Samsung is launching the SC-MX20 digital memory camcorder this month - the first camcorder to use the H.264 codec on standard definition video capture. The camcorder has a Schneider lens with 34x optical zoom, image stabilization and face detection technologies, and a three hour battery life. The MX20 is capable of recording up to 16 hours of video on a 32 GB memory card.

The Samsung MX20 has the following specs:

• Supports SD/SDHC memory cards
• 680K image sensor
• 34x optical zoom, 1200x digital zoom Schneider lens
• 2.7 inch color LCD
• Video recording in H.264 BP with a resolution of 720 x 480/60i
• Auto and manual focus support
• Back light compensation
• 3 LUX
• Hyper D.I.S. image stabilizer
• 2 channel audio recording
• Speaker
• Microphone
• USB 2.0 support
• Composite video connector
• Measures 4.9 x 2.6 x 2.4 inches and weighs 0.6 lbs

The MX20 will be available in three colors - red, blue, and white.

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The Sprint AIRAVE device and service is finally just around the corner. According to a press release from Sprint, the new AIRAVE by Samsung, will officially launch on August 17th with an MSRP of $99.99 (additional charges will apply for required services - more on that in a second).

If you’re not familiar with Sprint AIRAVE, it’s basically a mini cell tower that you purchase and install in your home or business which then connects to your broadband Internet connection. The AIRAVE is compatible with any Sprint phone (not Nextel phones though) which means Sprint subscribers will be able to use their phones whether they are on the go or at home. It’s especially useful if you have poor Sprint reception in your home or office because the AIRAVE gives you a localized coverage area for your phone calls (think T-Mobile HotSpot@Home meets cell phone towers). The AIRAVE is compatible with all Sprint phones because it leverages the same Sprint CMDA network signals as the wider Sprint Nationwide Network. 

Key features include:

• No new phone to purchase
• Talk all you want with the optional unlimited AIRAVE calling plan. The plan includes unlimited incoming and outgoing calls and nationwide long distance are included
• Easy to install into existing broadband Internet connection - ready to use out of the box
• Calls initiated on AIRAVE will transfer automatically to nationwide Sprint network when you leave the AIRAVE coverage area.
• Covers up to 5,000 square feet

So now the payment details. The Sprint AIRAVE by Samsung will cost you $99.99 to purchase. You’ll need to subscribe to an AIRAVE enhanced coverage plan which costs $4.99 per month on top of your existing voice plan. If you want unlimited in-home calling and you do not have Sprint’s unlimited voice plan, you can purchase an optional AIRAVE Unlimited Voice plan for an additional $10 dollars per month for individuals or $20 dollars per month for families. And again - the AIRAVE will be coming out on August 17th.

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Technorati Tags: Sprint AIRAVE, August 17th

Samsung keeps churning out new LCD HDTV sets - this time it’s the new Series 9 LED LCD’s which is Samsung’s second generation LCD HDTV to feature Samsung’s LED SmartLighting technology. The new Series 9 is now Samsung’s flagship LCD TV featuring Touch of Color bezel design, Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology, 1,000,000 dynamic contrast ratio,  and full HD 1080p pictures.

According to Samsung, LED SmartLighting with local dimming technology achieves “dramatic contrast levels” and expresses “‘actual black levels’ by completely shutting off a pixel’s light source”. In addition to SmartLighting, the Series 9 displays utilize improved Ultra Clear Panel technology to help eliminate ambient light reflection.

Other specs to these LCD Series 9 displays are as follows:

• Samsung InfoLink RSS service
• Supports MP3, JPEG, Video file formats
• USB 2.0
• Internal memory pre-loaded with content
• Four HDMI-CEC connectors (1 side mounted and three in the rear)
• EnergySaving Mode

The new Series 9 LED LCDs will be available in August in three models - a 46 inch (model LN46A950) and a 55 inch (model LN55A950).

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Technorati Tags: Samsung LED LCD HDTV, Series 9, LN46A950, LN55A950

Mobility Review has published a video review of the Samsung Omnia smartphone here on their website. The Omnia’s specs are as follows:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS
• HSDPA 3G networking support
• 3.2 inch WQVGA display
• Support for DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, WMV, MP4
• Built-in FM radio
• 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus
• Face and smile detection technologies
• Available in 8GB or 16GB storage capacities
• GPS support
• Bluetooth support

Here’s an excerpt from the link:

Based on the most up to date Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, Samsung OMNIA gives users a mobile extension to their PC experience, with access to MS Office documents such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word.

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Technorati Tags: Samung Omnia, Mobility Today, Review

Missed this one last week - Samsung introduced its Series 7 Plasma HDTV sets featuring their popular Touch of Color (ToC) bezel design. The new Series 7 sets feature full 1080p picture, 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios, and Samsung’s Ultra FilterBright technology. The Series 7 also allows users to calibrate the TV for both day-time and night-time viewing to ensure the best possible picture.

Here are the key features of the Series 7 Plasmas from Samsung:

• Touch of Color bezel which infuses a red color into the piano black bezel
• Full HD 1080p support
• Ultra FilterBright anti-glare technology
• DNIe Pro video processing technology
• 18 bit Natural True Color
• One-button on-demand InfoLink RSS feed service with content from USA Today
• Side mounted USB 2.0 port
• WiseLink Pro
• Supports MP3, JPG, XvID, MPEG4 files
• Compatible with DLNA products
• Four HDMI 1.3 inputs

The new Series 7 Plasmas will be available in August in three sizes - 50 inches (model PN50A760), 58 inches (model PN58A760), and 63 inches (model PN63A760).

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Technorati Tags: Samsung, Series 7 Plasma, Touch of Color (ToC), HDTV

Samsung announced today, three additional models to their “Touch of Color” lineup of desktop monitors - the T220HD, T240HD, and T260HD.  All three monitors utilize Samsung’s dual-injection technology which gives the display’s ruby red bezel that unique transparent look. These new monitors have common features such as a built-in ATSC/QAM TV tuner, front and rear HDMI connections, high contrast ratios, and 16:10 aspect ratios.

The T220HD has the following specs:

• 22 inch widescreen display
• 1680 x 1050 resolution
• 300 cd/m2 brightness
• Dynamic Contrast of 10,000:1
• Dolby Digital Surround Sound
• USB hub
• 2 HDMI connections

The T240HD has the following specs:

• 24 inch widescreen display
• 1920 x 1080 resolution
• 300 cd/m2 brightness
• Dynamic contrast of 10,000:1
• Dolby Digital Surround Sound
• 2 HDMI connections

The T260HD has the following specs:

• 25.5 inch widescreen display
• 1920 x 1200 resolution
• 300 cd/m2 brightness
• Dynamic contrast of 10,000:1
• Dolby Digital Surround Sound
• 2 HDMI connections

The prices for these three new ToC monitors are as follows:

• T220 HD: $429
• T240 HD: $549
• T260 HD: $599

Technorati Tags: Samsung, T220HD, T240HD, T260HD, HDTV displays, LCD displays, Touch of Color, ToC

Ultra-mobile PCs are alive and well thank you very much.. at least at Samsung that is. The company announced two new UMPC models today - the Q1U-CMXP which is a Q1 ultra mobile model with integrated HSDPA 3G support, and the Q1UP-V, a Q1 Ultra Premium model featuring Microsoft’s Windows Vista Business OS. Let’s get right to the specs shall we?

For the Q1U-CMXP, you’ll get the following:

• Integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• 10/100 BaseTX
• Integrated HSDPA 3G supporting AT&T’s Broadband Connect network
• Windows XP Tablet Edition
• Intel Ultra Mobile Processor A110 at 800MHz
• Intel GMA 950 graphics
• 1GB DDR2 memory
• 7 inch WSVGA Touch Screen LCD with 1024 x 600 resolution and LED backlighting - 300 nits of brightness
• HD audio and two speakers
• 80GB 1.8 inch 4200 RPM HDD
• Two USB 2.0 ports
• 2 in 1 memory slot
• Measures 8.96″ x 4.88″ x 0.93″ and weighs 1.52 lbs

For the Q1UP-V, you’ll get the following:

• Microsoft Windows Vista Business Edition
• V1.5 Split QWERTY key caps
• 1.33 GHz Intel Core Solo U1500 Pentium ultra low voltage CPU
• 2GB RAM
• Integrated 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• 10/100 BaseTX networking
• 6 cell 57.7 watt Lithium Ion polymer battery for up to 7 hours of battery life
• 7″ WSVGA (1024 x 600), LED Back Light display
• Intel GMS945
• HD audio with 2 speakers
• 80GB 1.8 inch 4200 RPM HDD
• 2 in 1 memory card reader
• Measures 8.96” x 4.88” x 1.16” and weighs 1.9 lbs

The Q1U-CMXP will have an MSRP of $1499 while the Q1UP-V will have an MSRP of $1449.

Technorati Tags: Samsung, Q1U-CMXP, Q1UP-V, Ultra-Mobile PCs, UMCP

DivX announced today that the new Samsung INNOV8  (also known as the i8510) mobile phone is now officially DivX certified. The INNOV8 was announced last week by Samsung and features an 8 megapixel camera, a whopping 16GB of storage space, TV out functionality, support for the Symbian S60 platform, and of course the ability to play back DivX encoded media. This is Samsung’s fifth DivX certified handset.

Other features of the Samsung INNOV8  include the following:

• 2.8 inch 16 million color LCD display
• Choice of 8GB of 16GB capacities
• Memory slot for up to another 16GB of space
• 1200mAh battery
• Supports DivX, WMV, RealPlayer, and MPEG4
• External dual speakers
• 3D surround sound
• DNSe 2.0
• Assisted GPS functionality
• Symbian OS V9.3 S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2

The new Samsung INNOV8  is expected in Europe starting in August and the rest of the world in Sept.

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Technorati Tags: Samsung INNOV8, DivX certification

Symbian’s S60 platform finally arrives on Samsung handsets with the formal introduction of the new i8510 smartphone. The handset features support for quad-band GSM as well as dual-band WCDMA. While certainly a smartphone on paper, the i8510 also features advanced digital photography specifications such as an 8 megapixel camera, smile, face and blink detection technologies, image stabilization technology, and the ability to create panoramic pictures.

Other specs include:

• Video recording in QVGA resolutions at up to 120fps and VGA at 30 fps
• Symbian 9.3 S60 3rd Edition FP2
• 2.8 (?) 16 million color QVGA TFT display
• Built-in GPS receiver
• Built-in accelerometer
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• 16GB internal memory
• microSD memory card slot
• Bluetooth 2.0

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Technorati Tags: Samsung i8510, Symbian

Samsung’s Touch of Color (ToC) lineup of LCD HDTV sets have been well received over the last year and thus it’s not surprising to see the company add two new models today - the Series 8 850 and the Series 8 860. Both models feature a new slim and narrow frame with a depth of 1.9 inches at its widest with the 850 featuring a rose color and the 860 a deep blue color.

The key features of the new Series 8 models include the following:

• Full HD support
• 4ms response time
• 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• Down-firing speakers (10 watts x 2) with integrated woofer
• SRS TruSurround XT
• 4 HDMI ports
• New design that is at most 1.9 inches deep at the widest point
• Utilizes Samsung’s Ultra Clear Panel for better contrast ratios and deeper black levels
• Samsung Wide Color Enhancer 2 for expanded color range
• Auto Motion Plus 120Hz
• InfoLink - one button on-demand InfoLink RSS service with content from USA Today
• Side mounted USB 2.0 port (The Series 8 860 comes with an extra USB 2.0 port)
• WideLink Pro turns television into a jukebox or photo album
• Supports MP3, JPEG, XviD, and MPEG4 files

The Series 8 850 will be available in September in a 46 inch model (LN46A850) and a 52 inch model (LN52A850). The Series 8 860 will also be available in a 46 inch model (LN46A860), and a 52 inch model (LN52A860) in September.

The Series 8 850 46 inch model will go for $2699.99.

The Series 8 850 52 inch model will go for $3399.99

The Series 8 860 46 inch model will go for $2799.99

The Series 8 860 52 inch model will go for $3499.99.

Technorati Tags: Samsung, Touch of Color (ToC), LCD HDTV, Series 8 850, Series 8 860, LN46A850, LN52A850, LN46A860, LN52A860