Glyde: Samsung U940 (F700) headed to VZW in March?
Here's a little update on everyone's favorite superphone that was previewed a year ago, released in Europe last Fall, and still "rumored to be coming to an American carrier" soon. The Samsung U940 - a CDMA variant of the F700 - is now said to be headed to Verizon Wireless as soon as March 25 under the name "Glyde." Before you laugh too hard at the moniker, bear in mind that it's better than "Q-Ball," which was the name initially being bandied about the blogsphere. Isn't it?
According to Engadget Mobile, Glyde is on track for a late March release. According to commenter’s on the Engadget post, the exact date could be the 25th, and there may also be a Sprint model - the U800 - in the offing as well.
None of this is new to anyone who follows this stuff, and frankly I'm less interested in the exact launch date than the particulars of what will be launching. We already know the 5MP camera originally shown on the F700 will be toned down to a 2MP shooter (Vodafone's F700 packs a 3MP cam); what's still unknown is what operating system the U940 will run: Samsung's Croix or ultra-snazzy TouchWiz UI? Verizon's proprietary UI? Windows Mobile? And what about that Web browser? Full HTML or ... WAP? Those WAP rumors can't be true.
Only time will tell ... hopefully less than a month's worth of time now.
Closely Related StuffHands-on and in depth with the new Samsung Glyde for Verizon. In this part: VCAST, Camera, GPS/VZ Navigator, and Web Browsing. Unboxing and quick overview of this cool little VCAST messaging phone. Touchscreen and QWERTY. And it's so small! Hands-on and in depth with the new Samsung Glyde for Verizon. Touch screen, QWERTY, VCAST ... it's a crazy new phone. Part one looks at the menu system, touchscreen, QWERTY, and messaging. Look for Part 2 of the review where I will review the Web, VCAST, VZ Navigator, and more! What’s Good: Touchscreen and Full QWERTY Keyboard in Compact Body; Clean Menus and “Croix” User Interface; 2MP Camera with Autofocus and Flash; GPS with VZ Navigator; Full HTML Browser; Good Sound Quality
What’s Not Good: Touchscreen Can Be Difficult to Use, Especially Around Edges and Using Web Browser; Slightly Thick Profile; No D-Pad
Bottom Line: Samsung shrunk the F700 down to a cool, compact size in making the Glyde. The slide-out QWERTY board is handy and surprisingly comfortable... One whole day earlier than I expected, Verizon Wireless dropped the Samsung Glyde upon us. This touchscreen and QWERTY-board handset packs a boatload of features into a relatively small Blue body that's a slightly shrunken down take on Sammy's F700 Ultra Smart.
Glyde gives you a 2.8" touchscreen with haptic feedback, side-sliding QWERTY, 2MP camera with auto-focus, flash, and video capture, GPS with VZ Navigator (location based services), and full HTML browser. Wait,... Ever since Samsung debuted the “Ultra Smart” F700 more than one year ago, phone geeks in the US have been waiting for a US carrier to pick it up. The F700’s combination of a full touch screen, Samsung’s “Croix” user interface, and a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard gave it instant “Super Phone” status in the tech world. Though it’s been a long wait, Verizon and Samsung have brought the F700 to the States at long last in the U940 “Glyde,” But there’s a twist: Samsung literally... When I first held Glyde I was really taken with how small it felt. Granted it’s fairly thick, but it really felt much more like a “regular phone” than a messaging phone with a sliding — that is, “glyding” — keyboard hidden under its display. Glyde’s rounded corners, deep blue glossy plastic body, and chromed plastic accents give it a fun-meets-high tech look, and its size makes it easy to hold and use with either one hand on the touchscreen or both thumbs on the keyboard.... I tested Glyde on Verizon Wireless’ network in the San Francisco Bay Area and was impressed with its quality of sound during voice calls. Signal strength was on par with other recent Verizon handsets I’ve tested, and calls sounded good with minimal hiss and static. The built-in stereo speakers work well for hands-free calling, and also were handy for watching and listening to video clips. Bluetooth worked well with mono and stereo headsets, and pairing was easy and... Glyde’s a cool little phone, even if it’s not really all that little. Between Glyde, Voyager, Alias, and enV2, Verizon now has four non-smartphones with QWERTY boards in its line up. That speaks volumes about how people use their phones these days - texting (and Emailing and Web surfing) is fast becoming as important to people as voice calling. Not everyone wants the power and complexity of a true smartphone, but more and more people want the ease-of-use of a QWERTY... |
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