Samsung's second try with Cingular
Samsung is taking the offensive in the battle for Cingular 3G supremacy with its new SGH-A707. Announced today in Korea and destined for America's wireless carrier, the A707 offers support for Cingular's HSDPA network, a 2-megapixel camera, a digital music player, and stereo Bluetooth. From what we can tell, it looks like Samsung is hoping to make a more respectable showing on the 3G front than it did with its recent Samsung SGH-ZX20.
Though the ZX20 was perfectly functional, its dull design didn't complement its high-end features. What's more, while the ZX20 was announced at this year's CES, it didn't hit the market until the summer and had the misfortune to follow in the wake of LG's flashy CU500. The A707's design still seems a bit understated, but at least it offers external music controls. We're not sure when the A707 will arrive at Cingular, so pricing isn't available at this moment.
Samsung is also readying its SGH-D347 for Cingular service. Similar to the SGH-D357, the new handset offers quad-band world phone support, Bluetooth, and push-to-talk compatibility. The SGH-D347 showed up on Samsung's Web site a couple of days ago, but it has yet to appear on Cingular's site. Lastly, Samsung also showed its SCH-B560 recently. Another 3G model with a pivoting display, the B560 is primed for multimedia functionality. Inside are a digital music player and a 2-megapixel camera.
(Photos: Samsung)
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent. 
