Sprint’s advertising the upcoming Samsung phone as a ridiculously fast and amazingly powerful amped-up superphone. But no one’s going to find out if the Samsung Epic 4G lives up to the endorsement until the end of this month. That’s when Sprint will start selling the handset which is the only Galaxy S 4G smartphone apart from being the only one to sport a full slide-out QWERTY keypad.
The Android 2.1 phone has a 4†Super AMOLED touchscreen that accommodates several advanced touchscreen gestures such as multi-touch pinch, long tap and zoom as well as vertical and horizontal swiping. Apart from the physical QWERTY keyboard, there’s also the virtual keyboard and Swype technology that lets users type out text messages or e-mails comfortably. This 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird application processor-powered device supports 3D, HD-like multimedia content, speedier upload and download times.
“With its beautiful display and slide-out keyboard, Samsung Epic 4G is a powerful tool for our customers, and it extends Sprint’s 4G leadership with a second strong smartphone option,” remarked Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. “As we continue to lead the 4G revolution, we are proud to offer our customers two 4G smartphones, the Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot and several 4G USB modems to access the fast speeds on our 4G network in more than 48 cities today. 4G enhances entertainment, gaming and business applications.”
Pictures can be snapped up with the integrated 5MP AF camera that also functions as a camcorder. It is supported by LED flash and 4x digital zoom for clicking stills and 720p HD video recording functionalities. The phone also incorporates a front-facing VGA camera for video chatting. Its mobile hotspot capability lets users host a hotspot that can be shared by up to five Wi-Fi enabled gadgets. The handset runs on a 1500mAh battery and features Visual Voicemail as well as Wi-Fi b/g/n connectivity.
Entertainment buffs ought to note that when Samsung Media Hub launches on the Epic 4G, users will be able to access a video store with movies and TV shows available for purchase or rental. User-generated video content may be shared with friends and families through Samsung’s AllShare service. The phone provides an enhanced gaming experience with six-axis motion sensing that uses an accelerometer and geo-magnetic sensor to to interpret simple movements with accuracy.
What’s more, a demo version of the game Asphalt 5 comes pre-loaded on the phone for racing fans. It extends support for push email and integrated calendar services like Exchange ActiveSync, Google and Yahoo!, as also full support for Google Mobile Services. In the upcoming months, customers can also expect an upgrade to Android 2.2 that will come with Flash 10x and better EAS support, voice dialing over Bluetooth, enhanced browser performance and application storage on external memory.
While pre-orders for the phone will start from tomorrow, it will be made available through all of the carrier’s retail channels as well as Best Buy, Walmart and RadioShack from August 31 onwards. The Epic 4G will carry a $249.99 (approx. Rs. 11,700) price tag after a $100 (approx. Rs. 4,700) mail-in rebate, two-year service agreement and a new line or eligible upgrade. The Epic 4G is required to be clubbed with Everything Data plans that start at $69.99 (approx. Rs. 3,300) a month or Business Advantage Messaging and Data plans and a $10 (approx. Rs.) per month Premium Data add-on. Users can turn the phone into a mobile hotspot with the optional $29.99 (approx. Rs. 1,400) per month plan.
