Samsung Debuts F490 with 3.2", 16:9 Touchscreen

Samsung SGH-F490

Samsung SGH-F490

Samsung SGH-F490

Today Samsung Electronics introduced its latest finger touch handset, the Europe-bound SGH-F490. The F490 offers users a large 3.2", 16:9 widescreen display that is capable of rendering 262k colors. The phone's web browser has been optimized for the display and can be used in both landscape and portrait modes.

There is more to the SGH-F490 than just that big display, though. The F490 has an on-board 5 megapixel camera, 130MB of built-in storage space, and a microSD card slot for storage expansion. For those that prefer moving to still pictures, the camera can be used to record QVGA resolution videos at 15 frames per second, and can playback VGA resolution, 30fps videos.

Other features of note include integrated Google search, Samsung's Croix user interface, and Bluetooth stereo support that is backed up by a regular 3.5mm audio jack for people that don't mind the wires. The F490's music player, which makes heavy use of Samsung's Croix UI for finger based seeking and volume control, is capable of full background playback.

The Samsung SGH-F490 measures 115mm x 53.5mm x 11.8mm (4.5" x 2.1 x .5") in size and weighs 102g (3.6oz). It supports GSM/EDGE connections on the 900, 1800, and 1900MHz bands, and UMTS/HSDPA networks that use the 2100MHz band. The F490 will be available in select European markets this February for about 530EUR, before taxes and subsidies.