3GSM World Congress - Roundup 1
The first day of the 3GSM World Congress is traditionally the busiest day of the year for mobile phone announcments. In this first roundup, we give a glimpse of some of the devices to be announced. We'll follow up with more details later.
Nokia Nokia will announce the Nokia E90 Communicator later today - the very long-awaited 3G successor to the 9500. The rumour are that it will have a bigger screen, possibly 800 pixels wide, a 2.0 or 3.2 megapixel digital camera (although we hope this will be an option), and perhaps HSDPA support. There are also rumours of a Nokia N77 device with built-in DVB-H TV capabilities. Samsung As usual, Samsung have announced a huge number of devices. The Samsung SGH-i520 is a 3G Symbian smartphone with a QVGA 2.3" screen, HSDPA and a 2 megapixel camera and microSD memory weighing just 99 grams.
Samsung i520: Smartphone in a Stylish Slider Form
It may not have a full QWERTY keyboard, the Samsung i520 unveiled at 3GSM in Barcelona is probably one of the most attractive smartphones you'll come across in some time. It's pretty typical Samsung in many ways, including a slim profile (17.9mm), a lightweight design (99 grams), and that lovely slider form factor. Powered by Symbian OS 9.2 (S60 3rd Edition Feature Package spec 1), the Samsung i520 comes equipped with high-speed HSDPA data access for exchanges as expedient s 1.8Mbps. The "sophisticated touch-sensitive key pad" is paired with a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.3-inch widescreen, and Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR. Naturally, it's quite good for surfing the web as well, because it can "show the entire internet page, similar to a regular PC view." No word on pricing, but it appears to be Europe only for the time being, sporting a Vodafone customized user interface.
Samsung i520 (SGH-i520)
In technological terms, the Samsung i520 is a close match for the Motorola RIZR Z8 slider, which is also an HSDPA capable Symbian smartphone. However, the SGH-i520 can only manage half the download speed of the RIZR Z8.. and beating the Z8's capable software suite will be a tall order.
Cosmetically, the SGH-i520 looks just like many other Samsung sliders. We criticised Motorola for not taking risks with the Z8, but the SGH-i520 shows a significant lack of imagination and it doesn't look as good as the Z8. We know that Samsung can design interesting looking handsets, but the design of the i520 is pretty uninspiring - although the "Chocolate" style touch sensitive keys on the outside look quite good. Samsung claim that the i520 will come to market during Q2 2007, however our experience is that Samsung rarely get this type of device to market on time and in any real quantity, so don't hold your breath.
Samsung aims for top
Samsung, which made a pledge to launch 30 3G phones and smartphones with music, video, and messaging functions this year, has unveiled a massive new batch of handsets at 3GSM.Samsung's president of Telecommunication Network Business, Gee-sung Choi, used the launch to claim that Samsung would make inroads into Nokia's market share. Samsung showcased two slim Symbian and Windows OS smartphones, the SGH-i520 and SGH-i600. The latter is already available in Europe and Samsung described it as an 'early example' of its forthcoming smartphone line-up.'Thin' was the buzzword for the new products. The i520 smartphone, with a two-megapixel camera, measures 17.9mm, weighs 99g, and supports 1.8Mbps HSDPA technology. It will be available in Europe in the second quarter. Measuring 11.8mm and weighing 105g, Samsung claims the i600 is the thinnest 3G smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard.
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