Samsung Mobile has announced a sleek new camera phone, the Samsung G600, at an exclusive global launch event today. Housed in a fashionable black two-toned slider shell and equipped with a 5 mega-pixel camera, the Samsung G600 is a fusion of design, photography and the ultimate in phone functionality. A design icon and high performance camera in one, the Samsung G600 is the latest member of Samsung’s range of handsets and is made to capture quality pictures of priceless moments. At work or at play, consumers can now get creative with various modes such as panorama or mosaic settings and enjoy the quality of built-in Power LED flash. No matter where it’s being used, for phone or camera, the Samsung G600 guarantees to make users look and feel great. Mark Mitchinson, Director of Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland, commented: “With slim lines and a sleek design, the Samsung G600 incorporates a sophisticated, stylish and compact product that will appeal to both fashionistas and tech-savvy professionals of all ages.” The Samsung G600 is more than a highly desirable style icon, it comes with a built-in 5 mega-pixel camera that will allow consumers to capture, store and print their favourite moments, without compromise.”

We know consumers will love having advanced functionality and digital camera features in one compelling device. Additional benefits, such as creative shot modes, microSD external memory and the Image Editor will make the Samsung G600 a digital must have,” said Mr Mitchinson. For a better viewing experience, the Samsung G600 incorporates a 2.2” LCD with 16 million colours, a 5 mega-pixel multi-function imaging system and full Bluetooth v.2 connectivity. This will enable people to view larger pictures and graphics and helps users read text or Web pages in full. What’s more, these features are bundled into a tiny 102 mm by 47.8 mm by 14.9 mm frame.

Not only is Nokia the world’s largest mobile phone maker, it seems like they like producing the largest volume of phones too. The Nokia N78 can be thought of as an upgrade for current owners of the N73, but its piano black finish is more reminiscent of the N81 N-Gage gaming phone. We’ve already been treated to the Nokia N82, so it’s interesting that Nokia would already have another candybar smartphone for us to consider in the N78.

Critical specs include a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, WiFi, Bluetooth, and an integrated FM transmitter. Share the tunes! Word is that the Nokia N78 smartphone will get sent away to happy consumers starting next quarter. The MSRP will be around $507.

I picked the Sony Ericsson k850 and the Nokia N82 handsets for our shootout because both have 5 megapixel cameras with xenon flashes. Please bear in mind that what we’re doing here is simply ‘focusing’, so to speak, on the camera capabilities of these handsets, and not the entire phone as a whole. Both phones are quick to activate when it comes to turning on the camera.

The N82 has a lever for the shutter cover that you can switch on, while the K850i has a key near the shutter release button that switches it on, just as in a digicam. When it comes to ease of use, I must admit both are quite easy to handle and hold. However, the K850i has an added advantage thanks to some shortcut keys on the keypad for activating a few features.

Otherwise I’d be inclined to lean towards the Nokia. The touchscreen feature of the K850i may be a plus point while using the phone but it’s a bit uncomfortable while using the camera. I also like the K850i’s convenient switch to toggle between video and camera mode and the gallery. The N82 just has a single key that would take you directly to the gallery. I prefer the switch; it makes it feel more like a camera than a mobile.

Samsung Electronics has launched the ‘Metal 5′ in India calling it the world’s slimmest 5 megapixel camera phone. The Metal 5 provides imaging solutions from image correction to capturing the widest view with panorama shot and has a 2.2″ LCD screen with 16 million colors. Images can be played directly on TV with TV Out or wirelessly printed through Bluetooth printing.

The phone also features an embedded MP3 player, stereo FM radio, FM recording, background music animation, 3D sound speakerphone, USB, Bluetooth 2.0 , PictBridge and Netfront browser v 3.4. It has 55 MB of internal memory. The phone is secured with mobile tracker, emergency SMS alert and privacy lock. H.C.Ryu, M.D. Samsung Telecommunications India, said, “There is high consumer demand for gadget convergence in India.

Consumers opt for camera phones that are much more convenient for capturing spontaneous shots. As per an independent study, by 2010 almost one billion camera phones will be sold worldwide. In India we are witnessing phenomenal growth in the imaging segment where the market is growing at 6%. Currently one-third of mobile phones sold in India have built-in camera.”

LG Electronics (LG), a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, announced today a new Dark Silver colour option for its popular LG Viewty professional-level camera phone, which has now sold over 550,000 units. LG will begin offering the LG Viewty in Dark Silver in addition the current black. LG chose this new colour to further the LG Viewty’s polished, premium image, after researching colour preferences in countries where the phone is sold and colour trend forecasts for 2008. “With this new Dark Silver colour option LG has made the LG Viewty even better, giving buyers an opportunity to customize their phones with a new high-tech finish that is still professional and complements its overall design,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “

We knew we had something special when we created Viewty, and it turns out that over half a million customers agree with us.” Another improvement to the LG Viewty is a redesigned jog wheel that makes scrolling through menus even easier. This improvement is based on customer feedback and available in some markets.

The LG Viewty, which includes a 5.0 megapixel camera and a 3.0-inch touchscreen has now topped 550,000 units in sales. This comes only two and half months after the phone’s November 2007 release in Europe. LG expects the LG Viewty will continue to sell well in Europe, where up to 10,000 units are leaving store shelves daily. The company attributes this success to the LG Viewty’s combination of top-notch features and great design.

Ladies, look out. Samsung has just launched two new fashion phones targeted at the girl-on-the-go who wants to look good with her gadgets. Yes, the L310 and L320 clamshell phones sure seem like fashion statements for the fashion conscious woman. The L310 clamshell, available in black and gold, is a tri-band handset with a 1.8 inch TFT display that has resolution of 176 x 220 pixels.

What makes it so feminine (aside form the fact that it simply looks like something a girl would buy), are the applications that Samsung has thoughtfully incorporated into the device – including apps that assist in shopping and counting calories. It’s a very compact handset (with dimensions of 93.4 x 44 x 17.9 mm) and is equipped with Bluetooth and USB 2.0. It has a 2 megapixel camera and microSD card slot, and supports GPRS and EDGE for internet connectivity.

LG has launched the KF600 EDGE which is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera and new InteractPad touch screen system. The InteractPad is what they’re calling the lower portion of the display that is touch sensitive. This will allow users to navigate various menus in the handset. The KF600 actually has a slide out keypad, so it’s not fully touch sensitive. It’s equipped with Bluetooth, presumably with an A2DP profile as well. The KF600 is apparently the GSM version of the LG Venus VX8800.There’s no official price linked to it yet but it should be out in certain Asian countries soon. Hopefully India will be one of them. Stay Tuned.

Nokia today unveiled its latest addition to the Prism Collection, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism, aimed at design-conscious consumers. With its seamless diamond-cut design with a crystal centre key, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism continues to highlight the geometric shapes and personalized style of the Prism Collection. Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism will be available in the first quarter of 2008 with an estimated retail price of EUR 375, before taxes and subsidies. Nokia worked in collaboration with the creative designer Frédérique Daubal, which resulted in unique laser-etched graphic designs, distinctive wallpapers as well as exclusive accessories to the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism. The wallpapers inspired by Daubal communicate the reflection of light and capture the feel of angular prisms and triangles.” At Nokia we are constantly looking for new and innovative shapes, styles and materials combined with advanced features and personalized experiences,” said Jo Harlow, who oversees the Live category in Nokia. “Additionally, we continue to seek opportunities to collaborate with designers and artists at the top of their fields, who can offer different talents and insights to help us create products that meet the individual and unique lifestyle needs of consumers.”

The graphic design of the aluminium back cover, together with intriguing light effects, make each handset unique and complement the glamorous appeal of the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism. Combining special design and technology, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism features an eye-catching large OLED display, with organic, modern digital art wallpapers inspired by Daubal. From a technical standpoint, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism comes with a 2 megapixel camera, 3G technology for fast and easy downloads and browsing, 1 GB of internal memory and a music player with matching headset. The user can also personalize the color of the light in the keymat choosing from 49 different colors.

The sleek slider-style and powerful, Samsung SCH-r610, is now available to customers, a subsidiary of unlimited wireless service company Leap Wireless International. This ultra-slim mobile phone is packed with a high-resolution, 262K TFT display,  with microSD memory slot, 1.3 megapixel cameras, WAP 2.0, stereo bluetooth and a loud, clear speaker phone. Because Cricket customers have unlimited wireless access, it has a digital talk time of up to 3 hours and standby time of up to 350 hours.

Cricket customers can get all these features inside a 4.06 x 1.96 x .5 inch handset weighing only 2.92 ounces. In addition, SCH-r610 is data capable, giving Cricket customer’s access to mobile Web and ability to download games or apps. It is available at Cricket retail stores and dealers for $250.

Even though the ball is on the cusp of dropping in Times Square, the suits at the FCC are still hard at work determining what we are allowed to enjoy (and what we are not). The latest pair of mobile phones to survive the gauntlet known as the FCC is the Samsung 820SC and the Samsung M130L.Pictures are pretty hard to come by of these two handsets, but we did manage to find out a few details surrounding their specs and features.

For starters, the Samsung 820SC is definitely a GSM/EDGE phone and it’ll rock Bluetooth. Following in the same philosophy, the entry-level Samsung M130L will also have Bluetooth, but its cellular connectivity is restricted to 850/1900 GSM/GPRS. Super stringent confidentiality restrictions have been put in place, so Samsung doesn’t want us to know any more about these phones for now.