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!

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.

[Via GadgetZone]

It's been awhile since we've heard from Samsung's SGH-P520. Now we know why. The pretty little touchscreen was undergoing a couture refitting in preparation for launch as the Armani Phone -- take that LG Prada. Priced at €400 (about $557), this FCC-approved tri-band GSM / EDGE candybar is listed with a 2.6-inch 240 x 320 pixel display, stereo Bluetooth, and microSD expansion to augment the 50MB on-board. Funny, we heard it also has WiFi though there's no mention of it by the folks at GSMHelpDesk who tracked this pup down. Expected before the end of the year in Europe.

[Via Unwired View]

Shortly after learning that Samsung's touchscreen-based SGH-P520 was slightly more than a figment of our imagination, a foreign site has seemingly sat down with oodles of time and snapped more images than you're likely to look at. Still, this oh-so-thin mobile has the sex appeal nailed down solid, so be sure and take a closer look at all the curves awaiting you after the break.

[Via Slashphone]

First comes the FCC leak, then comes a hunch, and just as fate would have it, now it's time to celebrate the fact that Samsung's SGH-P520 is apparently a tad more than a figment of one's imagination. Reportedly, this sexy handset will indeed be making its way onto store shelves, and rather than featuring an oh-so-typical keypad, users will rely solely on a touchscreen to navigate the GUI. Specs wise, it will boast a 2.6-inch 320 x 240 resolution LCD, GSM / EDGE connectivity, a three-megapixel camera, 50MB of internal memory, Bluetooth / WiFi, and a microSD card slot to boot. No word just yet on pricing nor availability, but do click on for one last shot.

[Via Clubic]

We can't confirm the authenticity of this thing just yet, but we can confirm that this particular model number passed through the FCC not long ago -- so it's plausible that this is the real deal. The SGH-P520 appears to be Samsung's nod to the ever-growing finger-friendly touchscreen segment, offering a Prada-esque experience (from that other Korean manufacturer, of course) with decent specs to match. Highlights are said to include a 3 megapixel camera, 50MB of onboard storage with microSD expansion, QVGA display (we woulda hoped for a little more, honestly), A2DP, EDGE data, and WiFi with UMA support in-box. There's no official word on when or where this thing might drop -- but with a triband GSM radio on board, it sure ain't launching here.