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Samsung Soul

Samsung have used today’s World Mobile Congress to announce a series of new devices, including their new world-wide flagship model: the Soul. The Samsung Soul is part of the Ultra Edition line of handsets, and has been designed for users who don’t want to lose style in favour of technology. The Soul’s highlight features include a 5mpx digital camera with face detection, HSDPA connectivity, Magic Touch by DaCP user interface, microSD memory expansion.

Samsung’s Soul has a full metal body, and measures in at just 12.9mm thick, with the final weight yet to be announced. The device is of the slider form-factor, allowing many features of the handset to be used without having to access the numerical keypad. The front of the Soul houses the Magic Touch navigational keys, several dedicated functionality keys, and a 2.2” 16 million colour TFT LCD.

The Magic Touch by DaCP functionality of the Soul is used to enhance usability by adapting key responses based on the application currently in use. For example, the navigational indicators on the front of the Soul will change to zoom and brightness when the camera viewfinder is open, and when using the media player will change to music controls. When on the standby screen, or browsing through the UI, the keys return to their standard navigational use.

Samsung have also upgraded the UI for the Soul, with three special features for users. The first is Thematic UI, which allows the end-user to change aspects of the UI based on personal preference. Secondly, users can create their own themes with the on-handset UCS application. Predefined skins can also be modified by altering background images, font colour, and font size.

2G GSM 900, 1800, and 1900MHz networks are supported by the Soul. The high-speed 3G protocol HSDPA is also supported, but there is no word on which 3G band the Soul will utilize. What is confirmed, however, is that the HSDPA support on the Soul supports speeds of up to 7.2Mbit/s – perfect for downloading video clips and music to the handset.

Mobile music listeners will enjoy the Bang & Olufsen ICEPOWER digital amplification functionality and 3.5mm headphone jack for connecting standard headphones.

A 5mpx digital camera on the Soul can be used to shoot professional looking still images and video clips. Additional features packed in the Soul by Samsung include face recognition, a Power LED flash, auto-focus lens, image stabilisation, and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR). There’s no word yet on the internal memory capabilities of the Soul, but the flagship model will include a microSD memory card port.

The Samsung Soul will be advertised through a global ad campaign starting shortly. Europe will be the first region to release the handset around April, with others following suit soon after.

More technical information on the Samsung Soul should be available shortly.

Accompanying features
Connectivity options	Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0
Camera support	5mpx digital camera with auto-focus, face recognition, image stabilizer, WDR, and Power LED
Data support	EDGE, GPRS, and HSDPA (7.2Mbit/s)
Exchangeable covers	None
Internet applications	Proprietary browser
Memory   Internal -   External -	TBA^ Yes, microSD
Messaging capabilities	SMS/EMS, MMS, and e-mail messaging
Ringing tones	Polyphonic MIDI, True Tones, and MP3/AAC ringing tones^
Synchronisation with PC	Yes, via PC
System for...   Add-on applications -   Gaming -   Phone -	Java MIDP 2.0 Java MIDP 2.0 Samsung proprietary with Thematic UI
Extras supported (not listed above)	Stereo FM radio Magic Touch by DaCP