Samsung Announces Palm OS 5 Smartphone

Posted By: Ryan Wednesday, March 12, 2003 10:04:37 AM

Samsung SGH-i500 Palm OS 5 Smartphone ~ Click for LargerCeBit 2003: Samsung has unveiled the MITs SGH-i500 Smartphone which runs Palm OS 5.2, has a high res screen, SDIO and a integrated CMOS camera. The SGH-i500 is similar to the SPH-i500 already announced, but operates on GSM/GPRS networks instead of CDMA, and packs in a number of feature upgrades.

The device runs PalmOS 5.2 on an 300mhz Intel PXA262 processor, with 32MB ROM / 32MB RAM. Unlike its CDMA cousin, the SGH-i500 lacks a dedicated Grafitti area. Palm OS 5.2 includes the Graffiti 2 input system.

The SGH-i500 has a Tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900) phone radio and uses a GPRS Class 8 (1 Tx, 4 Rx) chip. It comes with a rechargeable (1100mAh) battery which allows for 200 minute of talk time and 100 hours on standby. There will be an optional (1700mAh) extended battery.

Samsung SGH-i500 Palm OS 5 Smartphone ~ Click for LargerThe main inner display is a 65000 TFT color screen with 320 x 320 resolution (actual 324x352 pixel including the extra phone status area). The exterior (caller ID/Time) display is a 256 Color Organic EL (OLED) Sub-LCD.

It features a built in 330K pixel VGA (640 x 480) camera with an embedded flash. In addition there is a SD expansion slot that supports SD/IO and a standard Ir port. The SGH-i500 also has a speaker that supports Polyphonic ringtones and standard MIDI.

The Smartphone has dimensions of 3.5 x 2.3 x 1 inches (88 x 54 x 26 mm) and weighs 5.3 ounces (150g).

In addition to the standard Palm OS software, the i500 comes with a Palm media pack for audio and video playback, a WAP 2.0 browser, an MMS and email messaging client and adds support for J2ME applications. Samsung also states that it will come with various third party web browsers, but no specifics are given.

As of now, there is no word on pricing, availability or which carriers will sell the SGH-i500.

Many thanks to Rich from PhoneScoop for the tip.

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Its finally here! or is it?

i2oadi2unnei2 @ 3/12/2003 10:43:15 AM #
Woo hoo!!! Just what I have been waiting for! Although I am not getting it yet, I am sure I am going to get one of these soon. I'm going to dig for more info about this phone and I'm hoping this phone supports my current carrier if not, then maybe its time to switch. The only thing I have to get used to is the 320x320 screen since I got the NX and that extra 160 does make a difference...very sweet phone...


...|3eep |3eep!!...

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
hawkspy @ 3/12/2003 10:54:30 AM #
Awesome.


Where do We Go Nowwwwwww?!

- Sir Axl de Rose, 1986

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
johnwong @ 3/12/2003 10:58:47 AM #
This is exactly what I am waiting for too!
-OS 5
-Fast processor
-HiRes
-SD expansion
-Small size
But I am afraid it would be difficult reading eBooks.

JW

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
rsc1000 @ 3/12/2003 11:16:30 AM #
>>But I am afraid it would be difficult reading eBooks.

why?

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
gfunkmagic @ 3/12/2003 11:27:31 AM #
YES!!!! I posted this in the forums earilier but no one believed that this thng could be true!!! HAHA!! It's sooo nice to see OS 5(.2) smartphonse finally arriving! Here are some additional specs, AFAIK they're accurate:

OS: Palm OS 5.2
CPU: Intel PXA262 (200/300(?)Mhz)
GSM/GPRS Tri-Band
Main 65K+ TFT Color screen
256 Color OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) Sub-Lcd
330K+ CMOS Camera with Embedded Flash
SD I/O, USB, IrDA
MMS/WAP 2.0
Palm Media Pack (Plays Video and Audio)


Specs:


Size
Dimension: 88 x 54 x 26mm
Weight: 150g

Screen
Internal: 65K+ color, 324 x 352 support
External: 256 Color, 96 x 64

Platform
RF Band: 900/ 1800/ 1900 Mhz
GRPS: Class 8 (1 Tx, 4 Rx)
Palm OS 5.2

Memory
ROM 32MB, RAM 32 MB

Messaging
MMS
SMS
E-mail client: SMTP, POP3, IMAP

Syncronization
Palm Hotsync

Camera
Built-in 330K+ Pixel
VGA(640 x 480)

Polyphonic ringtone
Standard MIDI

Application
PIM
Palm Applications
Games
Enterprise

Battery
Standard (1100mah)
Extended (1700mah)
Talk time: 200min (on standard)
Stand-by time: 100hr (on standard)

Connectivity
SD I/O, IrDA, USB

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
johnwong @ 3/12/2003 11:57:04 AM #
>>But I am afraid it would be difficult reading eBooks.

>>why?

Not many PDA-Phone using a flip-top. We can compare this to Treo series and PPC series.

JW

HERE ARE SOME MORE PICS!!!!
gfunkmagic @ 3/12/2003 12:05:51 PM #
Here ya go!!

http://www.howardforums.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=836864

http://www.howardforums.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=836870

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
EdH @ 3/12/2003 1:15:06 PM #
>Memory
>ROM 32MB, RAM 32 MB

About time. 32MB ROM? Does it have a large flash ROM storage area for files and data? On the 32MB RAM, did they work around the 16MB address limit imposed by the OS4 PACE environment, split the RAM into two 16MB sections, one for RAM, the other acting as a storage card or did they just say the heck with it and not worry about how OS4 apps see it - or was the 16MB issue a dragonball issue and not OS4 per se?

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
JKingGrim @ 3/12/2003 2:50:53 PM #
I am a programmer and my guess is it is divided into two cards. When adressing databases, you must pass an argument for what card you want the data on. It is common knowledge to pass 0 for this argumment, because there is only one card, but I wonder what the Samsung SDK will say.

I was waiting for the OLED for a long time! Its here!

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
I.M Anonymous @ 3/12/2003 3:18:33 PM #
But why have the OLED screen when a clear window would do the same job?!?!

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
ganoe @ 3/12/2003 3:48:33 PM #
A clear window where, onto the back of the LCD or onto the back of the keypad?
RE: Its finally here! or is it?
hotpaw4 @ 3/13/2003 2:41:44 AM #
>But why have the OLED screen when

The OLED screen probably draws *much* less power.

Samsung SGH-X410 PMG Phone Unveiled at Cebit
pdangel @ 3/13/2003 5:03:31 AM #
-Samsung SGH-X410, the world's first PMG Phone, is tri-band GSM/GPRS with 65K colors, Bluetooth and 40 polyphonic ring tones.
-BenQ unveils smartphone with Bluetooth at CeBIT show.
-Imri's (Korea) "Smart PDA phone" called Lenio with Bluetooth
-Invair Technologies Announces PDA with GSM and Bluetooth

Other Cebit announcements/demos
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Q17036AC3


"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
jgp @ 3/13/2003 12:52:49 PM #
Well, sorry to disapoint you, but, as I like to read those stories first-hand, I went to Samsung's german website, and the press release (http://presse.samsung.de/shownews.asp?nid=697) mentioned "162 x 176 Pixel".

So, I dug further and, in the flash cebit site (www.samsung.com/cebit2003), in the press releases section (this time in English), they have "162x176 pixels (324x352 support)".

I'll leave it to you to guess what this all means...

BTW, I also saw both PXA261 & PXA262 mentioned amongst the various sites... guess they'll get their act together in a few days...

And the memory also goes from "32MB Rom, 32MB Ram" to "Speicher PDA: ab 16 MB + 32 MB DRAM Telefon: 32 MB + 4MB SDRAM"...

Oh yeah, check out the brochure at http://makeashorterlink.com/?T13961BC3, it's got all the new phones.

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
karrock @ 3/13/2003 2:22:20 PM #
The way the specs read to me, only the tiny front display is OLED. The larger display is listed as TFT. If all they put in was a clear passthru window, they couldn't put any electronic components at all in that space and it would reduce its angle of visibility (tunnel effect).

RE: Its finally here! or is it?
JKingGrim @ 3/15/2003 7:58:37 AM #
>>The OLED screen probably draws *much* less power.<<

Thats an undder statement. OLEDs are great! Less power, cheaper, don't need a backlight, brighter, thinner than paper. I want an OLED as my main screen. I heard that there were lifespan issues. Has this been resolved? If it is used as an always on screen, maybe it has. Even if they still don't last as long as conventional ones, I wouldn't mind going to Circuit City to buy a new screen.

Maybe ugly?

NikMan @ 3/12/2003 10:49:17 AM #
It's nice with all features only without GPs and radio. And maybe deisgn isn't so great. And antenna?

RE: Maybe ugly?
elo @ 3/12/2003 11:28:38 AM #
All Samsung phones have antennas. And they all get better reception than nearly anything else out there. Coincidence?

Besides, this weekend's NYT reported that the trend to phones without external antennas has contributed to a noticable drop in the quality of reception across different brands.

The antenna, for now, is the right choice. In a year, who knows?

elo

RE: Maybe ugly?
i @ 3/12/2003 11:53:08 AM #
One thing to say to that antenna comment.

N105. On T-Mobile.

RE: Maybe ugly?
MJGunn @ 3/12/2003 4:57:46 PM #
Actually samsungs DON'T have that great a reception. In my experience (and....I've owned just about every phone worth owning), Nokias (all of them without protuding antennas), generally have the best reception.

The "antennaless phones" HAVE antennas, they're just flat against the back of the phone, instead of sticking up 3/4" off the top. Do you really think it makes that much of a difference? In my experience, it doesn't.

RE: Maybe ugly?
kevdo @ 3/12/2003 6:59:19 PM #
I too had reception issues with the Samsung phone I owned. My Kyocera does much better.

-Kevin Crossman
RE: Maybe ugly?
jjsoh @ 3/12/2003 7:47:17 PM #
: Do you really think it makes that much of a difference?
: In my experience, it doesn't.

Of all the cell phones that you've tried, maybe you missed the Motorola v60i model then. :) I've had one that had to be replaced because the antennae was just a tad bit loose. All it did was jiggle slightly, but one false touch would mean the difference of either all reception or none. Without this antennae, there is definitely no service anywhere.

Anyone else have this problem, or was mine just a fluke?

Jim

RE: Maybe ugly?
MJGunn @ 3/12/2003 8:08:37 PM #
Oh, with the antenna being damaged, definetly make a difference. What i was saying (about whether or not it really makes a difference), is if its located on the top of the phone, or the back.

btw, was that v60i on verizon?

RE: Maybe ugly?
dsm363 @ 3/12/2003 10:17:47 PM #
I think the antenna location makes a big difference. The T68i with the internal antenna has horrible reception compared to some larger phones with either the small antenna or the larger ones you can extend.

RE: Maybe ugly?
jjsoh @ 3/12/2003 10:19:35 PM #
MJGunn

No, ATT wireless. Hmm.. having reread my post, I guess it does sound like I had a defective one. Still, what was weird to me was that the drop in calls and service came all of a sudden; practically overnight. Before it got extra sensitive to the touch, I've had about 10 months of good service.

Well, I can say that even my current phone (the replacement) is the the same way. It jiggles slightly, but I don't seem to have any reception problems like I did before, which is why I was curious if anyone else with my model had the same problem.

Jim

RE: Maybe ugly?
MJGunn @ 3/12/2003 10:47:39 PM #
dsm363, the problems with the t68's reception have nothing to do with the location of the antenna. Its ericsson, they haven't made a phone with decent RF quality in years. If you don't belive me, check the ericsson t39. Its got an antenna, and the RF on it is as bad as the t68's

RE: Maybe ugly?
sr @ 3/13/2003 4:25:50 AM #
My T39 reception always beats my friend's Nokia, hands down. Same network.

Whoa!

kevdo @ 3/12/2003 10:48:32 AM #
I like many others have been im-patiently waiting for the Kyo 7135.

This device looks like it may top the 7135, given OS 5, Hi-Res screen, and Camera.

I presume that as an OS 5 device it can also play MP3s?

Am looking forward to playing with this thing... it looks pretty cool!

-Kevin Crossman

RE: Whoa!
maao @ 3/12/2003 12:49:59 PM #
One bad thing: GSM/GPRS. It's not very fast for data, unlike 1XRTT. Too bad Samsung didn't make this their 1X smartphone. 50-80Kbps throughput would have been nice for this phone.
RE: Whoa!
sr @ 3/12/2003 2:46:39 PM #
For me GSM/GPRS is definitely A Good Thing. 1X IMO has come to market a little too late and for those of us that need our phones to work in more than one/two countries this phone is the answer! Just pointing out that one person's deficiency is another person's feature. [:)] And don't forget that most of the world uses GSM - Samsung was smart to go with GSM/GPRS.

RE: Whoa!
treo007 @ 3/12/2003 3:09:12 PM #
Samsung is a Korean company. My guess is that we'll see a CDMA flavored version of this phone shortly after the GSM release. Impressive phone no doubt. First OS 5 smartphone and, I think, the first phone or PDA with OLED. I need the keyboard, so here's hoping Hanspring incorporates most of what Samsung has done here.

RE: Whoa!
robrecht @ 3/12/2003 3:54:32 PM #
Wasn't there supposed to be a full-size folding external keyboard to go with the SPH-i500? Personally, I would rather have an accessory like the Palm XT keyboard that would allow touch typing then a built in thumboard.

Thanks, Robrecht
RE: Whoa!
treo007 @ 3/12/2003 4:15:31 PM #
I should have read the story a little more carefully. I thought the OLED was on the main screen as well. No wonder people weren't going nuts about that aspect. Oh well, still looks like an impressive device.

RE: Whoa!
maao @ 3/12/2003 4:59:23 PM #
I'm glad it's GSM/GPRS, since I have a T-Mobile account, but if it was on Sprint's network, then I'd rather get it as a 1X phone over GPRS, since the average data rate is much higher. I'm more interested in the data capability than voice. That's the only reason why I'd even look into a smartphone over a voice-only cell phone.
RE: Whoa!
Fly-By-Night @ 3/13/2003 5:14:50 AM #
Actually, being Group 8 GPRS, this phone should reach speeds of about 80-90kbps. It is current Group 4 GPRS (1 transfer channel, 2 receive channel) that operate at around 40-50kbps. Of course, this relies on the network carrier supporting Group 8 GPRS.

FBN

-----
Ceci n'est pas une signature.

RE: Whoa!
Tony_ensemble @ 3/14/2003 8:36:45 AM #
$800 is not an unreasonable theroy for the SGH-i500 given that the retail price for the less beefy SPH- i500 is $700. (pardon me $699)

RE: Whoa!
ha-me3 @ 3/14/2003 7:37:45 PM #
if its more than $500, i'm not getting it.

Yo!

Wow...

AYung @ 3/12/2003 10:50:17 AM #
32mb ROM and 32mb Ram, SD slot, and a camera with a flash...that's pretty amazing!

I wonder how big is the screen and battery life.

RE: Wow...
gfunkmagic @ 3/12/2003 4:45:15 PM #
quote: "32mb ROM and 32mb Ram, SD slot, and a camera with a flash...that's pretty amazing!"

Gee, I wonder why the heck Sony couldn't figure out how to do this on the NZ90! Sigh...

RE: Wow...
maao @ 3/12/2003 5:04:50 PM #
We don't know how much this smartphone will cost. For all we know, with all the features, it's going to retail for $800.

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