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Samsung Epix SGH-i907 gets reviewed: it's a mixed bag
The Samsung Epix, as it's known on AT&T, recently joined the herd of others cluttering up the carrier's shelves after being known elsewhere for the longest time as the SGH-i907. For those teetering on a purchase, the cats at Pocketnow have some valuable insight you should probably chew on first. For starters, they found the screen to be stout and the optical joystick to be "fantastic," though the dearth of in-box amenities was a bit of a letdown. On a very positive note, the reviewer never once had to initiate a soft reboot, and the ginormous 1800mAh battery got him through a solid 1.5 days of heavy usage before calling it quits. Unfortunately, the lackluster software suite was the Achilles' heel; critics found that Samsung's Windows Mobile overlays and additions were ho hum at best, and the complete omission of a soft reset hole was just unacceptable. The bottom line? You should probably give this one a handle in-store before buying blind -- as lovely as some aspects are, you don't want to buy into a device that's frustrating to use.
AT&T's Samsung Epix now epically official
It's already been floating around for a day or two, but Samsung and AT&T have decided to go ahead and follow up their latest WinMo smartphone's release to stores with... oh, you know, some actual press material. The i907 Epix rundown goes something like this: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2-megapixel cam, AGPS with AT&T Navigator, Video Share support, 320 x 320 2.5-inch touchscreen display, and one of those crazy "optical mice" for on-screen navigation when using the touchscreen itself is just too much trouble. Get it now (or yesterday, if you were really on the ball) for $99.99 on a two-year contract.
Samsung's i907 Epix filtering into AT&T stores
We've gotten a number of reports today that the Samsung i907 Epix is turning up in sundry AT&T stores across the lands, and those claims are certainly backed up by a fresh retail unboxing of Sammy's WinMo 6.1 Professional monster for AT&T that's turned up over on Boy Genius Report. "Monster" is the right word here, too, in light of Mr. Genius' claims that the Epix seems to be just about the thickest device offered by the carrier outside the beastly Tilt -- not the news we wanted to hear about a QWERTY handset that looks from a distance to be no more imposing than a BlackJack. The optical mouse is cool, don't get us wrong, but is it cool enough to justify a conspicuous bulge in our pocket?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Clear as mud: Samsung i907 "Epix" is AT&T's version of the i780
Okay, bear with us here, because the road to this device is a winding one, to say the least: first, there was the Samsung i780 that launched in Europe. It was informally and unofficially branded the BlackJack III, thanks to its obvious resemblance to Samsung's own BlackJack series that has been a stalwart of AT&T's 3G lineup since its early days. More recently, we caught wind of an i907 that would be launching on AT&T's airwaves in the next few weeks; thanks to the model number's proximity to that of the i900 Omnia, it didn't take long for rumors to spread that it'd be an AT&T-branded version of the i900 -- but a counter-rumor claimed that it would actually take the form of the good ol' i780. A training pamphlet now circulating seems to have sealed the deal that this will, in fact, be a tweaked i780, which means we can expect Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, a full QWERTY keyboard, optical mouse, and HSDPA. What's more, the "Mirage" name we'd heard seems to have been tossed out for the way (way) cooler "Epix." Still no word on an exact release date or price, but considering the hefty specs we're expecting and the smartphone label, we're not exactly counting on a free-on-contract deal here.
Samsung A867, Sangria, and Mirage all coming to AT&T?
phoneArena has cobbled together all the details it could dig up on a trio of Samsungs apparently destined for AT&T, and needless to say, we're not looking at your average anonymous midrange flips here (and kudos to that, by the way). First up is the A767 "Sangria," which apparently borrows the i620 and i640's style but drops Windows Mobile to turn it into a strictly consumer device that's targeted for launch in late October. Next up, the A867 (cutesy name unknown) sorta looks like the mighty Omnia from its FCC filing, but it probably isn't for a couple very good reason: first, the FCC filing makes no mention of WiFi, and second, Samsung's smartphones start with "i." Finally, that i907 Mirage -- you know, the one everyone thought (hoped) might actually be the Omnia -- is said to actually be AT&T's version of the i780, featuring Windows Mobile Professional, triband HSDPA, a 2-megapixel cam, and that optical mouse Samsung has been featuring on its higher-end devices as of late. Pretty exciting stuff, eh?
AT&T's version of the Samsung Omnia actually the "Mirage," coming next month?
We're hearing that AT&T dealers are now being briefed on the upcoming Samsung i907 -- a phone that we'd like to believe will approximate the appearance and power of the i900 Omnia released overseas, though details are still slim on exactly what form its American cousin's going to take or what capabilities it'll offer. Whatever it is, though, current estimates have it available for order on October 7 as the "Mirage." In other words, yes, go ahead and kiss that Omnia name goodbye -- and really, "Mirage" seems like a perfectly fine name, as long as AT&T isn't trying to imply that it disappears as you get close to the launch date. More details on this one just as soon as we get 'em.[Thanks, Bill] Update: As we mentioned above, we're not sure exactly what the Mirage is -- so we wouldn't necessarily bet the farm on an Omnia clone here.
