THE MOBILE HORNET … for those who get turned on by mobile devices

IS THIS GOING TO BE THE iPHONE 3G KILLER?

Introducing the INCREDIBLE SAMSUNG OMNIA i900 which is set to arrive Asia in June and in European markets by July 2008.

The Omnia i900 brings together high performance business content, top of the range style and a fun, dynamic multi-media experience, to ensure consumers are always connected both at home and at work. OMNIA, meaning ‘everything’ in Latin and ‘wish’ in Arabic, goes beyond the current top-of-the-line features available in today’s mobile phones.

The new Samsung OMNIA allows users to switch seamlessly between Microsoft Outlook email and productivity applications that replicate the look and feel of their PC - with a stroke of their finger.

Based on the most up to date Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, Samsung OMNIA gives users a mobile extension to their PC experience, with access to MS Office documents such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word. Users can also send and receive email and manage their appointments in Outlook while on the go. The Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system means users can download additional programs as they would on their PC and customize it for their individual needs. For ease of navigation an optical mouse similar to those on laptop computers offers improved usability and one-handed control.

Here are the specs of this incredible device :

Suggested Price : 

• 8GB  @ 600,000 Korean Won (US$574 / RM1,881) and
• 16GB @ 700,000 Korean Won (US$670 / RM2,196)

Samsung’s patented TouchWiz user interface makes entering data and text simple. With unique widgets, users can customise and personalise the way they use their phone. The Samsung OMNIA’s high resolution touch-sensitive screen uses intuitive tap, sweep, drag and drop operations as well as an on-screen qwerty keyboard. It also facilitates easy and convenient calling and texting with a dedicated dome key for controlling communications.

The downside of the Samsung Omnia i900 is that it has non-typical and rather low resolution display of only 240×400 pixels which is 3.2 times less than HTC Touch Diamond). On top of that they use non-standard (not mini-USB) cable for charging and synchronization. Sometimes I do not understand the design department. Don’t they make a survey before they design any device!

Stuart Miles of Pocket-lint reported:

We’ve had camera-focused phones, we’ve had music-focused phones, and now Samsung is to launch a fitness focused phoned.

Called the miCoach (F110), the quad-band slider handset will offer a dedicated fitness button that once connected to a heart monitor and a step counter will give you information about your heart beat, distance covered and time running when out on a run.

But rather than just record your information to download to a computer later, the phone, through the headphones, will give you running information on the fly by simply tapping the screen.

Measuring your heartbeat, the phone will also tell you if you are running too fast or too slow, based on the fitness programme you have selected.

The miCoach will offer over 220 training programmes via a fitness website ranging from plans focused towards you loosing weight or to running a marathon and measure your running speed within four zones to best suit your training based on an initial assessment run.

Going up against Nike and the Apple iPod partnership, Samsung Mobile has teamed up with Adidas for the offering and users will get the heart rate monitor and the step counter, which it calls a foot pod in the box.

The phone, which comes with 1GB memory for storing songs to play when you’re out and about will also come with a 2 megapixel camera so you can record yourself as you cross the finish line.

Supporting the phone, Samsung has also created a dedicated website for PC users that allows you to plan runs, track your progress and keep a permanent diary of your training.

The phone is expected be available next month.

Users looking for the same technology without a mobile phone element however will be disappointed, Samsung say there are no plans at the moment to release the miCoach system without the phone element.

SAMSUNG Expands Its Q1 Ultra Line With New High-Performance UMPC

Now based on Microsoft Windows XP Tablet Edition operating system

Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC Features Intel Core Solo Pentium CPU, Named 2008 CES Innovations Honoree

LAS VEGAS – January 6, 2008 – Samsung Electronics America, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today unveiled the Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC, the newest version of the best selling ultra mobile personal computer (UMPC) in the world. Due to its high-performance value coupled with its ultra-portable and ultra-sleek design, the Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC was named a 2008 CES Innovations Honoree. The Q1 Ultra family of UMPCs, including the Q1 Ultra Premium, will be on display during CES 2008 at the Samsung booth, #11033 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 7-10.

Aimed at the commercial market, as well as to those individuals that travel frequently and thereby looking for the smallest PC-compatible form factor, the Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC advances Samsung’s Q1 Ultra line by delivering enhanced performance, extended battery life and superior text entry. Fueled by a 1.33GHz ULV Intel Core Solo U1500 Pentium CPU running at a clock speed of 1.33 GHz, along with 1 GB of high-speed DDR2 system memory, the Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC is a no-compromise, high-performance mobile computing solution that offers full PC functionality in an ultra-light, sub 2 pound package. Powering this advanced platform is a 57.7 watt hour Lithium Ion polymer 6-cell battery that will provide up to 7.5 hours of battery life. Additionally, this new model features the split-QWERTY keypad – Version 1.5 – which provides larger, improved keycaps making text entry even easier now. With these advances, combined with the UMPC’s enhanced features and ultra-portable form-factor, the Q1 Ultra Premium is a compelling solution for those mobile applications that require a no-compromise, PC-compatible, ultra portable solution.

Introduced in May 2007, the Q1 Ultra is Samsung’s second generation UMPC. In creating the Q1 Ultra line of UMPCs, Samsung relied on consumer insights to deliver a higher-performance solution packaged in an even more portable form factor than the previous Q1 models. Complete with an 80 GB 1.8” ultra-small hard disk drive, fingerprint reader for advanced system security and an SD/MMC 2-in-1 memory slot for easy memory expansion and data transfer, the Q1 Ultra UMPC is designed to enhance productivity and ease-of-use for a range of professional and personal applications.

“Since pioneering the UMPC form factor with the introduction of the original Q1, Samsung has been unwavering in its commitment to the long-term growth and development of this fast-growing mobile computing product segment,” said Bret Berg, senior product marketing manager, mobile computing products, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. “With the Q1 Ultra Premium, Samsung has leveraged Intel’s Ultra Low Voltage Pentium CPU to deliver an even higher-performing solution for those needing to support the latest and most advanced applications.”

Like the earlier Q1 Ultra UMPCs, the Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC continues to push the connectivity boundaries by including integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, providing users with wireless communications regardless of their location.

Value-add Q1 Ultra Premium accessories include a docking station which supports 3 USB 2.0 ports, an additional battery charger slot, audio-out and microphone-in ports, GPS navigation receiver with maps for the complete U.S. and Canada, an external USB-based keyboard with point stick and mouse select buttons, an organizer/portfolio carrying case, 6-cell extended-life battery, 8-cell extended-life Power Bank, car charger, replacement styluses and AC adapters, as well as a DVD RW +/- Dual Layer external Optical Disk Drive.

The initial Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC – Model: Q1UP-XP, Part Number: NP-Q1U/P01 – is based on the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet Edition operating system, and will be available for an MSRP of US$1,399.00 (RM4,756.00). To make room for this new model, Samsung will be lowering the price of their entire family of Q1 Ultra UMPC systems.

Are you game for a cheap UMPC?  The Samsung Q1 was previously selling for US$1,100.00 but is now for sale at US$579.99. If you can bear with the short battery life you should go grab yourself a refurbished Q1.

Before you buy yourself an UMPC, you should read this review from Paul Thurrott:

UMPC in the real world

“While I’d like to describe the UMPC as a best of both worlds experience, even the least demanding mobile user would never want to use one of these devices as their only PC because of the performance issues. That said, I travel enough to understand how laborious it is to lug around even a mid-sized notebook, and traveling lighter is an ongoing goal of mine. Given my heavy writing needs, a UMPC doesn’t quite measure up in my admittedly unusual case, and at the very least I’d need to carry along a USB keyboard and mouse in my checked luggage. I’ve brought the Samsung with me on the past few trips, and I’m doing so again as I write this from Seattle, for a Microsoft reviewer’s workshop. The question I have is simple: Can the UMPC function as my sole PC during business trips?

As it turns out, no, it cannot, but that’s largely because of the demanding needs of my job. (That said, I did write this review primarily on the UMPC, using a USB keyboard.) I typically travel with a high-end Windows Vista-based notebook that includes, among other things, a local version of the SuperSite Web site so I can work updates while traveling, a decent selection of digital media content for those hours stuck on planes with no room to really work, and a set of current articles that I’m working on at the time. I spend most of my time writing, emailing, and browsing the Web, and this all requires a reasonably well-equipped machine.

The UMPC is not such a machine. The Q1 Ultra I’m testing uses a lowly 800 MHz ultra-low-voltage processor mated to just 1 GB of RAM, a combination that is woefully inadequate for Windows Vista. I’ve tried to dumb down the UI in various ways to see how performance is impacted, but I can’t see a difference between the Classic and Windows Vista Basic UIs from a speed standpoint, so I leave it on the more attractive Vista Basic. Not that it matters: Try to do two or more things at once and the memory dries up immediately and system performance comes to a screeching halt.

Some tasks are simply too demanding for the UMPC regardless of what else you’re doing. Playing back a 1500 Kbps H.264 file in QuickTime or iTunes is almost impossible, and even Windows Media Player stumbles through these files with the appropriate codecs installed, providing a miserable overall experience. The supplied Origami Experience won’t play these files at all, even with the right codecs installed.

For general note-taking in Word 2007 and simple online tasks (email, Web browsing), the UMPC works just fine, assuming you don’t try to do both at once. A RAM bump to at least 2 GB–my recommended minimum for Vista–would likely do wonders, but these machines are never going to be performance champs, not in this generation. If your needs are far less demanding than mine, the UMPC may earn a place in your carry-on. But I don’t recommend using it as your only PC regardless. This is more of a PC companion than a true PC, despite the underlying operating system and its capabilities. It doesn’t matter if the device is compatible with something if it’s not fast enough to run it effectively. This may just be the slowest computer I’ve ever used.

Final thoughts

While Intel is set to release more impressive ULV microprocessors and chipsets in early 2008 that should go a long way towards making the UMPC more viable than it is today, that’s of little solace to anyone looking for this kind of device now. Here in late 2007, the UMPC is pretty much a non-starter for most users: While the Origami Experience is pleasant and well-designed, the underlying hardware is not even powerful enough to run mainstream multimedia content. Business users might be the best fit here: With a Wi-Fi connection and, preferably, a device with a keyboard, the UMPC is a somewhat capable email, Web, and productivity application solution. But again, you shouldn’t dump your existing PC for one of these machines. While the software soars, the hardware is lagging behind by a generation or two. If you value portability above all else and fit the usage model, a UMPC could be a decent traveling companion, assuming you understand the limitations up front. Personally, I’m waiting for the next generation.”

The above ad of the Samsung Q1 appeared in one of the airline magazines. Samsung sure has a way of hitting you in the gut while you are flying !

Imagine, the guy on the left actually put his noodles and coffee on top of his laptop !

While staring at his neighbour he console himself by thinking “His is smaller than mine”.

Now you know why an UMPC is so useful in all environment.  Here are some photos of the Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PC (Click to enlarge) :

And here are the Q1 specs:

Operation System   
Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium 

Processor
Intel® Ultra Mobile Processor A110 800MHz Clock 512Kb L2 Cache/400MHz FSB 

Main Chipset
Intel® GMA950
 
Memory 
System Memory  1GB DDR2 400MHz 
Memory Slot  2-in-1 Memory Slot (SD/MMC) 

Display 
LCD  7″ WSVGA Touch Screen LCD 1024 x 600 resolution,
LED Backlit - 300 nits Brightness 

Graphic 
128MB Shared Memory 

Multimedia 
Sound  HD Audio 
Speaker  Two Stereo Speakers (1.5W)

Integrated Camera 
Front Facing Video Chat (300P), Rear Facing Video/Still (1.3MP)
 
Storage 
HDD  60 GB, 1.8″, 4200 RPM 

Communication 
Wired Ethernet LAN  10/100 BaseTX 
Wireless LAN  802.11 b/g Wi-Fi 
Bluetooth  Bluetooth® 2.0 + EDR 

I/O Port 
VGA  DB-15 pin External VGA
Headphone-out  Y 
Internal Mic  Dual Array Microphone 
USB  Two USB 2.0 
RJ45 (LAN)  Y 

Input 
Keyboard Type  Split-QWERTY Keypad, 39 Keys, 4 User Defined Keys & Enter Key 

Power 
Standard Battery  4-cell Li-Ion (Prismatic) Battery, 29.6wh Capacity ~ 4.5 hours Battery Life
 
Physical 
Dimension (W x D x H)  8.96″ x 4.88″ x 0.93″ 
Weight  1.52 lbs.
 
Warranty
1 Year Parts & Labor 

Software 
Installed S/W  AVStation Now 5.0 MultiMedia, SRS TruSurround Sound, McAfee Virus Scan (30-day Trial), Adobe Reader, Samsung Easy Display Manager, Samsung Easy Battery Manager, Samsung Easy Network Manager, Samsung Magic Doctor Diagnostics 

Some eye candy on the Samsung SCH-i760 for the weekend.  See how the i760 stack against the others:

Here are the specs for the Verizon Samsung i760

Features

• EV-DO, 1X RTT Capable
• Windows Mobile® 6 Professional
• Microsoft® Office Word Mobile, Excel® Mobile, and PowerPoint® Mobile
• Picsel browser: view PDF, MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, JPG, PNG files
• Internet Explorer® Mobile
• Windows Media® Player 10
• Memory: 64MB RAM/128MB Flash
• Wi-Fi Connectivity (802.11 b/g)
• Bluetooth® Wireless Technology (v2.0)
• 2.8″ Display: 240 x 320 pixel; 65K color TFT
• Touch-sensitive LCD display
• Portrait and landscape orientation
• Separate phone keypad w/slide-out QWERTY Keyboard
• 1.3 megapixel camera w/flash and camcorder
• microSD^sm Expandable Memory slot
• Speakerphone
• Security locking features
• Text, Picture and Video Messaging
• Wireless Sync Capable
• ActiveSync® Capable (v4.5)
• BroadbandAccess Connect Capable

Specifications

• Dimensions: 2.28″ (H) x 4.49″ (W) x 0.77″ (D)
• Weight: 5.29 oz
• Standard Battery usage times - 1040mAh
• Usage: Up to 210 minutes OR
• Standby: Up to 204 hours
• Extended Battery usage times - 1500mAh
• Usage: Up to 300 minutes OR
• Standby: Up to 324 hours
• SAR information: Head: 0.73 W/kg; Body: 1.27 W/kg

At last, the highly anticipated Blackjack II has been unveiled and it’s the Samsung i617. There is not much details received so far, but we do know that it’s running WinMobile 6, the camera has been bumped up to 2-megapixels and HSDPA ensures very fast data transfer. Looks like AT&T is all but assured as the carrier. That’s not much of a surprise considering the original Blackjack was locked into AT&T. We’ll have to wait until AT&T and/or Samsung make an official announcement for pricing and availability. And for the rest of us in Asia and Europe, lets keep our fingers crossed.

(Source: Mobiledia)

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

Today is the beginning of The Mobile Hornet. The Mobile Hornet will be the place where you will get the latest on mobile devices … be it a Pocket PC phone, a smartphone, a PDA, or a cellphone or ….