MetroPCS' first 4G Android smartphone is now available and it's quite an attractive offering.  Called the Samsung Indulge, the handset brings strong specs, excellent usability and one downside that may prove a deal-breaker for some users.

Physically, it's your typical touchscreen candybar.  Just like other Galaxy S handsets, it has a glossy black finish, rounded corners and a sturdy build.  While completely plastic, the make hardly deters from the experience.

Display is a  3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 800 resolution), showing crisp images and facilitating excellent touch response.  It's not AMOLED, though, so it's not quite as good as some of Samsung's other releases.  Slide-out QWERTY keyboard offers well-spaced, slightly flat keys that actually turn out to be very good for typing.

As a phone, the Indulge makes for good calls.  Voices go through clear and there was very little distortion, although you'll often need to turn the volume up to max if you're outdoors.  Speakerphone is just as capable, sounding very clear with just a slight harshness.  The battery is the low point here (and could very well be the deal-breaker for some).  Rated at only 3 hours of talk time, the 1,500 mAh module will probably drain before the day is over if you use your phone regularly.

Packing a 1Ghz processor, the handset zipped through Android 2.2 without any problems.  It runs TouchWiz 3.0, which I actually like.  With skins like these being a matter of preference, of course, your mileage may vary.  The big deal about the Indulge, of course, is its 4G support (which downshifts to 3G when a signal isn't available).  Speed is impressive, but don't expect it to beat the Epic 4G under Sprint's WiMax in head-to-head tests.

It's got all the usual Froyo smartphone fare -- multiple calling options, basic and advanced messaging, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, PIM tools and Google's suite of apps.  WiFi hotspot isn't enabled, though, which puts a slight damp on the attractive 4G speeds.  A slew of additional apps  also come preloaded, including Samsung's AllShare service (DLNA sharing), a social networking and IM bundle, and various productivity tools.

The music player looks better because of the TouchWiz skinning; otherwise, it still has the standard Android features.  Playback of both audio and video clips is very speedy.  The 3.2 megapixel camera snaps good shots, although the general quality of images is pretty dull, even with good lighting.

If you can live with the deficient battery life, the Samsung Indulge is actually a very cost-effective choice for an Android smartphone.  We love that it's available without a contract, although the $399 price will likely be restrictive for some.

Samsung has released copious amounts of Android phones.  So far, though, we haven't seen a single clamshell handset from the outfit.  That is, until now, with the Samsung W899.

Officially announced for the Chinese market, the smartphone takes on an entirely unique form factor, combining the design of both flip phones and touchscreen slates.  Instead of a small display in front like regular clamshell devices, it puts a  full touchscreen display on the face of the 57.4 x 107.5 x 17.55 mm body.

Details of the Samsung W899 include two 3.3-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreens (one on the front and one on the inside flap), a 5.0 megapixel camera module with 720p video recording, a front-facing VGA camera, aGPS, WiFi, 3G (EvDo Rev. A), stereo Bluetooth, 512MB of onboard storage and microSD card expansion.  It comes with Android 2.2 pre-installed, although there are no details on what apps made it to the device.

We're not sure if the outer display is crippled or something, but dual displays meant to work independently sound particularly odd.  From the looks of it, you can use both the external and internal panels just like any regular Android touchscreen; except for the second display, you get a physical alphanumeric keyboard for T9-style typing.

No word on whether the Samsung W899 will be released in other markets.  For now, though, it's being prepped for release under China Telecom.

[via UnwiredView]

Samsung just announced a new phone for the Russian market.  Called the Samsung C3530, it's a rather basic device clad in a traditional candy bar form factor with old-school alphanumeric keys.

Details of the phone include a 2.2-inch TFT LCD (320 x 240 resolution), a 3.2 megapixel camera module, Bluetooth 2.1, an FM tuner, a 3.5mm headset jack and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB).  Connectivity is strictly quad-band GSM/EDGE, with neither 3G nor WiFi thrown in.  Like most of today's phones, it bundles access to social networking services, Facebook and Twitter, along with a number of IM apps, such as Google Talk, AIM and Parlingo.

Although its features tow along the basic range, Samsung does step it up with the C3530's design.  Not only is the body slim at 11.9mm, it uses primarily metallic materials in the case, including a brushed metal back panel -- a nice departure from the usually plastic make of similarly-featured devices.

The catch?  Samsung seems to think that sturdy materials and a nice feel in hand equal a good chunk of extra on the price.  As such, the Samsung C3530, which is now selling in stores across Russia, is priced at 5,990 RUB (around $190).

[Unwired View]

Samsung has been one of the more consistent manufacturers when it comes to putting linear successors for their feature phone models.  That continues with the Samsung Solstice II,  a newly-announced touchscreen messaging handset.

The successor to last year's Samsung Solstice, the device puts messaging and social networking at a premium, touting a full range of messaging options (SMS, MMS, IM and mobile email), threaded SMS and AT&T Social Net.  It runs TouchWiz 2.0, which features the familiar home screen for one-touch access to apps and services.

Details of the Samsung Solstice II include a 3-inch touchscreen display (240 x 400 resolution), a 2.0 megapixel camera module, aGPS (with AT&T Navigator and AllSport GPS), 3G with HSPA, Bluetooth 2.1, 256MB of internal storage, microSD card expansion (up to 16GB) and a battery rated at up to 5 hours of talk time.  Phone takes on a slate-style form factor, measuring 4.29 x 2.13 x 0.47 inches and weighing 3.35 ounces.

Slated for release by AT&T, it comes with a slew of the carrier's services, including AT&T AppCenter, AT&T Music and MobiTV.  Other preloaded extras include PicDial, Star Tweets and Vlingo.

The Samsung Solstice II is dropping this Sunday both online and at AT&T's retail locations all over the US.  Price is pegged at $29.99 on a two-year agreement.

[Samsung USA]

Still aren't sold on smartphones and couldn't give a rat's ass about mid-range feature handsets?  Not a problem, cause manufacturers big and small continue coming up with cellphones just for folks just like you.  Here's one that dropped just now: the Samsung M360.

Clad in a compact clamshell design, the appearance is unmistakably entry-level.  It measures 3.9 x 1.9 x 0.7 inches, weighs 3.6 oz and sports a small colored display right on the flip-up cover.

No word on the interior screen size, not that it matters to anyone whose primary interests lie in merely calling and texting.  Features of the Samsung M360 include a 1.3 megapixel camera module, stereo Bluetooth, an embedded GPS chip for emergency location services, a WAP web browser, a 3.5mm audio jack, speaker-independent voice dialing and, surprisingly, threaded text messaging support.  It comes with a 1,000 mAh lithium ion battery, rated at up to 6.2 hours of talk time.

Sprint is releasing the phone in the US, so it comes with a variety of the carrier's services , including Sprint Picture Mail, Sprint Family Locator and Sprint Mobile Sync.  You can get it free on a two-year contract, right after going through a couple of rebate hoops you should be familiar with by now.

[Sprint via Engadget]

Unlike what the name might imply, the Samsung Transform doesn't shape-shift from a cellphone to a robot.  What it does have, though, are a solid set of midrange smartphone features that run on Android 2.1.

Physically, it's a great-looking handset.  It has rounded corners, glossy finish and a nice design, topped with sturdy construction and a solid feel in hand.  Display is a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 320 resolution), with good brightness and excellent touch response.  A slide-out QWERTY keyboard slips out of the side, with wide keys and ample spacing, although we could have done with a slightly more raised profile.

As a phone, the Samsung Transform makes for superb calls, with clear sound on both ends and no interference whatsoever.  Speakerphone was pretty good, too, adding just a slight echo to the conversations.  Battery is rated at six hours of talk time, which should make this good for a day or more of regular use.

It comes with Sprint ID, which you can use to customize the stock Android UI.  Frankly, it's something I could do without (the thing is cumbersome and slow on the handset's 800MHz CPU), but it does differentiate the device from the mass of Android devices out there, albeit, in a bad way.

You get all the typical phone capabilities here, including a range of calling options, the full connectivity suite (Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G and GPS) and Android's usual roster of features.  It's only running 2.1, though, so no Flash 10.1 until the promised firmware update.

As a messaging device, this is solid, with a wide range of options for email and IM.  Business users should find the Exchange support, Outlook syncing  and VPN support quite handy.  Media player is standard, so don't expect anything more special than most Android users are familiar with.  The 3.2 megapixel camera is serviceable, but is decidedly average.

Overall, the Samsung Transform lives up to its billing as a midrange Android phone. We'd like to see $50 slashed from its current price of $149.99 from Sprint, though.

Samsung has a new messaging handset on the block.  Called the Samsung Freeform II, the phone comes in a standard QWERTY candybar form factor, with a decidedly basic feature set.

Measuring 2.12 x 4.13 x 0.59 inches and weighing 3.81 ounces, it's a relatively compact device that should easily fit into most users' pockets.  The QWERTY keyboard spans four rows, although the keys look a bit too cramped for comfort (compared to the spacious separation between keys on the original Freeform), basing on the product photo.

Details of the Samsung Freeform II include a 2.2-inch TFT LCD (320 x 240 resolution), a 1.3-megapixel camera module, aGPS, 3G, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB).  It's got a 1,000 mAh lithium-ion battery onboard, good for 5 hours of talk time and 550 hours of standby.

Slated for release in the US by MetroPCS, it expectedly gets the carrier's range of applications, including MetroNavigator, Metro 411 Directory Assistance and the MetroWEB WAP 2.0 browser.  It's designed for heavy messaging users, so all the requisite capabilities are onboard, including SMS, MMS, threaded messaging, email and IM.

The Samsung Freeform II should now be available from MetroPCS retail stores and Samsung's website.  No pricing was announced.

[via Samsung USA News]

MetroPCS just launched their LTE (Long-Term Evolution) 4G infrastructure in Vegas.  While doing that, they also announced the first phone to take advantage of that brand new high-speed data network, the Samsung Craft.

In a surprising twist, the world's first commercially-available 4G LTE-enabled, multi-mode, CDMA handset isn't even a full-fledged smartphone.  Instead, it's a feature phone featuring TouchWiz UI at the helm, with a specs list that doesn't really offer much to be impressed with.

Details of the Craft include a 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen, a slide-out horizontal QWERTY keyboard, a  3.2 megapixel camera with flash, a full suite of connectivity options (aside from 4G, it has WiFi and Bluetooth) and microSD card expansion (with 2GB preloaded, expandable to 32GB).  No details on what applications come preinstalled - given the 4G LTE speeds, though, we're assuming plenty of streaming services, along with a full HTML browser.

While I can understand the fact that it's MetroPCS (who pride themselves in flat rate services and no annual plans), I just thought the first 4G LTE phone will turn out a bigger deal than the Samsung Craft.  At any rate, you can pick one up for $299 after a $50 rebate.  Remember, though, the network's only available in Vegas for now.

[via Gizmodo]

Out of all the Galaxy S devices, the Samsung Fascinate easily qualifies as one of the oddest implementations.  In particular, we find both the stripped-down storage (2GB) and the use of Bing as its default, locked search really strange.  Despite those, it continues to offer an excellent, all-purpose smartphone experience.

Physically, it’s arguably the best-designed of the Galaxy S bunch, with sleek lines, rounded corners and a very streamlined feel.  Display is a 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen, with impressive sharpness and vivid colors.   Even better, it registers all taps accurately and is perfectly usable under sunlight.

As a phone, the Fascinate makes for loud and clear calls, with no hint of distortion.  There's some noticeable harshness with the tone, but not enough to really be an issue.  Those on the other reported excellent call quality.  Speakerphone is well done and is plenty usable even in louder environments.  Battery is rated at 7 hours of talk time and could last a full day (and slightly more) before requiring a recharge.

Being a Galaxy S device, it shares similar features as other phones, like the Vibrant.  You get the usual suite of phone features, a robust messaging experience, social networking integration and Google's suite of apps.  It only comes with Android 2.1, but Samsung is promising upgrades to 2.2 down the line.

Some folks love TouchWiz.  Others don't.  If you're a hardcore Android user, you'll probably prefer HTC's skinning or the default over the TouchWiz 3.0 that Fascinate runs. Should you feel ambivalent either way, then it won't be an issue.  Personally, I like it.  One likely point of frustration is Verizon's decision to use Bing as the locked, default search engine.  You literally need to open a browser in order to use Google.

It has both 3G and WiFi, so you get the range of options in data connectivity.  Over 3G, YouTube videos took a few seconds of buffering to load, but ran relatively hitch-free after that.  It works great as a mobile hotspot, too, offering decent download and upload speeds.  There's also the usual assembly of features, such as Bluetooth, aGPS (be warned: it's not always accurate) and a whole slew of bundled apps.  Oh yeah, it only has 2GB of onboard storage - a disappointment, given the larger ones on other Galaxy S phones and Android 2.1's restrictions against installing apps on an SD card.

Multimedia performance is solid.  Movies ran beautifully, while audio is excellent, even without turning on the 5.1-channel surround option.  Suffice to say, entertainment is a strong suite for this device.   The 5.0 megapixel camera module comes with a LED flash and 720p video recording.  Very serviceable, it offers a whole slew of editing options and takes decent pictures.

The Samsung Fascinate is a good all-around smartphone.  While we won't recommend existing Android users to switch to it (some aspects of the phone are kind of frustrating), the handset should offer serious appeal to everyone else.  It's available from Verizon for $199.99 on a two year contract.  Oh yeah, they're also offering a buy-one-take-one of sorts.



Looking to get a new Android smartphone for you and a friend?  You may want to take a look at the Samsung Fascinate, which Verizon Wireless has started selling online starting today.

With the handset receiving endless flak for its paltry 2GB of storage (compared to the 16GB you see other Galaxy S phones toting), we always thought the carrier needed to do something to raise interest just a little bit.  Turns out they are and they're doing it in the form of a buy-one, take-one offer.

A regular Fascinate on contract will run you $399.99, with the price including a $100 mail-in rebate.  To sweeten the pot, Verizon lets you get a second phone for $99.99, with the entire amount eligible for another mail-in rebate.    The result is you're paying $199.99, with another $199.99 in credits, for two units of the Android 2.1 smartphone.  Sounds enticing.

In case you're unfamiliar with the Samsung Fascinate, it's a Samsung Galaxy S phone, with a 1GHz processor, 384 MB RAM, a 512 MB ROM, a 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera module (with 720p video recording) and Bluetooth 3.0.  Both phones will come with a two year agreement under Verizon, including a $30 per month data plan.

[Verizon Wireless via CNET]