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Samsung Armani

(Credit: Samsung)

Sorry I missed this in the aftermath of CTIA, but Samsung on Friday announced the latest incarnation of its Armani-branded phone. This newest handset sports a QWERTY keybaord and a design that's vaguely reminiscent of the HTC Tilt 2. The exterior is attractive, particularly the bronze and brown color scheme.

Features on the Windows Mobile 6.5 phone include a 5-megapixel camera, e-mail and messaging, Bluetooth, a music player, a personal organizer, a speakerphone, voice dialing, 8GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot, a video player, GPS, and an FM radio. The Armani is a quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) world phone that supports three UMTS (3G) bands.

Make no mistake that the Armani name will cost you. The handset is priced at 700 euros or $1,032.

(Credit: Crave UK)

For most people, the goal of consumer electronics is to keep the cost down as much as possible without compromising performance or quality. The problem with progress is that once everyone can afford a massive flat TV the footballers, hedge-fund managers and rappers have nothing left to prove they're more worthwhile than the rest of us.

Enter the great fashion designers of the world, who encourage us to purchase fragrances that are mostly water mixed with some chemicals, and clothes made in the same third-world sweat shops as your local high-street brands, but at a massive premium. It wasn't going to be long before they saw the money to be made from flogging standard electronics in a pimped case. This started when manufacturers worked out that gluing 300 pieces of crystal or adding cheap gold paint at least doubled the asking price.

In terms of hardware, we're absolutely certain the Armani TV will be exactly the same as one of Samsung's existing models. We don't think Giorgio himself has been working his fingers to the bone, hand-etching printed circuit boards. If we're honest, that's no bad thing at all, because Samsung TVs are great as they are. Of course, you'll be paying a good wodge more for Giorgio's telly, so what will you actually get for your money? Well, according to the Internets there will be a four-color power switch, which will allow customization of the Samsung/Armani logo on the front. Outstanding.

The TV will come with two remote controls, one simple and one more complex. We're guessing most footballers will opt for the simpler pebble-shaped one. Hopefully they'll be able to understand you need to press the buttons to change channels, and not end up grunting in anger and lobbing the "rock" at the screen.

The Armani TV will be available this summer, in both 46- and 52-inch screen sizes. No word on price, as you'd imagine, but we're going to guess it won't be cheaper than the standard Samsung model.

So, if you've got an Escalade, a chunky gold identity bracelet, a platinum necklace and hos in different area codes, this may very well be the TV for you. If you care about money, why not buy one of Samsung's other TVs--you know, one of the models that doesn't snort powdered LCD and tell you how brilliant they are?

(Source: Crave UK)

Samsung Armani

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

Our colleagues over on CNET UK already gave us a full rundown of the Samsung Armani when it first showed up earlier this year, but we wanted to get our hands on it, too, to see this fashion phone for ourselves. The Armani comes in this fancy black box that rivals the iPhone in terms of package design, and when we opened it up and took a look at the phone, we could definitely see the Armani influence. It is a super-stylish touch-screen handset encased in a glossy black steel shell, plus it has a menu interface that glows subtly. The touch screen has haptic feedback, providing tiny vibrations when something is selected, and we really liked the music player. That said, we had issues with it--scrolling and swiping the screen wasn't always intuitive, and texting can be quite tedious. Also, its 3-megapixel camera failed to wow us. But if you really must have one of the hottest fashion phones on the block, the Samsung Armani fits the bill. Check out our full review of the phone as well as our Samsung Armani photo gallery.

(Credit: Akihabara News)

Open memo to our bosses: Crave needs to schedule an expense-account trip to Milan.

Last week we wrote of a Fujitsu laptop made of cedar that was showing at the Salone Internazionale Del Mobile exhibition (that's "International Furniture Fair" to you Philistines out there). And now we learn that Samsung and Armani--which have already collaborated to produced the designer's exclusive phone, of course--have debuted a jointly marketed HDTV at the event yesterday.

The LCD features 1080p resolution, 100Hz technology, and "a special 4-mode lighted power switch that customizes the display of the two companies' logos on the front of the television," according to Akihabara News. (Which is of paramount importance, after all, because this kind of thing is all about the branding.)

The set, which was displayed with 46- and 52-inch screens, will be available in Europe and South Korea this summer. But if you need an overcompensating designer TV before then, there are always models from other makers festooned with diamonds and rubies.

(Credit: Crave Asia)

Much has been written about the Samsung-made Armani phone (not all of it flattering), but the only way to get a true feel for it is to physically handle it. And that's exactly what Crave Asia has done with its unboxing, describing the experience in detail from its luxury packaging to a multitude of accessories. What's it like to get a $1,000 designer phone in the mail? Find out here.

(Source: Crave Asia)

(Credit: Crave UK)

Crave tends to cringe when a fashion house teams up with a consumer electronics manufacturer, as it usually means some abomination is about to be exposed that offends both style freaks and geeks alike. The idea of a Samsung Armani phone was no exception.

But it hit the Crave doormat this morning, and our fear was replaced with a sigh of relief as we unboxed a rather lovely looking handset. It's small, it's solid, and most importantly, it's not garish. The Armani logo is subtle and the casing comes in a stylish Italian-footwear brown. Better yet, the touchscreen is very responsive.

When you touch the screen a small vibration lets you know you've done something and unlike certain phones with this feature, the Armani phone vibrates exactly when you touch it and not a mite later. Factor in the quality feel of the casing and the Armani phone is a delight to hold.

In terms of features and the interface, however, it's not hugely impressive. There's no 3G or Wi-Fi, but you do get a 3-megapixel camera and a music player. The Samsung Armani phone is available to buy on a variety of networks from free on a monthly contract. Expect a full review soon.

(Source: Crave UK)

(Credit: Crave UK)

Last night Crave attended the global launch of several Samsung handsets, including a 5-megapixel camera phone, the Samsung G800. In true Samsung style, the event held at the British Museum was huge, and packed with exciting products.

The true star of the show without a doubt was the G800. It packs a 5-megapixel camera, 3x optical zoom, auto-focus, xenon flash, face detection and wide dynamic range optimisation.

This beast of a camera phone takes Samsung's phone portfolio closer to a standalone digital camera than ever before. Impressively, it also packs HSDPA (3.5G) for fast access to the Web and an expandable microSD card for storing all your pictures. Click here for more photos and models.

(Source: Crave UK)

(Credit: Fosfor Gadgets)

Now that we've unburdened ourselves of several snide remarks about the Samsung-made Armani phone just released in Milan, it's only fair that we point to some photos of the hyped handset so you can judge for yourself. It's not that it's an unattractive phone, by any stretch--it's just that the Armani pales next to the ultra-high profile of the iPhone and even LG's Prada handset. And then there's the price: It's reportedly expected to go for 650 euros initially, or almost $920--over $100 more than the Prada and making the iPhone look like a downright steal.

Nevertheless, we do admit that it looks fetching in several close-ups posted on Stockholm-based Fosfor Gadgets, as well as the video below by the U.K.'s Shiny Shiny. By the way, the handset in the video isn't a flip phone--the hinge is on the leather case that comes with it, which is finished in "exclusive Armani texture," whatever that is.

(Credit: Samsung)

Yawn. The Armani phone has been officially released at Milan Fashion week, but it hardly lived up to its posh surroundings.

The Tri-band phone Samsung is manufacturing for the designer was more pret-a porter than custom couture, as predicted earlier, having already been seen on the market (gasp) before the official unveiling. The specs, according to Pocket-lint, include a 2.6-inch QVGA display and 3-megapixel in a 0.4-inch-thick handset, along with a matching Bluetooth headset and leather carrying case.

The offering was expectedly underwhelming by comparison to, say, the Prada phone that generated much buzz before its release. But the two companies will other chances to make a bolder statement, as they announced that they'll be collaborating on flat-screen TVs and other electronics that will bear the Armani nameplate. Could a designer line at K-mart be next?