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
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Apple debuts iPhone: touchscreen mobile phone + widescreen iPod + Internet communicator – January 09, 2007
Oh my Gawd! Steve Jobs is wearing a new pair of shoes! Such arrogance! Such hubris! Has anyone as smug ever walked the face of the Earth? Arrest that man before he CHANGES HIS PANTS!
The Samsung phone will probably be quite a bit cheaper than the iPhone, primarily because of less hardware (no hard drive, wi-fi, etc.) and less technology (software and sensors, etc.). Many questions will need to be addressed. How well will it interact with a corporate network? What kind of software can be installed on the phone? Will it support MS Office? What carriers will be able to support this phone? How good is the UI?
If the price is right, the features are implemented correctly, and the restrictions are limited, then people won’t care that it may not be able to do some of the things that the iPhone can do. It will still sell well.
“In the phone biz you have to keep bringing out something new….can Apple do that?”
CAN MICROSOFT?
“Steve Jobs said “400 Patents” look out Samsung”
Yeah, especially if we find out this thing does anything more than check what time it is in Berlin.. or the most whack media player inteface ever (engadget)
The thing is twice as thick as the iPhone!
@Hanford Lemoor’s real name is Glenn Shannon:
Uh, haven’t they already evidenced this capability with the iPod line? Has ANYONE else in that market niche responded with the same alacrity and quality of design/product innovation?
Am I missing something here?
It’s so much more than meets the eye…. Apple’s entire package is seemless – software, elegance… you name it. As for the camera, I don’t care if it is 2 or 5 megapixel – when I take photos, I use a real camera. 2 megapixel is more than enough for a phone.
realist,
No way, this thing will be more expensive than the iPhone. The Sony Ericsson p800-900’s were around $900 without a contract at first, and they didn’t even have qwerty.
The Samsung is ugly as sin.
Still, it has some good features. 5mp camera is pretty impressive.
Flash is not an operating system. It is nothing more than cute animations. This phone will not be an iPhone competitor.
Hey, did Samsung mention anything about running full-featured applications on their “new” device? How ’bout movies? Looks like a really complex “DayTimer” to me.
Sorry, its just another geekphone. It’s market is very limited ie part of the smartphones 5% share.
iPhone is no smartphone, its an everyman phone. Its market is much broader, as high as 30%.
Pundits who claim price of iPhone is too high appear to only come from USA, outside in the rest of the world where mobile telephone is more mature it’s the kind of prices people are paying for smart phones.
Shouldn’t the MDN headline read “…iPhone killer” because you know that in the future every new phone to come out after the iPhone will be labeled an “iPhone killer” even if all it does is make calls. Get on the bandwagon now!
Looks cool. I think Apple will have more serious competition in the phone space. The 5 megapixel camera is really f-ing cool. My only major gripe with the iPhone is the camera.
Dear MDN, thank you for your honest and thoughtful take. In the past I’ve been disappointed by the usual rants (it’s not made by Apple, so it will DIE!!!), and you pointed out how the two actually do compare. I think you’re right that this one does have many disadvantages, but it shows that Apple is already making them think more about designing phones that are more user friendly. And it also shows a trend away from Microsoft phone OSes.
I’d love to see GPS navigation and a 5 MP camera. That would make it my perfect companion!
From the photos, the Samsung looks twice as thick as the iPhone and carrying weight is a major consideration, the main reason the shuffle has sold so well. The allure of the iPhone is HOW it works, not what it does, and comparisons are like comparing a Ferrari to a Yugo saying they both do the same thing. Still, this is “close enough” for most Windows users to perhaps wait for. Apple would do well to get theirs to market ASAP. Steve Jobs was clearly wrong when he said Apple was five years ahead.
I think it looks very nice, but for me, the only thing less useful than no keyboard is a tiny keyboard. And, while the flippy thingys on the phone always looks cool, in reality I always dislike having to deal with them.
Samsung announces an iPhone killer and in the space of just a few inches of discussion here, it’s dead itself.
I’m sure Samsung appreciates knowing they need spend no further time or money on getting this thing to market.
Just remember, Apple has plenty of time to add additional features!
Samsung phone looks great. Gotta be honest here.
I normally like Samsung products, they usually lead the way with quality in terms of electronics. But this is obviously an iPhone rip-off. Very un-Samsung-like.
i hope that the camera on the iphone is bumped up along with the addition of 3G.
I will buy one.
The keyboard is a must have on smartphones
That thing looks like a fast copy of iPhone, just like Vista is of Tiger.
Just wondering, is it [samsung] as fscked up.
Personally I don’t like those slide-outs. I prefer flip over slide-out and my #1 choice multi-touch /w touch-functionality-turned-off-when-close-to-my-ear-or-in-my-pocket.
iPhone has to be much more than we know. Hey, six fscking months. What we saw at MacWorld can only be on parrallel lines with what we saw at WWDC ’06. I bet there’s something more and it comes out of the wrappings with Leopard. GPS? G3? Apps? Integration with Leopards functionality is sure.
Parallel lines. Apple ain’t gonna pop the hood. They need to move 402,3 metres faster than anyone else. Apple knew there’ll be imitations, let others copy the half baked presentation product. When your enemies know that you’re wearing a vest; they aim for the head.
In Apples case, I hope they aren’t. Even if they we’re, Apple can deliver vertical integration. Other cell phone manufacturers can only prey to god, since Microsofts doesn’t look so great in its current state.