Giorgio Armani and Samsung unveil Windows Mobile smartphone... with a little help from Steve Ballmer

Fashion fans, rejoice. Your two favorite labels have finally come together: Giorgio Armani... and Windows Mobile. Today in Milan, Armani's empire unveiled a new, €700 (or about $1030) smartphone built by Samsung, running Microsoft's latest 6.5 OS iteration. The device -- featuring a full touchscreen and slide-out, landscape QWERTY keyboard -- touts a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, a 5 megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage, GPS chip, and microSD slot. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who spoke at the launch, says the device is "the most fashionable phone [he's] ever had a chance to talk about." We won't lie, there is something weirdly appealing about the bronze and black smartphone, though we don't see ourselves shelling out that kind of dough on this particular model. Oh, not because we don't want to, but it doesn't go with our shoes. Check out a couple of videos from the launch after the break, including a short clip with Ballmer.

Giorgio Armani and Samsung's new Windows Mobile phone

[Leicaman Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:01AM]

Windows Mobile favorite label of whom? There must be at least 23 people out there that must feel that way. 24 if you count Ballmer.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:01AM]

Nice phone. I have one. It's called the AT&T Tilt, aka the HTC Kaiser. Similar specs, same tilting lcd, one quarter the price, and it's been out for years. yay, good job armani.

[plwh888 Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:07AM]

OMG, a BUDGET Phone, one have to Budget for it ! LOL !!!

[mdntcallr Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:20AM]

you know what... at the end of the day, it is still yet another Windows Mobile powered device. and.... probably stinks. i'll stick to my Blackberry and iPhone.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:17AM]

Does it rum Windows Mobile 6.5 Signature Edition?

[Average White Boy Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:25AM]

It's good to be a white metrosexual. I have got to get me one of these. I'll even put the iPhone phanbois to shame. And it's so reasonably priced that I think I'll get two. Too bad it's powered by MicroShyte WinMoan.

[Anticrawl Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:31AM]

Armani makes my colonge Aqua Di Gio but that's as far as I'll go with the brand.. well a suit would be nice but I'm not made of money.

[aashish bhagya Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:46AM]

How is a dull bronze side lining more gaudy than a shiny steel side lining in the fruit phone??

[Anticrawl Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:48AM]

It is when you're an applefanboy. I personally like the bronze/black look. It's pretty cool.

[whagg Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:59AM]

what the F do I need a Giorgio Armani phone for. Does GA make phones? No, they make clothes. So enough with this snob appeal bull crap. I will take one of them nicely tailored 3 months rent worth suits though.

[MikeMc Posted Oct 9th 2009 12:30PM]

That's a nice looking phone. Not a thousand dollars nice but still nice.

[dosguy Posted Oct 9th 2009 12:57PM]

Why does Engadget make low and lowest ranked comments unreadable?

[Wesscoast Posted Oct 9th 2009 1:22PM]

Steve Ballmer says the device is "the most fashionable phone [he's] ever had a chance to talk about."

Correction..

Uncle Fester, Steaming Mad about iPhone Announcement,2007:

"The iPhone will NOT GET ANY APPRECIABLE marketshare whatsoever...........Now the iPhone may sell very well, we don't know..."

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 9th 2009 2:28PM]

Where can we order one? Looks nice.

[Guardsix6 Posted Oct 9th 2009 2:56PM]

Strange that with all the technology available to Mr. Ballmer, he still has to read his notes from paper!

Maybe he really, really needs an HTC D2 with it's wonderfully huge screen.

[Intervention Posted Oct 9th 2009 3:44PM]

The day I get an Armani suit is the day I will have the matching phone

[YpoCaramel Posted Oct 9th 2009 10:45PM]

This is actually surprisingly good. $1050 is a lot, but Touch Pro 2's unsubsidized run $600-700 in many markets, so it isn't ridiculous, and this is no Vertu. It's a fully featured smartphone, and no one else offers a big, tilting AMOLED screen. WinMo is the problem, but it's only a problem to some.

[MikeMc Posted Oct 9th 2009 10:53PM]

Downvoted for using "M$". That hasn't been clever since '97.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2009 7:45PM]

uhm im never going to pay a grand for a phone.
btw i heard about 3 iphone noises throughout the second video haha.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 13th 2009 2:25AM]

Looks completely like N97 !!!!!