14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung announced today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona a new mobile phone running under Google's Android 2.1 operating system, namely the Samsung Beam, which is also known as the Samsung i8520 'Halo'. What the new device brings forth to the market, beside the latest flavor of Google's mobile platform, includes a 3.7-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display, as well as a pico projector integrated with it.
The new mobile phone also sports the TouchWiz 3.0 UI on top of Android, the same as Samsung Wave, the first bada-powered smartphone, does, but it has a larger screen than the latter. Moreover, users will also enjoy an 8-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus and flash with Beam, which can also provide 720p / 30fps video encoding / decoding. Not to mention that it comes with that integrated pico projector, which both extends its functionality and makes it much more appealing to customers.
The specifications list of the new device also includes Bluetooth v2.1 and USB 2.0 High Speed connectivity options, as well as support for HSDPA 7.2Mbps/HSUPA 5.76Mbps UMTS (900/1900/2100), and EDGE / GPRS (850/900/1800/1900) frequencies, not to mention Wi-Fi(b/g/n), A-GPS, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. According to Samsung, the handset further includes 4Gb ROM / 3Gb RAM + 16GB MoviNAND inside, and offers the possibility to expand the available internal memory through MicroSD cards with support for up to 32GB.
The Samsung Beam is said to measure 123 x 59.8 x 14.9 mm, while packing inside a 1800 mAh battery that can deliver up to 470 minutes of talk time on 3G, or up to 530 hours of standby time on 3G. Support for MP3, OGG, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WMA, WAV, MID, AC3 audio files and for H.264, H.263, MPEG4, Divx/Xvid, VC-1 video files is also there, along with FM Radio with RDS, Specialized Projector UI, and messaging features like IM, Email, or social networking.
Those who would like to learn a few more details on the new Android 2.1 smartphone from Samsung should take a look at the video below, provided by Engadget, and should head over to their website for a series of impressions on the device.
