14 DAY TRIAL // The first mobile phone running under the Google Android operating system coming from the South Korean handset maker Samsung, the already announced Samsung i7500, is now reported to be on its way to get launched in France via Bouygues Telecom as the Samsung Galaxy. Although Samsung announced that the phone would become available in June, it seems that it will be delayed for a few weeks, though France’s Bouygues Telecom is still stating that it is the first carrier to have the device available for purchase in an European market.
Prior to this announcement, the carrier that was said to release the Samsung i7500 first was O2 Germany, which stated a few weeks ago that it expected the phone to make it to its offering as soon as June. Although the news might be confusing, it is possible that Samsung intends to brand the handset differently, depending on the market in which it will become available, and that the phone will go on sale for the first time under the name of Galaxy in France, though we should wait for June to arrive to see whether it will become available on O2 or not.
The Samsung Galaxy i7500 is the first Android-powered mobile phone the manufacturer has announced to the world, while also being the third such device to come to the market all around the globe, following the HTC Dream (aka T-Mobile G1), which was launched last year, and the HTC Magic, which went live at the beginning of this month. The handset includes a series of rather attractive features, such as the 3.2-inch HVGA AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display that boasts a 320 x 480 resolution, or the 5-megapixel photo snapper that also includes Auto Focus and Power LED.
The specifications list of the phone also shows HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps (900 / 1700/ 2100MHz) and EDGE / GPRS (850/ 900/1800/1900) connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 capabilities, USB 2.0 port, Wi-Fi connectivity, 3.5mm headset jack, built-in GPS receiver, 8GB of internal memory coupled with a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space and a 1500 mAh battery in the 115 x 56 x 11.9mm package. Unfortunately, there are no details on the price tag the handset will feature when available in France.