Samsung Electronics has joined the Google-backed Android party with the announcement of the Samsung i7500. The device, with a full touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity, and 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, will be available in Europe in June.
No official plans have been announced for availability in the U.S., but J.K. Shin, a Samsung executive vice president, told Engadget that two Android smartphones will be made available in the U.S. later this year.
“Samsung is among the earliest members of the Open Handset Alliance and has been actively moving forward to introduce the most innovative Android mobile phone,” Shin said. “With Samsung’s accumulated technology leadership in the mobile-phone industry and our consistent strategy to support every existing operating system, I believe that Samsung provides the better choices and benefits to our consumers.”
Google Services
The Seoul, Korea-based company’s new smartphone gives users access to several Google services, including Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar and Talk. Its GPS feature also allows the use of Google’s My Location, Latitude and Street View services.
“We’re pleased to see more Android-powered devices coming to market,” said Carolyn Penner, a Google spokesperson. “As the world’s first open mobile platform, we believe Android will help spur greater innovation for the benefit of mobile users everywhere.”
While some features are expected, including Wi-Fi, others, including the five-megapixel camera and memory capacity up to 40GB, are valuable additions, according to Ramon Llamas, an IDC analyst.
“It’s pretty cool, pretty sweet and Wi-Fi and 3G, that is normal-expectation stuff, but if you want to have a slick handset, it will have to be the complete package,” he said. “If you are going to have a hot device, it has to look slick and sexy and has to have similar features” to Apple’s iPhone.
Samsung’s device not only has great features, it also looks sexy in comparison to other…