bluetooth: Yes

Memory card: No

Infra-red: No

Polyphonic: Yes

Java: Not specified

GPS: No

OS: Proprietary

Battery life: Not specified

T-Mobile Samsung T749 Highlight burns with 3G, has a cool touch

Samsung really have a thing for touch phones - and now there's a new one headed to T-Mobile. It's called the Samsung T749 Highlight and it's 3G capable (Internet services being a focal point) and running the widget-happy TouchWiz.

Sporting a 3" WQVGA touchscreen, capable of displaying up to 16 million colors, Samsung T749 Highlight stands at 108 x 54 x 13.7 mm and 105 grams. The Highlight offers quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA (it covers the two T-Mobile's frequencies).

Samsung Highlight in "Fire" and "Ice"

The T749 Highlight is a social creature with email and support for AIM, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger. In short - the on-screen full QWERTY keyboard won't catch a break.

On the local connectivity side the Samsung T749 Highlight offers USB and Bluetooth with A2DP, to be put to good use by the music player, which supports MP3, AAC and WMA. The camera is a 3 megapixel snapper with video recording, lacking any goodies like autofocus and the like.

The Highlight will be available in two colors - Fire and Ice (black on blue and orange on red) and it's coming this month. It will set you back 149.99 US dollars if you are willing to sign a two-year contract.

Samsung i8000 Omnia II hits the shelves this weekedSamsung i8000 Omnia II hits the shelves this weeked

It just keeps getting better for the WinMo fans recently. The Samsung I8000 Omnia II official launch which was initially said to come in October, will take place this weekend in Singapore. Latest rumors had it that one of the most powerful Windows Mobile-powered handsets so far will star selling about a month ahead of schedule but this got us totally off guard.

Coming with a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen display of WVGA resolution, the Samsung I8000 Omnia II is one of the most sought-after WinMo devices. It packs a great set of features, including advanced connectivity (Wi-Fi, 3G with HSDPA and HSUPA and GPS) and good imaging capabilities (5 MP camera with D1 video recording).

The recommended retail price of the Samsung I8000 Omnia II is 440 euro before taxes or subsides.

You can check out our Samsung I8000 Omnia II preview over here.

Samsung also announced that the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD should start selling from 1 August at a recommended retail price of 540 euro. The first samples (mostly carrier-customized units) of the monster-spec'd Symbian handset made their way to the market back in May but right after its launch mass production was stopped in order for some i-dotting and t-crossing to take place. Apparently there were some issues with the Omnia HD that Samsung wanted to get fixed before the handset received wider availability.

Samsung B2100 Solid Extreme

There seems to be a small but significant market for rugged phones - and the Samsung B2100 seems to be the toughest phone yet from one of the big five manufacturers. Sold under various names including the Samsung B2100 Solid Extreme and Samsung B2100 Xplorer, this particular model is the UK "Solid Extreme" version in red.

There's not much in the box - the phone itself, a manual, battery, charger and a stereo wired headset. If you want a microSD card or data cable then you will need to pay extra. You can see more unboxing pictures here.

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Overview

The Samsung B2100 is an attractive device with a tough rubberised housing. The countours of the case are curved with "grip dimples" in the side, which makes it a very nice handset to look at.

Everything is fully waterpoof, unless you open the battery cover or charger/headset cover. You can also wear the phone with a lanyard although there isn't one in the box.

The rubbery keyboard is not unpleasant to use, but the controller pad does feel a bit stiff. The 128 x 160 pixel screen is basic but very clear and it is certainly good enough for most tasks.

The B2100 is very solidly constructed - and with good reason. Not only do all the panels and joins have to be watertight, but the phone can also survive a one metre drop onto a hard surface plus quite a lot of other abuse. We're not saying that the B2100 is unbreakable, but it can certainly survive events that will kill another phone stone dead.

It is slightly on the heavy side - we weighed it at 106 grams with the microSD card installed. The weight is mostly due to the tough construction, if carried in a pocket it won't be a problem, but on a lanyard it could prove to be annoying.

Is it waterproof?

Samsung claim that the B2100 is fully waterproof. Well, is it really? We put it to the test in this video and the answer is "yes". As long as all the covers are firmly in place, then there appears to be no water ingress at all and the handset works just fine under water.

In reality, you are not going to make a phone call underwater.. but it shows that the B2100 is highly resistant against rain, getting dropped in puddles or splashed with water or other liquids. It should also survive a trip down to the pub.

The phone wipes clean easily, and if it gets muddy or dirty then you can simply rinse it off.

One drawback is that if you use the wired headset then you will compromise the B2100's watertightness. Care also needs to be taken when opening the panels to avoid damage.

The tough casing does create another problem. Because everything is fully sealed, audio quality is slightly muffled. On a normal phone, the microphone and speakers are mounted internally and covered by a mesh or small holes in the casing to allow sound to travel easily. On the B2100, everything is sealed up and there is a slight but noticeable drop in audio quality as a result.

Multimedia

The music player is easy to use and it can cope with MP3s or synchronise with Windows Media Player. Tracks are controlled by the navigation pad plus a volume control on the side of the phone, and the B2100 can happily play music in the background while other tasks are carried out.

As we mentioned before, sound is slightly muffled on the B2100. However, the internal speaker is loud enough to make this a practical portable music player. When played through the supplied headset, audio playback is clear and can be turned up very loud. There's also an FM radio which works in conjunction with the wired headset - this is easy enough to use but it doesn't come with RDS, so radio station names are not displayed.

The B2100 can also play back video clips, but due to the low resolution and small size of the screen you will probably not want to do that.

Web browsing

To be blunt - web browsing on the B2100 is a pretty miserable experience. This isn't a 3G device, so many customers will have to rely on GPRS rates which are about the same as an old-fashioned dial-up modem. The web browser is also pretty poor and can only cope with fairly simple pages, else it fails with a "document too large error", and pages designed for full blown web browsers often render very poorly. On the other hand, simple sites and those specifically designed for mobile phones work just fine.

Complex pages fail often

Pages render with missing elements

The low resolution screen can look blocky

Simple pages such as Wikipedia mobile load OK

And the BBC's mobile pages are also acceptable

Camera

Although it is unlikely that you'll buy the B2100 because of it's camera, the 1.3 megapixel unit is fairly decent, if simple. There's no flash, but a virtual iris control can adjust the brightness of a picture.. this takes a little practice to get right, and it can lead to an image being underexposed or overexposed. The B2100 does have some basic image editing functions which can help to fix the pictures you have taken.

The camera also lacks autofocus, but it copes with most things quite well. Again, if you are using the B2100 regularly for photographs, then you will probably want a data cable to transfer the images.

The following are some unretouched shots (rotated only) from the B2100. Click on the image for the full picture.

The camera is certainly good enough for snapshots of things that you see when you are out and about.

Ease of use

The user interface on the B2100 is pretty typical for a low-end Samsung handset. Even on the limited resolution screen of this phone, it is simple enough to use and there are plenty of keyboard shortcuts to speed things up.

The keyboard is very rubbery though, and although the key travel is good, it does feel a little odd. The navigation pad is very stiff, and a little difficult to use.

Call quality

We found that call quality was OK, but slightly muffled due to the waterproof casing. It is certainly good enough for day-to-day use.

Value for money

In terms of raw technical specifications, the B2100 doesn't offer particularly great value for money.. until you take into account how tough it is. This phone will survive experiences which can kill most other handsets stone dead, although we didn't test the B2100 to destruction, we do think that this will be quite difficult to break. If you regularly expose your phone to harsh environments, then its robustness will probably pay for itself quite quickly.

Conclusion

The Samsung B2100 Solid Extreme is an exceptionally durable handset, but this durability does tend to compromise other handset features. Music playback is good, and the basic camera is surprisingly useful if a little fiddly to use. The web browser is the weakest part of the phone, even taking into account the lack of 3G.

It's an attractive looking device, and the toughness should be appealing to many consumers. And it's hard to beat the B2100's party trick of working under water!