LG KU800 the 3G Chocolate Cellphone
The LG KU800 is a 3G version of the LG “Chocolate” KG800 phone, which should be available from Vodafone (pictured) and some other operators by Christmas 2006.
It’s a great looking phone, and of course the original LG Chocolate was one of the most attractive phones of 2006. The most serious flaw with the Chocolate was the way that the heat-sensitive keys were just TOO sensitive and would activate accidentally. We don’t know if LG have fixed this in the KU800, but our advice would be to back up your address book to a PC on a regular basis.
Motorola MS600 RAZR Z CDMA
The Motorola MS600 RAZR Z is a CDMA device, not a GSM device, aimed at the Korean market. The MS600 RAZR Z is interesting though, because it’s a rare Motorola sliding phone and it’s quite possible that we’ll see a GSM version sometime during 2006.
At 110 grams and 104×51x14.8mm overall, the MS600 RAZR R isn’t as light or as compact as some sliders, and it doesn’t appear to come with any expandable memory (although we could be wrong).
Motorola V1100 3G Phone Preview
The Motorola V1100 is a RAZR-like 3G phone with HSDPA (3G broadband), exclusive to the Vodafone network, and due to be in the shops by Christmas.
From what we know of the V1100’s specifications, it’s almost exactly the same as the RAZR XX with a 1.3 megapixel camera and a slightly different case. We assume that it has a QVGA 240×320 pixel display.
Samsung Z560 (SGH-Z560) the First HSDPA (3.5G) Handset
Samsung’s first attempt at an HSDPA (3.5G) handset a few weeks ago - the SGH-Z560 appears to be a rather sleeker implementation of an HSDPA handset though.
Physically, the Samsung Z560 measures 97×51x16mm and weighs 98 grams, which is lightweight for a 3G phone. There’s a large 2.3″ 240X320 pixel display on the inside, plus a 128×128 pixel display and 2.0 megapixel primary camera on the outside. The SGH-Z560 supports Bluetooth, has 30Mb of internal memory plus a microSD slot. There’s also a multimedia player, and the Z560 comes with external media controls.
Samsung SGH-Z330 the Smallest and Lightest 3G Phone
This unassuming looking handset is, in fact, the smallest and lightest 3G phone that we’ve ever seen. Weighing just 85 grams, the SGH-Z330 comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera, a secondary camera for video calling, 1.9″ 176×220 pixel display, 140Mb of embedded non-expandable memory, Bluetooth, an MP3/multimedia player, email client and web browser. Although some features have been sacrificed to make the SGH-Z330 a lightweight device, it’s still an impressive little handset, with a decent enough camera and plenty of memory to be useful.
Samsung SGH-i320 with Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone
The Samsung i320 is a Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone with a BlackBerry 7100-style keypad, 320×240 pixel display, 1.3 megapixel camera, plus 120Mb internal memory plus microSD expansion and Bluetooth. It comes with all the usual software features you’d expect in a Windows device too.
At 95 grams, this is an impressively lightweight device, and the SGH-i320 measures only 111×59x12mm. It’s a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 device with GPRS and EDGE, but there’s no 3G or WiFi support here.
Samsung SGH-P900 versus Samsung SGH-P910
The SGH-P900 (pictured) is an unusual looking phone that is slightly reminiscent of the Samsung Z130, with an unusual rotating display. However, the display on the SGH-P900 is designed for digital TV rather than video calling.
The Samsung SGH-P900 is a tri-band GSM device with GPRS and EDGE, a 2 megapixel digital camera, T-DMB receiver, 240×320 pixel display in 262,000 colours, 128Mb of internal memory plus microSD expansion, an MP3/AAC player, dual speakers and Bluetooth. It’s a large device for a GSM phone, at 95×48x27mm and 124 grams, but substantially lighter than the Nokia N92.
Samsung SGH-Z520 Preview
Positioned one notch above the lightweight Z500 3G phone in Samsung’s range, the SGH-Z520 has a 240×320 pixel display main, 2 megapixel primary camera, 40Mb of internal memory with microSD expansion, and MP3/multimedia player, inbuilt “digital power amp” and Bluetooth. There are external media controls too, so the Z520 can be used as an MP3 player when closed.
