skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Samsung have launched the new Samsung Soul, a new mobile phone from the company that actually has a name, rather than an awkward array of seemingly arbitrary letters and numbers (who could forget the charmingly-named Samsung SGH-P310 for example?!). Samsung chose the name Soul as it stands for "Spirit Of ULtra" (yes, really!), and it apparently "honours the completion of its exclusive 'Ultra Edition' series." Not entirely sure why "soul" denotes the end of something, but it does imply that this will be the last in the extremely successful and highly-rated Ultra Edition range of phones, thereby paving the way for an ever better crop of phones from Samsung for the rest of the year
The Soul is Samsung's new flagship phone, meaning it's a high-end monster packed full of features. Better still, continuing Samsung's recent theme, these aren't just gimmicks - each feature is designed to work and work really well, rather than just acting as padding for the spec list.
More pics and full details of the Samsung Soul after the jump.
Overview of the Samsung Soul mobile phone
So what do you get with a Samsung flagship phone? Well, no flag, but you do get the following rather tasty array of features:
* 5 megapixel camera
* Power LED Flash
* Face detection, image stabilizer and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) for enhanced picture quality
* 7.2 Mbps HSPDA connectivity
* New "Magical Touch by DaCP" user interface
* Slide form factor
* 12.9mm thin
* Bluetooth 2.0
* MP3 player with Bang & Olufson Digital ICE Power amp and headset
A few features of note here. Firstly, the camera. Not only 5 megapixels, but a wide range of advanced features to help you get the best picture of your subject. Secondly, not just HSDPA, but HSPDA running at a superb 7.2Mbps (if your network supports it of course, and dependent on contention ratios). Thirdly, an MP3 player that gives great sound thanks to a Bang & Olufson amplifier.
Finally, the somewhat oddly-named "Magical Touch by DaCP" user interface. What be this, you ask? It's a new interface whereby the navigation indicators on the keypad change according to the feature you're using. Select the camera, for example, and the icons on the keypad change to reflect camera-specific options (see pic below). DaCP, in case you were wondering, stands for Dynamic Adaptive Control Pad, and as you might guess, it is, in reality, a small OLED screen that adapts to the requirements of the selected feature. Nice touch, though.
It's a shame the Samsung Soul will the see the end of the Ultra Range. There were some great phones in that range, stylish, fully-featured, and even several "world's thinnest" phones. Still, with Samsung on a bit of a roll at the moment, having overtaken Motorola to second spot, I'm guessing the replacement range (Son of Ultra - Hmmm, SoUL II - perhaps?!) will be better still, with some rather tasty new phones to watch out for.
The Samsung Soul is out now across Europe, and will be released in other markets throughout 2008.
Now here's a phone that's had me all excited ever since it was first announced at the Mobile World Congress back in February. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 is a smartphone set to challenge the mighty Nokia E90. If looks are anything to go by, the XPERIA wins hands down, but as with any smartphone, it's not the looks that matter, it's the features and how easy they are to use.
Sony Ericsson are keeping tight lipped about the applications on offer with the XPERIA X1 for the moment, but they have released a set of specifications for the phone, if it's incomplete.
Full spec of the XPERIA X1 after the jump.
The first thing to note is that the XPERIA X1 is absed on Widows Mobile 6.1, which marks a departure for Sony Ericsson phones as they've never used Windows Mobile before. This brings greater synchronization with the desktop (at least if you have a Windows-based PC, anyway), but at the cost of the dreadful Mobile Internet Explorer.
Sony Ericsson have also been shouting loudly about the new User Interface of the XPERIA X1, which they see as capable fo taking on the iPhone. The X1's UI is controllable trough a 3" VGA touchscreen that can support 65,536 colours. The UI uses what Sony Ericsson call Panels, which are distinct blocks of functionality that the user can move around the screen at will.
According to Rikko Sakaguchi, Sony Ericsson's Head of Portfolio and Propositions, "No two individuals have the same tastes and desires. Sony Ericsson's XPERIA™ X1 has been developed to ensure that mobile web communication and multimedia entertainment can be tailored, putting the individual at the heart of the mobile experience in a uniquely personal way."
Applications can be built around panel technology, and Sony Ericsson will be working with both operators and application developers to create nifty new panels once the XPERIA X1 has been launched.
Speaking of which, despite rumours that it wouldn't be released until 2009, Sony Ericsson have said that the XPERIA X1 release date will be the second half of 2008. Which is just as well, really, as apart from its flashy interface, the X1 is competing feature for feature with the Nokia E90, and that's been out for over six months now. By the time the X1 is released, there should be a new E90 about to be released, so Sony Ericsson need to get a move on if the X1 is to compete effectively.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 Specification
And so what of the X1's specs then? Welll, they're not fully fleshed out yet, but here are what Sony Ericsson are aiming to cram into the X1:
Camera
* Camera - 3.2 megapixel
* Video recording
* Photo light
* Digital zoom - 3x
* Auto focus
Entertainment
* 3D games
* Video viewing
* Video streaming
* Java
* Radio - FM radio RDS
Communication
* Video calling
* Vibrating Alert
* Speakerphone
* Polyphonic ringtones
Music
* Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
* Windows Media® Player Mobile
* PlayNow™
* Music tones
* Media Player
Connectivity
* aGPS
* WLAN
* USB support
* USB mass storage
* Synchronisation
* Modem
* Bluetooth™ technology
Design
* XPERIA™ panels
* Optical joystick navigation
* Picture wallpaper
* Navigation key
Internet
* Internet Explorer® Mobile
* RSS feeds
Messaging
* Exchange ActiveSync®
* Text messaging (SMS)
* Predictive text input
* Picture messaging (MMS)
* Email
Organiser
* Touch-screen
* Tasks
* Phone book
* Notes
* Handwriting recognition
* Flight mode
* Document readers
* Document editors
* Calendar
* Calculator
* Alarm clock
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 is looking good. It's got all the features you'd want, and looks great, too. Can't wait to see it in the flesh!
