Pocketables

Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID powered by ARM11 CPU

One of several unknowns surrounding the newly announced Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID was the CPU running the Windows Mobile 6.1 machine and allowing the included Opera 9.5 browser to provide users with "immediate access to the Web without having to sacrifice download speed and portability."

Neither the press release nor the company's news blog revealed the identity of the critical component, so I reached out to my PR contact at Samsung while he was mostly unavailable at CTIA last week. I heard back from him today and unfortunately, the news won't make Steve of UMPCPortal happy at all.

According to the email I received this morning, the CPU inside the Samsung Mondi is the 800MHz S3C6410 ARM11 Mobile Processor. Sorry, folks, no Cortex in this one. I hope the price is a reflection of that.

Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID gets official

Given Samsung's tendency this year to prematurely unveil its own products, the official announcement of the Mondi WiMAX MID first spotted at MWC in February and accidentally seen again just last week didn't catch anyone by surprise.

The specs are more fleshed out this time around, but key details like processor, price, and availability are still unknown. [Update: CPU revealed]

Full press release below.

Samsung keeping SWD-M100 Mondi MID details quiet

Well, considering that the new info about the Samsung SWD-M100 WiMAX MID, which is now apparently called the Mondi, discovered today was (according to an email I got from a Samsung Mobile PR rep) "a product leak that made its way to PhoneScoop," it should come as no surprise that my contact "can't confirm any details at this point."

The only tidbit gathered by PhoneScoop that wasn't already revealed at MWC last month, aside from the product name and press photo, is that the device's 4G access will come from Clearwire's Clear WiMAX network, which isn't a whole lot for Samsung Mobile to confirm or deny.

That said, it's probably safe to assume that the Mondi's previous specs (4.3-inch touch screen, Opera browser, Windows Mobile operating system, automatic screen rotation, TV out, microSD card slot, and dual cameras) still hold true.

[PhoneScoop via WMExperts]

Mistakes Samsung made with the Q1 (YP-Q1) digital media player

The Samsung Q1 (YP-Q1) digital media player is so boring and frustrating that I don't want to spend any time giving it my full review treatment. Instead, I'd like to share some of the photos I originally took for the review and talk about what I think Samsung did wrong when designing the flash-based player.

Review: Samsung P3 (YP-P3)

The Samsung P3 (YP-P3) is the long-awaited upgrade to 2007's P2 (YP-P2), the company's first touchscreen digital media player. Though almost identical in design, the P3 one-ups its predecessor with an aluminum casing, haptic feedback, integrated speaker, DNSe 3.0 sound enhancement technology, and customizable Flash-based user interface with widgets. It retains the same rich Bluetooth 2.1+EDR support and 3-inch 480 x 272 display of the P2, but features a slightly revamped design that gives it a cleaner, more streamlined look.

Released in Korea in December 2008, the Samsung P3 is expected to become available in the US in the first half of this year. Of course, if you can't wait, Warehouse123.com already has the 8GB ($247) and 16GB ($268) models in stock.

Samsung quietly introduces Q2 digital media player (YP-Q2)

Why is Samsung sneaking new products onto its website without telling anyone about them? Last week it was the less-than-thrilling Q1EX UMPC and today it's the 8GB and 16GB Q2 (YP-Q2) digital media players.

Frankly, I'm not sure what Samsung was thinking with this one, as it's basically nothing more than 1) a larger, higher capacity S3 with a 2.4-inch QVGA display or 2) a YP-Q1 in a different body. Other than a reported 50-hour audio battery life, I'm sorry to say that the Q2 doesn't have much going for it.

Maybe that's why Samsung is trying to keep it quiet. I only came across it today because I'm working on my Samsung P3 and Q1 reviews and went to check the company's official US website for good measure. Instead of finding information about those players, I found the new and unreleased Q2 instead.

Full specs of the Samsung Q2 in the product database.

Unboxing the Samsung P3 (YP-P3)

If you can't wait for the official US release of the long-awaited Samsung P3 digital media player, head over to Warehouse123.com to order the 8GB device in black or silver for $247. And while you wait to hold the slim aluminum body in your hands, tap the 3-inch haptic touchscreen, and check out what the integrated Bluetooth 2.1+EDR can do for yourself, take a look at my unboxing to bide your time.

VIA Nano-based Samsung Q1EX UMPC priced at $750

Following NaviGadget's discovery of the FCC documentation for the new Samsung Q1EX, Engadget found that the Nano-powered UMPC already had an official product page full of specs, some photos, a user manual, and other details. Since then, Samsung put the device up for preorder for a fairly reasonable $750. In addition to the 1.2GHz Nano processor, 2GB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, and Windows XP Tablet Edition operating system, the Q1EX features a 7-inch WSVGA touchscreen, 4.5-hour battery life, Bluetooth, WiFi, and . . . I'm sorry, but is anyone else bored?

I was wide awake when the story first hit Engadget's Twitter feed (half-past midnight here in Hawaii) but was so uninterested that I actually decided to go to sleep (hours later, mind you) instead of write about it.

Samsung SWD-M100 WiMAX MID runs Windows Mobile

A press release issued by Samsung yesterday included a casual mention of a MID:

The latest and the most diverse Mobile WiMAX line-ups include mobile WiMAX Ubicell Notebook, Mobile Internet Device (MID) and Smartphone, so as to target a diversity of consumer demands.

A Samsung MID has long been rumored to be in the works, so a simple statement like that would've been enough for many to begin speculating about what else besides WiMAX the handheld device would have. Fortunately, the team at Ubergizmo saved us from all the googling, feeding the rumor mill, and searching the FCC site to unearth more details by snapping a great set of hands-on photos of what has been identified at MWC as the Samsung SWD-M100 (specs below), a Windows Mobile 6.1 connected slider device with a 4.3-inch touchscreen and Opera browser.

I got in touch with Samsung's PR people this morning to find out more and was told that they couldn't talk about US availability of the "SWD-M100 WiMAX PC Card" (PC card?) right now. I'd ask for ideas on what you think that might mean, but since doing so would only cause exactly the kind of speculation we just avoided, I'll sit tight until the PR folks are able to speak more freely.

Untouchable Q1 Ultra UMPC at Samsung booth

In stark contrast to Samsung's showing at CES 2008, which was overrun with Q1 Ultra Premiums that people could touch and use, this year's enormous booth is almost completely devoid of them. We walked through the booth several times looking for the UMPC display and were about to give up when we spotted a lone Q1 Ultra inside a glass case set up way on the side. What was it doing?