T-Mobile USA is prepping Samsung's new Behold II smartphone for an exclusive launch in advance of this year's holiday shopping season. The touchscreen-enabled 3G handset based on Google's Android platform will provide users with direct access to Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube videos, and Google Talk as well as thousands of applications and games from the Android Market, T-Mobile said.
The Samsung Behold II will sport a 3.2-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display featuring the latest active-matrix technology and a five-megapixel camera that doubles as a camcorder. "The premium screen and quality camera coupled with Samsung's innovative cube menu makes the Behold II a multimedia powerhouse that's made even stronger by T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network," said T-Mobile USA Product Marketing Director Travis Warren.
TouchWiz User Interface
The Behold II is part of Samsung's strategy to maintain its second-quarter position as the number-one phone provider in the U.S. Strategy Analytics said Apple's iPhone was "a wake-up call" for manufacturers "to increase their focus on the user experience."
"All cell-phone makers still face several challenges to implementing this focus on user experience, including implementing cohesive internal processes to design and develop a holistic experience," said Strategy Analytics Vice President Kevin Nolan.
The Behold II's TouchWiz user interface is an offshoot of the Croix software that the handset maker initially developed in response to Apple's iPhone interface. With TouchWiz, the goal is "to provide our consumers with a more rewarding and engaging user interface; one that's more fun, easier to use, and more personal," said Geesung Choi, president of Samsung's telecommunication business.
TouchWiz features expanded options in a cube-menu format, including a widget system that enables users to customize and personalize their phones. The unique widgets menu displays functions such as the clock, radio player, and music player. It also integrates more personal elements such as photos and even birthday reminders, which users can "drag and drop" onto their home screens, the company said.
Low-Power Display
The Samsung Behold II has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS radios, and up to 16GB of external memory. Also on tap is a built-in MP3 player.
The Behold II represents the first smartphone from T-Mobile USA to sport an OLED display with active-matrix technology, which provides crisper colors and wider viewing angles. The main advantage offered by the active-matrix method is that the display consumes significantly less power -- and prolongs battery life.
On the software side, the Behold II offers support for text, picture and video messaging; personal e-mail; and corporate e-mail accounts with Exchange ActiveSync. Moreover, the handset's visual voice mail capabilities enable users to listen to voice mails in the order of preference, the company said.
T-Mobile USA announced last week that it is in the process of delivering an over-the-air software update to Android-powered G1 and myTouch handsets on its network. The new Android 1.6 "Donut" upgrade includes a new integrated camera, camcorder and gallery interface; updated voice search, with faster response and deeper integration with native applications; and an improved search experience that is accessible directly from the home screen, the wireless carrier said.
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