Samsung Omnia makes pre-CommunicAsia debut

Reuben Lee | Jun 16, 2008

At a regional press event held in Singapore Monday, Korean handset maker Samsung showed off its latest touchscreen mobile, the Omnia (also known as the i900).

Omnia, which means "everything" in Latin and "wish" in Arabic, will be the flagship model in Samsung's Infotainment handset lineup. (The other five key categories Samsung will be focusing on include Style, Multimedia, Connected, Essential and Business.) The iPhone-like handset runs on Microsoft's latest Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system and features Samsung's unique TouchWiz user interface, which allows for more intuitive tap, sweep, drag-and-drop operations.

Josh Delgado, director of the Telecommunications Division in Samsung Australia, kicked off the event with his opening address.

Microsoft's corporate vice-president for Mobile Communications Business, Todd Peters, who was speaking at the event, believes the Omnia is the one device you'll need to manage your lifestyle. And it's hard to disagree with him on that. After all, the Omnia has almost everything you can ask for in a PDA-phone, from GPS and HSDPA to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth stereo. So it's a pity this comes with only a WQVGA-resolution display, a choice Samsung oddly attributes as due to a limitation on Windows Mobile. But the Korean mobile manufacturer makes up with a generous 3.2-inch touchscreen panel and a slim 12.5mm form factor.

If we didn't know any better, just going by the camera specs alone, the Omnia could have been mistaken for a compact point-and-shoot with its 5-megapixel sensor, autofocus, image stabilizer, face detection and even Smile Shot. Two storage capacities of 8GB and 16GB are offered in addition to an external microSD card slot.

The Omnia will be showcased at CommunicAsia 2008, which kicks off tomorrow until June 20 in Singapore. Samsung's flagship touchscreen mobile is expected to roll out in Southeast Asia this week, followed by Europe in July, and other key worldwide markets (including China) a month later. The 16GB version will retail for S$1,098 (US$792.38), while the 8GB version will be available later.

More CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones
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osl2606

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osl2606 says...
Just checked with a retail stall in Funan and the stocks will be in only next month. In the mean time, the sales for HTC diamond is up and stocks are running low very fast. Pity samsung launched such product late.

Jun 17, 2008 10:38

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chriskang

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chriskang says...
The newspapers advised that they will be having a product launched this weekend at taka. If you are really keen to get the phone, you won't have to wait till next month to get from Funan.

Jun 18, 2008 11:11

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pelachi

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pelachi says...
Can you please tell me what "taka" is? I'm not from Singapore but coincidentally I will be there this weekend and would love to pick one up....

Jun 18, 2008 15:25

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juniper

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juniper says...
I think Chris means Takashimaya shopping centre in Orchard Road.

Jun 19, 2008 11:15

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chriskang

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chriskang says...
Hi Pelachi,

As Juniper correctly pointed out, it's takashimaya shopping centre aka Ngee Ann city in orchard road. The road show will be from 20th-22th over the weekend.

Hope the link below will help to give you a better idea when you are in town.

streetdb.com...

Good luck in getting your hands on one of the device.

Jun 20, 2008 10:29

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