Samsung Galaxy Tab looks moderately awesome!

Hardware specs
Android 2.2 running TouchWiz 3.0
7-inch TFT LCD with 1024 x 600 resolution (WSVGA)
Weighs 380 grams
1GHz Cortex A8 processor
16GB or 32GB internal storage
microSD expansion for up to 32GB additional storage
Front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and rear 3 megapixel camera with flash
4,000mAh battery
3G data / voice (there's a speakerphone and Bluetooth for phone calls, but no earpiece)
5GHz dual-band 802.11n WiFi
Standard back color is white, carriers might offer different colors
Full HD video playback
There's a 30-pin dock connector on the bottom that allows for HDMI, USB, and docking accessories (a car dock at least is planned)

Samsung M100S Android 2.1 phone gets glamourously modelled

packing a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, 5-megapixel camera, 720p video recording, WiFi (802.11n), GPS, 3.5mm jack, 800MHz processor, T-DMB tuner, and the latest TouchWiz UI running in tandem with Android 2.1. SK Telecom will release the Samsung M100S in South Korea this March.

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Lite Android phone leaked

The ai.rs blog has revealed the Samsung i5700 Galaxy Lite, a "lite" version of company's first Android phone, the Galaxy.

The Lite has a flashless 3.2MP camera and 1GB of memory, very "lite" compared to 5MP and 8GB for its brother.

All other specs seem to be the same, including the touch AMOLED screen.

More Androids head towards Australian shores

A new breed of Androids is about to touch down in Australia as handset makers put the iPhone's dominance to the test with new smartphones built on Google's mobile operating system.

While HTC is the only company to have released Android handsets in Australia, Samsung will unveil its first Android offering next week with the launch of the Icon Galaxy.

The Galaxy taps into the desire to customise and personalise phones and integrate them with applications used elsewhere Tyler McGee, telecommunications vice-president at Samsung Australia, said.

"People are now buying their fifth, sixth or seventh handset, so I'd say, globally, the smartphone category is moving fast into the mainstream," he said.

The Galaxy has an organic LED screen and 5-mega-pixel camera, and 8GB of internal memory (which is upgradeable to 24GB) also helps to boost its smartphone credentials.

The launch of the Galaxy will be followed closely by HTC's Hero, which is due in Australia before October. No stranger to the Android platform, HTC launched the G1 Dream in Australia last February and its HTC Magic followed a few months later.

"We've certainly taken leadership with Android. We believe that in the next 18 months to two years that the cloud [where you store all your contacts and photos etc] will have a determinate factor on what devices you choose," Anthony Petts, HTC's regional sales and marketing director, said.

He said the Hero would offer better functionality and an improved user experience with a new capability, called "scenes", that allows users to group weekday or weekend usage profiles using widgets that are live and intuitive.

"We are continuing to expand the Android portfolio of products and strongly believe end users are looking for different sizes, form factors and keyboards, so we're giving them a variety of choices," he said.

While no other handset makers have formally announced new Android models for the Australian market, Motorola is reported to have two phones close to completion and set for release to some markets in September, although the company declined to provide specific timings.

"Motorola can confirm that we will be launching Android handsets but can't disclose any details at this time," it said.

Like the iPhone, one of Android's key selling features is the mass of third-party applications being created for the platform. The Android market now has 8000 applications for download and the fact that these can be built on open-source technology has made it a popular platform among developers.

Petts said Android applications delivered a unique level of depth, integrating tightly with functions such as cameras and maps, exemplified by the popular Sky Maps application, which can locate a position using the GPS to map out constellations visible from a particular location.

But interesting applications may not be enough to win over the mainstream smartphone market, Robin Simpson, a research director at Gartner, said.

"Success in the smartphone market is all about usablity and cool design. Google doesn't control the hardware so if phone makers don't come up with the good designs, that will make the platform less attractive."

Samsung's second Android phone leaks out

A tipster with phandroid has come across some snapshots of the Samsung InstinctQ, which is very likely to be a Sprint 2009 Android smartphone release. October 11 and “early November” have both been given as rumored release dates, but no solid information has come down the pipe yet.

The “Q” in InstinctQ likely stands for “qwerty”, in reference to this device's sliding full QWERTY keyboard. This new offering from Samsung looks great, although we have no information about its hardware and specs. The Hero is expected to hit Sprint around the same time, so I'd say we have good odds of the two phones being roughly equal in terms of power. From the in-action screenshots, we can see that the InstinctQ is a Google Experience phone...and that's about it.




This would be the first phone in the Instinct line with a hard keyboard and only the 2nd overall Android Phone with a hardware keyboard:

No hard info on price or release date has hit yet, but if the October 11 launch rumors prove true, we should see more news about this bad boy leak by mid-September.

Samsung's Google phone ready for September launch in Australia

Samsung, the world's second largest maker of mobile phones, threw its weight behind Google's nascent Android platform today and unveiled the first handset capable of recording high-definition video.

The South Korean manufacturer today announced four new touchscreen phones for the Australian market under a new range dubbed "Icon".

The Google-powered model, the Samsung Galaxy, will go on sale in September. It features a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 8GB of built-in memory, Wi-Fi, a 5-megapixel camera and easy access to a suite of Google online applications including Gmail, Google search, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Google Talk and YouTube.

As with the BlackBerry and iPhone platforms, Google phone users can expand the functionality of the device by installing applications from the "Android Market" - similar to the iTunes App Store.

Tyler McGee, Samsung Australia's VP of mobiles, said he believed Android would be "one of the key platforms that we'll continue to develop".

"People are becoming far more aware of Android and more importantly the Android Market," he said.

The Galaxy will be the third Google phone to hit the Australian market. The first, the HTC Dream, went on sale in February, while the sleeker HTC Magic hit the market this month.

Mark Novosel, telecommunications analyst at IDC, would not reveal exact sales numbers for the Dream but said "it would be fair to say that it performed below expectations".

He said the device itself wasn't as attractive as other models on the market and the pricing plans offered by the exclusive carrier, Optus, were prohibitively expensive.

Novosel said he believed the Android platform would gain more of a foothold with Samsung's entry into the market as he believed consumers were waiting for more Google phone options.

"People are still waiting for the bugs to be ironed out on the platform ... because it's not just a new device, it's a whole new platform we're talking about," he said.

Also available in September, the Samsung HD includes an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording videos at the high-definition resolution of 1280x720. The Symbian phone, which includes a built-in FM radio, GPS, compass and up to 16GB of internal memory, can be connected to a TV set for watching recordings on a big HD screen.

The other two handsets Samsung unveiled today were the Samsung Preston and the Samsung OMNIA, both available in August. The Preston is a mass-market device with a 2.8-inch screen, 3-megapixel camera and FM radio, while the Omnia is an all-in-one multimedia phone that uses the Windows Mobile operating system.

McGee could not reveal prices, saying Samsung was still in discussions with carriers.

Overseas, Samsung also unveiled its first commercially available solar-powered handset, the E1107, which generates between five and ten minutes of talk time from every hour in the sun. McGee said the company was now evaluating whether to launch it in Australia.

Samsung Bigfoot & Spico Android smartphones with OS 2.0 “Donut”?

Two new Android smartphones have been tipped, both by Samsung and expected to launch in Q3 2009.

The Samsung Spico (left) and Samsung Bigfoot (right) will both have 3-inch WQVGA touchscreens, while the Bigfoot adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and T-Mobile USA 3G support; each will apparently run Android OS 2.0 “Donut”, the follow-up to Cupcake.



Both devices will have roughly identical specifications, with triband HSDPA (T-Mobile USA-friendly only the case of the Bigfoot), WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and GPS, as well as a 3-megapixel autofocus camera, accelerometer, digital compass and 100MB of onboard storage.

There’s also a microSD slot and USB 2.0 connection. The Samsung Spico will apparently get a TouchWiz GUI rather than the more familiar Android interface, as in the gallery screenshot below.



The Samsung Bigfoot certainly resembles the device labeled as the T-Mobile G1 v.2 in the carrier’s leaked roadmap from earlier this month. Donut, meanwhile, will bring with it WVGA display support, among other things, but may not be a retrospective update to existing Android handsets.

Samsung I7500 phone: Hands On Video

Korean mobile phone maker Samsung announced not too long ago its first handset running under Google's Android operating system, the i7500, which should be launched with O2 later during the ongoing year, while also being expected to head towards T-Mobile's lineup under the name of Samsung Houdini, and which has now surfaced in a new video on the web.

The specifications of the phone should already be familiar to some of you, for it comes with quad-band GSM, tri-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA (900/1700/2100MHz) connectivity, as well as with a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display that can offer a 320 x 480 pixel resolution, not to mention the WiFi capabilities, GPS receiver, or the 5-megapixel photo snapper.

Other capabilities of the handset include 8GB of internal memory, which is coupled with a microSD memory card slot that can offer users the possibility to add up to 32GB of storage space. What the Samsung i7500 adds new in comparison to the other Android-based mobile phones on the market is a standard 3.5mm jack.

The same as the other two Android phones available at the moment, namely HTC Dream and HTC Magic, the new Samsung device comes with a wide range of Google apps and services enabled, such as Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Google Calendar, and Google Talk, as well as My Location, Google Latitude or Street View.

Take a look at the video below to learn a few more things about the handset, but bear in mind that the device, though it looks quite nice and performs well enough, does not feature the software in its final state. There shouldn't be too long before the actual device is spotted on the shelves, as O2 announced recently that it planned on launching the Samsung i7500 as soon as June, which means that even more detailed info on the phone should become available at that time, so stay tuned to learn the news.

Samsung I7500 Android phone: Hands On Video Review

Looks sweet!

Samsung I7500 with OLED touchscreen powered by Android

Anticipated for months, Samsung's first Android phone is finally a (paper) reality after being flushed through the rumor mill just hours ago. Launching "in major European countries from June," the 11.9-mm slim quad-band GSM, tri-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA (900/1700/2100MHz) candybar packs a 3.2-inch, 320 x 480 pixel AMOLED touchscreen, WiFi, GPS, 5 megapixel camera with Power LED, 1,500mAh battery, 8GB of storage (plus MicroSD expansion for up to 32GB more), and a standard 3.5mm heasdset jack. Let's all welcome Samsung to the Android party.

P.S. Although no US announcements have been made, that 1700MHz HSPA frequency could make T-Mobile USA customers very happy.

April 27, 2009, Seoul, Korea - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today unveiled the I7500, its first Android-powered mobile phone. With a launch of I7500, Samsung became the first company among the global top three mobile phone manufacturers to unveil an Android-powered phone.

"Samsung is among the earliest members of the Open Handset Alliance and has been actively moving forward to introduce the most innovative Android mobile phone," said JK Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Communication Division in Samsung Electronics. "With Samsung's accumulated technology leadership in mobile phone industry and our consistent strategy to support every existing operating system, I believe that Samsung provides the better choices and benefits to our consumers" he added.

The Samsung I7500 is a cutting-edge smartphone, featuring a 3.2" AMOLED full touch screen and 7.2Mbps HSDPA and WiFi connectivity, giving users access to Google™ Mobile services and full web browsing at blazing speeds.

The Samsung I7500 offers users access to the full suite of Google services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Calendar™, and Google Talk™. The integrated GPS receiver enables the comprehensive use of Google Maps features, such as My Location, Google Latitude, Street View, local search and detailed route description. Hundreds of other applications are available in Android Market. For example, the application Wikitude, a mobile travel guide, allows consumers to access details of unknown sights via location-based Wikipedia articles.

Based on Samsung's proven product leadership, Samsung I7500 comes with latest multimedia features. The large and vivid 3.2"AMOLED display ensures the brilliant representation of multimedia content and enjoyable full touch mobile experience. Along with supporting a 5-megapixel camera and various multimedia codec formats, the I7500 also provides a long enough battery life (1500mAh) and generous memory capacity up to 40GB (Internal memory: 8GB, External memory: Up to 32GB) to enjoy all the applications and multimedia content. The phone also boasts its slim and compact design with mere 11.9mm thickness.

The Samsung I7500 will be available in major European countries from June, 2009.

HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps (900 / 1700/ 2100MHz)
EDGE / GPRS (850/ 900/1800/1900)
OS
Android
Display
3.2" HVGA(320x480) AMOLED
Camera
5 MP Camera (Auto Focus), Power LED
Video / Audio
Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV
Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA, RA
Value Added
Features
Full Web Browser Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Android Market
Connectivity
Bluetooth® 2.0, USB 2.0, WiFi, MicroUSB, 3.5mm ear jack
Memory
Internal memory: 8GB
External memory: Micro SD (Up to 32GB)
Battery
1500 mAh
Size
115 x 56 x 11.9mm