Samsung's Omnia is nice enough to find a good home in many a professional's pocket, but in terms of overall desirability it doesn't quite compare to the iPhone or G1. Why, then, did Verizon price the thing $50 higher than its alternate-platform competition? Your guess is as good as ours, but at least the company didn't take long to see the error of its ways, dropping the handset under the magic $200 mark just a few days after the early-adopters got done paying too much for theirs. We're thinking Verizon might have been targeting the $249 Touch Diamond, but really that could do with a price cut of its own. $199 seems about right for an Omnia, so you go right ahead and click on if you want; we'll wait for the higher-res one, thanks.

Though there are fully sixteen devices comprising Softbank's latest round of phones, most are sitting in the giant -- quite literally giant, in fact -- shadow of the mighty 931SH. With the exception of a USB modem and two Nokias that are looking a little irrelevant in the face of Espoo's decision to pull out of Japan, though, we're going to give everyone equal time here -- so read on for the full batch!


Sharp 931SH

Let's just jump right into the big guns, shall we? Closed, the 931SH from Sharp looks just a bit like an iPhone, but opening it reveals a d-pad and numeric keypad. What's more, the 931SH's ridiculous 3.8-inch 1024 x 480 touchscreen puts the iPhone's to shame, as does the color selection -- Black, Silver, Pink Gold, and Red -- and the camera, which measures 5.2-megapixels strong.



Samsung 930SC OMNIA

Everyone's getting in on the OMNIA action lately, so naturally, the Japanese version has to kick it up a notch or three. To do that, it swaps out the WQVGA display found on global units with a wide VGA one, but otherwise, some of the specs should sound familiar: 8GB of onboard memory and 7.2Mbps HSDPA, to be specific. The backside is available in Black, White, and Red -- all options we'd like to see in other parts of the world.



HTC Touch Diamond X04HT

Turns out that NTT DoCoMo isn't the only Japanese carrier that wants in on HTC's mojo. They're launching a version of the Touch Diamond as the X04HT, but unlike the once-over the OMNIA received, the X04HT is basically a dead ringer for its international cousin. VGA, 3.2-megapixel cam, Windows Mobile -- we all know the drill by now -- and it's available in any color, as long as it's black.



HTC Touch Pro X05HT

There's an old saying that goes something like this: "Where there's a Touch Diamond, there's a Touch Pro." Never heard that? Well, Softbank apparently has, putting its own version of the Touch Pro -- the X05HT -- right alongside the X04HT. It offers the same VGA display, 3.2-megapixel cam, and QWERTY (albeit localized) keyboard as other Touch Pros around the globe.



Samsung 930SH

At first, you might not make much of Softbank's claim that the 930SH's 15.2mm-thick shell is markedly thin -- but then you realize that it's packing an 8-megapixel camera, which elicits an "ohhhh, that explains it." Unfortunately, it looks like all the engineering went into that cam, because it's a pretty boring, unassuming flip otherwise. At least it's available in your choice of Blue Green, Black, Pink, White Silver, and Silver Violet, right?



Casio 830CA

What's this, wide QVGA? You've already lost our attention, Casio -- but let's go through the paces here: 5.2-megapixel camera, one-seg mobile TV, a trick (well, trick outside Japan, anyway) translucent dot-matrix LED display on the face, and availability in White, Gray, Black, and Orange.



Toshiba fanfun.2 830T

A wide QVGA display, 2-megapixel camera, and artfully-angled corners should tell you that the fanfun.2 830T from Toshiba is more about looking totally awesome with the phone plastered to the side of your face than it is about taking the perfect photo. To that end, it's available in five fun (some might say "fanfun") colors: Pink, Black, White, Vivid Pink, and Gold.



Toshiba fanfun.petit 831T

The important specs of the 831T are essentially the same as the 830T, but the fanfun.petit (seriously, where do these names come from?) ups the designer ante by offering changeable faceplates. The phone itself comes in White or Pink, then you choose one of six plates (or none at all, if that's how you roll) to customize the flip and make it your own.



Panasonic 830P

The 830P's being billed as a simple, super-readable handset -- and the 2-megapixel camera and WQVGA display certainly back up that billing -- but it's still reasonably attractive, we suppose. Gold, Silver, Black, and Pink are your options on this one.



Sharp PANTONE 830SH

The 830SH isn't the first PANTONE-branded set to grace Softbank's airwaves -- and if we can keep getting crazy colors like this eye-searing green, we hope it's not the last. Yeah, it's only got a WQVGA display and 2-megapixel camera like several other of the lower-end devices here, but come on -- green. Bright green. Cut it some slack, alright? If the green isn't to your liking, there are fourteen other colors to choose from, so dig in.



Sharp 830SH s

The 830SH s continues Softbank's GENT branding -- an indication that the phone's targeted at the mature crowd with big, easy-to-read fonts and huge buttons that are virtually impossible to mispress. It looks a whole heck of a lot like the 830SH and features the same technical specs, but the color selection isn't quite as varied or vibrant: Natural Brown, Warm Pink, Deep Green, and Mat Silver.



Samsung 730SC

Who goes to Japan for a phone this boring? Not us -- and we're not sure why anyone would want this up against any other phone in the lineup -- but alas, Samsung is offering the meager 730SC for folks who are looking the simplest, most basic phone imaginable (by Japanese standards, anyhow). QVGA display -- no "wide" about it -- 1.3-megapixel cam, and just black and white shells to choose from. That's all she wrote.



Sharp 823SH Tiffany

If you're just now reading about this phone, you're already too late to get one -- but at over $100,000 a pop, it probably a moot point for you (and if it's not a moot point, we'd love to talk about some business opportunities with you). Just ten examples of the diamond-laden testament to conspicuous consumption were made, and Tiffany's even kind enough to provide owners with a lovely leather case that looks like it could've come out of a Crackerjack box. Beauty's in the eye of the beholder, eh?

If it's a 5-megapixel cameraphone you're looking for, there are decidedly cheaper entries on the market -- but if only a 5-megapixel WinMo Professional set will do, the Omnia's just about the best (read: only) deal you'll find on an American carrier these days. The CDMA translation of the smartphone that Samsung's been selling in other parts of the world for much of 2008 in GSM form carries over most of its key features, namely Windows Mobile 6.1 with TouchWiz, WiFi, DivX certification, the love-it-or-hate-it optical directional pad, and that beefy cam with flash and autofocus. It also nabs VZ Navigator support, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.2-inch 400 x 240 display, and 8GB of internal memory. Gives pause to that imminent Touch Pro purchase, doesn't it? Look for it to be available for order this week -- a full retail launch is expected come December 8 -- for $249.99 after rebate on a two-year contract.

They're apparently not for sale yet -- stores don't even know what the pricing situation is -- but Verizon has starting shipping Samsung Omnias to at least some of its stores. For anyone not needing the global...um, "globalness" of the Saga or the QWERTY-ness of the upcoming Touch Pro, the Omnia certainly makes for an interesting option -- espeically in light of the TouchWiz support and the 5-megapixel cam. With units in stores now, it can't be long until we can actually buy these, can it?

Not that we've any reason to be shocked here, but Samsung's Omnia is indeed coming to Verizon Wireless. 'Course, most everyone with any remote affiliation to Big Red is frenzied over that other phone today, but those with a soft spot for Windows Mobile 6.1 may want to give this one a bit of attention. You know the highlight specs by now -- a 5-megapixel camera / camcorder, full HTML browser and an expansive touchscreen -- but the nitty-gritty details are still being withheld. As of now, the link on Samsung's website tunnels straight to an error page, forcing us to be content with the knowledge that somehow, someday, this phone is destined for a life on VZW's shelves. Enlarged screengrab is after the jump.

What are you talking about? The picture's clear as a bell -- you really need to get your eyes checked, friend. Naw, we're just messin' with you -- we know this is some of the finest artwork Mr. Blurrycam has to offer -- but it's the first time we've seen the Verizon-branded Omnia in the wilds (notice the VZ Navigator and Visual Voice Mail icons on the screen) which makes it a notable find in our books. Our tipster tells us he's been told to expect the 5-megapixel, 8-gigabyte package in stores before the year's out, which makes that Incite look thoroughly less interesting, doesn't it?

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

There's no need in reiterating, but South Korea has some drool-worthy handsets. Take the minty fresh Samsung SPH-W6050 for instance, with its magnificent 5-megapixel camera (with AutoFocus), OMNIA front design and 3-inch LCD with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution -- isn't that something worth grabbing a napkin over? Furthermore, it boasts a mobile TV tuner (DMB), haptic user interface and a microSD card slot. If only trips to Seoul were cheap and ₩800,000 ($575) was a drop in the bucket...

We know about most of these handsets, but it's always fun to get a few final views before they're officially announced and made available, isn't it? phoneArena has what must be the complete (or close to it) lineup from Samsung for the US market in the next few months all in one place, showing the a777 and a867 Eternity for AT&T, the Behold for T-Mobile, and the i770 Saga, i910 Omnia, and u810 Reknown for Verizon. New here is the R600 Hue II for Alltel, a boring-ass little flip that should be available in a handful of colors. There are a couple goodies in here -- the a867, i770, and i910 should all get some blood flowing, depending on how you roll. Which one's your favorite?

Steve Ballmer definitely gets around, last month taking a trip to the UK just to mock Android, this month heading all the way to Korea to praise Samsung's new T*Omnia. He says it's "at the forefront of this new generation of mobile devices," and digs how it "brings together communications, productivity, multimedia, and entertainment in a way that meets the needs of both consumers and mobile professionals." We think he's most fond of its operating system (WinMo 6.1), but must admit we're smitten by the handset too -- especially its 800 x 480 screen. That's more than twice the resolution of the older Omnia, which by the sounds of it will be released in the US sometime this month. Samsung didn't actually say which Omnia, but since it's the older one that's been FCC approved don't go holding your breath for WVGA goodness. Lucky Koreans, meanwhile, can expect the T*Omnia to start being served up by SK Telecom on November 20.

Like the i900 Omnia, eh? We sure did. Well here's its prettier, smarter cousin tagged the T*Omnia. For the most part, it's the same quad-band, WinMo 6.1 candybar with 7.2Mbps HSDPA data, WiFi, GPS, 5 megapixel cam, and nifty TouchWiz UI we've seen for months. But this hometown Korean version bumps the display to a WVGA, 800 x 480 pixels (up from 400 x 240) while slapping in a DMB digital television tuner to ensure it's non-Stateside status for eternity... at least with this specific configuration. Perhaps Verizon would be so kind as to make use of that display?

There's some ongoing debate as to whether Verizon's upcoming version of the Samsung Omnia, the predictably-named SCH-i910, would feature WiFi. In general, Verizon's historically just been about the least WiFi-friendly of the major US carriers, so prevailing logic had us believing (pessimists that we are) that the Omnia would rely on EV-DO alone to go about its high-speed data business, too. Ah, but wait -- there's this little matter of a WiFi Alliance certification proudly proclaiming the i910 as a "Phone, dual-mode (Wi-Fi and cellular)," which would suggest that there's an extra radio up in there somewhere. Of course, Verizon could go ahead and disable that circuitry in software before they drop it on a store shelf, but with that giant heart of gold of theirs, would they really sink so low as to disable it? (Don't answer that.)

[Thanks, Ari]

In case it wasn't already clear that the wireless industry was heading into a dark, cold winter of ridiculous product names, we present to you Verizon's latest batch: the Omnia, Saga, and Renown from Samsung, and the Touch Pro from HTC. Granted, the Touch Pro isn't ridiculous, and the Omnia we're sorta used to at this point, but as for these other two, we're not so sure. As we've mentioned, the Saga appears to be the go-to-market name for the rumored i770, and phoneArena now sports a nice, clear picture of exactly what the blue QWERTY WinMo phone with global roaming is going to look like. The u810 Renown will be the other piece in Verizon's global roaming puzzle, a flip with a 2-megapixel cam that had been previously pegged for a late-September release but has been pushed back for unknown reasons. The CDMA variant of the Omnia -- the i910 -- just popped onto our radar a couple weeks ago, and we now have official-looking photography of Verizon's WinMo-equipped jewel with a 5-megapixel camera, and 8GB of internal storage with microSD expansion. Finally, we suspect that throngs of Verizon loyalists are going to be thrilled to see a photo of a Big Red-branded Touch Pro, a phone that had been rumored to be coming to The Network for several months now with very little proof to show for it. All four of these monsters are currently slated for November, and with the holidays just around the corner, we bet Verizon would just love to hold to that plan.

And now a little bit of news out of our "straight out of left field" department: Verizon's apparently getting the Omnia. We've spent so long trying to will a North American HSDPA-equipped version of Samsung's WinMo superphone into existence that we totally failed to consider the possibility of an EV-DO-equipped version materializing first, and sure enough, Verizon's latest rebate form lists an Omnia. We suppose it's possible that this'll somehow be watered down from its international equivalent, but we hope both Samsung and Big Red are smart enough to launch an unfettered, honest-to-goodness CDMA translation of the mighty 5-megapixel original.

Separately, we noticed a Samsung Saga listed on there, did a little Googling, and Wirefly seems convinced that the long-rumored global WinMo QWERTY i770 is going to be called the "Saga." So yeah, that settles that.

[Thanks, Donald H.]

There was an awful lot of hullabaloo after an SGH-i907 passed the FCC a few weeks back that we might be dealing with an AT&T-branded Omnia in our midst, going off the logic that Samsungs destined for AT&T typically end with the number 7 and the original Omnia is dubbed the i900. More recent intel suggests that this is actually an Americanized i780, though, leaving everyone wondering whether the western hemisphere would ever see a version of Sammy's WinMo superphone equipped with the right 3G bands. The answer appears to be a tentative "yes," now that we have an i900L in the FCC's business featuring WiFi and WCDMA 850 / 1900. It's not a sure thing, clearly -- but if Samsung were to release a model to the North American market called "i900L" with no bearing to the i900 whatsoever, we'd seriously lose our cool.