Samsung has mentioned on the company's blog that its Omnia M will be released in Europe soon. The handset, which was announced just days after the US-bound Focus 2, will feature a four-inch Super AMOLED display with a glare-reduction coating, along with Samsung-specific apps and 25GB of SkyDrive cloud storage.
(Update: no?) Talk of Windows Phone 8, or Apollo, dropping backwards compatibility with existing phones may be false. A video interview (below) with Microsoft Evangelist Nuno Silva posted by Portugese site Zwame suggested that "all" Windows Phone devices, even from the first generation, would get the next version of the mobile OS. He was explicit in mentioning early models, such as the LG Optimus 7 and Samsung Omnia 7, as qualifying.
Samsung will launch three Windows Phone-powered smartphones this year, China's WP Dang claimed. At least one of them would be LTE-capable, and went through FCC testing last month under the previously mentioned Mandel codename. The handsets are thought due to arrive during the second half of the year.
Nokia's signature Windows Phone mapping tool, Nokia Drive, has already escaped into the wild. Anecdotes from a WMPoweruser reader have shown the turn-by-turn GPS app running on a Samsung Omnia 7 and have said the app package, or XAP, works on other phones. It's not clear what Nokia can do to keep the app in check, although it may try requiring later versions to get map data.
Microsoft has held a formal event to launch a trio of Windows Phone 7 Mango handsets in India. The launch was held at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi on Wednesday, where Microsoft India chairman Bhaskar Pramanik announced the impending arrival of the HTC Radar, Samsung Omnia W and the Acer Allegro. The first of the three to land on the Indian market will be HTC’s Radar, which arrives next week.
Samsung has officially launched the Omnia W, its first Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) smartphone. The device centers on a 3.7-inch Super AMOLED display with an 800x480 resolution. It is powered by a 1.4GHz processor matched with 512MB of RAM. It also incorporates some Samsung-only touches, including access to an e-book client.
Samsung may be upgrading its next Windows Phone 7 smartphone with a 1.4GHz processor and NFC support, a purportedly reliable source revealed Tuesday. The phone has been identified tentatively as the Omnia W by WMPowerUser. Along with the speed and short-range wireless support, it's rumored to come with a 3.7 inch screen, 512MB of RAM, and a five-megapixel camera.
A leaked UA profile for a handset from Samsung called the GT-i8350 reveals it will run Internet Explorer 9 mobile web browser. This leads many to believe this will be one of the first Windows Phone Mango handsets, with the OS likely to be called Windows Phone 7.1 or 7.5. Mentions of the device are also found on Samsung's UK support site, though the page is thus far just a marker, with no real information present.
An industry contact said Wednesday that Apple had snapped up a key LG executive for its Korean division. LG Smartphone Business VP Dominique Oh would now be the general manager for Apple Korea and replace the longstanding Andrew Sedgewick, who had been in the top spot since 2001. The Yonhap tip wasn't completely certain as it hadn't been confirmed by Apple or by Oh.
Samsung has released its own patch for its Windows Phone 7-powered Omnia 7 smartphone that should fix previous bricking issues when Microsoft' update was applied. Microsoft has since stopped the update for the handset. The 23MB patch correctly puts through the 7392 security update and makes sure it can get future releases.
Microsoft late Wednesday said it had resumed sending out its frozen Samsung Windows Phone 7 update. The company said it had "pinpointed and fixed" the problem that had led the Focus and Omnia 7 to fail and in some cases brick when trying to get the patch.
The Samsung Omnia 7 is being bricked when users load the new Windows Phone 7 firmware update on it, a tipster told WinRumors on Tuesday. The issue occurs at step six of ten, where the handset is frozen on the "Connect your phone to your PC" screen. Users then see a restoration error, which informs them there is nothing they can do short of visiting their carrier for help.
Samsung's two launch-day Windows Phone 7 devices, the Focus and discovered code to enable USB modem tethering despite the lack of official Microsoft support. Dialing ##634# to get a diagnostic menu, followed by *#7284#, opens a "modem, tethered call" option that turns either phone into a makeshift 3G modem when plugged in through USB. Italy's HDBlog notes that Windows users at a minimum automatically see drivers install, implying that Samsung had loaded drivers of its own.
The early days of Windows Phone 7 have been marked by international shortages, info from carriers revealed this weekend. Orange UK, but also other carriers, were told to only expect small quantities even from different brands like the HTC Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7. Mobile heard that, despite being a preferred Microsoft partner for the launch, Orange had to prioritize stock for pre-orders and flagship stores at the expense of others.
Orange UK today outlined the Windows Phone 7 devices that will make up its Windows Phone 7 launch. The company will launch the HTC 7 Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7. Each will have a preloaded set of Orange-themed apps and services, but Microsoft's guidelines will keep the home screens of each clean.
Austrian residents are being offered a free Xbox 360 gaming console with every purchase of a new Windows Phone 7 device, according a print ad from the country. Buyers have to buy the handset through Austrian carrier A1, and on the platform's European launch day, October 21. The Xbox seen by WMPowerUser is Microsoft's entry-level, 4GB Arcade version.
Samsung Russia tipped Microsoft's hand early today by confirming the Omnia 7. The device also known as the i8700 should be Samsung's Windows Phone 7 flagship outside of North America and centers on the same four-inch, Super AMOLED touchscreen as the Galaxy S as well as a five-megapixel camera with an LED flash and 720p video. Unlike the Android device, however, the Omnia 7 is using an older-generation 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 chip and has just 8GB of internal storage.
A newly spotted speed test from DSLReports has confirmed the existence of two upcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphones. The first is believed to be the Samsung i8700/Omnia 7, while the other is the HTC T8788. Both will run on Windows Phone 7, with the former expected to be a launch phone to coincide with the unveiling of Windows Phone 7 itself. The device isn't likely to be sold in the US.
Microsoft has launched a Windows Phone 7 commercial based on the Bravo series The Rachel Zone Project. While Zoe has maintained a preference for RIM's BlackBerry handsets, her husband and business partner Rodger Berman shows off his Samsung Omnia prototype running a Bing utility on Windows Phone 7.
Samsung today became the latest to shoot back at Apple as it said on Sunday that its phones were purportedly immune to the iPhone 4's reception issues. Company spokesman Shin Young-joon told the Korea Herald that the Omnia II's antenna position at the bottom not only reduced the likelihood of dampening the phone signal but that, allegedly, it was physically impossible for a problem to happen. The design was such that there was "no room for such problems to happen in the future," he said.
Korean cell carrier KT said on Monday that it would carry the Nexus One. The launch is the first since Google stopped selling online-only and will see the phone first available through KT's online store in late June and its physical stores by July. It should be fundamentally the same as the international GSM version but may come loaded with Android 2.2 out of the box.
The Omnia II is Samsung’s flagship phone for not just Verizon but the world; even now, it's still trumpeted as an important device from Korea through to Europe and North America. Everything about the Omnia II on paper makes it out to be an iPhone contender, but we'll learnin our review whether a Windows Mobile device with a custom UI compete with Apple or Google in the smartphone space.
Samsung has been retaliating against Korean cell carrier KT for its success with the iPhone, the provider's chairman Lee Suk-chae said today. Following the popularity of Apple's phone at KT, Samsung has allegedly been diverting most of its best phones to SK Telecom and deliberately offering slack support for the few phones that do reach the number two carrier. Lee went so far as to accuse Samsung and other phone makers of collaborating on an anti-iPhone strategy that uses SK Telecom as its front.
South Korean sales of the iPhone are moving as quickly as Samsung's flagship Omnia II, separate statments. KT on Thursday said it had sold about 400,000 iPhones in the past four months, or about 100,000 per month since January. The rate was enough to come on par with Samsung's Omnia II, which Samsung earlier this week said had sold 600,000 units so far in six months of being in subscribers' hands.
Verizon Wireless today rolled out a new version of VZ Navigator. The 5.0 upgrade of the navigation utility brings an updated interface, faster route planning through the use of streaming data, and the ability to run multiple VZ Navigator functions simultaneously within a navigation session. A new feature allows users to update their Facebook status directly through the app, with the option to include and share their locations.
Verizon today surprised the industry by reporting an uncommon loss for its fall 2009 quarter. The telecom giant lost $653 million compared to a $1.23 billion profit just a year earlier even though its cash flow and subscribers were positive. Much of the drop is blamed on roughly $3 billion in layoff costs that had been meant to stem expected losses.
SK Telecom today said it would launch a focused campaign to regain market share from its iPhone-carrying rival KT. The Korean cell carrier plans to get as many as 2 million smartphone customers by using Android in 13 of the 15 new handsets it adds this year. By 2013, the company expects 40 percent of its lineup, or about 25 models, to be smartphones.
Samsung on Wednesday introduced a Gold Edition of its Omnia HD handset, also known as the i8910 HD. As the name suggests, this special edition smartphone has a 24K gold inlay around its perimeter and is available in gold and brown. Otherwise, the touchscreen phone gets a leather case and a mini-cradle that includes a TV output cable, letting users show the phone's video content on larger displays.
Verizon today finally set out a launch for the Samsung Omnia II on its network. As confirmed in a leak, the Windows Mobile 6.5 flagship will reach the carrier's stores on December 2nd and should sell for $200 on contract, though only after a $100 rebate. The new edition also brings support for Visual Voice Mail, VZ Navigator and V CAST media apps.
The Verizon edition of the Samsung Omnia II should at last ship in about two weeks if a leak proves accurate. Internal product info has the phone shipping with Windows Mobile 6.5 on December 2nd, contradicting rumors of a Windows Mobile 6.1 version. The Engadget document gives it an effective price of $200, albeit after a large $100 mail-in rebate and signing a two-year contract.
Bell today launched its HSPA+ network and its first devices, including the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G. The network supports up to 21Mbps downstream on the Novatel Wireless U998 ($75) and future modems that support HSPA+ and should also supply as much as 7.2Mbps for the iPhone 3GS and other current smartphones.
The Samsung Omnia II demonstrated at CTIA will apparently be released by Verizon on November 1st, according to PhoneArena. While this is a rumor thus far, the source is said to be a reliable one. The handset will sport a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, along with a 5-megapixel camera that can record video at 720x480 pixels.
Adding to details leaked in an earlier report, documents from the Canadian carrier Bell appear to show launch plans for the iPhone, BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Samsung Omnia 2, according to the Boy Genius Report. The latest source claims the iPhone 3G will be available for $150 with a three-year contract after rebates, while off-contract pricing is set at $600.
Samsung previewed several upcoming handsets at CTIA in San Diego, including the Omnia II headed for Verizon later this month. Although the company representatives cautioned that the software is not yet finalized, the demo devices ran Windows Mobile 6.1 paired with the custom TouchWiz interface.
Samsung's Omnia II when it reaches Verizon may not use Windows Mobile 6.5 like the HTC Imagio, a detailed rumor said late Wednesday. A source that also correctly detailed the Imagio claimed the Omnia II would ship in mid-October, shortly after Windows Mobile 6.5 will be available, but will instead ship with an older Windows Mobile 6.1 release instead. The WMExperts contact didn't explain why this would be but cautioned that the modern OS would only come through a firmware update a significant amount of time after the phone is ready.
Samsung today pledged itself to Windows Mobile with both a major software update and a new phone. All of its current Windows Mobile devices, including the Omnia II I8000, Omnia Lite B7300, Omnia Pro B7610, and Omnia Pro B7320, will be upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 for free. The update availability will vary by the carrier but at the earliest should be available sometime after the official debut of the new OS on October 6th.
Despite Apple's claims to the contrary, a test by a forum member at Weiphone suggests the iPhone 3GS may already have enough performance to smoothly play full HD video. By manually copying over videos using file transfer apps on a computer and the iPhone, the community member says he could play up to a 1080p (1920x1080) clip at 30 frames per second at up to a 35Mbps without any lag or stuttering. Although they don't show in the official iPod app, they work using Apple's built-in video player when called by a third-party program.
Samsung's flagship Omnia II smartphone may be the first to directly compete against the iPhone in the US if an FCC filing (PDF) is an indication. Previously thought only to be headed to Verizon, the Windows Mobile phone has appeared in the US agency's testing with both GSM support and HSPA-based 3G on the 850MHz and 1,900MHz bands used by AT&T. No labels or other branding have necessarily confirmed a carrier deal so far.
LG today said it now plans to ship a 15-inch OLED TV sometime between December this year and January 2010. The screen, which may be made for a third-party instead of LG itself, should ship first to Korea but will be available in other countries soon afterwards. Its specifications haven't been made firm by LG VP of OLED sales Won Kim but, according to an interview with OLED-Info, will likely involve a higher resolution than the 960x540 (quarter HD) Sony XEL-1, which so far is the only commercially available stand-alone OLED display.
As a final addition to its Omnia phone line, Samsung today put the Omnia LITE into its roster. The handset is the least expensive of the new generation and does so by using a 3-megapixel camera as well as a slightly smaller touchscreen; it's not known what resolution it uses or whether it's LCD or OLED, though the former is more likely in the name of price.. Cellular data over 3G as well as GPS and Wi-Fi still make their way to the device.
Samsung used its smartphone introductions today to reveal the Omnia 2 as Verizon's newest and most capable Windows Mobile device. The phone centers on a very large 3.7-inch, 800x480 AMOLED touchscreen that uses a new approach to resistive touchscreens, dubbed R Touch, that makes them more accurate and sensitive without having to use more advanced capacitive displays. Accordingly, it can both record and play back 480p video from its 5-megapixel camera without losing detail on screen.
As part of launching a suite of existing phones in its native Korea, Samsung on Monday launched the B7610. The handset is arguably its new flagship with a 3.5-inch, 800x480 AMOLED touchscreen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard underneath. It also gets a 5-megapixel camera, 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi and has a simplified front interface designed for finger input. Although just 1GB of storage is built-in, it has a microSDHC slot for 16GB or more of added space.
Samsung's Mobile Display group has unveiled a new display likely to improve the quality of touchscreen smartphones. The 800x480 AMOLED (active matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen has the resolution of the latest mobile LCDs but is far more color-rich, thinner and power-efficient. Despite the resolution increase, the panel actually increases brightness to 350 candelas and consumes 40 percent less power than an earlier 400x240 AMOLED display.
A leak today has revealed that Hitachi is planning the imminent launch of only the second phone to record HD video after Samsung's Omnia HD. Named in the brochure as the Hi-Vision Cam Wooo, the thin swivel phone found by Engadget would have a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p video along with face detection. It would also get HDMI video output and a microSDHC slot that, with an 8GB card, could hold 2 hours of footage.
An Italian rmor from this weekend claims that Samsung is developing a new, flagship Omnia that would significantly improve on even the i8910, which itself was originally named the Omnia HD. Supposedly titled the Omnia Pro, the new model would get a 3.5-inch, 480x800 AMOLED screen but would also be the first Omnia with a hardware QWERTY keyboard, sliding out from underneath the screen. It would still have a 5-megapixel camera and would get a fast 624MHz processor.
Nokia may give the 5800 XpressMusic and more of its phones an upgrade to a capacitive touchscreen, tips from Taiwan's phone part makers would claim. Although Nokia built the 5800 around a resistive touchscreen, which requires pressure and is sometimes better-suited to a stylus than finger input, the company has supposedly ordered a switch to capacitive screens with the explicit goal of rivaling the responsiveness of Apple's iPhone and newer Korean phones like the LG Arena or Samsung's i8910 (Omnia HD). About 2 million of the upgraded phones would be shipped between May and June based on these plans.
Canada's Telus is now offering the Palm Treo Pro smartphone, the handset maker announced on Monday, and has also recently added the Samsung Omnia handset to its lineup. The Treo Pro is being touted as an ideal handset for business professionals, as the 320x320 pixel touchscreen-and-QWERTY handset runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, has integrated Wi-Fi and 3G data network support through EVDO. Its keyboard has dedicated shortcut keys to the e-mail client and calendar.
Rumor has it that Samsung will officially release a 16GB version of its i900 Omnia smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Spain in a couple of weeks. The pictured handset will double the current version's onboard storage space, though other specs and features sound identical. As such, the quad-band GSM phone will run on Windows Mobile 6.1 and connect to HSDPA networks for a maximum data transfer speed of 7.2Mbps. The same 3.2-inch, 240x400 pixel touchscreen remains, along with the familiar 5-megapixel camera with an integrated flash.
Verizon on Monday has already dropped the price on the Samsung Omnia less than a week after its introduction. Originally priced at $250 with a contract and a $70 rebate, the device will now cost $200 with the same discount and now almost matches the pricing of both the BlackBerry Storm as well as the iPhone 3G, which has an inferior two-megapixel camera but shares a similar 8GB of built-in storage, 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi.
Verizon on Tuesday became the first American carrier to offer the Samsung Omnia. The company's second full touchscreen smartphone in as many weeks, the Americanized edition of the Omnia adds a new, customized version of Samsung's TouchWiz interface to Windows Mobile 6.1 that lets users quickly check informational widgets and change core settings without leaving the home screen. It also brings VZ Navigator as an option for the phone's native GPS and the VZAppZone as a portal for downloading third-party native apps.
