Samsung rolls out rare HSUPA slider phone

Samsung on Monday boosted the Internet speed of its phones with the launch of the M470. One of the few phones to be based on HSUPA (High Speed Upload Packet Access), the slider's upstream connection runs up to 2Mbps. This lets users send videos and other files roughly six times faster than the more widespread HSDPA (Download) format, by Samsung's estimates. A Wi-Fi connection provides similar or better speed at hotspots when the cellular access isn't readily available.

The M470 also sports a 2-megapixel camera and a microSD card slot to handle its storage. By using Windows Mobile 6, the handset uses its faster Internet access to its advantage both for downloading push e-mail as well as browsing with Internet Explorer. Samsung hasn't discussed pricing but states that the phone's full speed will be available in its native Korea for the second half of the year, when SK Telecom launches a commercial HSUPA service in parts of the country.

The phone already supports European HSUPA networks offered by Vodafone and others, but doesn't currently support the 850MHz band needed for full 3G access needed in North America.