Samsung SGH-F500 Dual-Faced Video Phone

Breakthrough Dual-Face design.
The Ultra Edition Video Phone is both a phone and a personal media player integrated and separate at the same time. The Dual-Faced design is surprisingly slim - Ultra slim 10.7 mm. One side features a compact mobile phone with a 1.46" 65K TFT display. Flip it over to reveal a PMP with a 2.4" 262K QVGA TFT display and surprising eye-catching design appeals to trendsetters. Touch Keypad with innovative multi-directional Sweeping UI and the Groovy purple GUI make the Samsung SGH-F500 definite to a cool multimedia device with a high design factor - in form and function.

Like a mobile cinema.
The Samsung SGH-F500 plays MPEG4, H.264, WMV and is the first phone to play DivX files. The SGH-F500 records video in MPEG4 and H.264 file formats with simultaneous sound. The Ultra Video capture precious moments that can be replayed over and over again. Supported by Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM), the phone allows consumers to find, acquire, and play content virtually anywhere. Securely, responsibly, and seamlessly plays back media files on computer, portable or network devices. Watch videos comfortably on the expansive 2.4" landscape display. This convenient Landscape View enables the video images to film the whole screen. It's like a pocket cinema.

Multitasking? - No problem.
The Ultra Video phone plays also a wide variety of music files including MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA file formats. An external microSD™ allows for unlimited storage of music files. Play music in the background as you use the mobile's other features or while taking high quality pictures with the 2 MP built-in camera. No need to carry a separate MP3 player or digital camera. You will always be prepared for photo opportunities and listening to your tunes.

[via: SamsungMobile]

Samsung Introduces its First DivX Certified Video Phone

Samsung Introduces an Ultimate Viewing Experience on the Move

Ultra Video Phone first in the world to be DivX Certified® and an innovative dual face LCD screen with swivel design and wide 2.4” screen

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. today set new standards for video viewing capabilities in gadgets with the launch of the Ultra Video F500, a portable media player and 3.5G mobile phone rolled into one beautiful user-friendly handset, giving users access to a world of entertainment with their favourite video and music files on the go.

One of the most versatile and super slim personal multimedia devices, Samsung’s Ultra Video F500 is a high-performing multimedia player and powerful 3.5G phone rolled into a 10.7mm-slim package. Superbly compact, it is the only gadget you will need to keep you entertained on the road, and is the first phone to be DivX Certified. Combined with a built-in audio player, the Ultra Video boasts DVD-like quality picture and sound with TV output function for the additional option of enjoying your favourite films on a larger screen. The phone supports up to five video formats for greater viewing flexibility, and features a unique swivel design that allows for an adjustable viewing angle or serves as a stand to be placed on a flat surface.

“High video quality should not just be limited to large TV screens. The Ultra Video highlights our passion to leverage on our multimedia capabilities to satisfy consumers’ leisure and entertainment needs, and we have advanced from a product provider to a total solution provider through our partnership with DivX. Samsung will continue to lead the wireless industry with premier technologies, innovative products and strategic marketing tie ups to enhance the lifestyles of our customers,” said Mr. Ng Long Shyang, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Telecommunications and IT products.

Complementing the Ultra Video’s cutting-edge features is an innovative design incorporating a dual face LCD screen - a phone on one side and on the reverse a large 2.4” screen for multimedia viewing. The 2.4” wide screen boasts a 320x240 pixel panel in 262K colours that can display video in landscape mode. With an internal memory of 350 MB and expandable memory up to 2GB (with microSD™ card), the Ultra Video allows the user to view approximately two movies (each about two hours long). The HSDPA (3.5G) enabled phone allows users to transmit data at broadband speeds five times faster* than 3G, for instant information and entertainment on the move. With HSDPA, Ultra Video users can download large files quickly for high quality viewing.

The Ultra Video also comes with a 2.0 mega-pixel camera and Bluetooth v1.2 with A2DP stereo headset support. The Samsung Ultra Video is now available at a recommended retail price of $998 without contract, bundled with a 2GB MicroSD card and pre-loaded with the full-length award-winning blockbuster ‘Infernal Affairs’ movie. The leather case included in the pack acts as a backup battery that allows up to double your talk time.

*HSDPA performance is network and SIM card dependent.

Top 5 unique mobile phones

By Damian Koh

We've seen our share of bizarre cell phones on the planet, some of them downright ridiculous, some a hair's breath from making the list of stupidest phones ever. Concept phones are nice to look at, but some are horribly flawed--like the one that requires the user to insert his finger into the appropriate keyhole to dial a number. That said, we did coo over the Transformers mobile bot. But before I digress any further, we've selected five mobile phones (yes, real ones) that are special in one way or another. We've also decided to include the Apple iPhone as an honorable mention, even though we're still sore that we have to wait till 2008 for it in Asia.

Touched by a screen: LG Prada Phone

So the iPhone isn't coming to Asia until 2008? Fine… whatever. The LG Prada Phone is a trendy touchscreen mobile phone that's available in the market now. Synonymous with class and style, the Prada Phone courts the well-heeled and fashion-conscious. It doesn't have the latest features, but beggars can't be choosers, right?

Bend it like Beckham: Moto Z8

Slider phones? Totally passé. The Moto Z8 re-jigged the whole sliding motion with a kick-slide mechanism that curves the phone closer to your mouth and ear. We must say the idea is pretty cool though we're not too sure how useful it will be. Remember the old Nokia banana phone (made famous in Matrix)? It's the same idea here. If you like that one, you'll probably fall in love with this Moto.

Glass act: Nokia 8600 Luna

When it comes to phones crafted from unique materials, Nokia comes to mind. Its 8600 Luna sports an opaque, smoked glass cover over its keypad. Did you just say glass? Yeah, we're still worried it might break if we drop the phone, but who can resist a handset that is romanticized as "mysteriously, it glows, magnetically, it calls", "inspired by moonlight, it pulsates with allure". We can't.

The show must go on: Samsung Ultra Video F500

Here's a candy-bar phone for movie aficionados who need their screen fix. Sit this Samsung on a desktop with the screen facing toward you and you're all ready to catch the latest blockbuster on this DivX-certified device. And when your boss walks past, you can flip the lid down and pretend you're talking to an important client on the earpiece. Quite easily done.

Just shoot me: Sony Ericsson K850i

We're still not convinced that camera-phones will replace dedicated digicams, although the upcoming Cyber-shot K850i may just change our minds. Sony Ericsson isn't the first to have a 5-megapixel shooter, but its Cyber-shot pedigree should have people clamoring for the K850i. Will this Sony Ericsson best the 5-megapixel Nokia N95 in terms of performance and image quality? We'll find out toward the end of the year.

DivX Certifies Samsung Handset

DivX announced the DivX Certification of the Samsung Ultra Video (Samsung SGH-F508) mobile phone, an innovative handset device that features stylish design and cutting-edge multimedia experiences, including high-quality DivX video playback. The DivX Certification of the Samsung F508 ensures true interoperability between the device and the over 90 million DivX Certified consumer electronics devices in the world today. The Ultra Video SGH-F508 is the second mobile phone from Samsung to attain DivX Certification. One of Samsung's popular Ultra Edition handsets, the F508’s large, swiveling LCD screen gives users the optimal video watching experience.

Samsung Handset - DivX Certification

With this mobile phone, users gain unparalleled access to high-quality DivX movies on-the-go from their personal collections, the DivX Stage6 video website, or through other mobile content services. "Adding the Samsung F508 phone to the family of DivX Certified devices gives users on-the-go access to a wide variety of digital media and ensures the high-quality experience that video aficionados demand and DivX users expect," said Patrice Lagrange, Vice President and Group Business Manager, Media Languages, DivX, Inc. "DivX is working to build a common digital media language that offers real interoperability across devices and platforms, and innovative devices like the Samsung Ultra Video F508 phone are an important piece of that ecosystem."

Samsung F508 Ultra Video camera phone

Products that bear the DivX Certified logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience, including reliable video creation and playback, interoperability with other DivX Certified devices and the visual quality users expect from DivX. The DivX Certified Samsung Ultra Video F508 camera phone is slated for release in the Chinese language market in 2007.

Samsung Launches Quartet of Music Video Phones

A PLAYGROUND OF FUN WITH SAMSUNG’S QUARTET OF PHONES

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. today unveiled four mobile phones set to redefine the concept of fun and entertainment on the go. Featuring Bang & Olufsen ICEPower music support, panoramic 3-megapixel cameras and DivX video capabilities, Samsung’s line-up of phones offers a range of industry-leading multimedia capabilities built into cutting edge stylish designs.

“Today’s young and trendy consumers are always looking for compact yet power-packed products which allow them to carry their entertainment with them wherever they go. We believe our new line-up offers them a gamut of high-technology multimedia from music to video in sleek form factors,” said Mr. Ng Long Shyang, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Telecommunications and IT products.


Focusing on leisure and entertainment to enable fun seekers to experience more and express themselves better, the quartet consists of the dual-faced Ultra Video F500, a portable multiplayer phone with a large 2.4” TFT screen for comfortable viewing of videos and movies, the dual-faced Ultra Music F300 which offers a dedicated music user interface for quick and easy navigation, the candy bar Mini Camera E590 designed by Jasper Morrison and featuring a 3-Megapixel camera with panorama shot feature, and the Music Phone E740, an affordable music phone with one-touch music access.

Ultra Video F500
One of the most versatile and super slim personal multimedia devices, Samsung’s Ultra Video is the first phone to be DivX Certified. Combined with a built-in audio player, the Ultra Video boasts DVD-like quality picture and sound. Complementing the Ultra Video’s cuttingedge features is an innovative design incorporating a dual face LCD screen - a phone on one side and on the reverse a large 2.4” screen for multimedia viewing. The screen boasts a 240x320 pixel panel in 262,000 colours that can display video in landscape mode, while TV output gives you the option to view videos on a larger screen. The Ultra Video also comes with a back-up battery leather case which ensures longer battery life, and its unique swivel design allows for an adjustable viewing angle or serves as a stand to be placed on a flat surface. The Ultra Video F500 will be available from early August, pricing TBD.

Ultra Music F300
The Ultra Music F300 features an innovative dual-face LCD design which is unique for optimum viewing of the extensive multimedia features, yet stylish. On one side is a complete music player with superb sound quality and a large, clear touch-screen which makes scrolling through your music simple, intuitive, and fun. Flip over to the other side for a Samsung mobile phone that is rich in extra features such as a 2-megapixel camera with digital zoom, 128 MB onboard memory with microSD™ slot for expansion and BluetoothTM for wireless music streaming via a stereo headset. All this is packed into an extremely slim 9.4mm profile. The Ultra Music F300 is available at an RRP of $638 without contract.


Mini Camera E590
The Mini Camera E590, designed by leading industrial designer Jasper Morrison, features simple contours and clean lines which comprise this compact bar design. It is equipped with a powerful 3-megapixel camera with auto focus and half-shutter. In addition, the Panorama shot feature enables users to take landscape pictures, achieving wider coverage in one shot. The Mini Camera E590 also comes with the Bean bag, a unique tripod which serves as a portable accessory made from special rubber material for maximum flexibility and grip. Pricing and availability TBD.

Music Phone E740
A music model with FM radio, the Music Phone E740 features high quality music performance and a dedicated music user interface. The easy one-click music access, jog disc control and categorization by genre, album, artiste or recently played tracks means quick and easy navigation, while the multi-format music and video support lets users enjoy various file types on the phone. The locally-launched version comes with a 1GB card pre-loaded with 180 full track songs from various artistes which users can preview for free, and download and purchase the license at the click of a button if they like the song. The Music Phone E740 will be available from mid-July, pricing TBD.