Armani -- Engadget Mobile

armani posts

Samsung's WinMo 6.5-powered Armani smartphone gets previewed

by Darren Murph posted Oct 10th 2009 @ 4:01AM

Got a cool grand to drop on a Windows Phone? Oh, yeah? Then have a gander at Samsung's latest fashion piece, the Armani-branded M7500. The cool cats over at PhoneArena managed to get their paws around a unit, and as predicted, they didn't hesitate to bust out the camera and give us all a good look. They also took the chance to give us a brief overview of how the handset handled, calling it "bulky even for a WinMo smartphone," though praising the high-res display and well-spaced keyboard. Feel free to hit the read link if you're interested in more, but don't be shocked to hear more than a little criticism.

[Via MobileTechWorld, thanks Arnaud]

Giorgio Armani and Samsung unveil Windows Mobile smartphone... with a little help from Steve Ballmer

by Joshua Topolsky posted Oct 9th 2009 @ 9:44AM

Fashion fans, rejoice. Your two favorite labels have finally come together: Giorgio Armani... and Windows Mobile. Today in Milan, Armani's empire unveiled a new, €700 (or about $1030) smartphone built by Samsung, running Microsoft's latest 6.5 OS iteration. The device -- featuring a full touchscreen and slide-out, landscape QWERTY keyboard -- touts a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, a 5 megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage, GPS chip, and microSD slot. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who spoke at the launch, says the device is "the most fashionable phone [he's] ever had a chance to talk about." We won't lie, there is something weirdly appealing about the bronze and black smartphone, though we don't see ourselves shelling out that kind of dough on this particular model. Oh, not because we don't want to, but it doesn't go with our shoes. Check out a couple of videos from the launch after the break, including a short clip with Ballmer.

Gallery: Giorgio Armani and Samsung's new Windows Mobile phone

Continue reading Giorgio Armani and Samsung unveil Windows Mobile smartphone... with a little help from Steve Ballmer

Samsung Armani specifications and press shots emerge: mmm, luscious

by Darren Murph posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 8:48AM

You know, if it weren't so early in the morning, we might just think Samsung's latest Armani slider (more formally known as the SPH-W8200) was a gilded Instinct HD with a pull-down number pad. We're going to do our best to pretend there's really something more here, starting with the fact that the Giorgio Armani logo beneath the screen is probably worth more than half of our belongings... at least according to Craigslist. At any rate, the first glimpse at this here phone's specifications has finally emerged, and while some tidbits are still up in the air, we do know that it'll arrive with a 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen, a DMB TV tuner, 5 megapixel camera, HSDPA, Bluetooth and a microSD expansion slot. Too bad the price will inevitably overshadow all of that, but hey, fashion ain't cheap -- ya heard?

Samsung's Armani alliance soldiers on with W820 / W8200 slider

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 7th 2009 @ 2:20AM

So far, "understated" isn't a word we've been comfortable associating with Giorgio Armani's telephonic ventures with Samsung -- particularly the flashy Night Effect, featuring a glowing Armani logo on the side. We'll go out on a limb and say the latest effort out of South Korea isn't quite as insane as the Night Effect, but a gold finish is always a step in the right direction if attracting as much attention as humanly possible with a piece of electronic equipment stuck to your face is your goal. It looks like the slider will find a home on domestic carriers KTF and SKT, and as far as we can tell, it's not the rumored WinMo-based Armani 2 -- but it does have a 5 megapixel cam, WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, T-DMB tuner, and the adoration of... well, someone, we're sure. Let us know when you find 'em. No word on pricing or a release date, but take this as a sign that the Armani lovers out there have nothing to fear if they're looking to replace that tweaked F480.

[Via Samsung Hub]

Samsung Giorgio Armani 2 specs leaked by Bluetooth SIG

by Ross Miller posted Jul 14th 2009 @ 7:21PM

As best as we can tell, that June 11th Armani event with Samsung and Microsoft came and went with nothing more than a new ad campaign featuring David Beckham in his knickers, and Sammy's June 15th solo fête was devoted to the Omnia lineup and said nothing of any impending Windows Mobile fashionphone. So whatever happened to the rumored luxury device? The Bluetooth SIG group has leaked specs of the Samsung B7620, which the company's Twitter feed labels as the Giorgio Armani 2. According to the product page, under the hood we're looking at a 800MHz processor, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, A-GPS, Stereo FM Radio, WiFi, business card scanner, and the usual assortment audio / video codecs. Of course, the big deal here is gonna be what's it gonna look like on the exterior, and unfortunately this technological diva hasn't seen fit to leave her dressing room just yet.

[Via Mobilewhack]

Read - Bluetooth SIG's twitter account
Read - B7620's product details page

Samsung has a WinMo-powered Armani phone in the works

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 24th 2009 @ 1:20PM

After the questionably-appointed Armani Night Effect, we were secretly hoping Samsung might consider putting its relationship with the Italian fashion house to bed, but it's not to be -- not this year, anyway. It won't just be any Armani phone, either: Ryu Jae-hyun, a director in Samsung's Taiwanese outpost, has revealed in an interview with the Taipei Times that we'll all be treated to a branded phone running Windows Mobile this year. So far, we haven't heard of or seen anything along these lines, but if we had to guess, this'll be running WinMo 6.5 by the time it his the streets -- skinned, of course, with an appropriately fashion-forward, opulent set of ~~screens~~ honeycombs.

[Via Unwired View]

Samsung Armani Night Effect gets exclusive on Vodafone

by Sean Cooper posted Jan 9th 2009 @ 6:59AM

We've seen the Samsung Armani Night Effect fashion phone pop up pretty regularly over the last few months and it seems it has finally found a home chez Vodafone and Phones 4u sometime in January. We've covered the specs, poked fun at the garish branding, loved the pretty lights, and ultimately ended up confused about the whole thing. We've done our bit so now it's your time to chime in European friends, so what's it gonna be?

[Via Mobileburn]

Samsung Armani Night Effect gets unboxed, ready to party

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 29th 2008 @ 12:41PM

We're struggling to name a product that displays the Emporio Armani logo with the same unabashed flair as Samsung's Night Effect candybar, and that's totally okay -- after seeing the unboxing shots, we're not sure the world could handle any more dazzle than that provided by the bezel of this device alone. Yes, we admit, our reaction is totally conflicted between vomit-inducing disgust and "oooh, pretty lights," but the giant stylized eagle on the back of this thing seals the deal for us: we'll take our HSDPA candybars with less involvement from Milan, please.

[Via iTech News Net]

Samsung's Armani Night Effect handset gets detailed, pictured

by Darren Murph posted Sep 22nd 2008 @ 4:29PM

There was little doubt Samsung and Armani's latest tie-up was the real deal, but just in case you're more skeptical than most, the pair has launched a dedicated promo site to pump up the flashy candybar. The Samsung Armani Night Effect boasts a 2.2-inch OLED display, lots of LED accents, HSDPA support, a 3.2-megapixel camera, multimedia player, FM radio tuner, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, 120MB of internal memory and a microSD expansion slot. We're hearing that it'll be released this November in both black and white motifs, each running €300 ($439). Check out lots more delectable images over at Engadget Spanish.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Samsung's Armani 2 Night Effect is well branded, lacks style

by Sean Cooper posted Sep 21st 2008 @ 8:19PM

Well it seems Samsung and Giorgio Armani weren't happy to see an end to the battle of the designer phone, so here they are again with yet another garishly branded phone. The Samsung Armani 2 Night Effect eschews tech and cool form for a lovely blue wraparound light, quad-band EDGE / HSDPA, 3.2 megapixel camera, FM radio, 120MB of memory with expansion via microSD, and Bluetooth for accessory connectivity. This handset should see the light of day in Europe come November with South East Asia and the Middle East getting their soon after.

[Via UnwiredView]

Samsung's new TouchWiz UI gets previewed on video

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 15th 2008 @ 12:34PM

If you've seen our shots of Samsung's Armani redo, the F480, you might have noticed it's running a new OS. The UI -- called TouchWiz -- is based off of the company's Croix interface (which apparently was rushed out to compete with the iPhone), and will be used on all of the upcoming finger-touch phones from the manufacturer. The cats over at Phone Scoop had a chance to go one-on-one with TouchWiz at Mobile World Congress, and they've put together a pretty informative video that shows off the UI doing its thing. The inclusion of a new widget system, expanded menu options, and overall speed bump make this OS a notable step up from Samsung's previous offering. Take a look at the video after the break to see the system getting all funky-fresh.

[Thanks, Martijn]

Continue reading Samsung's new TouchWiz UI gets previewed on video

Hands-on with the Samsung P520 Armani

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 26th 2007 @ 12:00PM

Well, Mr. Armani, sir, we've got to hand it to you -- you know how to make a phone, and a darned good one at that. Of course, our tongues are firmly planted in our cheeks here; we know full well that Giorgio Armani and crew did little more than slap its name on one of Samsung's more upscale fashion phones in an emergency countermeasure to LG's KE850 Prada, but regardless of the circumstances, the P520 Armani is a gorgeous, well-constructed, well-thought out phone of the highest order. Let's put it this way, then, Giorgio: you picked the right Samsung to grace with your legendary marque.

The phone is dang small -- about the size of the P310 "credit card" phone -- which evokes educated guesses of what an iPhone nano might look and feel like. The P520's interface is a thinly veiled rehash of the same UI found on most of Samsung's modern handsets, though there's plenty of Armani media installed to make it clear exactly what it is that you paid extra for (not to say the extra-fancy box and brassy sheen aren't neat, too). Unlike LG's KU990 Viewty, we found the touchscreen to be a pleasure to use (very iPhone-like, actually) with a smooth, glassy surface that's bright, clear, easy to actuate, and easy to slide across. Make no mistake, this isn't a smartphone -- in fact, it barely qualifies as a feature phone in some respects -- but the Armani is easy to use, easy to carry, and a surefire conversation starter. Whether it's the right phone... well, that all depends on your priorities, we suppose.

Thanks to the good folks at Wireless Imports for the hookup!

Gallery: Hands-on with the Samsung P520 Armani

Samsung's F490 / P720 handsets get outed

by Darren Murph posted Dec 24th 2007 @ 9:49AM

Although we came across Samsung's SGH-F490 during a recent FCC scavenger hunt, it, along with the previously announced P720 were recently spotted at an event in Ukraine. Unfortunately, most is lost in translation, but we can gather that the latter will rock dual SIM card slots, a 3-megapixel camera, a 320 x 240 resolution display and a price tag upwards of $500. As for the F490, you can expect a 5-megapixel camera, touchscreen display (presumably with tactile feedback support), 432 x 240 resolution panel and an estimated cost of $600. Beyond that, it seems that we'll have to wait before finding out more, but considering the Q2 / Q1 2008 release dates (respectively), we ought not be waiting long.

[Via UnwiredView]

Samsung's Armani phone has a surprise: a haptic feedback UI

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 25th 2007 @ 8:09AM

All hail, all hail, official pics of the Samsung / Armani mashup: the Armani phone. Here's the haute couturey poop: tri-band 900/1800/1900 GSM, 3 megapixel camera, 2.6-inch 262K color QVGA touchscreen LCD, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support, microSD expansion, full Internet browser, and support for H.263, AAC/MP3/WMA audio and MPEG-4 video. Fine and dandy but this little guy also features a haptic feedback user interface like Samsung's SCH-W559 handset loosed long ago in China -- "users can feel an immediate mild vibration when they touch icons on the display." How you like them Apples, Apple? The Prada-esque slab currently measures in at 87.5 x 54.5 x 10.5-mm and 85-grams; less after it starts making regular, post-meal trips to the toilet following its November European release.

Gallery: Samsung's Armani phone has a surprise: a haptic feedback UI

[Via GadgetZone]

Samsung and Giorgio Armani team up on mobile phones, LCD TVs

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 23rd 2007 @ 4:14PM

In an exciting peanut-butter-in-my-chocolate development, Samsung has announced its plans to manufacture new products jointly designed with famed fashion magnate Giorgio Armani (of course, we knew this was coming). According to reports, Giorgio and the company are teaming up for the development of a "luxury" mobile phone, as well as a "luxury" LCD television, both of which are rumored to be extremely "luxurious." The phone (which we first heard about in July) will make its first "official" appearance at an Armani fashion show in Milan, Italy, while the television will rear its gorgeous head sometime in January. "This powerful partnership will match great design with leading technology to ensure performance is as impressive as appearance," said Yun Jong-Yong, vice chairman of Samsung. Could this be the company's answer to LG's Prada mash-up? We think yes.