Samsung i560 and i780: smarties on focus

Word is out in the mobile community on the Symbian-based slider Samsung i560 and Samsung i780, a bar-shaped QWERTY smartphone, running on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional OS. Both devices sport full HSDPA with video calls functionality. Let's also remind you of the recently announced Samsung i450, i550 and i620 - all of them offer outstanding functionality and cool design in the smart-line portfolio of Samsung.

So lately despite some official information for the brand new and upcoming Samsung i560 was found on Vodafone Christmas 2007 consumer offering, Samsung didn't revealed a thing about the new device, as usually. However, we managed to get our hands on the official photos and some scarce specifications on the Samsung i560. It's running on Symbian OS 9.2 Series 60 v3.1 operating system and sports a large 2.4" 262K color TFT display with a QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) resolution. Shutter bugs will be content with the 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus that the slider is equipped with. The integrated memory is not as large as in Samsung i620, but still at decent level of 150 MB and is further expandable through a microSD memory card slot. Connectivity features include Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and USB v2.0 connectivity. Strangely enough, the Vodafone Christmas 2007 handset range states that the Samsung i560V will feature a built-in GPS receiver. Yet, GPS capability is not to be found on the scarce official Samsung fact sheet on Samsung i560 that we found, nor there is a hardware key on the front panel of the phone to indicate this. So for now it remains mystery whether Samsung i560 will be equipped with a GPS receiver.

Samsung i560 and i560V: the GPS icon is clearly visible in the main menu

Anyways, the other hot device, the bar-shaped Samsung i780 was first seen at Samsung stand at the GITEX Expo, again with no official announcement by the manufacturer. This PocketPC based on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional OS is obviously made to impress. The Samsung i780 features a square 65K TFT touchscreen display with the unusual resolution of 320 x 320 pixels, HSDPA 3.6 Mbps and built-in GPS receiver. The 2 megapixel camera mounted on the handset lacks autofocus and LED flash. The i780 also sports Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, and slot for microSD card. Among the highly interesting features of the i780 is the ingenious navigation solution - an optical mouse pad which allows users to navigate a mouse cursor throughout the interface. Packing such a massive functionality, the mere thickness of 13.3 mm makes the Samsung i780 a true engineering feat. Unfortunately, the processor model and battery, but as we managed to find out it will have 180MB ROM and 128MB RAM.

Samsung i780 photo

As you probably have guessed, there is still no information of pricing and availability of both Samsung i560 and Samsung i780.

Editorial comment: Closing another week behind us, we cannot but feel tired by the Samsung marketing strategy or more particularly by the lack of it. Numerous new South Korean handsets leaked online or were spotted in the wild this summer without the manufacturer saying anything about them. Don't get us wrong, leaks on new models are the bread and butter in our line of work, but with Samsung they seem to be the only source of information, too. It seems as if the Samsung PR department has left the company permanently, and whoever got the job afterwards is still working out the meaning of the press release as a way of communication with the press. We are as always trying to give you the most credible information in the industry, but when it comes to Samsung more than often all we are left with is only scraps of information here and there. Trying to keep track on all their latest mobile phones has been a particular challenge of its own.