Filed under: Displays, HDTV

So we’re not sure if this is the same Vista-focused product that the company was supposedly working on with Microsoft, but Samsung has just revealed a new 22-inch widescreen LCD known as the CX223B/W that should go nicely with the upcoming OS. Available in black or silver, this monitor features a pretty decent 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 5-millisecond response time, and most importantly for HD fans, an HDCP-enabled DVI port (though HDMI seems to be missing). The lack of info on other important specs such as contrast or brightness makes us think that the display is not scheduled for an impending release, a notion that’s only further supported by the lack of any pricing details. If you can’t wait for the CX223BW to start shipping in the US, there’s always that LCM-22w2 from Westinghouse to keep you occupied for the time being, and both Dell and LG are expected to drop new 22-inch models in the near future as well.

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Filed under: Desktops

With Intel formally rolling out its Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors today, we were expecting to see more new machines with these chips besides the Gateways we brought you earlier, and our friends over at Samsung did not disappoint. The Korean manufacturer has just announced a new desktop known as the BZ60, which rocks the 1.86GHz E6300 variety of Core 2 Duo, and also throws down nVIDIA GeForce 6200 graphics, 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM, and a capacious 320GB SATA2 hard drive. As far as pricing and availability goes, well, we have no clue about the former, and the latter is rather inconsequential considering that this model will probably never make it stateside. Stay tuned, because new dual-core models -- ones that you will be able to purchase -- should be coming at a fast and furious pace in the coming hours and days...

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then it seems like Korean manufacturer iOPS has mad love for almost all of the major DAP makers on the market. Having already taken design cues from Samsung’s YP-U1 and Apple’s iPod mini — they actually got sued for that one — it looks like the company now has its sights set on the iRiver Clix with its latest offering, the BlueQ. Formerly known as the Q18, this model sports a 1.8-inch, 262,000-color screen, up to 4GB of flash storage capacity, and most impressively, Bluetooth support for wireless enjoyment of your tunes or 30fps vids. Expect to see the BlueQ in stores sometime in mid-August for an unknown price, but probably not in the US. Watch out Sandisk and Creative — we hear that iOPS’ engineers just got their hands on a Sansa and Zen V.

[Via DAPreview, photo courtesy of popco]

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV

If you though that Apple’s 20-inch iMac was an impressive all-in-one computer, just wait till you hear about Samsung’s new 40-inch 400PXn and 46-inch 460PXn LCD displays, both of which feature embedded versions of Windows XP. Designed for use in commercial applications such as signage, the two monitors sport an updated version of Samsung’s MagicNet technology, which allows them to run slideshows or video without the need for an external server; if a server is being used to stream data, it can control up to four of the displays at once, feeding them either separate images or one tiled picture (arrays of 4 x 4 units are possible). Specs-wise, both products are pretty run-of-the-mill: you get a 1,366 x 768 resolution, 8-millisecond response time, 800:1 contrast ratio, and 500cd/m² maximum brightness. Although they’re available immediately, Sammy hasn’t released any pricing info for these models, but TG Daily points out that the previous, non-XP versions cost $8,950 (460Pn, pictured) and $6,750 (400Pn), respectively — so we can be sure the upgraded editions won’t come cheap.

[Via TG Daily]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

If you shelled out over $1,000 for Samsung's BD-P1000 Blu-ray player only to discover that the picture quality wasn't as impressive as you'd expected, fear not: it looks like a faulty-but-fixable chip may be responsible for the sub-par video. After noticing a "softness" in each of the titles he viewed with the P1000 -- especially compared to the performance of Toshiba's HD-A1 HD DVD player -- Perfect Vision editor Scott Wilkinson initiated a chain of events that has culminated with Samsung VP Jim Sanduski confirming that there is indeed a hardware problem with the initial rollout. Apparently, the machines have been leaving the factory with the Genesis scaler chip's noise-reduction circuit enabled, and after comparing a repaired unit to one out of the box, Wilkinson agrees that the fix does indeed result in a sharper picture. Future P1000's will be shipping with noise-reduction disabled, and luckily for current owners, Samsung will be releasing a firmware update that you can download, burn to disc, and pop into your player. So the lesson we've learned here is: early-adopters beware, because even though this problem has a relatively easy solution, next time you may not be so lucky.

[Via HDBeat]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

DS and PSP be damned -- if you happen to be in Korea, that is. Looking a bit like a D307 on performance-enhancing substances, Samsung's new SCH-B450 is designed with entertainment in mind, and it's packing enough tech to make the 2-megapixel camera possibly the least interesting feature of the device. Frankly, the spec sheet is a bit overwhelming: you get TV-out, A2DP, a motion sensor for Wii-like interaction, a game-friendly keypad, 3D acceleration, S-DMB reception, Immersion's VibeTonz, and that clever (yet frighteningly fragile-looking) dual hinge design. The B450 is sadly destined for Samsung's home market only, but we can always pick up a D307 and play make-believe, right?

[Via Akihabara News]

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Filed under: Displays

Samsung has taken the wraps off its latest SyncMaster LCD display, the 19-inch CX930B, boasting mostly about the monitor's 97% color reproduction, although how that's measured exactly is unclear. As impressive as that may or may not be, the CX930B's other specs are pretty sweet any way you slice them, with a fast 2 ms response time and deep 2,000:1 contrast ratio. The display also includes a "print view" feature, which works in conjunction with your printer, supposedly giving you an accurate preview of what a printed page will look like. It should be available later this year, in Korea at least, for about $430 US. Now, just give us a 24-inch widescreen version and we're sold.

[Via Akihabara News]

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Filed under: Games, Handsets, Multimedia, Samsung

DS and PSP be damned — if you happen to be in Korea, that is. Looking a bit like a D307 on performance-enhancing substances, Samsung’s new SCH-B450 is designed with entertainment in mind, and it’s packing enough tech to make the 2-megapixel camera possibly the least interesting feature of the device. Frankly, the spec sheet is a bit overwhelming: you get TV-out, A2DP, a motion sensor for Wii-like interaction, a game-friendly keypad, 3D acceleration, S-DMB reception, Immersion’s VibeTonz, and that clever (yet frighteningly fragile-looking) dual hinge design. The B450 is sadly destined for Samsung’s home market only, but we can always pick up a D307 and play make-believe, right?

[Via Akihabara News]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Wireless

It was only a matter of time before Samsung’s SC-X205L and SC-X210L helmet-mounted sports cams went all wireless on us, and if you’ve been tapping your foot at cutting the cable your wait is up with their new SC-X205WL and SC-X210WL. These devices are essentially the same as their wired counterparts: 512MB internal memory on the X205WL and and 1GB on the X210WL, both featuring the same 2.0-inch display, 680k pixel (720 x 480) CCD, 10x optical zoom, and image stabilization (on the full unit, anyway), as well as the obligatory SD slot for recording that MPEG-4 video. Expect ‘em in September for $580 and $680, which is a steep price to pay for those whose finances are probably tied up mending broken bones.

[Via Sci Fi Tech]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

After their last round of completely out of left field NV-series cameras, we were kind of hoping Samsung wouldn't again resort to their well-specced but below average line of Digimax cameras, but here we. Samsung's new seven megapixel S700 and ten megapixel S1000 get the job done with 2.4-inch LCDs, 3x optical zoom, 16MB internal memory, and in the case of the S1000 MPEG-4 VGA video recording. (Wait, didn't they already announce the S1000?) Expect them in august for $250 and $350, respectively. Just in case, need that link to the NVs again?

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

We've been pining after Unlicensed Mobile Access and the promise of seamless VoIP / cellular handoffs for so long, we've admittedly become a little jaded, so forgive us if we seem a bit desensitized to the news that Samsung has launched its SGH-P200 UMA slider in Italy this week. Samsung's claiming that the P200 is the world's first commercially available UMA mobile, and we're inclined to believe them, despite a string of promising announcements over the past couple years that have yet to materialize. UMA aside, the P200 sports a 1.3 megapixel camera, EDGE, smallish 220 x 176 display, and 80MB of shared internal memory in a 22.5mm thick package -- fairly pedestrian specs, but hey, the draw of VoIP is strong, is it not? Expect the phone to spread elsewhere in Europe shortly, while our American friends shouldn't have much longer to wait for the similarly styled T709 on T-Mobile.

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Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, T-Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

We’ve been pining after Unlicensed Mobile Access and the promise of seamless VoIP / cellular handoffs for so long, we’ve admittedly become a little jaded, so forgive us if we seem a bit desensitized to the news that Samsung has launched its SGH-P200 UMA slider in Italy this week. Samsung’s claiming that the P200 is the world’s first commercially available UMA mobile, and we’re inclined to believe them, despite a string of promising announcements over the past couple years that have yet to materialize. UMA aside, the P200 sports a 1.3 megapixel camera, EDGE, smallish 220 x 176 display, and 80MB of shared internal memory in a 22.5mm thick package — fairly pedestrian specs, but hey, the draw of VoIP is strong, is it not? Expect the phone to spread elsewhere in Europe shortly, while our American friends shouldn’t have much longer to wait for the similarly styled T709 on T-Mobile.

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Filed under: Desktops, HDTV, Storage

Sure, Blu-ray burners aren't really the freshest thing on the block anymore -- these days we're getting all prepped for holographic storage to drop -- but there's still a bit of "Magic" left in the idea of burning 50GB of data to a disc. Samsung captures the feel with their new MagicStation MV55 desktop, featuring a SH-B022 Blu-ray drive and not a whole lot else. However, the 3.2GHz Pentium D940 and 256MB GeForce 7600GT should be plenty for a little bit of web browsing or Minesweeper while you're filling those discs with all sorts of good stuff.

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Filed under: Tablet PCs

We still don’t feel like consumers are rushing out to buy those portable but quirky UMPCs (well, an unnamed Engadget editor actually did rush out to buy one — and returned it shortly thereafter), but it seems like the form factor is here to stay anyway, and now Korean manufacturer Daewoo Lucoms — a spin-off of Daewoo Electronics — has released its own version called the Solo M1. Specs on this one are almost identical to the Samsung Q1, as the two devices share the same low voltage 900MHz Intel Celeron processor, 7-inch touchscreen, 512MB of RAM, and of course, Windows XP Tablet Edition operating system. Also like the Q1, the Solo M1 sports both Bluetooth and WiFi wireless radios, and comes with the option of a built-in GPS receiver and/or DMB tuner. You’ll have to forgive us for not getting too enthusiastic about these products anymore (the novelty wore off about 100 posts ago), but if you’ve set the bar a little lower than we have, then you can pick up your own M1 for about $1,050 — in won, of course.

[Via Mobility Site]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We’ve been waiting on this one for a good long while, but we’re pleased to say that if your chosen flavor of TV happens to be a 1080p, LED-based DLP set with 56-inches of screen real estate and a hard to remember model number, Samsung has just the display for you. Their HL-S5679W packs in a 4000:1 contrast ratio, HDMI input, analog/digital tuner, and of course that 20,000 hour lifespan, speedy startup and heat and energy savings provided by the LED backlit pixels. It’s shipping now with a MSRP of $4,199, but the word is you can nab one for around $4,000 on a certain proverbial street.

[Via HD Beat]

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Samsung, Orange, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS

Talk about sensory overload — MoDaCo got its hands on a bunch of semi-official Orange debuts for a number of devices over the weekend, and we have to admit, we’re insanely jealous. Perhaps the most interesting of the bunch, Samsung’s “Blackjack” WM5 Smartphone comes fresh on the heels of the i320, offering basically the same functionality plus 3G data and a forward-facing camera for video calling (feeling the heat, Moto?). Also shown were the HTC Breeze and Oxygen, known on Orange as the C700 and C100 respectively; no real surprises here, though we can now confirm that the Oxygen won’t be sporting DTV like we had previously heard might be the case. In case that all doesn’t have ya impressed, the Hermes (M3100) and Star Trek (F600) showed up for the party, too. Don’t know about you, but we’re feeling a bit overwhelmed here; excuse us while we lie down for just a few minutes.

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Being an early-adopter is risky business -- especially when the product in question costs $1,000 and is embroiled in a so-called format war -- so the opinions of experienced reviewers are key in helping folks to decide whether or not to take the Blu-ray plunge, and whether Samsung's BD-P1000 is the machine to do it with. Luckily PCMag has a thorough write-up which not only discusses the merits and detriments of the player itself, but looks at the format as a whole to determine what type of consumer would actually benefit from next-gen optical devices in the first place. The review basically boils down to this: if you have a high definition TV larger than 42-inches, then you'll definitely notice a difference between Blu-ray and standard or upscaled DVDs, and the Samsung does a good job delivering the picture quality that Blu-ray is capable of. However, this particular reviewer also feels that Toshiba's HD-A1 HD DVD player -- at half the price -- has a slight edge in the picture department, although the P1000's uncompressed audio and ease-of-setup are judged to be superior. Ultimately the decision comes down to personal preferences, so you'll probably want to give both devices a thorough going-over at the store (even if you're buying online); as for us, we're just hoping that Ricoh gets that dual format laser out the door poste haste, so we never have to make a choice at all.

[Via Digital Media Thoughts]

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Filed under: Handsets, Reviews, Samsung, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS

Slim, wide, full keyboard-packin' WM5 Smartphones might be out and about this side of the pond, but our European friends have yet to get in on the Motorola Q -- making Samsung's release of the i320 even more interesting for them, not to suggest there aren't a few Americans that'll be reading PPCReviews' first impression with bated breath. Unfortunately, the outcome isn't exactly a love fest, with the reviewers knocking the i320's sluggish response, odd speakerphone positioning, under-battery microSD slot and lackluster camera. On the positive side, well, it's a WM5 Smartphone with a full keyboard if you're into that sort of thing, and the QVGA display gets high marks. They were also a bit confused about the inclusion of two batteries, suggesting that the i320 might eat some serious power. We'll wait for a couple more reviews before issuing a final judgment, but the HSDPA Q is looking better every day.

[Via Smartphone Thoughts]

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Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Helio, EV-DO, MVNOs, CDMA

Your interpretation of the Google translation is just as valid as ours, but we’re getting that Samsung has entered an agreement with SK Telecom (one of Helio’s parents, the other being Earthlink) to provide at least one handset to the MVNO’s stable in the October timeframe. No real deets on the device itself, though this pictured Z400 ”phone of champions” may be the culprit. Anything is an upgrade from the Hero, although the Z400 lacks the Kickflip’s style; at any rate, if Helio wants to save itself, we’re hoping Bluetooth finds its way into the mix this time around.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

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As companies such as Toshiba, Samsung and LG allude to dual-format Blu-ray and HD DVD players, Ricoh jumps in with a tiny optical device that makes a goes-both-ways player easier to execute. The company said it has created a 3.5mm diffraction plate that can rock pretty much any format, including Blu-ray, HD DVD, DVD and CD without the need for multiple pickups and lenses. Ricoh will offer the technology to all takers by the end of this year.

A spokesman for the company also said this diffraction device, which will sit between the laser and objective lens, will make it possible to not only build switch-hitting players that can deal with all the optical formats, but recorders as well. Ricoh said it will offer the device for players first, and burners will come along later as soon as blue lasers with higher power are rolled out. By then, hard disks will be so cheap the entire issue of burning data onto slow, removable media—regardless of its format—will be irrelevant. – Charlie White

Optical device could help read most disk formats [EE Times, via digg]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We’ve been tempering our enthusiasm about the possibility of next-gen hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray player — mostly because of Samsung and their fear of commitment — but Ricoh‘s new lasers have got us feeling a little more optimistic. Using a 1mm thick diffraction plate with concentric grooves on each side, the new lasers can recognize what kind of disc you’ve inserted into a drive (be it CD, DVD, HD DVD or BD) and adjust the beam to play it. The ability to write data is further off because of the extra fire power necessary to make up for light lost to diffraction, but until the price of blank media comes down, we won’t be worrying about that too much anyway. Ricoh is hoping to start supplying manufacturers with these by the end of this year, so barring any legal and or licensing nonsense, Samsung (or others) could actually make good on their original plan to be the “world’s first” to market with a hybrid player by early 2007. We won’t be holding our breath, though, not on this one.

[Via HDBeat, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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To follow up on our previous post about Nokia suing Telsda Mobile and Song Xun Da Zhong Ke Electric for copying their Nokia 7260 phone design, here's a gallery of some Telsda's other phones—strangely reminiscent of other phone manufacturers.

Not only is Nokia being ripped, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and Samsung have all been subject to the sincerest form of flattery. At least Telsda labels their phones with their own brand, instead of passing it off as a "Morotola" or a "Stony Erecsson". – Jason Chen

Nokia takes action against Chinese Cloners [Mobile Gazette]

Filed under: Handhelds, Peripherals

So you’ve got a Q1 (so, so many of you) but are finding that two and a half hours of battery life just doesn’t cut it? Well Samsung’s got a solution for you… sort of. For about $164 you can score yourself an extended battery pack, which should pump up that time to a more respectable/shoulda been standard 5 1/2 hours — providing you’re willing to put up with a little added weight and bulk, that is.

[Via UMPC Buzz]

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Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA

Here's a feel-good story for all you Verizon users looking for some high-end love: the SGH-A990, Samsung's 3.2-megapixel object of desire chock full o' swiveling QVGA and EV-DO goodness, has officially dropped on your network. Bluetooth -- sans A2DP as best we can tell -- and a microSD slot (for those gargantuan pictures you'll be snapping) are also in the package, but getting yourself atop the Verizon food chain ain't cheap: the A990 will run you $349.99 on two-year contract with a $50 rebate.

[Via Mobiledia]

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Sprint has unveiled its latest phone in their arsenal of Samsung handhelds. This thing is cheap, has nice features and won't sleep with your mother. For a mere $50 this phone will give you a wireless backup utility, Sprint PCS Ready Link (or walkie-talkie functionality), Bluetooth, VGA camera, Sprint PCS Vision Multimedia and all wrapped in a cute, black case.

All-in-all it doesn't seem like that bad a phone. It is far superior than the freebie phones that carriers give out but still won't break the bank with the $50 price tag—with two year contract, of course. It is kind of nice to see Samsung pushing some lower end phones compared to all of the other high end uber phones that they have been hocking lately. – Travis Hudson

Sprint Unveils the Samsung A640 [Mobiledia]