By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Samsung Electronics unveiled Thursday its second ``smart'' phone powered by the Google-backed Android operating system in the United States, seen as its answer to the ubiquitous iPhones and Blackberries.
Moment, a touch-screen handset with a 3.2-inch active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display and a full QWERTY keyboard, will be offered to subscribers of U.S. wireless operator Sprint, starting Nov. 1. This is Samsung's second Android-based handset revealed this week at the CITA wireless trade show in San Diego, Calif., following the Behold II, which will be available from T-Mobile on Nov. 2.
Samsung seems to be hoping that its two Android handsets will generate buzz as gift ideas ahead of the Christmas shopping season.
``By diversifying our handset lineup, we are looking to establish leadership in Android-powered phones in the U.S., the world's largest smart phone market,'' Dale Sohn, chief executive of Samsung Telecommunications America (STA), was quoted as saying.
Electronics makers have been competing for supremacy in smart phones, which feature Web browsing and multimedia features, as they offer higher margins compared to conventional handsets.
Apple has been leading the smart phone wars in recent years with its iconic do-it-all handset, iPhone, and the App Store, an online applications service. This has electronic makers and wireless carriers desperately seeking ways to beat iPhone at its own game, and they are ready to bet that the Google Android operating system could be the possible answer.
The Android platform, developed by a massive cross-industry alliance led by Internet giant Google, is based on open source Linux software and enables greater flexibility for programmers building applications and features tailored to handsets.
Samsung was not the only handset maker in San Diego to showcase Android handsets, with Motorola touting its CLIQ phone and Taiwanese maker HTC unveiling a special edition of its myTouch 3G Android phone.
Moment is powered by an 800 megahertz (MHz) processor and a variety of wireless functions, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Global Positioning System (GPS) capability. The handset also has a 3.2-megapixel camera, a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, visual voice mail support and a maximum 32 gigabyte expandable memory.
The Behold II also features a 3.2-inch AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel camera and a breadth of wireless options and multimedia features.