sgh-i780
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Samsung launches BizBee family of business-oriented smartphones
We're not quite sure what Samsung's trying to pull here, but it's apparently using some BizBee moniker to revamp a few dusty smartphones with Windows Mobile 6.1. So far as we can tell, the BizBee family will house a "new range of designer business mobiles," though Samsung's starting off rather poorly by reintroducing the i780 with WinMo 6.1. Said handset will be re-launched initially in the UK, Nordics, Spain and Netherlands this month, though we're not sure if the marketing blitz will escape the clutches of Europe in order to serve as entertainment elsewhere. For Sammy's sake, we hope not.
Samsung takes i780 to retail in Europe
Let's try to get past the fact that Samsung ended a sentence with a preposition for just a moment, if you will, and turn our collective attention to the real headline here: the SGH-i780 Windows Mobile 6 Professional handset. True, it's been official for quite some time now, but it seems that the phone's just now getting its proper European launch with support from Orange and Telefonica along with an unlocked, unsubsidized version that should be turning up in retailers across the continent for something in the range of €549 (about $805). A little steep, perhaps, but considering the HSDPA, 320 x 320 square display, WiFi, and "optical joystick" for navigation, we'll cut it just a little slack. That grammatically problematic sentence, though -- well, that's another matter altogether.[Via the::unwired]
Hands-on with Samsung's SGH-i780
Arne over at the::unwired had a chance to get a hands-on with Samsung's newest Windows Mobile 6 Pro -- yes, Professional, with touchscreen -- offering, the SGH-i780. This BlackJack lookalike packs a 400 MHz CPU, tri-band GSM with 2100 MHz UMTS / HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, an A-GPS receiver, and 256 / 128 ROM and RAM in an almost standardized Samsung QWERTY package. The i780 features a 320 x 320 resolution screen and the odd-looking d-pad seen above can actually be used as a mouse for on screen pointing. This looks like a serious bit of kit and here's hoping it zooms its way over here early in the new year -- though of course, no promises.
Samsung gets official with Windows Mobile-based i780
Is it just us, or did this thing take a glancing blow from the ugly stick? Not a direct, brutal strike by any means, but it seems like there may have been a bit of an exchange before this sucker's announcement. Anyway, yeah, Samsung's i780 is all official now -- which we now know has absolutely no relation to the BlackJack2 for AT&T -- and while it may not be taking earning any points for sheer beauty, it makes up for the indiscretion with sheer braun. You get Windows Mobile 6 Professional (yes, Professional, not Standard), assisted GPS, a 2.6 inch 320 x 320 display, 256MB of ROM and 128MB of RAM, WiFi, and that crazy optical touchpad that lets you navigate via mouse pointer. Sadly, the triband GSM and single-band 3G are going to keep this one well off US shores, but then again, keep in mind that the i600 spawned the i607 BlackJack back in the day -- so stay positive, folks.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
Samsung's GPS-equipped i780 "Treo-killer" revealed
Samsung seems to be working a little in reverse with its upcoming SGH-i780 Windows Mobile 6 handset, showing it first at GITEX, then providing shots to media a couple weeks later -- all without an official press release or announcement. Fortunately, we have pretty much all the information we want about it at this point, save for one key detail: will it come to AT&T as the rumored BlackJack 2? Unlike the original BlackJack, the i780 runs the touchscreen-driven Professional variant of Windows Mobile, features an "optical mouse" on the d-pad that provides the user with an actual on-screen pointer, and features integrated WiFi and GPS. If we were the wagering sort, we'd guess that an AT&T variant of this sucker would lose the WiFi and trade Euro HSDPA radio hardware for its North American equivalent, but with integrated GPS, it still seems like it could be a worthwhile upgrade. Sweden apparently expects it in early 2008, though there's no official word on launches elsewhere just yet.[Via Unwired View]
Samsung shows i780 with Windows Mobile 6, possible BlackJack 2?
Remember that trick Samsung with Windows Mobile and the mouse pointer? Turns out it's the SGH-i780, a device that was passed around at Dubai's GITEX show earlier this month. From the spec sheet adjacent to the display phone, we can pretty clearly make out Windows Mobile 6 Professional (as opposed to Standard -- score), WiFi, HSDPA, a 2 megapixel camera, GPS, and an "optical mouse" (whatever that means), which explains the presence of a pointer on the screen. HTC pulled this off with the trackball-equipped Artemis; we toyed with it briefly and it seemed usable, so we'll be curious to see what approach Samsung takes. We've heard talk of a BlackJack 2 coming to AT&T later this year; we don't know whether this (or a model based on this) is it, but it certainly looks the part, doesn't it?[Via the::unwired, thanks Daniel F.]
