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Another three Samsungs break cover at Dutch event
They're not as exciting, notable, or lustworthy as the first three, but alas -- they're Samsungs and they're new, so we figure they deserve at least some modicum of coverage. The M620 slider mopes along with a triband, GPRS-only radio and VGA camera -- the very definition of "blah" in our books -- but does manage to offer an integrated FM radio and stereo Bluetooth. If that earth-shattering feature set is just a little too fancy for your tastes but you're still looking for a fresh Sammy slider, turn your attention downmarket to the B510, which eschews a camera altogether but still manages to offer Bluetooth 1.2 and an FM radio. Finally, the B300 flip (pictured) knocks it all the way down to dual band (read: don't even think about using it in North America) and, like the B510, leaves the camera out of the equation. No word on release dates for the trio, but we think we can take a pretty good stab at pricing -- think "cheap."
Sprint's Samsung UpStage hands-on
We got our grubby mitts on the first of many phones here at CTIA in Orlando, today: the Samsung UpStage on Sprint (which you might otherwise know as being the F300, m620, and so on). There are very few phones on the market for $150 or less that offer EV-DO, music integration, and the style and unique, ultraslim form-factor of the UpStage. But we'll be honest, the whole thing seems like a kinda hacked take on an otherwise worthy premise -- that your phone and your music device should be the same, but separate. The "scroll-wheel" on the music side has no tactile feedback and doesn't rotate in circles, only up/down or left/right, one direction at a time -- totally different from the more natural motion on, say, an iPod, and half-baked feeling. Basically, if they were going to go tactile-free, the music side should have incorporated a larger touchscreen instead of that silly trackpad. The "business" side (the one with all the buttons) could really do with a larger screen, but hey, this thing is only $150, it can't be everything to everyone, right? Check out our many pics in the gallery.%Gallery-2301%
Sprint announces Samsung UpStage, 99 cent songs over the air
As expected, Sprint has announced the SPH-m620 "UpStage" dual-faced musicphone today, giving Sprint a decided "wow" factor in its lineup -- for the moment, at least. Manufacturers seem to be turning to unusual form factors in an effort to gain some differentiation in a crowded high-end and specialty phone marketplace, and the UpStage fills the bill nicely with a full side devoted to traditional phone activities -- "calls, text messaging, and contact management" to use Sprint's verbage -- while the entirety of the flip side takes the form of a traditional MP3 player; a button press switches between sides. Naturally, the phone offers a microSD slot for up to 2GB of external storage, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and stereo Bluetooth, while an included 3.5mm jack adapter lets folks use more traditional headsets if they so choose; even cooler, incoming calls are announced via text-to-speech while you're jamming out. Also included is a Music Manager app for sideloading tunes to the phone via USB and a unique "battery wallet" boosting the phone's stamina for playing music up to a solid 16 hours or 6.3 hours of talk time (up from 2.5 hours talk time without) -- you sacrifice a bit of girth from the phone's normal, svelte 1.73 x 4.07 x 0.37 inch form, but for music junkies, the tradeoff may be worth it. Simultaneously with the phone's release in early April, Sprint will be offering 99 cent over the air (nice!) music downloads good on its entire Music Store catalog, which we reckon is just perfect for a phone of the UpStage's nature. Look for it to hit shelves for $149 on a two-year agreement with a $50 rebate available.%Gallery-2281%
Samsung m620 to be christened "UpStage" for Sprint
So it won't be called the "Flipper" or the "Ultra Music" -- no, it seems Sprint wanted a name all its own for the very unique m620 musicphone from Samsung. When it launches at CTIA this week, the two-faced handset will get slapped with the name "UpStage," which in our opinion really doesn't convey the craziness of the phone's form factor appropriately -- but does give a nod to its unusually strong audio capabilities. As the Flash presentation points out, the UpStage's key features include touch-sensitive music controls, a 1.3 megapixel cam (which is shared with the phone side's face), stereo Bluetooth, built-in speakers for rockin' out the old-fashioned way, and microSD expansion. We're hoping that everyone is going to be able to waltz into their friendly local Sprint store in the next few days and pick up an UpStage of their own, but either way, expect some serious hands-on action from the floor of CTIA![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sprint launches Samsung m620 teaser site (we think)
We think we've got a pretty good -- nay, perfect -- idea of what this is, but Sprint's doing its darndest to keep us all guessing about its upcoming handset that's "redefining flip." We can't really say we blame them; Samsung's curiuous two-sided musicphone is pretty innovative even on a bad day, and it's likely in Sprint's best interest to ride the hype for everything it's worth here. Anyway, the latest marketing antic has us looking at an official countdown to the Samsung "Flipper" m620's reveal at CTIA (at least, that's our best guess as to what's going on here) toward the end of this month -- a phone Sprint promises will offer "a perfect trifecta of voice, music, and unique, stylish form-factor." Their words, not ours, but if the buzz the m620's GSM cousin has been generating translates well to the CDMA version, they may not be too far off the mark.[Thanks, tuolumne]
