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Phone combines touchscreen and QWERTY
Nov. 19, 2008

Verizon has announced a new Windows Mobile 6.1 phone that offers a touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, and an "optical mouse" navigation button. The Samsung Saga has a 2.5-inch display, quad-band GSM and dual-band CDMA connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a two megapixel camera, according to the company.

(Click here for a larger view of the Samsung Saga)


Samsung's SCH-i760 was previously released by Verizon
(Click image to enlarge)
Apparently also known as the SCH-i770, the Saga is a demonstration of Samsung's adeptness at filling niches in carriers' product lines. It sits between the SCH-i760 (right), released by Verizon last year and later upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.1, and the SCH-i780, released by AT&T last month as the Epix.

Like the SGH-i780, the Saga sports an "optical mouse," actually a small touchpad that replaces the typical five-way controller. The touchpad lets users start applications, manipulate a mouse pointer onscreen, and is not liable to mechanical failure, says Samsung.


Samsung's Saga is just over an inch thick

Given that the Saga also has a QWERTY keyboard, plus a 2.5-inch touchscreen with 320 x 320 resolution and a touchscreen, users can interact with the phone a number of different ways. Verizon appears to have modified the standard Windows Mobile operating system slightly, providing the customized Today screen illustrated at right, and also throws in the Opera Mobile web browser.

The Saga is said to be powered by a Qualcomm MSM7500 chipset, which integrates an ARM11 applications processor clocked at 400MHz with an ARM9 communications processor. The device has 256MB of RAM and 128MB of flash storage, and this is supplemented with a microSD slot.

The phone's cellular capabilities consist of quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM, touted as working "at home and abroad," and dual-band (800/1900MHz) CDMA. Meanwhile, there's also Bluetooth 2.0 -- including A2DP (advanced audio distribution profile) for stereo music streaming -- and 802.11b/g wireless networking.

Finally, the Saga includes a two megapixel camera touted as having a "NightShot" mode. The device includes a 1300mAh battery that's claimed to provide up to 300 minutes of talk time and 325 hours of standby.

Features and specifications provided for the Samsung Saga by Verizon include:
  • Processor -- Qualcomm MSM7500 clocked at 400MHz
  • Memory -- 256MB of RAM and 128MB of flash
  • Display -- 2.5-inch touchscreen with 320 x 320 pixel resolution
  • Keys -- QWERTY keyboard, optical mouse, dedicated calling and menu keys
  • Camera -- 2 megapixel, with NightShot mode
  • Wireless:
    • WAN -- Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM and dual-band (800/1900MHz) CDMA
    • WLAN -- 802.11b/g
    • PAN -- Bluetooth with A2DP
  • Other I/O -- USB port
  • Expansion -- microSD slot accepts cards up to 16GB
  • Battery type/life:
    • 1300 mAh battery
    • 300 minutes talk time
    • 325 hours standby time
  • Dimensions -- 4.88 x 2.44 x 0.53 inches
  • Weight -- 4.59 ounces
According to Verizon, the Saga will be available in December, priced at approximately $200, with a two-year contract and a $70 mail-in rebate. More information may be found on the company's website, here.



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