T-Mobile USA is prepping Samsung’s new Behold II smartphone for an exclusive launch in advance of this year’s holiday shopping season. The touchscreen-enabled 3G handset based on Google’s Android platform will provide users with direct access to Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube videos, and Google Talk as well as thousands of applications and games from the Android Market, T-Mobile said.
The Samsung Behold II will sport a 3.2-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display featuring the latest active-matrix technology and a five-megapixel camera that doubles as a camcorder. “The premium screen and quality camera coupled with Samsung’s innovative cube menu makes the Behold II a multimedia powerhouse that’s made even stronger by T-Mobile’s high-speed 3G network,” said T-Mobile USA Product Marketing Director Travis Warren.
TouchWiz User Interface
The Behold II is part of Samsung’s strategy to maintain its second-quarter position as the number-one phone provider in the U.S. Strategy Analytics said Apple’s iPhone was “a wake-up call” for manufacturers “to increase their focus on the user experience.”
“All cell-phone makers still face several challenges to implementing this focus on user experience, including implementing cohesive internal processes to design and develop a holistic experience,” said Strategy Analytics Vice President Kevin Nolan.
The Behold II’s TouchWiz user interface is an offshoot of the Croix software that the handset maker initially developed in response to Apple’s iPhone interface. With TouchWiz, the goal is “to provide our consumers with a more rewarding and engaging user interface; one that’s more fun, easier to use, and more personal,” said Geesung Choi, president of Samsung’s telecommunication business.
TouchWiz features expanded options in a cube-menu format, including a widget system that enables users to customize and personalize their phones. The unique widgets menu displays functions such as the clock, radio player, and music player. It also integrates more personal elements such…