Counterpoint claims Samsung the top smartphone maker in Q4 in 2014

According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung led the Indian market with a market share of 16.1% overall mobile phone and 27.4% smartphone in the fourth quarter of 2014. The report also claimed that Apple shipped half a million units in a quarter for the first time. It was possible for the strong demand for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

As per market research firm Counterpoint, Micromax captured 19.5% market share in the smartphone segment while it had 14.4% share in the overall mobile phone market which ranked it at the second spot. They also reported that Micromax’s smartphone shipments grew 75% on yearly basis but declined sequentially.

With less than 7% market share, Intex became the third largest smartphone maker in the quarter, surpassing Lava, Karbonn and Motorola. This homegrown company enjoyed a strong demand for Aqua 3G and Y Pro models which were in sub-$100 smartphone segment. Lava and Lenovo were taking fourth and fifth spot with 5.1% and 4.7% smartphone market share respectively.  

Samsung lost top position to Micromax in the Indian smartphone market

According to research firm Canalys, Samsung has lost its top position to homegrown handset maker Micromax as India’s largest smartphone vendor.

The research firm has reported that the Gurgaon-headquartered handset maker has captured 22 percent share in the Indian smartphone market in terms of shipment in India in the October-December 2014 quarter. In the same quarter, Samsung has gained 20 percent share.

However, the Koran-based company has rejected Canalys’ report claiming it had 34.3 percent market share in the Indian smartphone market as per GfK data which put them ahead of the domestic rival.

Samsung has been going through a very tough time losing its market share in India to domestic players like Micromax, Lava, Karbonn as well as global rivals like Motorola and Xiaomi over the last few quarters. In the global market, they are facing tough competition from Apple and Chinese company Xiaomi.

Apple is pursuing Samsung for the top spot in the smartphone sales

Samsung is facing the threat of losing its top position to Apple in the smartphone market. Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have become one of the most shipped smartphone models all over the world. Because of its strong sales since its release, it has appeared to snatch some market share from Samsung. If it continues then Apple could easily take the top spot for the smartphone sales leaving behind Samsung in the second position. It is possible that Xiaomi, the world’s third ranked smartphone manufacturer, could move past Samsung as well.

Samsung has been losing its market share gradually to other OEM’s and if it continues then Samsung will lose their top position for long time. In the third quarter of 2014, they had around 25% market share which is 9% less than their previous year market share at the same time which was around 34%, according to Canalys. It is clear that Samsung is losing their hold on the populace.

It is reported that Apple’s adaptation for bigger screen and LED technology helped them competing with Samsung’s more recent Galaxy S 5 and Galaxy Note 4. Now, tech experts and market analysts are expecting to see if Galaxy S 6, which is slated to be launched this year, can help the South Korea-based company to regain some market share from competing OEM’s who are currently stealing away user numbers. 

Samsung overtakes Apple Inc in the U.S. smartphone market

According to the third quarter sales report of the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Apple Inc is behind Samsung Electronics with 34 per cent share in the U.S. smartphone market. Undoubtedly Samsung has taken the driving seat with 38 per cent market share. This indicates that Samsung appears to have taken a bit of share from Apple Inc in the U.S. market.

In October 2012, Apple became the market leader with the release of iPhone 5. CIRP also mentioned that Apple Inc may overtake Samsung in the United States in the last quarter of 2013 with the release of the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C.

In the last three surveys of CIRP, Apple Inc was the top smartphone maker. It is interesting to see that South Korea-based company Samsung has overtaken its rival without considering feature phone sales data.

Rivalry between Apple Inc and Samsung is known to all. Even Samsung has made themselves the strong competitor for Apple in smartphone and Tablet PC sectors. Now, this latest sales figures will add fuel to their competition.  

Samsung to launch 12-inch tablet PC

The South Korea-based company, Samsung, has come at the centre of media attention after being reported by the local daily newspaper that it has been working on its 12-inch tablet PC. If it is believed to be true then it is going to be the biggest screen sized tablet PC made by Samsung ever. The Korean media also claimed that Samsung Display and Sharp will supply about 2.5 million 12.2-inch panels to Samsung Electronics for this new device. It is also claimed that display would be based on IGZO (Indum-Gallium Zinc Oxide) technology. However, there is no exact launch date found in the report but it is thought to be showcased in October this year.

It is also heard from different upstream supply chain that besides Samsung, tablet PC leader, Apple, is also developing tablets with a 12-inch or larger display. Due to poor sales of 9-inch and 10-inch devices, vendors are losing interest to make tablets in these two sizes. Among different size tablet PCs, only 7-inch devices are getting more popular.

According to evleaks, this 12-inch tablet PC will be dubbed as SM-P900. It will have resolution of 2560x1600 pixels and will be powered by an Exynos Octa 5 processor. The device is also expected to support S-Pen, Samsung's stylus solution for its Note series tablets and phablets.

Readers may get different specification of this device in different websites. In another technology site it is published that SM-P900 tablet will run on Android 4.2.

Samsung plans to introduce wristwatch-like device on September 4

Samsung Electronics Co. has caught the media attention after it planned to introduce its wristwatch-like device, Galaxy Gear, on September 4, two days before the IFA consumer electronics show that will make its commence in Berlin. It is said that this device will be able to make phone calls, surf the Web and handle e-mails. This thing has come to the media by two people familiar with the matter.

It is also said that Galaxy Gear will be powered by Google’s Android operating system. However, further information regarding this matter was not found. It is thought to be available for sale this year. There is no doubt if it is launched in the market then it is going to make a tough challenge for a product from Apple Inc.

It looks like that Samsung is very much serious about wearable devices as it is competing with other electronics makers to create a new industry of it as the market for top-end handsets nears saturation. It is thought to be Samsung’s most popular device besides smartphone, tablet PC and TV.

According to Chung Chang Won, an analyst at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Seoul, wearable devices has the highest potential to be one of the trends in the smartphone market. He could not confirm whether watches or glasses will set the trend.

The major problem of Galaxy Gear is its inflexible display. The company is still working on developing a bendable screen. It will be unveiled along with Galaxy Note 3, a combination of smartphone and tablet PC.

Samsung takes Apple’s place in smartphone sales

It seems that Apple is losing its dominance in the smartphone market. This well-known brand is no longer the market leader. They are facing more challenges from other competitors. However, their only big rival is Samsung who is crushing Apple in smartphone sales.

According to the research report by IDC, the South Korean company, Samsung, is on top of the global market share with 33%. Their sales jumped from 60 million to 70.7 million phones this past quarter. On the other hand, Apple’s sales increased 6.6 percent year-over-year to 37.4 million over the same period.

Apple’s iPhone is a high-end device. It is expensive device and very few people can dare to buy this hand set. On the other hand, Samsung makes both cheaper and top-end devices.

Apple’s competition is not only with Samsung for customers, but also with other Android-phone manufacturers for the attention of app developers.

To increase their share in the smartphone market, Apple CEO should take some steps and try to take their place as market leader.

Samsung is the number one smartphone seller in China

According to a leaked research report from Strategy Analytics, Samsung for the first time has become the biggest smartphone vendor in China by selling the highest number of smartphones in 2012.

However, the research report has not been made public, according to a Strategy Analytics spokesman. The research report states that Samsung has sold nearly triple amount of devices in China last year. In 2012, they sold 30.06 million smartphones, up from 10.9 million units the year before.

Samsung is now the leading smartphone seller in the world’s largest market with 17.7% market share. Lenovo, which is the Chinese electronics giant, came close after Samsung in second place. Apple with an 11% market share, moved back up into China’s top five smartphone vendors.

Local vendors like Huawei and Coolpad are also doing well. They took 9.9% and 9.7% market share respectively.

Demands for smartphone are increasing day by day in China. According to the statement from the research farm, smartphone shipments in China increased by more than 75%, year-on-year to “record levels” in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Samsung’s sales of Galaxy S models surpass 100-million unites

The South Korean company, Samsung, is continuously doing well in the smartphone market. Because of their growth of sales, they have become one of the tough competitors for Apple’s iPhone. Their global sales of smartphone are increasing day by day.

Recently research firm, IHS iSuppli, has revealed a sales report in which it has been shown that Samsung Electronics Co. has surpassed 100 million units of its Galaxy S models in March 2011, less than four years after introducing the phone in 2007.

So far Samsung has released three sets of its particular model- Galaxy S, Galaxy S II and Galaxy S III which are reportedly to be sold more than 25 million, 40 million and 41 million respectively.

The first model in the series came to the market less than three years ago. The first Galaxy S model was launched at the end of May 2010 to hold a share in the smartphone market.

They did not take long time to narrow the gap between them and the bigger smartphone makers. In terms of cell phone sales, they beat Nokia last month and Apple in smartphone sales last year.

According to analysts, Samsung is supposed to announce the fourth version of the Galaxy S smartphone before this summer.  

Samsung will introduce a new tablet at IFA

South Korean electronics company, Samsung Electronics, is now planning to introduce a new tablet PC in the upcoming global electronics trade show that will take place Germany next month. It is also heard that this tablet PC will run on Microsoft operating system. The idea of introducing a new tablet PC is taken by the company’s IT solution business.

However, it is not going to be a first tablet PC from Samsung. Samsung already made its entrance in the competitive tablet PC market with the launch of Galaxy Tab. They also got good feedback from the users for its size and specifications. It may raise question to the gadget lovers that- will the introduction of new tablet PC stop the production of Galaxy Tab?

The main purpose of rolling out new tablet PC is perhaps to compete with market leader, ipad. Another reason of introducing new tablet PC is the decrease of selling laptop and desktop.

Rumors has been spread out ahead of the IFA Berlin trade show is that they might unveil Wave Phone 3 on this fair. This phone will run on its indigenous operating system, the Bada 2.0 version.

Let’s see if the new tablet PC can make strong challenge against the top tablet PCs.

Related article:

The Korea Herald

Samsung introduces Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9

Samsung Electronics has introduced a number of Galaxy Tab models. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab 8.9 are one of the two models. These two models have been unveiled by Samsung in the global market. The company is also set to launch a 5-inch screen Galaxy Tab Wi-Fi.

Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet PCs have incorporated 1 GHz dual core processors and improved RAM and memory options. These options provide high-speed and stable performance.

These models are not only thinner and lighter than its predecessor but also other tablet PCs found in the market. Users will get dual cameras both in rear and front side. These models will also feature Google G-Talk for video conferencing.

TouchWiz user interface is the special feature that will be found in the new tablet series. It will give users greater experience. Because of its smoother UI from the company, users will feel much comfortable to use the tablet PC. Users will also get some additional features, such as Live Panel menu on the home screen. With the help of this menu, users will be able to customize content display of different apps on the device.

These models will come with WXGA TFT LCD display that will support full HD video playback. It also has built-in surround speakers that will give users fantastic music experience.

Another biggest advantage of these new models is that they support Flash-based multimedia content. It has HSPA+ network speeds of up to 21 Mbps, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n for network connectivity.

Samsung Gets New CEO and COO

Samsung is the leading company in South Korea and in Seoul share market; they have very strong individual presence

Yesterday, there was a change in senior management and Samsung electronics has a new CEO and also a new chief operating officer and COO. It seems that the appointment of new COO has abducted more attention because the new Chief Operating Officer is Jay Y. Lee. He is the son of former chairman Lee Kun-hee. This is the second change in senior management this year. The latest change came in January.

I am not sure about the reason of such move but according to a report of Reuters this change can help the company to earn more profit in 2010. 

Samsung F480 Hugo Boss Phone Comes with a Stunning Design

Samsung F480 Hugo Boss phone is a design oriented phone set that features an excellent design with the same features of Samsung F480 phone set. This is the latest high end product from Samsung’s volt. Samsung F480 Hugo Boss phone looks gorgeous with some excellent features.

The phone offers 2.8-inch touchscreen display, a quality 5 megapixel camera and supports HSDPA for high-speed wireless data. It also comes with Bluetooth facility and an integrated media player.

Htlounge reported:

The core features found in the Hugo Boss Samsung phone include a large 2.8-inch touchscreen display, an incredible 5 megapixel camera, full HSDPA support for high-speed wireless data, Bluetooth, and an integrated media player. The TouchWiz user interface has been included as well, but Hugo Boss probably added its own dash of style as well.

Surprisingly, the Hugo Boss Samsung F480 doesn’t carry that much of a premium over the non Hugo Boss phone. It’ll retail for 479 Euro, which isn’t exactly cheap, but you can probably find some Hugo Boss clothing that costs a lot more than that.

Samsung F480 Hugo Boss phone seems to be an attractive package with stunning look. However, the price tag seems to be a bit higher for the middle class users to afford. Still, the gorgeous appearance and excellent features of the handset might convince you to spend that amount to become an owner of Samsung F480 Hugo Boss phone set.

Samsung releases two new phones: Samsung J800 Luxe and Samsung L700

At the Singapore Telecommunication Exhibition Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (SEO: 005930) unveiled two new mobile phones: the Samsung J800 Luxe, and the Samsung L700.

Samsung J800 Luxe:

Dimension:
Breadth: 15 mm
Length: 99.5 mm
Width: 47 mm

• The Samsung J800 Luxe is a middle range slider phone.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe comes with a 2.2-inches 256K TFT display with 176 x 220 pixels resolution.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe comes with a 2 mega pixels camera. It has photo blog option which allows you to upload image directly in your blog.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe comes with a music and video player.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe has FM radio with RDS.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe supports stereo Bluetooth (A2DP).
• The Samsung J800 Luxe has 8MB built-in memory.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe comes with microSD card slot.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe has a built-in office document viewer.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe has HTML browser.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe supports POP3/IMAP4 mail client.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe supports RSS reader.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe comes with mobile tracker.
• The Samsung J800 Luxe supports tri-band phone
• The Samsung J800 Luxe relies on the UMTS (2100 MHz) for fast data transfers.
• Price: The Samsung J800 Luxe will be available in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America this month and it will cost 400US$.

The Samsung L700:

Dimension:
Length: 104 mm
Width: 46 mm
Breadth: 12.8mm

• The Samsung L700 is a thin candy bar phone.
• The Samsung L700 comes with a 2.1-inch TFT 256k color screen with 128 x 160 pixels resolution.
• The Samsung L700 supports HSDPA.
• The Samsung L700 is available in pink, silver, and gold.
• The Samsung L700 supports quad-band (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900).
• The Samsung L700 also has UMTS support.
• The Samsung L700 comes with a 2 megapixel camera.
• The Samsung L700 comes with the traditional Samsung music/video player.
• The Samsung L700 has FM radio with RDS.
• The Samsung L700 has stereo Bluetooth.
• The Samsung L700 comes with built-in memory of 30MB.
• The Samsung L700 has microSD cardslot.
• The Samsung L700 has vibrating alert system.
• The phonebook of Samsung L700 can store 1000 entries with photo call.
• The call records of Samsung L700 can store 30 dialed, 30 received, 30 missed calls.
• The browser of Samsung L700 supports WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML.
• Samsung will also release a golden version of Samsung L700.
  

Related article:
GSM Arena

Mobile Bond

Phone Report

Tech Tree

Sprint's Samsung Instinct won the heart of the consumers

Good news for Samsung (SEO: 005935). Finally, the South Korean mobile phone set producer has produced something that has become a major competitor of Apple iPhone 3G. The Samsung Instinct marketed by Sprint is doing very well. The sales of Samsung 3G started from June 20^th. So far, it is the best EVDO handset ever offered by Sprint. The company is having a tough time to keep pace with the high demands of the consumers. The first week sales is a proof that consumers have accepted the new touch screen technology. Into Mobile reports:

“We had high expectations going into the launch so our initial order to Samsung was the largest for any Sprint EVDO handset to date,” said John Garcia, President of Sprint’s Wireless Division. “The strong early response tells us that wireless customers recognize Instinct as a highly-innovative and convenient touch-screen device combined with the fast speeds available on the largest national mobile broadband network."

The Sprint Instinct is priced at just $130 after $100 rebate and 2-year contract. If you can't swing that kind of coin, try winning a free Instinct.

No doubt that iPhone is very popular it is one sleek looking smart phones but it has lags behind in some departments. For example, the Apple iPhone 3G does not have voice dialing system. In this regard, Samsung Instinct is a voice-centric device rather than data centric.

Related articles:
Market News

Into Mobile

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd expects to sale 200 mobile phonesets in 2008

Despite world wide economic slow down, South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SEO: 005930) is expecting to sale 200 million mobile phone sets this year. Compared to 2007, this is a 25% increase.

Youngcho Chi, Senior Vice President for Marketing, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. said that his company had not been affected by the current economic climate. They were still seeing health growth rates in their sales. He believed that global economic situation presented them with the opportunity to increase their competitive edge to win their consumers’ support and attention. Reuters reports:

"We expect the overall mobile market size in 2008 to be about 1.2 billion units, a 9 per cent increase from 2007," Youngcho Chi, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics' Mobile Communications division, told Reuters in an email.

"Of these, we aim to achieve sales of 200 million units, a 25 per cent increase from the 161 million units sold in 2007," Chi said.

Samsung, which trails Finland's Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) in the cellphone market, sold 46.3 million phones in the first quarter, equal to a record number sold in the fourth quarter.

Margins in the unit rose to a strong 16 percent from the fourth quarter's 11 percent.

According to Samsung forecasts, the mobile handset market would grow 4-5% in the second quarter against previous quarter in which the company sold about 46.3 mobile phones. Last year, Samsung observed a 42% growth in its phone set sales, which was four times higher than the industry growth rate. Still, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd is far behind Nokia (NYSE:NOK), the Finland mobile phone company in terms of global handset sales.

Related articles:
Forbes

Reuters

Telecom Tiger

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd receives WiMAX Forum Wave2 certificate

At the 2008 WiMAX Forum Global Congress, held in Amsterdam, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SEO: 005930) received world’s first WiMAX Forum Wave2 certificate for its ‘Base Station’ and ‘Mobile Station’. Both the devices support 2.5GHZ band. The products are commercial grade ‘Mobile WiMAX Wave2 Base Station’ and ‘Mobile Station.’ The devices use Samsung’s Mobile WiMAX Wave2 modem chipset which will be commercially used in the Sprint-Nextel Mobile WiMAX service. ZDNet reports:

Mobile WiMAX Wave2 products introduce a number of new features including Multi-In Multi-Out (MIMO) and Smart Antenna. These features enable the fastest data rate, up to 37Mbps for downlink and 10Mbps for uplink, among currently available mobile technologies in service. At this speed users can download 3MB MP3 music files within 0.7 seconds and 700MB movie files within less than 3 minutes.

“We are very excited to obtain the Mobile WiMAX Wave2 certification from WiMAX Forum by successfully passing all rigorous certification tests. This once again shows Samsung’s leadership in Mobile WiMAX technologies.” said Geesung Choi, President of Telecommunication Business at Samsung Electronics.

Mr. Choi said that he is confident in Mobile WiMAX as one of the most promising service in mobile broadband. Earlier, in April, Samsung also received Wave1 certification which makes Samsung few of the top vendors to posses both certified commercial Mobile WiMAX Wave1 and Wave2 product line ups.

Related article:
ZDNet

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd launches its new series of HD LCD TVs and HD PDP TVs in Saudi Arabia

United Matbouli Group, one of the major agents of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SEO:005935) in Saudi Arabia, is going to launch Samsung’s latest line-up of Full HD LCD TVs and HD PDP TVs in Saudi Arabia. Omar Siddiqui, AV Product Manager, said that Samsung’s newest LCD technologies and engineering techniques have allowed them to offer attractive HD and Full HD TVs with great features and excellent picture quality. He said that with the LCD HDTV Series 4, and FullHDTV Series 5 and Series 6 consumers could enjoy a premium high definition experience. Albawaba.com reports:

Combining elegant styling with a wide range of higher-end components ordinarily exclusive to premium sets, consumers can now experience superb picture quality, optimized digital performance, and ease-of-use in an HDTV that fits seamlessly into any home decor.

"Everything from the LCD panel and chassis construction down to input accessibility and the remote control are specifically engineered to provide an incredible HD entertainment experience," added Mohammad Asad Ali, Business Unit Manager, United Matbouli Group. "Consumers will also find an easy-to-navigate interface with settings to instantly give you the best picture and sound at the press of a button."

The Series 6 Full HD LCD TVs comes in 32, 40,46, and 52 inches with Full HD resolutions of (1920*1080). The 46 and inches model comes with a dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000:1.The Series 5 Full HD LCD TV contains all the features of Series 4. It comes with a Full resolution of 1920*1080 and is available in 32, 37, 40 and 46 inches. The Series 4 LCD HDTV comes in piano-black bezel color frames and delivers superior picture quality and 178 degree viewing angles from all four axis.

Related article:
Albawaba.com

Samsung Instinct: The latest iPhone clone from Samsung

Apple has announced its latest iPhone model, Apple AAPL iPhone 3G. Now, it’s Samsung’s turn to strike. Earlier, LG tried to take over iPhone with its Voyager and Vu. Samsung released an array of models including F480, F700, SGH-i900 and so on. Unfortunately, none of the models could take over iPhone. Once again, the South Korean mobile giant has announced its latest iPhone look alike; Samsung Instinct. This time every body is saying that it is going to be a major competitor for iPhone though it’s software functions are not as good as that of iPhone. The phone was announced in April. In the recently held CTIA Wireless 2008, Samsung Instinct took the Emerging Technology Award. The phone set also became the Most Innovative and Best Cell Phone in CNET’s Cream of the Crop. It will go on sale on June 20^th.New York Times.com says:

In other words, a certain population still awaits something that offers the touch-screen joy of an iPhone without those limitations. Oh, there have been efforts, but just slapping a touch screen onto a phone does not make it an iPhone. It’s all about the software, kids.
Here comes one more. On June 20, Sprint will offer the new Samsung Instinct. It, too, is a blatant iPhone wannabe, but its software structure is simple and it has its own personality. It does not succeed in surpassing the iPhone, especially the new one — but it does succeed as a smartphone.
The Instinct is tentatively priced at $200 with a two-year contract and a $100 rebate. It’s a wee bit taller and thicker than the iPhone, but noticeably narrower (2.2 x 4.6 x 0.5 inches).

Dimension:
Length: 4.6"
Breadth: 2.2"
Width: 0.5"
Weight: 4.4 ounces.
The phone is taller, narrower and lighter than iPhone.

Features:

• The Samsung Instinct comes with 3G EV-DO data services.
• The Samsung Instinct comes with a 3.25 inch color touch screen with haptic feedback. While browsing the web, the screen makes feel cramped. It is protected by plastic coating.Tech.yahoo.com reports:
  

  The Instinct's main touch interface has four tabs: Favorites, Main, Fun, and Web. Tapping the Main tab brings you to the phone's core applications (e-mail, navigation, settings, etc.), while Fun calls up multimedia (music, videos, camera), and Web includes ... well, the Web browser, plus widgets for news, weather, sports, and the like.

  As you touch the various tabs, little icon-based boxes slide back and forth, gathering smoothly into a grid—it's one of the little touches that makes browsing the Instinct's menus an iPhone-esque experience.

• The Samsung Instinct comes with a 2.0 megapixel camera.
• The Samsung Instinct can record video clips, a feature not available on the iPhone.
• The Samsung Instinct comes with a GPSand turn-by-turn directions which is powered by TeleNav.
• The Samsung Instinct has FM radio. The Sprint Radio offers more than 150 channels.
• The Samsung Instinct has microSD memory card slot (expandable upto 8GB).
  

• The Samsung Instinct has voice dialing system. Quoting AP, CNET, and Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo says:

CNET
The Instinct's touch screen dominates its real estate. With support for 262,000 colors and a 432,240-pixel resolution, the display is positively gorgeous. Colors popped, graphics were vibrant, and text was crisp. Indeed, it's one of the better displays we've seen in a while...but [it] can look rather cramped...

AP
The result is a lucid, logical interface. It's not as pretty as the iPhone's, but it allows the user to quickly use e-mail, Web browsing, GPS navigation and text messaging; watch videos, live TV and photos; and listen to music and online radio.

Wall Street Journal
The touch system on the Instinct is more like that on an ancient ATM than a cutting-edge gadget, even though it has a gimmicky feedback mechanism that gives you a tiny vibration-jolt when you press an icon.

• The Samsung Instinct has speech recognition system which enables the user to make phone calls, send text and picture, go to search, go to news, go to weather, go to movies, go to sports, and go to search.
• The Samsung Instinct comes with 3.5mm headphone jack. Gizmodo says:
• 
  

  Snappy Interface: Other touchscreen phones we've seen have annoying split-second lags. The Instinct, for the most part, does not. Some of its visuals were obviously borrowed from Apple, such as pop-up option screens, lists of settings, etc., but at the same time it has features that are original, albeit inspired by Cupertino: When a call comes in, you tap the center then slide up to accept or slide down to ignore. Hanging up is a slide from left to right. (The phone interface has other cool features, too, like "personal" call history for each of your contacts—so don't go cheatin'—and the ballyhooed visual voicemail, which unfortunately wasn't available to test at this time.) The UI only got stuck a couple of times, and never permanently. As with any other "natural" interface, it takes a few minutes to figure out the physics of the system, but once you do, it's intuitive.

• The Samsung Instinct comes with Bluetooth 2.0.
• The Samsung Instinct has LiIon battery with up to 6 hours of talk time.
• Sprint Music Store offers wireless downloads with $0.99/track.
• The Samsung Instinct also has Microsoft Live search.

Weak points:

• Sprint TV has been reformatted to fit the screen of Samsung Instinct, but the video quality is not so good. You can enjoy Spring TV with live on demand programming.
• The web browser and UI need more development. Tech.yahoo.com

Web browsing on the Instinct isn't quite so impressive, however. The browser works well enough with mobile-optimized pages, but (as I've written before) slows to a crawl with full-HTML pages. You can scroll by tapping and dragging Web pages, but there's no "pinching" on the Instinct's non-multitouch display, so you must tap a virtual button to zoom in or out. In other words, while the Instinct's Web browser is certainly above par, it can't hold a candle to the iPhone's.

• The graphics on Samsung Instinct touch screen are slightly dull.
• The Samsung Instinct does not have Wi-Fi.
  

Price:
Initially, Samsung Instinct was priced $499.99. After iPhone 3G was priced at $299, Samsung brought the price down to $199 with a rebate of $100, which requires a two year contract. The phone set will be sold by renowned wireless telecommunication Network company, SprintS.

If you want to get more information you can visit these two websites:
http://www.nowisgood.com/

http://www.samsunginstinct.com/

Related articles:
The Street.com

Crave.cnet

Tech.yahoo.com

Mobilewhack (1)

Mobilewhack (2)

Mobilewhack (3)

Gizmodo(1)

Gizmodo (2)

New York Times

Samsung

SamsungInstinct

Samsung launched its latest 'iPhone Killer,' Samsung SGH-i900 Omnia

Yesterday, before Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced a new version of iPhone, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched one of its flagship phones of 2008; Samsung SGH-i900, also known as Samsung Omnia.

Omnia is a Latin word which means everything. In Arabic, it means wish. You can also refer it as an ‘iPhone clone’. Samsung is now desperate to break into iPhone’s market. Earlier, the company also released other models such as Samsung F480 TouchWiz saying it will be an ‘iPhone killer.’

If you are a regular reader of Asianbiz, you have already read about the phone. A Chinese website: pconline.com.cn., leaked out pictures of Omnia on the internet.

The current Omnia version will work in Asia’s 3G network but not in the USA 3G. On June 17^th, the phone will be unveiled at te CommunicAsia trade fair in Singapore and would go on sale in South East Asia that week. It will be available in Europe in July.

Related articles:
Asianbiz.blogspot.com

Channel Web

Information Week

The Tech Herald

Samsung