14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung B308 and Samsung B289 are the names of the latest clamshell phones unveiled by the South Korean manufacturer in Asia. The B308 and B289 both come in clamshell form factors and are entry-level devices targeted at users who can't afford paying too much for a phone.
The features of Samsung B308 (or Samsung SGH-B308) include the following: dual-band GSM connectivity (900 / 1800 MHz) with GPRS, a 1.5 inch CSTN internal display with 128 x 128 pixels and 65K colors, FM radio, WAP 2.0 browser, handsfree, Java games, polyphonic ringtones, alarm clock, USB and only 2MB of internal memory that cannot be expanded because there is no microSD card slot.
Samsung B308 weighs 79 grams and, when not folded, it measures 87 x 45 x 18.9 millimeters. The handset is equipped with an 800 mAh battery that should last for up to three hours in talk-time mode or up to 200 hours in stand-by mode.
Unlike the B308 model, Samsung B289 (or Samsung SCH-B289) works on CMDA frequencies. Its dimensions and weight are not known, but what we do know is that, besides CDMA, it sports features similar to the B308: a 1.5 inch CSTN internal display with 65K colors and a QVGA resolution, FM Radio, polyphonic ringtones, only few MBs of internal memory and no microSD card support.
As you can see, neither of the new Samsung clamshells has a Music player or a photo camera, hence they are not recommended for those who want their handsets to pack multimedia features.
The exact retail prices of Samsung B308 and Samsung B289 are not known, but they should be both around $100. Most probably, the new phones will first be available across Asia, with a European release to follow for the B308 and an American one for the CDMA B289.
