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Samsung's i200 Windows Mobile candybar in the wild
It may not be generating a ton of buzz -- but a new Samsung smartphone is still a new Samsung smartphone, and so we're quite pleased that someone's managed to sneak a prototype i200 out for a little face time ahead of its planned debut later this quarter. At 11.8mm thick, the Windows Mobile 6 (6.1, perhaps?) Standard handset should disappear nicely into a breast or pant pocket, and that'll have to be a key selling point since it lacks both WiFi and GPS. On the upside, you still get a who's-who of GSM standards all the way up to HSDPA, there's a 2 megapixel cam around back, and we're kinda digging the blue trim. Price this one reasonably, Samsung, and you might have a winner in your midst.
Hands-on with a handful of Samsung's newest and finest
Samsung launched at least a dozen handsets at MWC this week, so in the interest of brevity, here's a heap of what we were able to get our dirty mitts on. We saw -- in no particular order -- the i200, L170, J150, J700, L770, E251, W350, and the P960, they're not labeled, so feel free to make a guessing game out of the gallery that follows. Notable in this pile are, well, we guess all of 'em. Good on ya Samsung.%Gallery-16060%
Samsung hauls a load into Mobile World Congress
Getting the high-end G810, F480, G400, and F400 out of the way, Samsung has (expectedly) rocked Mobile World Congress with a boatload of devices to fill every last segment of the market. Let's have a look, shall we? The i200 (pictured) is a relatively simple Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard candybar with a 2 megapixel cam, 3G data, microSD expansion, and the typical QVGA display. It should break below the €200 mark and will hit shelves in spring. The L170 is a thin candybar -- just 10.7mm -- that fills in the low end at a €175 asking price with a 2 megapixel camera when it launches in March. The J150 goes even further downmarket than the L170, but manages to squeeze its guts into a 9.9mm shell with Bluetooth, an FM radio, microSD slot, and a 1.3 megapixel camera for €125-130. The J700 is a relatively attractive slider with a 1.3 megapixel camera, 160 x 128 display, and microSD slot, while still staying on the low end at €130-140. It'll be available in March. The L770 kicks up the style factor a couple notches and throws UMTS into the equation, along with a 2 megapixel camera, FM radio, and availability in a range of colors when it hits in April for €260-280. The E251 is a slider that'll ring a bell for many Samsung owners, looking a heck of a lot like the E250 it replaces. In fact, it's the same thing -- it just adds a dedicated music key. Whoopee! It'll be available for €120-130. The W350 is a mobile TV clamshell supporting DMB -- not a lot of good for DVB-H-loving Europe, but appropriate for South Korea. If you're cool with the 2.2 inch display, anyway. No word on release or pricing for this one. Speaking of DVB-H, the P960 is just such a device with a healthier 2.6 inch QVGA display, slider form factor, 3 megapixel camera, and support for picture-in-picture. This one apparently hasn't been blessed for release yet, and there's some debate as to whether it ever will be (yes, please). More details on the whole range as we get it!
Gigabyte's dual-tuner g-Smart i200
Though Gigabyte's not much of a mobile presence here in the US, folks in Asian countries might want to listen up: the spec sheet on their g-Smart i200 Pocket PC phone makes it sound like the best thing since... well, the i120 and i300. The 512MB of internal storage is hot, the promise of Crossbow (if it's available by the device's launch in Q1 '07) is pure gold -- but what's really got us all fired up are the integrated dual tuners (DVB-H and DVB-T) and 2.69-inch VGA display. Yep, we said it: VGA. Everyone waiting for the promise of compromise-free mobile web browsing and remote desktop connections can come out of hiding, because this bad boy could very well be the phone you've been waiting for. The TV-out and DVR functionality don't hurt, either. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to book our flights to Taiwan.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
