During the 3GSM expo in Barcelona, Samsung has launched an UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) cellphone, the SGH-P210, a handset that is supposed to help you switch between the GSM network your carrier provides you with and the Wi-Fi broadband connectivity for VoIP calls without any hassles.

For some of you, UMA might not be something you meet everyday so let's explain it. The Unlicensed Mobile Access technology, now known as GAN (Generic Access Network) in professional circles, will allow the seamless roaming and handover between a local network (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11) and a wide area network (GSM/GPRS or UMTS mobile services).

Simplifying things a little, just think of you talking with one of your friends on your cellphone by using some kind of broadband gateway provided by the mobile operator and, when you leave your residence (still talking on the phone), the handset automatically switches to a GSM signal (without you even noticing something happened) following on the conversation by using a connection to the carrier's base station.

Besides its acrobatic skills of jumping from a type of network to another, the SGH-P210 also has some features that will make it a cellphone most of the mobile users will find quite appealing. It sports a 2 megapixel digital camera, a microSD memory expansion card slot, a number of Internet related features and Bluetooth connectivity.

A not so impressive spec sheet for the moment but, taking for granted what Samsung has said about this phone, it really is a device you shouldn't ignore. Not if you want to make extra cheap VoIP calls from your mobile phone without having to install any kind of specialized software to do it.