Bang & Olufsen and Samsung Serenata

Looking at Bang & Olufsen and Samsung's joint venture, the Serenata, you might do a double take: "Hang on, is that a scroll-wheel?" Why, yes it is.

Talking to Bang & Olufsen executives recently, there seemed to be a degree of regret in the B&O camp about the fact that Apple had beaten them to trademarking the scroll-wheel. If B&O had gotten there first, would the iPod even exist?

Upside
The Serenata scroll-wheel is the device's coup de grace -- forgive us our "la-de-da" description, this is a pretty posh phone after all. Unlike the iPod, the Serenata's wheel actually moves, and it feels pretty cool.

B&O are pushing this device as a music player first, phone second. And while this has been tried before by Sony Ericsson and Nokia, music always seemed to come off second best. But in the Serenata they may just have the mix right. We couldn't even tell it was a phone, even after playing with it briefly.

One plus is that it will play uncompressed music files -- in the form of Microsoft's proprietary but free WMA Lossless codec -- which means you won't have to compromise on sound quality while on the move.

The phone -- if we can call it that -- also includes a slide-out speaker for music listening, and it also doubles as a hands-free speaker.

Quoting specs at this point almost seems irrelevant, but for the pocket-protector in us all it boasts 4GB of storage, up to 280 hours of standby time and up to three hours of talk time.

Downside
People who complained about the US pricing of the iPhone may want to look away now. Though not set in stone, expect to pay around AU$1,500 once the phone is released in Australia.

Also, the device's predecessor, the Serene, may have looked distinctive, but how many people do you know who actually bought one?

Outlook
With the combination of Bang & Olufsen's audiophile heritage and Samsung's know-how in both MP3 players and phones, the Serenata is sure to be a killer device. It's no bigger or heavier than an iPod Classic and will no doubt sound a lot better. But like all things from the Danish manufacturer, expect to pay a premium for it.

Source: CNet

Innovative New Line of Samsung Fashion Mobile Phones

Samsung Electronics showcases its stylish line of high-fashion mobile phones at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show. These phones combine chic, sophisticated design with Samsung's innovative mobile phone engineering to suit consumers who desire a phone that offers both style and the latest in advanced technology.

The Giorgio Armani-Samsung phone meets the needs of those who aspire to own technologically advanced device with which to communicate, as well as complete their lifestyle. Samsung, a market leader in consumer electronics, and Giorgio Armani, one of the world's leading fashion and lifestyle companies, have come together to develop a mobile device that provides both elegant design and cutting edge technology. The size of a credit card and a mere 10.5 mm in thickness, the Giorgio Armani-Samsung phone is available in selected mobile phone stores and Giorgio Armani boutiques in major European countries, with plans for expansion to other markets in 2008.

Giorgio Armani-Samsung Mobile Specifications Standard GPRS/ EDGE Tri-Band (900/1800/1900) Camera 3 Megapixel Camera Display 2.6" QVGA TFT LCD (262K Colors) Multimedia H.263, AAC+/MP3/WMA, MPEG4, AAC, e-AAC+ Features Bluetooth(R) 2.0 / USB 2.0 high-speed/ MTP 2.0 Mobile Printing (BPP, PictBridge) micro SD(TM) external memory slot Bluetooth(R) Headset (A2DP) Full Touch Screen & Touch UI Size 87.5 x 54.5 x 10.5 mm

Serenata is a luxury phone created between the home theatre designer Bang & Olufsen and Samsung. Serenata combines the advanced acoustics and creative design of Bang & Olufsen with the progressive mobile technology abilities of Samsung to provide high quality and pleasurable design. A music player and mobile phone in one, Serenata has a sizable internal memory used to hold a library of music tracks. The phone also features context-sensitive touch screen with a large aluminum wheel that provides ease and comfort when navigating through the phone. Bang & Olufsen's ingenious acoustics, which feature two high-quality speaker units, along with a built-in speaker and advanced audio engineering, work together to deliver outstanding clarity of sound of for both the music player and the mobile phone.

Serenata Specifications Standard 3G/GSM R/F band, GSM 900,1800,1900 and HSDPA 2100 Display 2.26" TFT LCD (256K Colors) Multimedia MP3, AMR (Voice Tag), AAC, WMA, WMA Lossless 9.1 Features Bluetooth(R) 2.0 SMS, MMS, E-Mail (POP3, IMAP4, SMTP, SSL, TLS, OTA E-Mail Settings Configuration) micro SD(TM) external memory slot OMA DRM, Windows Media DRM SRS TruBass Size 63 x 109.5 x 19.7 mm

The B'Phone by Samsung is a limited edition handset available only through Sprint which offers customers a new look and exclusive content on an iconic music phone. An update to the popular UpStage, the B'Phone's dual-sided design is designed to optimize music capabilities with the look of an MP3 player on one side and a phone on the other. To complement the style and glamour of the Grammy-winning artist Beyonce, the B'Phone is coated in rich burgundy and gold colors and comes complete with a preloaded special Beyonce-styled start-up screen.

B'Phone Specifications Display Music Display: 2.1" TFT (176 x 220 pixels), Phone Display: 1.4" TFT (176 x 65 pixels) Features Built in MP3 player with MicroSD card slot Streaming music, with access to Sirius, VH1 and MTV 1.3 megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom and video camcorder Advanced stereo Bluetooth with Bluetooth caller ID SMS Voice and text messaging Size 1.73" x 4.07" x 0.37" mm

Samsung Bang&Olufsen Symphony/Serenata F310 gets a case from Louis Vuitton

A device like the Samsung Bang&Olufsen Serenata F310 isn’t something you should carry unprotected, even if you have tons of money — and you probably do in case you bought one.

You need a case, not “yet another case” but something special. Something designed by no other company but the masters of fashion bags - Louis Vuitton.

Yap, the French company has prepared the special Samsung B&O Symphony F310 Louis Vuitton designer leather case, which is made from “natural calfskin with a perfect surface dyed with special vegetative essences.” Sounds safe enough to me.

And by the way, it’s for market of Russia where Samsung is selling the Serenata F310 as Symphony F310…

[Via: Unwired View]

Samsung and Bang & Olufsen launch Serenata Music Phone

Samsung has joined hands with Danish company Bang & Olufsen to introduce Serenata, which claims to be a true iPhone competitor.


Bang & Olufsen is a designer and manufacturer of stylish high-end home electronic products.
The novel looking Serenata MP3 phone includes 4GB of music storage and is designed for one-handed use, the click-wheel is used for phone dialing, writing texts and emails and accessing the music lists. All primary functions on the phone are controlled by the click-wheel.

A 2.26-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) touchscreen is placed below the click-wheel. The LCD screen displays menus and album artwork. The Serenata is compatible with GSM Networks (900,1800, and 1900 MHz bands) and HSDPA service.

You just need to press one button placed in the center of the click-wheel to instantly shift from phone mode to music mode. The other music features included in the Serenata phone are:

• HSDPA connectivity for rapid downloads
• 4GB of flash memory
• Built-in hi-fi speakers
• Bass system designed to reproduce the sound quality and functionality of your home music system
• PureMusic function, which allows users to listen to music without interruptions while calls are received by the answering device
• Ability to handle playback in compressed formats including MP3, WMA, and AAC
  Good battery life to sustain amplified music for up to 5 hours through the speaker or 13 hours through a headset

As mentioned before, the Samsung and Bang & Olufsen Serenata phone is sure to pose some great challenge to Apple’s iPhone. What’s more, both the phones will be shipped in Europe by October-end, which is around the same time that the iPhone could release there.

Bundled with the Serenata is a dock to charge the phone, giving line-out audio for speakers and a USB connection that syncs files and music with both Macs and Windows. Reportedly, Bang & Olufsen could also include an extra software to transfer music from iTunes.

No details on the pricing of the Samsung and Bang & Olufsen’s Serenata phone have been revealed yet.