Tuesday 28 April 2009

Samsung's 1st Android handset

Samsung has finally taken the wraps off its first Google Android-based handset, with an official launch of its I7500 phone.

The device has been unmasked by O2’s German arm, which said it has the I7500 exclusively. It’s unlikely the operator will restrict sales solely to Germany, although we’ve yet to hear anything about a UK launch date.

Aside from all the usual Android OS characteristics, the I7500 supports unspecified HSDPA 3G bandwidth, GSM/GPRS/Edge connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. GPS is also built in.

A 3.2in, 320 x 480 touch-sensitive display is average these days, as is the I7500’s 5Mp camera and LED flash. However, you’ll also be able to record videos – with a selection of formats supported, including H.264, MPEG 4 and WMV – and listen to several audio formats, such as MP3, AAC and WMA.

The phone itself measures 115 x 56 x 11.9mm and is equipped with 8GB of internal storage. However, if that’s not enough for you, it also accepts Micro SD memory cards of up to 32GB in capacity.

Samsung’s I7500 will be available, in Germany at least, during June. A price hasn’t been announced yet. ®