New colors, prices and software for Samsung's WM devices

John Chan | Jan 12, 2009

In time for the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, Samsung has announced a new color for its Omnia Windows Mobile (WM) PDA-phone. Aside from the black and white variants, it will also be available in red, a color many Chinese Asians traditionally associate with good luck for the New Year. This will start to go on sale at the end of January.

The Korean chaebol has reduced prices so the 8GB Omnia will now go for S$828 instead of S$928. The 16GB version's price has also been revised to S$928 from S$1,098. Those who are keen on the special red version should take note that it comes only in the 8GB variety.

Another bit of good news is that Samsung has finally released the WM6.1 update for its SGH-i780 handheld. This was originally slated for a Q3 2008 release, but hey, better late than never. Users can bring their i780s to a Samsung service center to perform an upgrade. Take note that this will wipe out all data and applications on your device, so do a backup before taking it in. Those who want to get a brand new i780 will be pleased to know that its retail price has been reduced to S$498, a real bargain for a fully featured HSDPA WM6.1 phone.

All these changes are confirmed for Singapore but may be rolled out at different times for other countries in Asia Pacific. Call your local Samsung customer service hotline to find out more before taking a trip down to the service center or showroom.

Click for another image of the red Omnia: