samsung

Although the Samsung Focus 2 coming on AT&T is not the most exciting phone out there for our more hardcore users, the device is certainly a looker with the glossy white and curved edges.

Microsoft's Ben Rudolph got his hands on the device about a week ago and gives it a thumbs up, noting that the 4G LTE and sharp 5MP camera make the device a good choice for many people. With a leaner design, typing is suppose to be nicer with no "hotspots" for hand-cramping and the 4" Super AMOLED screen should hold up nicely for most users these days, especially at a nicely priced $49.99.

In turn, he's thrown up a couple of photos of the new Focus 2 which shows off a nice design and we can even compare it to the original Focus.  Head to the Windows Phone Blog to see more pics.

We've reported in the past that Samsung was sitting on the sidelines during the summer with Windows Phone, concentrating on their new Galaxy SIII release for Android (which so far has garnered negative impressions). Devices like the Mandel (SGH-i667) are believed to have been canceled or put on hold till Microsoft is ready to update their OS.

That's not to say Samsung doesn't have a strategy, one that takes aim right at Nokia. According to the site SmartHouse who spoke with a Samsung senior executive, Samsung will be introducing at least four devices that span the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 spectrum come this fall. None of the proposed devices should be shocking as Samsung is one again sticking to what it knows:

• 11" Windows 8 tablet
• 14" Windows 8 tablet (+ dock and keyboard)
• "Windows based Note offering"
• Phone based on Galaxy SIII hardware/design

It's not clear if the Note device will be running Windows Phone 8 or Windows 8 (nor are we clear what the difference is yet either) but such a decision to offer such a design should not be surprising as the Note has sold better than expected. Coming in with a 5.3" Super AMOLED HD screen, the Samsung Note bridges smartphones and tablets in a form-factor suitable for literally taking notes on it with the return of a stylus. Throwing Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 on such a design seems like an obvious choice and one we wouldn't mind.

The Windows Phone based off a Galaxy S III design and hardware confirms an earlier story which suggested the same thing. Once again, this is what we expect Samsung to do at this point--recycle designs from Android to Windows Phone. Such practice allows them to presumably save on hardware, production and in theory, to have less issues as that hardware is already tried and tested.

Will all of that be enough to "take on" Nokia? Since we don't know hat Nokia is planning, it is certainly too early to judge but Samsung is not getting many accolades for its GSIII design with many calling it a disappointment. Though Samsung seemed to be on course to become a Korean Apple with their hit Galaxy series, the company had faltered with their latest Android phone and now many are wondering if have they really changed.

We're expecting Nokia to come out with some really cutting edge hardware this fall too, perhaps a 41MP PureView camera sensor for Windows Phone and even tablets. It will certainly be tough for Samsung to steal back that spotlight.

Source: SmartHouse; via WMPU

The Samsung SGH-i667 aka the 'Mandel' is one of the last Windows Phone that we have very little information about. It passed BT certification in January and then cleared the FCC in March but since it did not co-launch with the HTC Titan II and the Nokia Lumia 900, it is presumed that the Samsung LTE phone was canceled.

Now, two images have leaked out of the device, the first one you see above is the back of the phone and it shows a svelte, glossy white smooth rounded back.

The second image is a screen cap of the device connected up to Zune Desktop, showing the device name. The AT&T logo is prominent on the device and featured in that image which is pulled from Microsoft's servers.

The device also appears to be sporting only 8GB of storage (with 5.61 available) which tells us that this was probably not a high-end, flagship phone for AT&T but an offshoot of the Focus Flash, which also goes by the name i667.

Other than that we just don't have any more information. The images come by way of the site WPXAP and no other details were given.

Samsung has reportedly taken a break from Windows Phone to work on a high-end Windows Phone 8 device for the fall (rumored to be a Galaxy S3 knock off). Could the 'Mandel' have been skipped or passed over by AT&T or even Sammy? We may never know.

We'll keep an eye out though we know we'd like to add it to our collection. Samsung looks good in glossy white.

Source: WPXAP; Thanks, Talan1314, for the images!

A report by research firm Strategy Analytics shows that Samsung has surpassed Nokia to become the largest handset vendor in the world in terms of volume. In a quarter that saw a small three percent rise in mobile phone sales, Samsung captured 25 percent of the market. In the meantime, the struggling Finnish manufacturer Nokia's shipments decreased by 24 percent due to declining sales in emerging markets. Despite strong sales of their Lumia line of Windows Phone handsets, Nokia recorded a substantial Q1 loss of 3%, prompting Moody's to cut their debt rating to the lowest possible investment level.

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "Nokia's global handset shipments declined a huge 24 percent annually to 82.7 million units in Q1 2012. Volumes were squeezed at both ends, as low-end feature phone shipments in emerging markets stalled and high-end Microsoft Lumia smartphones were unable to offset the rapid decline of Nokia's legacy Symbian business. Nokia was the world's largest handset vendor between 1998 and 2011, for 14 years, before finally yielding top position to rival Samsung this quarter."

Fueled by strong sales in the United States and Japan, Apple nearly doubled its worldwide shipments from 18.6 million to 35.1 million. They are expected to grow even more in the second quarter, though the launch of Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S3 will likely slow Apple down a bit. Though things are currently rough for Nokia in the grand scheme, the Lumia 900 is selling like hotcakes.   With recent rumors of Verizon finally embracing Windows Phone, could we see a quick turnaround for the one-time king of the handset heap?

Source: Strategy Analytics; Via: MarketWatch

Way back in September we reported on three new Windows Phones -- the HTC Ultimate, the HTC Radar and the Samsung Haden --  all appearing in the logs of the app "I'm a WP7!".

As it turns out, it was very accurate. The HTC Ultimate became the Titan (but for Brazil), the Radar of course is very well known today being on T-Mobile and in international markets but that Samsung Haden never really came forth.

For awhile, we thought maybe this was that rumored Samsung LTE device or perhaps something for Sprint. But as it turns out the 4G LTE Samsung phone is actually the "Mandel" (which we're starting to think has been nixed from AT&T's lineup) and of course there's nada from Sprint (or Verizon and T-Mobile.).

Site reader Bailey S. recently had some problems with his Samsung Focus S so he sent it to Samsung for repairs. Evidently there was something wrong with the motherboard so Sammy replaced it and sent the phone back to Bailey. Case closed.

But upon booting up the device for the 1st time, he was greeted with the traditional welcome screen for Windows Phone but instead of SGH-i937 or Focus S it said "Welcome to your SAMSUNG Haden". Even more curious, it says as much in the About screen of the device as well.

So what are we to make of this? The AT&T "code name" for the Focus S was "Kupua" but we're starting to think Samsung's internal device name was, you guessed, "Haden". At least that's our hunch. But why does his phone say "Haden"? We actually have no idea, though if anyone wants to add anything in comments, we're all ears.

Another interesting side note is this phone is completely unbranded with no AT&T software on board. That lends credence to the idea that "Haden" was in case Samsung released this phone internationally (something which never happened) or that "Haden" was for internal testing.

Just some weekend trivia to chew on if you happen to track device names that pop up every once in awhile. Thanks, Bailey, for the email and photos!

Samsung is set to hold off on releasing new Windows Phones until Windows Phone 8 "Apollo" is released. According to reports, Samsung Taiwan has stated that they'll be launching a new handset running the next version of Windows Phone in the second half of 2012 (October at the earliest). It's a potential loop of a situation with Nokia pushing hard for consumers to adopt Windows Phone.

Samsung, like most OEMs, are waiting for the marketshare to increase and for higher demand to be present for handsets using Microsoft's operating system. Problem being consumers require a certain degree of choice to become interested in the platform. Cue Nokia just six months ago with the launch of the Lumia 800 in the UK.

With the Finnish manufacturer pushing Windows Phone left, right and centre, more demand will provide Samsung with the motivation to produce more devices to compete within the system. The complaint from a number of potential buyers (particularly from Android) is specifications, or lack of. Majority of smartphone users are now accustomed to dual-core with high resolution displays and removable storage.

We're still waiting for more news on the mysterious SGH i667 "Mandel", which is reportedly one of three AT&T LTE Windows Phones. It'll be interesting to see what Samsung can produce with the upcoming update, but for them to actually launch an effective marketing campaign is another story. For now they'll have to stick to being relatively grumpy at Nokia for their aggressive "Blown away by Lumia" marketing.

Source: ePrice.tw, via: WMPU

AT&T if offering a free Samsung Focus Flash for existing customers who add a new two-year contract to their account. The 4G Windows Phone (see our review) is a perfect freebie for anyone who's looking to add a second line to their account.

Sporting a 3.7" S-AMOLED display, 5MP rear-shooter (with f2.6 lens), 1.4Ghz chip, 512MB RAM and 8GB storage, the Focus Flash is no slouch when it comes to powering the latest apps and games.

Do note that this limited-time offer is not available in-store, and a $5.95 shipping and handling fee may apply. The new service line must be a 2-year agreement with voice ($9.99/mo) and data plan ($20/mo) added. 

We last took a look at the mysterious Samsung SGH i667 "Mandel" back in January where it passed BT certification, but not much was known about the handset. Fast forward three months later and FCC certification paperwork has been spotted by PocketNow, which shows the SGH i667 passing with LTE connectivity listed and confirmed.

The "Mandel" is set to be one of three new 4G handsets heading to AT&T, the other two being the Lumia 900 and HTC TITAN II. Unfortunately, this does not provide any further details specifications wise, but we'll continue to speculate that it's going to be a more advanced brother of the Focus S.

Via: PocketNow

The pricing for the upcoming ZTE Tania low-spec Windows Phone at Clove UK has plummeted to just £199 (from £250), a price that will interest anyone who is making the switch from feature handsets. The handset, which features a 4.3" screen, 1Ghz processor, 5MP camera, and 4GB storage is nothing short of amazing but for anyone who doesn't require storage for music and the like it's a good choice. With a 1Ghz chip, the user experience of the OS will remain stable as you'd expect on a higher end model.

Clove states that this new price reduction places ZTE's Windows Phone £95 cheaper than the Samsung Omnia W, the arguably more cost effective choice. This new pricing could be to match the Lumia 710, which can also be found at Three and Vodafone for £199 (and sports more storage, better screen and processor). Nokia is aggressively tagging their handsets so ZTE will need to react to this with more competitive pricing should they wish consumers to pick up their product.

The ZTE Tania is not yet available at Clove, but will be released in a reported ten days time. Will you be picking one up (or recommending it to someone)?

Source: Clove UK (ZTE Tania), thanks Richard for the heads up!