Samsung today announced a new addition to its Ultra portfolio with the introduction of Ultra Smart F700. Samsung’s newy mobile phone will be showcased at 3GSM World Congress next week.
The Ultra Smart is a part of Samsung’s Ultra portfolio which feature touch screen as well as physical QWERTY keypad with “VibeTonz” technology which allows them to feel the buttons accompanied by responsive vibrations. Volume, playlists, brightness of screens as well as other menu control can be controlled utilizing the touch screen.
Samsung’s Ultra Smart reflects the latest speed of 7.2 Mbps under the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network. Samsung says the Ultra Smart will feature a “full HTML browser” for access to the internet for email and data services. The F700 will feature a 2.78″ color display. The F700 does not feature Wi-Fi. The device also features a top-of-the-line 5 mega-pixel camera with auto focus and Bluetooth.
“The introduction of our Ultra Smart F700 reflects the needs of today’s consumers by including features such as touch screen, enhanced connectivity to mobile internet, and access to an array of multimedia content,” said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunications Network Business, in the press release. “The Ultra Smart F700 is a good example of how mobile phone will evolve in the future. Samsung will focus on bringing products that reflect and pursue our position as a premium leader.”
Samsung F700 Specs:
• HSDPA 7.2Mbps, EDGE
• 900/1800/1900 MHz + 2.1GHz
• 5 Megapixel camera with Auto-Focus
• TFT display (2.78”, 440×240)
• Formats: MPEG4/H.263/H.264/Real MP3/AAC(+)/eAAC+/Real
• QWERTY Keypad
• MMS / E-mail / JAVA / WAP 2.0
• Bluetooth / USB
• Flash UI / Document Viewer
• “Full HTML Browser”
• Offline Mode, BGM
• Memory: microSD
• Size: 104 x 50 x 16.4mm
• Weight: unknown
• Battery life and standby time: TBD (to be determined)
• Price: TBD
• Release date: TBD
MacDailyNews Take: We’ll have to learn more about the Samsung phone’s unknowns, but it looks interesting so far. Note that the Samsung phone does not feature Mac OS X (it has a Flash-based UI), or Wi-Fi, has a smaller screen, lacks auto sensors, has no iPod and iTunes compatibility, and no multi-touch interface vs. Apple’s iPhone. The Samsung advantages are a higher resolution camera and HSDPA 7.2Mbps vs. iPhone’s GSM Quad-band. See specs above and below for more comparisons between the two phones.
Apple iPhone specs:
• GSM Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900), EDGE
• Camera 2.0 megapixels
• Screen: 3.5 inches, 320 by 480 at 160 ppi
• Input method: Multi-touch, touch screen
• Full QWERTY soft keyboard with auto error correction
• Operating system: OS X
• Browser: Safari full html
• Music: Windescreen iPod, Cover Flow
• Visual Voicemail
• Integrated Google Maps: view maps, satellite images, traffic information and get directions
• Widgets
• SMS
• Photo management application
• Accelerometer auto portrait to landscape detection sensor
• Proximity sensor immediately turns off the display, prevents inadvertent touches when held to ear
• Ambient light sensor automatically adjusts display brightness
• Rich HTML email client, POP3 or IMAP, works with Microsoft Exchange, Apple .Mac Mail, AOL Mail, Google Gmail and most ISP mail services
• Free Yahoo! Mail “push” IMAP email service
• Storage: Internal Flash 4GB or 8GB
• Wireless data: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0
• Battery: Up to 5 hoursTalk / Video / Browsing, up to 16 hours Audio playback
• Dimensions: 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches (115 x 61 x 11.6mm)
• Weight: 4.8 ounces (135 grams)
• Price $499 (4GB), $599 (8GB)
• Release dates: US in June 2007, Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Neo” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Ihnatko: Hands-on with Apple’s iPhone (which runs Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard) – January 18, 2007
Apple’s Phil Schiller gives CBS News hands-on tour of iPhone – January 12, 2007
David Pogue: hands on preview of Apple’s iPhone, ‘gorgeous and so packed with possibilities’ – January 11, 2007
PC Magazine hands-on test of Apple iPhone: multi-touch UI ‘takes the breath away’ – January 11, 2007
Mossberg’s initial take on Apple iPhone: ‘radical and gorgeous’ with ‘brilliant new user interface’ – January 11, 2007
ZDNet: Hands on with Apple’s iPhone: ‘elegant, ravishing, simple, sleek; impeccable & intuitive UI’ – January 11, 2007
Hands-on with Apple’s iPhone – January 10, 2007
Apple debuts iPhone: touchscreen mobile phone + widescreen iPod + Internet communicator – January 09, 2007
And it ships when?
The only thing that looks good is the 5 M.P. camera. That would be great.
Flash UI, I’m not impressed. We’ve seen the future and it’s OS X.
What’s the price? And once its announced that its $500 – $600 will the same pundits that claimed the iPhone price was too high, come through with identical posts regarding the Samsung price?
Keyboard keys look familiar.
No doubt that hardware capabilities are surpassing the crappy services provided by the major carriers. It’s time the Verizons and AT&T need to catch up on their network capabilities and high speed cell access.
I like the pop out keyboard (I know Mr. Jobs says I don’t need one, but i Like them) but I will pass and wait on the iPhone!
Clearly, it’s more appropriate to look at the iPhone as a UMPC-type device more than a phone.. because, most of these phones don’t even begin to do iPhone stuff.. It’s just a little weird comparing these two, except for Samsung’s latest design ‘ideas’…
Slide out keyboard… they were so close to a soft keyboard.. why?
Note to Steve: call your lawyers. Now. They can’t do this can they?
If this thing goes out before June AAPL could lose 20% of its value. If the thing is marketed at, say, $199 or somesuch, APPL could reach 2002 levels.
I suspect the price will exceed that of the iPhone.
iPhone is DOA.
Flash UI, I’m not impressed. We’ve seen the future and it’s OS X.
I missed that. Flash is on par with WinCE and Palm OS. In other words, its a distant third to OSX followed by Symbian.
FUGLY!
You’ve been out-huckstered – without a word being said. No cool jeans & tshirt. No hubris. No claim to changing the world. No claim of reinventing the phone. How could you let that happen?
I with Chrissyone.
I agree, iPhone is DOA! Give me the Samsung!
Oh, and there’s a huge difference between “touch-screen” and “multi-touch.”
All Apple has to do is release a second model with a keyboard simliar to the Samsung. Remember the Cingular CEO said there are other iPhone models in the works.
A plain black t-shirt and old faded jeans are hubris? Sheesh. What would you call a suit? The emporer’s new clothes?
Darth Jobs buys Samsung, terminates F700 along with its development team after deleting their brains, sends remaining employees onto iPhone assembly line just outside Beijing.
BTW, I think the iPhone will do just fine – regardless of what Steve Jobs is wearing!
Death, doom, destruction, falling sky, pestilence, disease, and all other such knee-jerk reactions as espoused by ampar, SydneyStephen, OMG, and other end-of-Apple Cassandras! This is IT! The Mac and the iPod are finished! Sell your stock! Move to Borneo! Run screaming into the streets! Don thy hairshirts and beat thy breasts! There’s no recovering from this! Lamentations and recriminations all ’round! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH . . . . . . . .
In the phone biz you have to keep bringing out something new….can Apple do that? Apple seems to have a turn around of new product every year or longer. In the phone biz it seems like companies bring out new product every month.
Fashion is almost more important than function.
Steve Jobs said “400 Patents” look out Samsung
Bring it on!!!!
I bet it is the same price or higher than the iPHONE.
Between the two, I will go with an Apple designed product every time.
The dolts that continue to diss the iPHONE are showing their complete ignorance regarding the HUGE quality difference between Apple and all the other companies that currently make cell phones.
Hopefully, the iPHONE will put an end to all the cheap rattle-box plastic Korea is using these days. Most of the so called “Music Phones” buzz more than a blown out JBL at a drunken rock concert.