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Samsung shows no mercy, redoes Soul in black and gold Limited Edition
One of the great things about the original Soul is that despite its heavy-hitting credentials -- 5-megapixel camera, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and OLED-equipped d-pad, just to name a few -- it remains a pretty understated (read: tasteful) slider. Of course, taste isn't for everyone, which is apparently why Samsung has elected to dress up its high-end U900 in black and gold for a "Limited Edition" that commands about a 700 Czech crown ($40) premium over its easier-to-look-at silver counterpart. To each their own, we suppose. The Limited Edition is already available in some markets, and with the high sheen of that classy gold plating, it should be pretty easy to pick out.
Samsung's Soul train makes stop in USA, no plans to get sold here
If you thought Samsung's Soul would be content with sitting in Barcelona, you've never had the pleasure of vacationing in Las Vegas. Sure enough, the Soul is following the HTC Touch Dual in making its US debut at CTIA 2008, and it's quite alright if your palms are already beginning to get sweaty. After all, what else would you expect from looking forward to a quad-band / HSDPA 7.2Mbps slider with a 2.2-inch QVGA display, 5-megapixel camera (with QVGA movie mode), Bluetooth 2.0, microSD expansion slot and Magical Touch navigation? Beyond that, the long-awaited miCoach is also making its US debut in the desert, along with a number of other global handsets (F480, F400 and G810). The sad part here is that none of the mobiles are actually slated to go on sale here in America -- yeah, it's a bit depressing to know they're sitting within our borders as we speak and won't be available for purchase, but there's always next year (right?).
Hands-on with Samsung's sliding Soul
The Soul is all metal and glossy surfaces, has a "Magical Touch" d-pad which features haptic feedback, is a complete fingerprint magnet, and we love it. It feels substantial, looks like a million bucks and while the d-pad is a bit gimmicky -- ok, well maybe a lot gimmicky -- this thing is going to end up in our pockets as our weekend handset of choice. Follow the link for a few more pics.%Gallery-15815%
Samsung's Soul slider is coming through
Samsung just announced their new flagship "Soul" cellphone in the spirit of its Ultra Editions. Get it? Spirit Of ULtra, soul? Yeah. Anyway, as Sammy's go-to phone for 2008, we're looking at a quad-band GSM phone with 7.2Mbps HSDPA; 2.2-inch QVGA display; 5 megapixel, image stabilized camera with Power LED flash and face detection; FM radio; microSD; Bluetooth, and more in a 12.9-mm thin slider. Sweetening the deal is a Magical Touch interface which adapts to your usage (music, camera, etc) a la LG's Venus. They've even added a jumbled-up Google icon for search and gMail access. Look for it to hit European retail in April. On display next week at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress where you can bet your last money, it's gonna be stone gas, honey.%Gallery-15573%
Samsung announces U900 FlipShot for Verizon
Look familiar? It should -- we've known that the A990's replacement has been stewing on the burner for a while now, and here it is in official form. The U900 FlipShot from Samsung is positioned as Verizon's ultimate, do-all multimedia powerhouse without venturing into smartphone territory, offering a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, TV out capability, microSD slot (what good would that healthy cam be otherwise?), stereo Bluetooth, QVGA internal and 128 x 96 external displays, support for VZ Navigator, and a rotating top half. Look for the black version to launch on Verizon's website while Best Buy grabs the red on the 26th of the month for $199.99 on contract.%Gallery-10738%
Samsung U900 FlipShot coming to Verizon this week?
This one's been cookin' for a while, so we really don't have a hard time believing phoneArena's claim that the Samsung u900 "FlipShot" -- a 3 megapixel hottie that looks to succeed the venerable a990 -- will be shipping this coming Wednesday, November 21. Though the u900's both thinner and lighter than the model it replaces, make no mistake that this thing happily sacrifices portability for multimedia capability. First up, you've got that 3 megapixel sensor protected by an automatic lens cover, a swiveling display, external music controls, and TV out (though phoneArena reports that the cable will sell separately). If everything goes according to plan, look for the u900 in a few days for $199 on contract.
Samsung u900, reveal thyself
Every carrier needs a massive, over-engineered camera-first, phone-second kind of device in its lineup; for Verizon, that had previously been the Samsung a990, and it's looking more and more like the u900 is going to make for a fabulous successor. The camera sensor itself doesn't grow at all -- 3 megapixels, to be exact -- but the autofocus is an important and increasingly ubiquitous feature in this range that makes a huge difference in picture quality. There's a flash too, naturally -- and the u900's screen rotates around to do an even better job of feigning a true point-and-shoot. Still no word on a release, but it sure looks ready to launch from all these press shots we've seen.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]%Gallery-9723%
Crystal ball (or spreadsheet, in this case) reveals Verizon release dates
We've caught boatloads of noise detailing Verizon's pipeline for the remainder of the year (and possibly into early '08), but exact launch dates have been harder to come by. Granted, the carriers often don't know these until the last minute anyway -- network test failures and supply problems being what they are -- but Boy Genius Report has scored a spreadsheet that should at least start to give us a rough idea of what we can expect for the next few months. The Samsung i760 finally (and we do mean finally) launches on October 19, followed by the Juke two days later on the 21st. The first of November sees the BlackBerry Pearl 8130, LG VX5400, and Palm Treo 755p (probably right about the same time Alltel gets it), with the LG Venus coming just a short few days later on the 4th. The 15th sees two new shades for the G'zOne Type-S -- black and "burgundy / gold" -- alongside the Samsung u900 "FlipShot." The ultra-cool LG Voyager and G'zOne "Type-Sptt" (possibly just a Type-S without the cam) slide in on November 18, with two new VX8550 shades dropping on the 21st. Whew! Now, the real question: how many of these dates are actually gonna hold?
More details on Samsung's U700, U900 for Verizon
phoneArena's scored some more details on the U700 and U900 flips from Samsung that had previously been mentioned as contributors to Verizon's rumored lineup for the remainder of the year, and at least one of the two looks from the outset like a high-end winner. First up, the U700 Gleam offers pretty much everything you'd expect from a midrange Samsung circa 2007: 2 megapixel camera, QVGA display, microSD expansion, yada yada -- plus an updated Flash-based UI. We can allegedly expect this puppy in the next month or two. Later on in the year comes the U900, heir apparent to the A990, likely making it Verizon's new king of the Samsung hill. This one rocks out with a 3 megapixel autofocus cam, stereo speakers, touch sensitive external controls, and a rotating display (it seems to us like the twist top makes this puppy perfect for VCAST TV, but there's no indication that it'll be available here) in your choice of red or black.
Verizon's roadmap for remainder of '07 gets liberated
phoneArena scored a wealth -- nay, a veritable cornucopia of information detailing Verizon's releases for the rest of 2007, and we can say with some confidence that there's something in here for everyone. Starting with smartphones, SMT5800, XV6800, Samsung i760, and Motorola Q9m should hit in October, October, September, and August (yay, this month!) respectively. A second, business oriented variant of the Q9, dubbed the Q9c, will follow on in the fourth quarter. If Windows Mobile ain't your cup of tea, have a gander at the Palm Treo 755p and RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 (pictured), both coming in November. There isn't much to say about the 755p that hasn't already been said, but the 8130 is indeed a Pearl of the "new" variety, upping the cam to 2 megapixels while adding A2DP and a 3.5mm jack. Turning to dumbphones, Verizon's got the full spread from low to high end. The Samsung U410, self-branded CDM-8630 and LG VX8350 all appear to be pretty simple flips coming some time this half of the year. The Motorola Z6c looks to be a MediaFLO-less version of the Z6tv slider; the former drops in November while the latter is nebulously scheduled for the second half. Finally, the fancy U700 and U900 flips from Samsung offer 2 and 3 megapixel cams, respectively, and will both be available before the year's out. Whew!
LG U900 announced for Hutchison in Italy
Yeah, we know, we're getting a little granular on this one, but remember LG's then-unnamed swiveling DVB-H handset? The one with the weird vaguely W300i-like buttons? Well, it was officially announced in Italy as the U900, and will see service through Hutchison's 3 network with UMTS service and, of course, their exclusive Italian DVB-H broadcast rights to the World Cup. The 1.3 megapixel and VGA cameras won't hurt, nor the 58MB internal flash, but what will, however, is a 3 hour battery lifespan watching video. That's still more than enough for a match, though, which is all it really needs to be, we suppose.
