Samsung has again demonstrated a willingness to support multiple operating systems with the creation of the SGH-D700, its first smartphone to be based on Nokia’s Symbian-based Series 60 platform.
The phone, which also includes a swivel screen and a digital camera, joins previously announced Samsung smartphones such as the Palm OS-based SPH-i500 and SGH-i500, and the soon-to-be-released SPH-i600, which uses Microsoft’s Smartphone 2002.
Slated for availability in Europe during the third quarter of 2003, the clamshell SGH-D700 is tri-band, with an integrated digital camera and the first swivel screen seen on a smartphone.
With the 16-bit rotating TFT display comes a camcorder application to make use of its integrated VGA resolution digital camera. Its video messaging features will link with Nokia’s own 3650 and enables users to exchange video clips through MMS and e-mail. It will also be possible to play back streaming audio and video courtesy of a pre-installed RealOne player.
Software-wise, the SGH-D700 shares a number of applications with Nokia’s 7650 and 3650 models, but also offers more functionality in some areas. Full MMS and POP3/IMAP4/SMTP e-mail support are on the list, as is a voice memo function; voice recognition for dialing names and carrying out certain commands; SyncML support (vCard, vCalendar); support for both MIDI and WAV files being used as ringtones; a WAP 2.0 browser; and vibration alert.
Another trait shared with the Nokia 3650 is the SGH-D700’s MMC Card expansion slot which enables storage expansion. Users can transfer and play back MP3 files from both internal memory and an MMC storage card. (See p23-24 for more information on data storage options). However, Samsung did not disclose whether a dedicated player is being used to play back audio or whether that functionality is provided by the RealOne player.
The SGH-D700 will be equipped with 4MB of internal, non-volatile memory, and will come bundled with a handsfree set. Users will be able to synchronize information with Microsoft Outlook, but Samsung did not comment on whether this — as with Nokia’s 7650 and 3650 models — will be limited to calendar and contacts information. The SGH-D700 does sport one improvement in the area of synchronization, however, as it supports USB connectivity.