With four Android phones in its stable, T-Mobile remains the Google Android leader. Its latest model is the Samsung Behold II, which offers a brilliant display and one of the best media players we've seen on an Android phone so far.
But just a week earlier, and the same day it introduced its Motorola Droid, Verizon Wireless unveiled the HTC Droid Eris. Also a touch-screen phone without a physical keyboard, the Droid Eris offers all the features you'd expect from an Android phone, while adding full multitouch and deeper levels of customization with the HTC Sense interface.
The two devices are similar, but they're distinct in their own way. So how will they fare in the CNET Prizefight ring? Read our Samsung Behold II vs. HTC Droid Eris Prizefight find out.
On Thursday, Samsung and T-Mobile announced that the Samsung Behold II will be available starting November 18 for $229.99 with a two-year contract.
First announced at CTIA Fall 2009, the Behold II is Samsung's second Android device. It uses Samsung's TouchWiz interface and includes a 3D cube navigation menu for the phone's multimedia features.
The smartphone also has a 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen and a 5-megapixel camera. While we're all about the AMOLED display, we think the price is a little high, considering that the Behold II is running Android 1.5 and the Motorola Droid is running Android 2.0 and costs about $30 less.
Samsung actually stopped by our offices and left us with a Behold II of our very own. While we work on getting you a full review, you can check out a preview of what's to come in our First Look video, and get more of our hands-on impressions in the photo gallery below.
Samsung Behold II for T-Mobile
(Credit: Samsung)On Sunday, T-Mobile continued its commitment to the Open Handset Alliance and introduced its fourth Google Android device, the Samsung Behold II.
The Behold II is scheduled to launch later this year, though a specific release date and pricing were not announced at this time. It's the first Android smartphone by Samsung to be released in the United States and joins the carrier's other Google devices, which include T-Mobile G1, the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, and the upcoming Motorola Cliq.
Just like HTC and Motorola, Samsung has put its own spin on the Android operating system by using its next-generation TouchWiz interface, which allows you customized three different home screens with various widgets and shortcuts. In addition, the Behold II features a "cube menu" that provides access to six multimedia features: music, photos, videos, the Web, YouTube, and Amazon MP3. You can interact with all of these features through the smartphone's 3.2-inch AMOLED touch screen.
Other highlights of the Samsung Behold II include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, and up 16GB expandable memory via the microSD slot. Samsung stated that the smartphone follows on the success of its Samsung Behold and takes it to the next level with the addition of Android, bringing support for Google services and Exchange ActiveSync.
While a specific availability date wasn't released, T-Mobile said the Behold II will arrive in time for the holidays. The carrier's other upcoming Android smartphone, the Motorola Cliq, will be in stores starting November 2 for $199.99 with a two-year contract.
Behold, a new touch-screen Samsung.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)If you haven't noticed, touch-screen phones are in, and it seems as if every carrier and manufacturer are rushing to jump on the bandwagon. The latest entry is the new Samsung Behold comes to T-Mobile.
Also called the SGH-T919, the Behold resembles both the Samsung Omnia and the LG Dare with a little bit of the Samsung Instinct thrown in. It has an expansive touch-screen design while offering a music player, a 5-megapixel camera, and (most notably) support for T-Mobile's growing 3G network. The result is an attractive, powerful phone with an easy-to-use TouchWiz interface. On the downside, it lacks Wi-Fi and the Web browser is a bit erratic, but the Behold is a compelling addition to T-Mobile lineup.
Read our Samsung Behold review for a full report and check out our Samsung Behold slide show.
The Samsung Behold makes its debut.
(Credit: Samsung)As we told you last week, the Samsung Behold (aka the SGH-T919) officially went on sale Monday at T-Mobile. You can get it for $149 in two colors: espresso (brown) or rose (pink).
Just as we're dishing this news, a review model of the Behold landed on our desk. We'll give it a full shakedown tomorrow, but off the bat we can report that the glossy touch-screen phone has a sleek design. It may not have a particularly unique style, but it is attractive and has a nice feel in the hand. What's more, the display is bright and vibrant.
Features include Samsung's TouchWiz interface, a 5-megapixel camera with flash and video capture, a full Web browser, stereo Bluetooth, a speakerphone, organizer features, a microSD-card slot, and GPS. Also, in addition to being a quad-band world phone, the Behold is compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network.
Stay tuned for a full review.
The The Samsung Gravity is a messaging phone.
(Credit: T-Mobile)Samsung continued its fall deluge of new phones Thursday when it introduced two cell phones for T-Mobile. The Samsung Gravity is a messaging phone in the style of the recently-announced Samsung Rant, and the Samsung Behold (we don't know where Samsung comes up with these names, either) offers a full touch screen.
Though we thought the Rant was Samsung's answer to the popular LG Rumor, we see now that the Gravity (aka the SGH-T459) more closely resembles the LG phone. Features include a slide-out alphabetical keyboard for rapid messaging, a 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, a speakerphone, organizer features, and a microSD-card slot. It will be available in lime or aqua on November 17.
The Samsung Behold has a full touch screen.
(Credit: T-Mobile)From what we can tell, the Behold has a sleek design, but we're not sure it's a sight to behold. Like the new Samsung Delve dropped by Alltel one week ago, the Behold (aka the SGH-T919) has a full touch screen with a virtual keyboard. Yet, its few physical keys more resemble those on the Samsung F480, which was born last February at the GSMA World Congress.
Features include Samsung's TouchWiz interface, a 5-megapixel camera with flash and video capture, a full Web browser, stereo Bluetooth, a speakerphone, organizer features, a microSD-card slot, and GPS. Also, in addition to being a quad band, the Behold will be compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network. The Behold will go on sale beginning November 10, and will be available in black or light rose.
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