Samsung's answer to the iPhone

Akihabara News was one of the first to notice this morning that Samsung has announced a rival to the still-yet-to-be-released iPhone from Apple.

Samsung said in a statement that it will reveal the Ultra Smart F700 at the 3GSM World Congress next week, but did offer a few specs and photos to tide us over until then.

Similar in look and function to Cingular 8525 smart phone, the Samsung Ultra Smart F700 also has a slide out QWERTY keyboard and touch screen. The screen is about 2.78 inches and responds to drag and drop. The smart phone also has a 5-megapixel digital camera, Bluetooth capability and SD card slot.

Most important to someone like myself, it has WAP 2.0 for connecting directly to the Internet from your phone without the need for a Wi-Fi connection. It also has High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) that runs at 7.2 Mbps, which Samsung says will enable you to download an MP3, which the device also plays, in 4.4 seconds.

(Credit: Samsung)

One more thing I personally like about the F700 is the pinstripes on the front. I think it adds a little more flair compared with the Cingular 8525's rather boring gray body. Of course, I am a Yankee fan living in Boston, so anytime I see pinstripes it's a thrill.

No word on when this baby is coming to the U.S. or how much it will cost to own and use it, given the need for full data plans with this type of smart phone.

[restoration85]

Ad Campaign

I can only hope that Samsung does an ad campaign that can match Apple's campaign. Without large exposure to the masses, and without a carrier, this phone will be a flop from a sales point of view.

[UR_PM]

fantastic!

looks fantastic. there is something to be said about tactile feedback with the keys. im only a sophomore in college so i don't really see myself needing all the extra features of a smartphone, nor having the cash to pay for them, but i think i would get this over the iphone. if this has a similar map function as the google one on the iphone, i might get one just for that.

[frankroh]

Google Map function is free

It can be downloaded to basically any XHTML browser and Java enabled phone (pretty much any new Internet capable phones these days.)

[anjrued123]

iPod Killer?

Gearfuse describes it as being a possible iPod killer. It might be because of the QWERTY keyboard. A lot of people prefer texting with that. http://www.gearfuse.com/samsungs-revolutionary-ultra-smart-f700-might-be-the-iphone-killer/

[JasonRobert]

Blatant copy of the iPhone!!!

Remember how Samsung rushed to copy the RAZR? And then they copied the Moto Q with the Blackjack? If the new Samsung phone looks like the pictures, they're now copying the iPhone. And I'm amazed that nobody pointed this out yet.

[hung0702]

No one has found this submission useful.

When did Samsung rush to copy the RAZR? Back in the 90's when the RAZR was first released by DoCoMo, another Korean company? I guess Blackberry/HTC/Nokia copied the Moto Q, despite all 3 of them coming out with thin, full QWERTY phones (QWERTY is weird to type). Crave got it wrong that this is Samsung's answer to the iPhone. For one, it's has keys, so that automatically takes it out of that category. Combine that with a novel touchscreen and no WI-FI, you've got an low-end , but pretty, HTC competitor.

[RTFM]

Which iPhone? LMFAO!

[roawoo]

Its not possible

Products like these take a long time to develop
I mean to come up with 5 megapixel camera onto that too
If they actually copied IPhone in like a month with better features, they truly are the geniuses

[hd911]

This will kill the iPhone

Not only does it look better, but has more usuable features. And its from Samsung, a huge global company with the know-how in cell phones (unlike some startup like Apple COMPUTER Inc... notice the emphasis)

[Alegoo92]

No it wont

Its, unfortunately, just another Samsung. Apple's huge brand awareness,
although Samsung is huge, the Apple brand will bring out hype in the entire tech
world, and also outside of it... The day after iPhone's announcement, FOX, CNN,
NBC, and ABC all had someone talking about it. Even a political talkshow I
listened to mentioned it.

Plus: the iPhone is pretty great. It has yet to be released and it still is packing a
bunch of revolutionary features: and should be very fast and stable... unlike
Samsung's notably slow smartphones.

[hung0702]

I don't think so.

The F700 isn't going to knock the iPhone off its American-based pedestal. It doesn't have WI-FI and the touch screen isn't multi-touch. But really, neither phones are that good. Asus/HTC/DoCoMo have slightly better phones; higher-res screens, better battery life, better WI-FI implementation, expandable memory, the list goes on. Downside: Price + service, as well as most being US-incompatible.

[Mparish67]

sure it can be better

its like the mac vs. pc argument. mac worshipers will love the iphone and pc fans will dig the new samsung. untill people try them both we wont know which is better

[Dreil01]

Reminds me of PPC-6700!!! COPY KAT

Yo, This phone is late from samsumg... Why does it look like That phone from UT Starcomm. Nobody sees that.

[Osa007]

Samsung Phone better late than never

The Samsung Phone is better late than never, and it is coming out to try an kill the Iphone steam or buzz. If the Zune did not come out last year consumers would not really have a good Ipod alternative and they would be locked in Apple/itunes forever. Competition is good and it is not about whether a product is late to the game or not, in fact it is all about whether a product is good, better and do consumers like using it regardless, which is all the counts in the end.

[RTourn]

no wi-fi,

They say it doesn't have wi-fi like it's a good thing. If I have a home network broadcasting wi-fi, why do I have to pay the charges some other type of connection?

[gary85739]

you don't have to buy this device because it lacks

wifi!

buy something else...something WILL soon come along, maybe next month?

[BrendanK]

Variety is part of the point

The reason there are so many styles of cell phone on the market is because different users have different needs. It's guaranteed that while some users will be able to take easy advantage of built in wi-fi, other's who travel more extensively will find the use of wi-fi far less useful.

[The_Raven]

C'mon people. How does this even compare?

It may resemble the iPhone if you close your eyes, but obviously lacks the iPhones elegance and one of the iPhone's most distinguishing features...a wide-screen video iPod. This is a huge oversight that just about every comparison reviewer has made. Oh, yeah, and the iPhone has a real full-fledged web browser, let's not forget that. Oh, and visual voice-mail, etc., etc., etc.

[frankroh]

And you going to be downloading movies using EDGE?

Good luck.

[hung0702]

Are you serial?

The iPhone doesn't have a widescreen display, it's 3:2. Didn't you catch the Crave that mentioned this? It's too wide to be the typical 4:3 and too narrow to be 16:9. Features are similar, but the iPhone doesn't compare to Asus/HTC phones. In a final note, the iPhone looks disgusting. If Apple would have used a widescreen display, they might have kept the iPhone from being a so wide. I don't understand the obsession with thinness: 0.4 in is the butter zone. Anything thinner is just uncomfortable in the hand.

[UR_PM]

looks subject to taste

i think that this looks better than the iphone, and as i said in my previous post, i think having a real keyboard is crucial.

[anand_dh]

Apple as the best marketing

People are not aware of other phone features and are talking about the iPhones features even before it has been released. I credit apple for their marketing brilliance. You should check-out the nokia 7710 which came out a couple of years ago. It has a high-res touch screen that is wide screen also. I've also been able to convert DVD movies to play on in. In addition it has a ton of features, only minus is that its not good looking. There are a lot of cool phones out there and its unfortunate that very few people in the US have seen or heard of. Apple is able to take advantage of this fact and create a big buzz around their as yet un released, un-proven, under feeatured and proprietary platform that may not support third party applications.

[Henry Fresbugh]

C'mon Apple fanboy

hey,let get real, the F700 is superior to the iPhone.

[viboud]

comparable? i think not...

the iphone will have, like the ipod, the most userfriendly interface available
the samsung doesnt have the ipod
the iphone will work great with macs and especially itunes

[hung0702]

Ease of use is irrelevant with smartphones.

Smartphones have a high learning curve by nature, which is precisely why they are called smartphones. Besides, name one good smartphone and see how it's UI compares to any of its competition.

[viboud]

comparable? i think not...

the iphone will have, like the ipod, the most userfriendly interface available
the samsung doesnt have the ipod
the iphone will work great with macs and especially itunes

[Wolfie2k5]

And your point is...?

Interface shminterface.

The Samsung phone offers more features packed into it's interface:
a.) It sports a replaceable battery.
b.) It sports an SD slot.
c.) It will probably work with mainstream mail servers.
d.) It's camera is 5 megapixels - the Apple phone only has 2
e.) It will probably play un-DRM'ed MP3 and AAC files.

So that would make the Apple phone like so 5 minutes ago...

[wmkb]

Glaring interface issue

What I think Samsung recognized in the design of their phone over that of Apple is the tactile interface of real buttons. That's something totally lost on touch only interfaces.

Requiring a phone user to focus their eyes on your interface the entire time they use it is probably not the best idea. To use a touchscreen-only phone requires a person's undivided attention, something the average phone user does not always have when making calls.

[Osa007]

Iphone is mainstream

The Iphone is mainstream due to the hype and the Apple name, but true Tech fans will realise that the Samsung Phone is better in the end just like people are now realising that the Verizon LG Envy multimedia phone is better than the T-Mobile Sidekick 3, but just not mainstream enough or endorsed by celebrities. I cannot wait to see the Prize fight between these two cell phones. Samsung is sending a message loud and clear that they are not allowing the egotistical Apple Computer, Inc. to take 1% of the cell phone market worldwide without a fight. Now all Samsung has to do is promote the product well enough to makeup for all the buzz the Iphone has already received.

[kickflip3]

HEY Samsung give customers what they want! Wi-Fi

Ok, does Samsung have something against Wi-Fi? It's not in the BlackJack it's not in this offering either! WI-FI IS HERE TO STAY AND CUSTOMERS WANT IT! There is a reason why Cingular's HTC 8525 is THE HOT seller...duh.... it has Wi-Fi! The only problem with the 8525 is the dull gray casing and outrageous price. Everyone chant with me....wi-fi! wi-fi! we want wi-fi! iPhone killer... NOT... it comes up short!

[Mathemusician]

Hold it guys...

Hang on a sec. Before everyone starts shouting "iPhone copycat!iPhone copycat!..." (looks like I'm a little late) it's my duty to remind you that a gadget like this takes a long time to develop and had to have been designed BEFORE the iPhone was announced. Besides, who cares how a gadget was designed as long as you get what you want for a fair price (maybe apple should read that last part.

[roawoo]

U ppl have a brain??

Im a kid and I think ppl who says Samsung copied IPhone have no brain at all. Two companies introduced their products at like similar time. Does that mean Samsung somehow sent a spy to Apple and found out all those information and built one and held a show for that in just a few months? In order for a phone to be a touchpad phone or watever, the screen has to be really big, so they get similar designs. Like ya lets make our cell phone a triangle (Sarcastic). The whole theme is different, IPhone is going for MP3 and Samsung is going for more of a business like use and good camera

[roawoo]

Big possibility that IPhone will be a failure

Apple really sucks at providing good batteries
Their Ipods can only play music up to like 10~ watever hours when others can offer upto 40~50
a cell phone must be able to last a couple of days, but IPhone, I think will last like 12 hours or so. It is becuase of OS inside the phone, graphics and ppl wanting to watch videos on it (If they watch videos, I think it will last like 3 hours)

[natejohnstone]

Has the phone aspect, but no PDA like iPhone has

This phone looks sweet and is similar to the iPhone in certian respects, but it's
nowhere near the same catagory since iPhone is a fully functional PDA and
multimedia device as well. But for those who don't care about those features,
this Sammy might be a better (and cheaper?) choice

[clone_zeta]

Everyone loves Charades

It's totally a guessing game as to the complete features and usebility of those features until the phones are out. I think the iPhone looks cool, but is it going to be delicate? I don't think the F700 is that far behind on the looks, but seems like it maybe sturdier. I think the OS for F700 is going to be key, I don't think it's running Windows Mobile, so for the business users (easy sell for smartphones), some editing function for Windows doc's would be nice. Carrier is also key like other posters have said. I like the QWERTY keypad, but I also would like to have Wifi, that whole sitting in a Starbucks thing, but I guess for alot of business users who are not paying out-of-pocket, Wifi may not be that important. Also, another poster could be correct in that the Mac users may run to the iPhone, while PC users maybe more inclined to the F700, but that hadn't been really case for the iPod. If that's true, however, then businesses are generally more PC, so F700 may have the edge

[RTourn]

Please have wi-fi,

the major reason I won't get the iPhone is the lack of wi-fi.

[ktov90]

Price of Phones????

What will the ultrasmart phone cost, and when will it be sold to the public? Same for the iPhone..