Samsung Shows Off Two New Palm-Based Phones

Samsung Electronics is preparing to launch two new Palm OS-based cellular telephones in the U.S. market in the coming months.

The first of the two devices to appear from the South Korean electronics maker will be the SPH-I330. The handset is an updated version of the SPH-I300 handset and was originally scheduled to hit the market in April this year but is now expected in September, according to Samsung. Like the previous model, it will be sold through Sprint PCS Group.

The handset is a tri-band unit, compatible with CDMA at both 800 MHz and 1900 MHz and the analog AMPS technology. On the CDMA side, the telephone supports Sprint's recently launched CDMA2000 1x network, which offers users packet data rates of up to 144kbps.

Familiar Look

Looking broadly similar to the previous model, the main face of the handset is dominated by a large touch-screen LCD screen capable of displaying 256 colors. Other features include a GPS receiver for accurate location finding, speaker phone, infrared sensor, 16-tone ringer, and a Web browser for wireless Internet access.

The telephone is based on version 3.5 of the Palm operating system and will run all standard Palm applications.

In terms of physical size, the I330 is slightly smaller and lighter than Samsung's previous model. It measures 4.9 inches by 2.2 inches by .7 inches, which is a fraction larger than the I300 while the weight has been cut from 6.0 ounces to 5.2 ounces in the new model, Samsung says.

Few Details

The second telephone from Samsung is the SPH-I500. Full details of the telephone are expected to be announced by Samsung in September or October, but initial details of the telephone have been revealed through a filing the company made with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which must approve all cell phones before they can be used or sold in the U.S.

Like the I330, the I500 will be a tri-band model compatible with CDMA, including CDMA2000, and AMPS and is expected to be offered through Sprint PCS, according to the filing.

The second handset looks less like a PDA and more like a conventional cell phone. Samsung has chosen the popular clamshell design for the handset, a move which necessitates moving the graffiti writing area from directly beneath the display to just above the telephone keypad on the lower part of the folding handset.

On the upper half of the telephone just below the main screen, which is a color touch-panel display, there are four quick launch buttons which provide fast access to commonly used applications. From the factory these come programmed for the address book, date book, memo pad, and to-do list although they can be changed by the user, according to the Samsung documents.

Additional Features?

Few other features are disclosed in the filing although there are suggestions the phone will support an external keyboard and come with a cradle for synchronizing with a personal computer.

The two telephones are not the only PDA phones expected from Samsung during the remainder of this year. The company is also expected to launch a phone based on Microsoft's Windows Powered Smartphone operating system. The SCH-I600 was detailed in similar FCC filings last week and a sample provided for testing carried the logo of Verizon Communications.

Some features of products submitted for approval by the FCC can be changed by the manufacturer and, although it is rare, sometimes approved products never make it to market.