14 DAY TRIAL // First announced back in September 2007, the Samsung SGH-i780 smartphone is now finally available in Europe, bringing its advanced features to users that have been waiting it for months.
Measuring 115.9 x 61.3 x 12.9 millimeters and weighing 120 grams, Samsung i780 has a compact and business-like design and comes with tri-band GSM and 3G / HSDPA connectivity, offering data transfer speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps. The handset runs on Windows Mobile 6 Professional and packs a wide 2.55 inch TFT color display with a 320 x 320 pixel resolution, a full QWERTY keyboard and an optical joystick that has the role of a mini-optical mouse and enable users to hop screens, page through favorite options and get accustomed with the guided user interface. Moreover, the i780 smartphone's screen is touch-sensitive and provides instant access to frequently used applications.
Samsung i780 also comes with built-in GPS (Garmin location-based services plus Google Maps), A-GPS support, EDGE, GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0, Opera Mobile browser, Java MDIP 2.0, Microsoft Office Mobile, Windows Media Player, Instant Messaging and e-mail capabilities. Other features include a 2 Megapixel camera with video recording, secondary video-call camera and microSD card support. The handset's battery can provide a talk-time of up to 7 hours and a stand-by time of up to 400 hours.
Until now, only Orange UK and Telef?nica Movistar confirmed they carry the new Samsung, but other operators from across Europe will also add it to their offers (plus, different carrier-independent vendors already have the phone in stock). US fellows that find Samsung i780 attractive must not look with envy at the Old Continent, as the smartphone will be soon available in North America too. As for the retail price, it depends on the country, but it's somewhere around 500 Euro (730 USD or 375 GBP).