samsunggalaxybeam
Latest
Samsung Galaxy Beam successor spotted in China (updated)
At Mobile World Congress in 2012, Samsung announced a pico projector smartphone known as the Galaxy Beam. Although it was a cool concept, the phone's downfall was its middling specs, aging OS and large chassis. Two years later, it appears that Samsung's working on a successor to the Beam called the SM-G3858, according to China's government database. The Tenaa entry even comes with a few pictures, most of which offer an indication of a projector: there's clearly a bump on the upper back which opens up to a wide lens on the top, and we also saw an extra button that models after the original Beam -- in fact, the icon above the button looks eerily like the one seen here. Curiously, Samsung has shed the sporty misshapen look in favor of a sleek metal build, which certainly seems a better fit for professionals. The database also gives us a glimpse at its specs, some of which are an improvement over the original Beam; the China Mobile-branded phone reportedly packs a 4.66-inch WVGA (800x480) display, Android 4.2.2, a quad-core 1.2GHz chipset with 1GB of RAM, microSD slot with up to 32GB external storage, as well as TD-SCDMA and GSM connectivity (no LTE on this model, although there's a chance this is simply a 3G-only variant of a global model). It's also 11.6mm thick, which is much thicker than most Samsung smartphones but still is nearly a full millimeter thinner than the original. It's still too early to determine whether this is going to be exclusive to China Mobile or available to a global market, but at least we know the phone exists for now; Samsung, we're hopeful, will provide us with the rest of the story at some point down the road.
Samsung Galaxy Beam with built-in projector now up for grabs: £395 sim-free in the UK
If you've been eyeing flat surfaces with bad intent since the new Samsung Galaxy Beam projector smartphone was announced, it's now ready for your schemes -- at least in the UK. Expansys is showing the light-shooting device in stock, replete with its 4-inch WVGA screen, 1GHz dual-core Cortex A9, 768MB of RAM and 8GB storage, at a price of £395 ($615). The projector itself radiates 15 lumens and displays an nHD (640 x 360) image up to 50 inches across. At 12.5mm (0.5 inches), Samsung claims it to be the world's thinnest projector phone, so if you need something pocketable for those impromptu presentations -- or even to save your bacon -- check the source to snag one.
Samsung Galaxy Beam crosses paths with FCC, sports 3G connectivity for AT&T
The FCC comes across many smartphones in its daily routine, but it's hardly an everyday occurrence for one of those handsets to rock a miniature projector. That's the claim to fame of the Samsung Galaxy Beam, which just made its way through the regulatory body with full 3G support for AT&T's 1900MHz and 850MHz bands. We were first introduced to this updated version of the original Galaxy Beam at Mobile World Congress, and for a quick refresher, the Android 2.3 device packs a dual-core 1GHz CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 4-inch WVGA display and a projector that'll toss 50-inch imagery onto the wall. Naturally, whether AT&T chooses to sell the smartphone is another consideration entirely, but this certification will keep users in proper standing with the feds, and that's a good thing.
Mobile Miscellany: week of March 19th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we've spotted the Lumia 610 in two new colors, and the open source community received new goodies from the likes of HTC, Qualcomm and Samsung. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of March 19th, 2012.
Samsung Galaxy Beam hands-on at MWC 2012
Samsung, expected to make a quiet showing at this year's Mobile World Congress due to the fact that it doesn't have a press conference scheduled today or tomorrow, is actually projecting to offer a bit more buzz than the Ace 2 or Mini 2. How? With a projector phone, of course! Sammy's latest phone announced for the show is the Galaxy Beam, a refreshed version of the projector phone, with a bit fancier specs. The device is packing a 4-inch WVGA display, dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500 Cortex A9 CPU, 768MB of RAM and a 2,000mAh battery. Of course, those aren't the important specs to consider here -- the projector is. Taking advantage of a nHD (640 x 360) resolution and 15 Lumen brightness, the 12.5mm thickness helps Samsung claim the title of "world's thinnest projector phone." All in all, the phone felt very comfortable to hold, and the lump that incorporates the projector isn't an eyesore in the slightest -- in fact, Samsung managed to add it in a rather stylish manner. Our only concern? The projector itself is found on the very top of the device without any recession, which will likely make it a candidate for being a fingerprint magnet. We also liked the dedicated power button for the projector on the top right of the phone, just above the normal phone switch. We're also expecting to see some docks become available for the phone (which itself should be available in select markets in Q2) that will help stabilize it and keep it from shaking, as well as amplify sound for watching movies or video presentations. We'll add in more pics and videos as they come. Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Samsung unveils new Galaxy Beam smartphone / projector combo with dual core CPU
Samsung has finally started to reveal its new products at MWC 2012, starting with this refresh of the Galaxy Beam packing Android 2.3 and a 1GHz dual-core CPU. Just like its predecessor it brings an integrated projector capable of 15 lumens of brightness, enough to shoot a high definition image that's up to 50 inches wide. There's a dedicated app that activates the projection, letting users pump out video and pictures, as well as interact with games when the 4-inch WVGA screen just isn't big enough. It has a 2000 mAh battery to keep the party going -- handy when you're stuck somewhere inconvenient with a few dozen of your coworkers -- 8GB of built-in storage and a claimed 6GB of RAM (we're double checking that, consider it a likely typo until you hear otherwise). There's more details and specs in the press release after the break, but no word on release date or market availability of this HSPA phone just yet.Update: We've just confirmed that the Beam isn't loaded with a whopping 6GB of RAM as we initially reported. As it turns out, the device is actually packing 768MB of RAM (which is 6 gigabits, by the way). You can check out our hands-on with the device here for more details.
