CES 2005
One feature sorely missing from Samsung's lineup to date has been Bluetooth.
Once you jump on board the Bluetooth train, it's hard to get off. Not only is it convenient, but with the high cost of some Bluetooth accessories, many people end up making a considerable investment in the technology. That makes Bluetooth an absolute must-have for many people shopping for replacement phones.
Fortunately, Samsung finally seems to be cluing in the Bluetooth phenomenon. The SGH-D500 for Europe was one of Samsung's first Bluetooth phones. While the D500 itself is not expected to make it to the U.S., several similar phones are headed this way, including the well-equipped SGH-E865:
This tri-band GSM phone sports a swivel megapixel camera with LED flash and video capture, a nice high-resolution (176 x 220 pixel) display, MP3/AAC music player, voice command, SyncML, ...and Bluetooth.
It's pretty small, too. It's about the same size as the P777, (perhaps smaller considering the internal antenna,) and certainly much smaller than the brick that was the SGH-D415.
Next up are two somewhat similar clamshell GSM phones. Both have very rounded designs and internal antennas. Neither has GSM 850, so it's safe to assume these won't be coming to Cingular.
The SGH-X475 is pretty basic. Java 2.0 and instant messaging (Wireless Village standard) are the best features. The main display is a plain 65,000-color type. The outer display is a small black-and-white number.
The X475 is dual-band 900/1900, which almost certainly means it's aimed at T-Mobile USA. Few (if any) other carriers use that combination of bands.
The SGH-E335 adds a few more features, such as tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900), a VGA camera, and infrared. The outer display is also larger.