Countdown to B&O's 'Serenata' phone

(Credit: SlashPhone)

Before iPhone fever erupted in full force, one of the more talked-about handsets was Bang & Olufsen's "Serene"--albeit in mixed reviews, to say the least. The bloom may be off that rose, but its successor may inspire renewed buzz in just a few weeks.

The "Serenata," the product of a collaboration between B&O and Samsung, has begun a countdown on a mysterious Web site, which says it's 17 days away as of this writing. SlashPhone says the handset is believed to be the SGH-F310 leaked last month and pictured here. Among the rumored details are a video and music player, 4GB of memory and 1.8-megapixel camera.

Mystery or not, next to B&O's new "Beo 5" remote, the Serenata looks downright tame.