Aside from Sprint, three other North American carriers announced a Galaxy S smartphone today.  T-Mobile gets the Samsung Vibrant, Verizon nabs the Samsung Fascinate and US Cellular intros an as-of-yet unnamed variant.

Hardware set is pretty much the same across the board: 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display, a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with 720p video recording), aGPS, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, microSD card expansion, six-axis motion controls and a 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird powering the whole thing.   They all run Android 2.1, with Google's suite of services, Swype, Samsung Social Hub and future access to Samsung Media Hub.

The Vibrant will come preloaded with James Cameron's Avatar, Sims 3 Collector's Edition, MobiTV, Kindle for Android, GoGo Inflight Internet and Slacker Radio.   Verizon's Fascinate, on the other hand, gets Bing Maps, Bing Search,  V CAST Video on Demand, V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Song ID, V CAST Tones, VZ Navigator, and Visual Voice Mail.  No word on unique software features for the US Cellular version.

According to T-Mobile, the Samsung Vibrant will debut on July 21, priced at $199.99 on a two year contract.  You can preorder beginning July 1st.  No pricing or release dates yet for the handsets from Verizon and US Cellular.

[T-Mobile, Verizon, US Cellular]

Sony Ericsson just announced a number of new phones.  There's the new Xperia X8, a proud Walkman number in the Yendo and a new eco-friendly Greenheart in the Cedar.

Heavily-rumored for a while now, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 has finally gotten an official stamp.  Features include a 3-inch touchscreen display (320 x 480 resolution), a 3.2 megapixel camera module, aGPS, WiFi, 3G with HSPA, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (with a 2GB unit included in the package).

A 600Mhz CPU powers the smartphone, which runs Android (either 1.6 or 2.1, depending on the market) with a four-corner UI (similar to the X10 Mini) and the Timescape feature.  The handset launches in the third quarter of the year in five different colors - white, dark blue, aqua blue, pink and silver.

Next up is the Sony Ericsson Yendo Walkman, an entry-level touchscreen feature phone.  Aside from the obvious music-centric pedigree, it brings a 2.6-inch touchscreen display (240 x 320 resolution), a 2.0 megapixel camera module, stereo Bluetooth, an FM tuner and microSD card expansion.  Naturally, it has Walkman player software on board, but adds social networking capabilities (Facebook, Twitter, Orkut) and a touch version of the standard Walkman UI.   The device will launch in the third quarter of the year, available in a laundry list of colors.

The last phone, the Sony Ericsson Cedar, is part of the eco-friendly GreenHeart line.  Like its brethren, it features recycled materials in its construction, along with a number of green apps on board.  Details include  a 2.2-inch display, a 2.0 megapixel camera module, 3G, social networking integration and a 3.5mm headset jack.  Release is slated for the third quarter, as well.

[Press Release]

I'm not entirely sure why Samsung's new line of phones are named after an aquatic predator.  Regardless, the company just announced a new series called the Samsung Shark, with the first three  devices aimed squarely at the lower- to mid-range of the mobile market.

Topping the list is a stylish slider called the Samsung S5550 Shark.  The phone boasts a 2.2-inch AMOLED display (320 x 240 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with autofocus, 30fps QVGA video), Bluetooth 2.1, 110MB of onboard storage and microSD card expansion.  It supports dual-band 3G (with 3.6Mbps HSDPA speeds) and quad-band GSM.

The Samsung S5350 Shark is the lone candybar handset of the bunch, bringing along a decent-sounding set of features and a slim 11.9 mm frame.  Details include a 2.2-inch QVGA screen (262,000 colors), a 3.2 megapixel camera module, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion.  It brings the same connectivity support as the more feature-packed S5550.

Filling in the bottom rung is the Samsung S3550 Shark, a compact slider with a largely entry-level feature set.  Connectivity is restricted to quad-band GSM/GPRS.  It mirrors the keypad and control array of the S550, but only sports a 2-inch QVGA display and a 2.0 megapixel camera module.  Other features include Bluetooth, 40MB of onboard storage and microSD expansion.

All three phones get direct shortcuts to social networking sites (among other online services), a multi-system messenger (which supports GTalk, AIM, and Palringo) and Samsung Communities.  No pricing has been given, although all three handsets should be available anytime this month.

[via Newswire]

Despite the relatively lukewarm results of their Comes With Music program, Nokia seems bent on doing their best to see it through.  In fact, they just announced another one with the service as its main feature, the Nokia 5235 Comes With Music.

Based on the previously-released Nokia 5230, the new touchsreen phone, oddly enough, isn't part of the company's XpressMusic lineup (there's no dedicated music keys).  However, it does integrate some nifty multimedia talents, a 3.5mm audio jack and 3.6Mbps HSDPA for fast song downloads.

Details of the new handset include a 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen display (360 x 640 resolution), a 2.0  megapixel camera module (with an impressive 30fps of VGA video recording), GPS (with Ovi Maps preinstalled) and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB).  Apart from the music capabilities, it's also a functional smartphone running Symbian S60 5th Edtion.  As such, it comes with the rest of Nokia's Ovi suite of apps, include Contacts and Mail.

If you're not familiar with Nokia's Comes With Music, it's a music download service that's integrated with the price of the phone.  In the case of the Nokia 5235, you can choose to get unlimited free downloads of DRM-protected songs for either 12 or 18 months, after which the entire inventory is yours to keep.

The Nokia 5235 Comes With Music will be available in two color schemes, white and black, both accented with ice-blue tinted chrome rims.  Release is slated for the first quarter of 2010, with prices starting at 145 Euros ($214) for 12 months membership to the service.

[Nokia Europe via GSM Arena]

LG just announced a new specialized touchscreen phone, although it seems they're restricting it for the South Korean market.  Called the LG Cyon SB210, the handset brings a bevy of navigation features that should prove especially useful for golf enthusiasts.

Physically, the new device resembles the upcoming Chocolate Touch VX8575, which Verizon has been rumored to have lined up for later in the year.  In terms of features, though, it's a handset all its own with a unique set of capabilities.

Using the onboard GPS radio, a magnetic compass and a fancy accelerometer called G-sensor (which detects slight shifts in movement), the LG Cyon SB210 lets you map out your golf game from your mobile phone in real time.  It bundles over 280 golf courses, along with  maps for mountain climbing and other leisure activities. LG also filled the device with a bevy of golf-related services and various navigation-based professional features.

Phone specs include a 3.0-inch touchscreen display with a 240 x 400 pixel resolution, a 3.2 megapixel camera module, 242MB of onboard storage (with microSD card expansion) and a 1,000 mAh battery.  Dimensions are 111 x 55 x 12.3 millimeter, with a weight of 106 grams.

The LG Cyon SB210 is slated for availability later this November in South Korea via wireless carrier SKT.  Price is slated for 638,000 KRW (around $539).

[via Unwired View]

Samsung's Czech website has listed the details of the latest entry-level handset from the manufacturer.  Called the Samsung S3100, the new slider features an extra-long battery life, allowing for over eight hours of talk time and 20 days of standby.

First seen in photos last July, the phone uses an 800 mAh battery to facilitate the drawn-out time between charging.  It comes in two colors (black or pink) and features rather basic functionalities.

Details include 95 x 47 x 14.9 mm dimensions, a weight of 99.2 grams, a 2.1-inch TFT display (176 x 220 pixels, 262,000 colors), a 1.3 megapixel camera and microSD card expansion.  It supports quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), Bluetooth and USB connectivity.  Features include an onboard media player (video: MPEG4 and H.263; audio: MP3, AMR, I-melody, XMF, MIDI, SP MIDI, ACC and WMA) with DNSe, a Netfront web browser and email support (POP3, IMAP4), so it's not too shabby.

It's fully expected to be priced affordably (best guess is between $150 to $180) and will likely be used as a direct competitor to Philips' Xenium phones, as both models put battery life front and center in their list of capabilities (the Xenium X630 gets an insane 12 hours of talk time and 50 days of standby, though, so no contest).  Eight hours of talk time should translate to several days between charges, especially since the rest of the handset doesn't really use up all that much power.

The Samsung S3100 was originally slated for a European debut by the end of the summer, so it should be out any day now.

[via Unwired View]

A new Android phone is, apparently, due for release this upcoming week and it's Samsung's long-rumored phone running Google's mobile OS.  The Samsung Galaxy i7500, according to a report from Register Hardware, has been confirmed by several O2 employees to be arriving in their UK stores anytime within the next few days.

Originally scheduled to come out in June, the Galaxy will be Samsung's first foray into the Android smartphone market.  According to rumors, the device was held back due to various problems with the phone, most notably performance issues concerning speed.

As previously detailed, the handset will feature a 3.2-inch AMOLED touch display (480 x 320 pixels resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, aGPS, 8GB of storage, a 1500 mAh battery and stereo Bluetooth.  The phone will be running on a 528MHz Qualcomm processor and will support high speed internet connections  (HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps).

If the release pushes through, the Samsung Galaxy i7500 will only be the fourth Android phone to make it to market, after HTC's three previous devices (G1, Magic and Hero).  The phone is nowhere to be found in O2's website, so a rollout during the week is not definite.  There are also no pricing details release, nor word on availability in other markets.

The Sony Ericsson Rachael has been the subject of many leaks over the past few weeks and for good reason - it looks like an incredibly exciting Android phone.  It appears to be getting nearer to actually making it to market as online retailer Expansys put up the details (unwittingly, perhaps) earlier today.

Based on the Expansys page, the phone will officially be sold as the Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 and will, indeed, be the company's first handset to run Google's mobile OS platform.  From previous leaks, we already know that it will be running a snazzy-looking custom UI on top of Android OS 1.5.

Connectivity details include quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), dual-band 3G (900/2100 MHz), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and data speeds topping at 10Mbps downloads and 2Mbps uploads.  It will sport a 4-inch touchscreen display with an 800 x 400 pixel resolution.

Camera module remains the same as first uncovered - 8.0 megapixels with autofocus, image stabilization, face detection, LED flash and VGA-resolution video capture.  Other specs include aGPS, full email support (POP3, IMAP4, SMTP and MS Exchange), a 3.5mm audio port, miniUSB support and microSDHC card expansion (yes, Sony Ericsson seems to have finally accepted that their proprietary memory expansion sucks).

That's all the details available for now.  Considering how nearly-complete the list is, it's probably not going to take long before the Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 gets an official unveiling.  Knowing the company, expect prices to go through the roof.

Via Unwired View

Sony Ericsson has always been pretty bad at keeping the lid on its unannounced handsets.  Over the weekend and today, at least four upcoming phones from the manufacturer have found various information leaked.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Rachael

First up is the first Android-based handset from the manufacturer.  Codenamed "Rachael", the phone will be a part of the premium Xperia line, fitting top-of-the-line hardware to go along with Google's mobile OS.

Rumored specs include a 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon processor, a 4-inch touchscreen display with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution, an 8.0 megapixel camera, onboard GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G.  If true, the hardware alone should put it over and above any existing Android phone in the market.  Knowing Sony's habits, though, this thing is going to get priced to the rafters.

Sony Ericsson Kiki

The Kiki, on the other hand, sounds more like a concept phone than a real-world device.  According to the source, the phone projects its display on the screen's glass surface, paving the way for fashioning 3D images.

Sony Ericsson Bao

Leaked out just a few hours ago is the Sony Ericsson Bao, a clamshell with an interesting, glossy design that's heavy (and we do mean heavy) on the bezel.  No details came with the photos, though it looks pretty stylish and is a likely mid-ranger.

Sony Ericsson Twiggy

Remember that odd covered-keypad form factor that's used on the Sony Ericsson W350?  That's apparently making another return, this time in a handset codenamed Twiggy.  There are still no details on the phone, though the photo already looks like that of a working unit, so it will likely come out soon.