14 DAY TRIAL // The sequel to the popular Samsung Star has just been scheduled for release in India next week. The Star II feature-phone is expected to be retailed for Rs. 6,540 (about $145) unlocked.
However, India won't be the first country to receive the handset, as the manufacturer has already announced that Samsung Star II will be initially released in Germany, followed soon by other European countries, the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), South America, India and the Middle East.
It is unclear if the phone's software will be the same in all countries where the phone will be launched, but it will surely retain the same candybar form.
Also known as Samsung Tocco Icon, the Star II comes with a 3-inch WQVGA capacitive touch screen with 262k colors and 240 x 400 pixels resolution.
When it comes to strong points, the Star II features Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n connectivity, which is a major trait that wasn't included with the original Star. Also, the phone comes with TouchWiz 3.0 on board, Samsung's latest user interface.
Tagged as an affordable feature-phone, Samsung Star II packs a 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP support, QuickType T9 Trace keyboard, 3.5mm headphone jack, 30 MB of internal memory and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 16 GB).
JK Shin, president and head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business, said “The original Samsung Star exceeded all expectations; with its successor, the Samsung Star II, we have delivered a stunning full-touch device that meets the increasing demand for social networking services and enables unrivalled personalization."
Furthermore, Samsung Star II is preloaded with social networking applications such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as multi IM 2.0, which offers quick access to instant messaging platforms including Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk and AIM.
The device features support for Samsung’s Social Hub, which enables contact integration between the phone and the users’ social networks, allowing them to interact across social media platforms from their phone.