The original Samsung Galaxy was a bit of a bland attempt for the company’s first Android phone. But things were looking up with the announcement of the Galaxy S back in March, with its 1GHz processor and Android 2.1 OS out of the box. And now we get to enjoy the phone here in Australia, with Optus releasing the handset from July 1 for $0 up front on the $59 social plan over 24 months, including 1GB of data each month.
On specs alone, the Galaxy S is going to give the HTC Desire a run for its money. Tri-band HSPA (900, 1900 and 2100MHz), Android 2.1, 4-inch 800 x 400 AMOLED touchscreen, 5MP camera with 720p video recording at 30fps, inbuilt GPS, accelerometer, Bluetooth, WiFi (802.11b/g/n), 16GB inbuilt storage with MicroSD support capable of adding another 32GB and a 1500mAh battery… If you’re not exhausted by reading that, you’ve got better stamina than me.
The phone itself comes with a heap of pre-installed apps, including a few Optus programs (like OptusZoo), plus apps like Layar augmented reality and the Borders branded Kobo reader. Optus has even done a deal with Borders to offer a couple of Aussie books – Underbelly: The Golden Mile and The Slap by Christos Tsolkias – to the first 20,000 Optus customers to redeem the offer.
It also comes preloaded with Swype, which after a few minutes use seems both awkward and awesome at the same time.
I’ve got a unit here in my hot little hands, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it performs. I’ll keep you all posted.