Samsung's Armani phone has a surprise: a haptic feedback UI

All hail, all hail, official pics of the Samsung / Armani mashup: the Armani phone. Here's the haute couturey poop: tri-band 900/1800/1900 GSM, 3 megapixel camera, 2.6-inch 262K color QVGA touchscreen LCD, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support, microSD expansion, full Internet browser, and support for H.263, AAC/MP3/WMA audio and MPEG-4 video. Fine and dandy but this little guy also features a haptic feedback user interface like Samsung's SCH-W559 handset loosed long ago in China -- "users can feel an immediate mild vibration when they touch icons on the display." How you like them Apples, Apple? The Prada-esque slab currently measures in at 87.5 x 54.5 x 10.5-mm and 85-grams; less after it starts making regular, post-meal trips to the toilet following its November European release.

Gallery: Samsung's Armani phone has a surprise: a haptic feedback UI

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[Via GadgetZone]

[bob e @ Sep 25th 2007 8:13AM]

Now thats a touch phone I would consider.

I would prefer it doesn't come with the designers name on it though.

[Randomness @ Sep 25th 2007 8:46AM]

I'm saddened that they threw away valuable screen real estate for that huge G Armani name on it, but not surprised.

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 25th 2007 8:33AM]

That is a wee-bit off putting, yes.

[daniel @ Sep 25th 2007 8:35AM]

that's the whole point of the phone- it is called the "Armani phone" for a reason.

[Wwhat @ Sep 25th 2007 9:16AM]

one assumes the name is on there for the PR shots and doesn't have to be on there.

[Wwhat @ Sep 25th 2007 9:18AM]

Oh and you can I hear rub off the annoying text on devices by using a sugarcube or some salt, people say it works great but I never tried it myself so far.

[SuperChuck @ Sep 25th 2007 11:14AM]

@Randomness

How is the Armani logo using valuable screen real estate? It seems to me it's using plastic real estate.

They've gotta put the electronics somewhere, it's not all magic screen.

[lassi @ Sep 26th 2007 11:50AM]

it's using screen estate, in modern device the screen could be bigger.

but that's not the point.

the whole point of it being giorgio armani is that it has giorgio armani in big letters. like those god awful d&g frames. but that's fashion. for the buyer it's a bonus that it reads it in biiiiiiiiiiiiiig letters.


what i'd be more intrested is how sophisticated the haptic feedback is, like, if you press a button do you get a normal vibr or a solid "knock".

[Shan @ Sep 25th 2007 8:16AM]

The designers name spoils it. Dont know why Samsung havent put their name anywhere on it?

[Rynth @ Sep 25th 2007 11:17AM]

You could jsut buy this:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/13/samsungs-sgh-p520-is-the-armani-phone/

As its not branded up.. much.

[Ron @ Sep 25th 2007 8:32AM]

Tri-band??? Is Samsung smoking something?

[blade417 @ Sep 25th 2007 8:34AM]

1) what do you mean looks gay, it looks just like any other typical touch-screen phone. Just slap on a different wallpaper.
2) of course it's the software that matters, but this is 2007. throw an extremely high price tag on a phone that's promoted by a well known high-priced company and voila! everyone in hollywood, and people who have money to waste has one.... samsung and armani are paid.

[Cesar Cardoso @ Sep 25th 2007 8:37AM]

Tony, probably Armani and his minions only designed the UI... even more probably, a skin and some changes to the ol' good default Samsung UI :D

But haptic feedback is a great thing to have on a touchscreen phone.

[daniel @ Sep 25th 2007 8:38AM]

2) that's a harsh thing to say- especially considering it's only the home screen we're seeing there.

[Constable Odo @ Sep 25th 2007 8:40AM]

Decent looks and decent specs. No 3G or GPS. How good it looks doesn't seem that good a reason to purchase a cellphone. Being a Samsung puts it in the same league as the Motorola handsets. A designer name is rather pointless, but if it helps sell the phone, more power to 'em. I hope those people that buy them are satisfied.

[AmazingRobie @ Sep 25th 2007 8:41AM]

So with Bluetooth and Internet capabilities it should conceivably by set up with VoiP correct?

[t-bone @ Sep 25th 2007 8:57AM]

I doubt VOIP will work well over EDGE. The linked article only mentions EDGE and Bluetooth. There is nothing about HSDPA/UMTS or wi-fi.

[Xzavier @ Sep 25th 2007 8:45AM]

It looks HOT! HOT!HOT!HOT!

Ok, now give us a reasonable price and REAL Features... none of that iPhone BS and you got yourself a seller!

:D

[Magallanes @ Sep 25th 2007 8:46AM]

For Tony

You must known that almost all people will buy a phone cause the color/status/fancy ringtone rather the features. Just a bunch of "gadgeters" (we) are worried about the specifications.

And no, this don't look gay at all, "gay" (or girly) phone are most a pinky + hello kitty + rounded with shinny and fluffy things.

[DanGleesacks @ Sep 25th 2007 8:48AM]

Can I be the first to (try) and coin the phrase - "Samarni Phone"

Lets see if it takes off... bit like the phone!

[huggles @ Sep 25th 2007 8:54AM]

Can they ditch these gay names already? "The George W Bush Candy Brick"? "The Clinton Clamshell"? Gah, enough already!

[CT A @ Sep 25th 2007 8:55AM]

Brownie points to Engadget using Prada-esque instead of iPhone-esque

[Randy @ Sep 25th 2007 9:05AM]

Well, it does look more like the LG Prada as opposed to the iphone.

[Jon @ Sep 25th 2007 9:12AM]

Well considering that Apple stole LG's design...

[Xzavier @ Sep 25th 2007 10:02AM]

Let’s see... Samsung's phone is black, it is rectangular, it has a touch screen... OMG!!! Samsung stole that design from so'en'so...

Come on guys... Almost all of the designs out their look like that. Maybe if somebody made a dual screen clamshell phone, or a completely different design away from the clamshell/candybar designs. Until then... Most of the phones hitting the market are going to look just like that! And then this is where Armani come into play, designing something *cosmetically* different!

[bruckwine @ Sep 25th 2007 9:04AM]

What's even better than the touch feedback is (horrors) they actually have a DEDICATED PHONE BUTTON for answering the phone!?!!

*faints dead away at revolutionary interface compared to iPhone*

[madgunde @ Sep 25th 2007 12:34PM]

"What's even better than the touch feedback is (horrors) they actually have a DEDICATED PHONE BUTTON for answering the phone!?!!

*faints dead away at revolutionary interface compared to iPhone*"
You are joking, right? Answering the phone with a quick swipe of your finger or thumb or pressing a giant green "ANSWER" button doesn't seem to be any harder to do, and has the benefit of not having to waste space with a physical button that only does one freaking thing. I suppose you think there should be an extra key on your computer keyboard labeled "ANY" just for times when Windows asks you to hit the Any key to continue?

[madgunde @ Sep 25th 2007 12:34PM]

Not to mention that physical buttons can be accidentally pressed when carrying it in your pocket, if you haven't locked the keys. The iPhone will never accidentally call someone or answer a call while it's in your pocket.

[Nick @ Sep 26th 2007 9:15AM]

okay so the phone vibrates slightly everytime you press a button... Thats great and everything except for when im typing anything like a text or email and the damn phone is vibrating constantly in my hands. "But it gives you feedback.." okay and so does every other touch screen device. As long as you still have nerve endings in your finger tips you'll be able to feel that you are touching the screen. So now you feel that you are touching the screen and the phone vibrates. This functionality adds nothing except wear down your battery a little bit quicker.

[bugmat @ Oct 12th 2007 9:02AM]

@madgunde: I suppose the ffact that I use a TREO in which that phone button (among others) is fully programmable and can be mapped to any function puts paid to that argument of "one button, one function" - who's to say this won't be the same?!

@Nick: Not to mention that ANY tactile feedback increases the possibility of using a touchscreen device w/o glueing my eyes to it - horrs who would want that?!

[Jon @ Sep 25th 2007 9:11AM]

First, what is wrong with gay you homophobic idiot.

Second, the phone market is healthy with plenty of competing OS, whether home grown or licensed.

[Jon @ Sep 25th 2007 9:19AM]

Engadget, there is no such a thing as an 'Internet browser'?

[Eugene @ Sep 25th 2007 9:20AM]

Of course it looks gay. How is a phone named after Giorgio Armani supposed to look? Straight? ;-]

[Giorgio Armani @ Sep 25th 2007 9:22AM]

Finally, a phone for all of us named Giorgio Armani.

[Silvio @ Sep 25th 2007 9:26AM]

The clock on the left image are wrong. When in London is 12,15 of saturday in Seoul can't be Friday. Even if the month's day is the same (16 sep).
S*

[FermitTheKrog @ Sep 25th 2007 9:39AM]

If this phone looks gay, then call me Richard Simmons baby, cause I want one.

[Jay @ Sep 25th 2007 9:47AM]

So looks like we're in for a throdown of Italian Fashion Designer Branded, Korean Made Touchscreen Cellphones that will probably never make it to America.

[Clinton Christian @ Sep 25th 2007 9:48AM]

Phone vibrating every time you push a button. Cool for some. Annoying by my standard.

[Sean @ Sep 25th 2007 9:55AM]

Now throw CDMA in it and we can talk.

[AJ @ Sep 25th 2007 9:59AM]

Strange calendar. September has 31 days, not 30. And 1st of September 2007 isn't a Thursday.

[Caden @ Sep 25th 2007 10:04AM]

Get a life.

[yelohbird @ Sep 25th 2007 10:32AM]

PHOTOCHOP!!! =P

and by that, i'm referring to the calendar. I hope it's a photochop, or else that calendar has serious issues.

1) London is behind Seoul in time, so it can't be Saturday in London when it's Friday in Seoul
2) Sep 16 can't be both a Friday and a Saturday
3) On the calendar to the right, Friday Sep 30 jumps to Monday Sep 31...wth? haha

[blooy @ Sep 25th 2007 10:38AM]

No WiFi? What good is it?

[Sy @ Sep 25th 2007 10:47AM]

For the life of me, I do not understand the concept of letting designers in other fields design CE products. Will laptops go faster if Ferrari or Porsche design it? Will cellphones look more sleek if Armani or Prada design it? Just because a designer is competent and excels in one field does not mean he/she is competent in another. Perhaps is a branding thing and it somewhat makes sense with cellphones since they could be considered as fashion accessories. Perhaps they are just using the name. But still, only idiots would fall for such a marketing ploy.

[pkassaie @ Oct 4th 2007 12:36PM]

Seriously its not like people buy designer jeans for hundreds of dollars when there are jeans with the same specs for much less...

Face it, people are stupid and a lot of the people who buy consumer products buy them because of the brand name, whether it is Apple, Prada, Armani or Sony. They buy phones so they can brag, some just brag about name brands while others brag about specs.

[Levi G @ Sep 25th 2007 10:59AM]

It looks like it's going to use the same 'croix' os found on the soon to be released f700.

[Scooby03 @ Sep 25th 2007 11:04AM]

Why is Samsung following LG and branding their phones with stupid designer names? I’m neither a woman or a big shot who thinks that this phone will make him look cool and boost there ego.

This is not a knock off of the iphone, having a phone that is completely touch and just one big ass screen pushes companies to design better looking software for there phones because in the end that’s the thing that will stand out the most.

Over all it doesn’t look like that bad a phone.

[superfreak77 @ Sep 25th 2007 11:14AM]

??
"less after it starts making regular, post-meal trips to the toilet following its November"

what is this? a lousy attempt at grade school comedy, or a bungled try at real information?.

hope you get paid for writing some day, then you will HAVE to improve...

[Eric Whitney @ Sep 25th 2007 11:56AM]

I think they are imparting bulimic tendencies to this designer fashion model phone with that comment.

[badtzmaru @ Sep 25th 2007 11:57AM]

it looks ugly. but i havent bought anything armani since 1998.