Samsung ‘Galaxy Portal’ Android-powered smartphone
Samsung has announced its newest Android powered smartphone – the ‘Galaxy Portal’, i5700 (named ‘Galaxy Spica’ outside the UK) – is now available in the UK. The latest Android device from Samsung will hit the shops on Monday 18th January, and will be available exclusively on the T-Mobile network for the first month, with the black variant available exclusively on T-Mobile for the first three months.
Samsung Galaxy Portal is a powerful Android-powered smartphone that offers seamless connectivity, with smooth access to Google mobile services and easy connection to popular social network sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
Galaxy Portal will launch with embedded content using Layar, the augmented reality browser which lets people access detailed visual guides to what’s around them by pointing their handset at their surroundings. For example, The Samsung Football Pub Finder shows users which nearby pubs are showing that all important football match, simply by pointing the phone at them.
The Android Operating System means people can customise the content on their Galaxy Portal so they build a handset to suit their needs. The Galaxy Portal acts as a blank canvas, so you can choose the content, applications and widgets that you want and make them available at a touch of a button. Android also lets you run several applications at once so it’s perfect for multitasking.
Designed, for those who want everything, the Samsung Galaxy Portal also provides an exceptional multimedia experience. Equipped with DNSe 2.0 for better sound quality and 3.5 mm ear jack, the Galaxy Portal offers is perfect for listening to music and playing videos.
The long battery life (1500mAh) means people won’t have to worry about their phone running out of juice while on the move and can enjoy the applications and multimedia content without having to constantly recharge. The phone also boasts a 3.2” TFT screen and stylish, compact design, at just 13.2 mm thick.
“The launch of this stunning device clearly underlines our commitment to smartphone products and forms part of our strategy to deliver a wide range of handsets designed to suit a multitude of users,” said Mark Mitchinson, Vice President Samsung Mobile UK & Ireland. “The Samsung Galaxy Portal gives consumers the benefits of the Android platform – including an extensive range of innovative apps to download, multi-tasking with apps running in parallel and pre-installed Google services – at an affordable price”.
Nicola Shenton, Head of Handset and Device Marketing, T-Mobile UK said: “We were the first network to introduce an Android mobile to the UK back in October 2008, and since then Android-based handsets have been a huge hit with our customers. The addition of the Samsung Galaxy Portal to our Android range means we can now offer all the benefits of Android technology for just £20 a month on a pay monthly contract.”
The Samsung Galaxy Portal supports the full suite of Google services, including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Talk, meaning users enjoy the familiar desktop computer experience while on the move.
The Samsung Galaxy Portal (i5700) will be available in the UK on T-Mobile exclusively for one month from Monday 12th January 2010. T-Mobile will be stocking the black Galaxy Portal exclusively for 3 months.
Samsung I5700 Product Fact Sheet
Network HSDPA 3.6Mbps (900/2100Mhz)
EDGE/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900Mhz)
OS Android (ver. Android 1.5)
Display 3.2” HVGA(320x480) TFT
Camera 3.2MP Camera (Auto Focus)
Video / Audio Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV,DivX
Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA
Value Added
Features Full Web Browser, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Google Talk, Android Market, 3.5mm Ear jack, GPS
Connectivity Bluetooth® 2.1, USB 2.0, MicroUSB, WiFi
Memory Internal memory: 180MB
External memory: Micro SD (Up to 32GB)
1GB Micro SD supplied with handset
Battery 1500 mAh
Size 115 x 57 x 13.2mm
Android, Google, Android Market, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk are trademarks of Google Inc.