Here’s the leaked pictures including details of Samsung’s upcoming B3310 social networking phone. This entry-level phone will feature a horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 2.1-inch TFT LCD display with 176 x 220 pixels, a 2MP camera with video recording, a music player, an FM radio, a 40MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot, Bluetooth and comes pre-loaded with applications to access Facebook, MySpace and Flickr. The Samsung B3310 will hit UK in mid-September for unannounced price yet.

Introduction

There never seems a shortage of heroes in this industry but every now and then a new breed emerges to change the rules of engagement. Ranks and titles are hard earned and we’ve seen enough contenders that barely deserve a hero’s death. Now, here comes a gadget that knows the best shot at glory is the high-definition one. Will the Samsung Omnia HD be strong enough to bear its name with honor or will it crumble under the weight of expectations?

As all-in-one multimedia touchscreens are battling for dominance, the HD category is now making its way to cellphones. HD is a magical marketing word that has seen as many abuses as it has had just uses. In the Omnia HD case, it’s an insignia of its truly superior rank. It’s not the first time a handset has claimed this tempting acronym, but the Omnia HD hits it where it matters – video recording and playback.

Samsung were the first to announce and release an HD-video-enabled handset. In the not so short time since then, none of their major rivals managed to introduce a competitor. So, all heads are anxiously turned to Samsung to see if they can deliver.

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD official photos

By the way, the Omnia HD comes equipped with everything that Samsung can put on the table. HD video recording and playback is definitely top-notch stuff but these are just the fancy extras on a full battle suit. There’s also a huge AMOLED screen, powerful 600 MHz processor and dedicated graphics chip. The all-in-one count continues with an 8 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, generous 8/16 GB internal storage and DivX/XviD HD playback with subtitle support. Finally, the whole thing runs the latest Symbian S60 5th edition skinned with the new TouchWiz 3D interface.

Take the time to check out this genuine all-rounder.

Key features:

• 3.7-inch 16M-color capacitive AMOLED touchscreen, 640 x 360 pixels
• Symbian S60 5th edition with TouchWiz 3D UI
• ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz processor; HW Graphic Accelerator
• 256MB RAM
• 8 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash, geotagging, face detection, smile shot, image stabilizer, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), ISO 1600
• HD 720p@24fps, 720×480@30fps, QVGA time-lapse and slow-mo video recording
• Dual-band 3G with HSDPA (7.2Mbps) and HSUPA (5.76 Mbps) support
• Quad-band GSM support
• Wi-Fi with DLNA technology
• Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality
• 8/16GB internal memory
• Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
• TV out (Standard Definition content only)
• FM radio with RDS
• Bluetooth and USB v2.0
• 3.5mm standard audio jack
• DNSe audio technology
• DivX/XviD video support with subtitles (HD video playback)
• Virtual 5.1 channel Dolby surround (in headphones)
• Proximity sensor for screen auto turn-off
• Accelerometer sensor for automatic UI rotation, turn-to-mute and motion-based gaming
• Magnetometer for digital compass
• Office document viewer
• Full Flash support in the web browser

Main disadvantages:

• No xenon flash
• No camera lens cover
• Sluggish browsing in the image gallery
• HD video recording sometimes drops below 24fps or duplicates frames to equal 24
• Samsung Mobile Navigator doesn’t come with any maps or voice-guided navigation license
• No smart dialing
• Touch web browser zooming needs tweaking
• Somewhat limited 3rd party software availability
• No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)

Well, the Omnia HD is packed with all kinds of goodies, but not without a few setbacks on the way to retail. If the whole thing is put together right though, the i8910 Omnia HD may have every reason to claim its rightful place on the throne as the unchallenged king of HD video.

Some of you must be wondering what took us so long to get an Omnia HD for a proper in-depth review as it’s been around for a while. Well, it’s true and it’s not. Samsung i8910 Omnia HD was released in the end of May through selected carriers but shortly after that Samsung froze production and stopped supplies, reportedly due to software problems. Now, the official release has been announced and the Omnia HD is available worldwide, all bugs fixed…though let us be the judge of that. But anyway, the i8910 Omnia HD is ready to roll.

This is our third and last meeting with the handset and we’re still excited about exploring an industry leading device. The verdict of course is a few pages away, but a device that ticks off the wishlist of high-end features and marries Symbian and TouchWiz is certainly worth a closer look.

Samsung Omnia HD in our office

We hope you’re as keen to join as the Omnia HD is eager to shoot those high-res videos. But first things first, let’s take a look at the design and handling after the jump.

Samsung are going to great lengths to pile pressure on the LG Cookie. While the Samsung S5600 Preston aims to outdo it, the 5230 Star is set for a head-on collision course. This starlet’s middle name is Tocco Lite and that’s plenty to live up to.

The name itself is no shortcut to stardom but the Tocco pedigree certainly brings with it certain expectations of quality. So will this little Star still be going strong a year from launch? The S5230 certainly has all the ingredients, now all we need to do is see if Samsung has got the mix right.

Add a dash of touchscreen and nifty unlock, a pinch of smart looks and document viewer, DNSe and smile shutter to taste. Samsung’s widget-wielding TouchWiz makes reading the recipe a cinch.

It’s a dish that’s already proving popular – the Star is already shifting over a million units per month and Samsung expect to total 10 million sold by the end of the year. Certainly an ambitious plan, but they just might pull it off – the Star is set to become one of Samsung’s bestsellers.

Samsung S5230 official photos

Samsung S5230 main features:

• GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS/EDGE class 12
• Dimensions: 104.0 x 53.0 x 11.9 mm, 93.5 g
• 3″ resistive TFT touchscreen, WQVGA resolution (240 x 400 pixels)
• 50MB onboard storage, microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• 3 megapixel fixed focus camera with smile detection
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB v.2.0
• Document viewer
• Smart unlock
• Accelerometer sensor
• FM radio with RDS
• DNSe
• Find Music recognition service
• 1000 mAh battery, up to 800 h of standby

Main disadvantages

• No 3G
• Proprietary connectivity port
• Slightly more expensive than the LG KP500 Cookie
• No way to directly switch between running apps
• The camera is quite basic – uninspiring picture quality, no autofocus or flash
• Non-hot-swappable microSD slot

Samsung S5230 live shots

The Star offers a basic touchscreen package with little to no access to top-of-the-line technology. It still knows a trick or two though and is keen to treat the masses to Smart Unlock. It was initially dubbed Gesture lock but in the end Samsung went for Smart instead. This feature lets users unlock the S5230 Star and even launch apps by drawing a letter on the screen. It can be any letter: U to unlock the device, B to launch the browser, J to run your favorite Java app. It’s a nifty trick that adds a little speed and spice when working with the device.

Jump to the next page for a guided tour of the Star exterior. We’ll look closer at the few things that have changed since our early-bird preview.