Samsung Saga i770
Video Tour: Samsung Saga & Renown
Phone Scoop takes a brief look at two new world phones from Samsung that work on Verizon Wireless's network in the U.S. and can roam onto GSM/EDGE networks overseas.
Verizon Wireless Announces the Samsung Saga and Renown
Verizon Wireless is adding two more world phones from Samsung to its ranks. Shared features include EV-DO 3G for data in the U.S. and quad-band GSM/GPRS radios for roaming abroad, stereo Bluetooth, support for microSD cards, and 2 megapixel cameras.
- Saga: This Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional smartphone has a touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard. It includes an optical mouse, Wi-Fi, and the Opera Mobile browser. The Saga will cost $200 after rebates with new agreement and is available via telesales starting today, with December 1 set as the date for retail availability.
- Renown: This clamshell is a feature phone that has visual voice mail, an MP3 player and access to Verizon's V CAST services. It will cost $180 after rebate with new agreement and will be in stores starting December 1.
FCC Outs Samsung i770
A new Windows Mobile device from Samsung was sighted on the FCC Web site. The i770 runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and is a mono-block phone with full QWERTY keyboard. The FCC documents confirm that it has both CDMA-EVDO and quad-band GSM radios, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. The i770 supports microSD storage cards, has a real headset jack, and a camera of unknown quality. The draft user manual mentions Verizon Wireless, though neither Samsung nor Verizon have announced this device.
Dual-Band GSM/CDMA Samsung Sighted on FCC
The Samsung SCH-i770 was recently approved by the FCC. Documents seen on the FCC site provide some interesting details about this device. It has dual-band 850/1900 GSM and dual-band 850/1900 CDMA radios. It also has other bands (possibly GSM 900/1800), but it could not be confirmed what the exact additional bands were in the existing documents. The SCH-i770 also contains Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios. Typically, Samsung models with this type of numbering are PDA-style phones slated for release on Verizon Wireless's network. The FCC documents do not, however, confirm that the SCH-i770 will be sold by Verizon, nor what possible roaming scenarios might be permitted/possible with such a phone.
