Samsung Adds Android Phone Via T-Mobile

Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 10/5/2009

Dallas - Samsung will enter the U.S. Android-cellphone market with the launch later this year of the touchscreen-only Behold II through carrier T-Mobile, whose Android selection will grow to four models.

T-Mobile hasn't announced pricing or a precise availability date for the Behold II, which is based on the non-Android Behold offered by T-Mobile since last year. The new model will join T-Mobile's currently available Android phones,Samsung’s Behold II the HTC-made G1 and MyTouch 3G, and the soon-to-be-released Motorola Cliq, which is due Oct. 19 for online preorder to existing T-Mobile subscribers and becomes available at retail stores Nov. 2.

Only one other U.S. carrier, Sprint, has announced Android plans to date. Sprint's HTC-made Hero becomes available Oct. 11.

Like the current Behold, the Behold II is a touchscreen-only phone featuring Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz user interface, but the new version adds Android OS, AMOLED screen, and second-generation TouchWiz. TouchWiz II adds motion response, six-sided rotating-cube display, downloadable widgets, three customizable widget screens and ability to access select applications even when the phone is in locked mode. The AMOLED display, which is 3.2 inches, delivers higher contrast, greater outdoor visibility, lower power consumption and more fluid video in a thinner package compared to traditional LCD screens.

Behold II offers three different home screens onto which users can drag and drop widgets. The six-sided cube menu provides quick access to six multimedia functions, such including music, photos, videos, Web, YouTube and Amazon MP3 music downloads.

The device also features Wi-Fi, personal email support, corporate email support via Exchange ActiveSync, 5-megapixel camera/camcorder with autofocus and flash, visual voicemail, up to 16GB of external memory, assisted GPS and Bluetooth 2.1.