Samsung P960 pits mobile TV against Nokia’s GPS strategy
Samsung have announced the new Samsung P960 mobile TV phone. Rather than being destined for the South Korean market, though, as Samsung's previoius mobile TV phones have tended to be, the new P960 is aimed fairly and sqaurely at Europe, with Samsung proudly boasting that the P960 supports both the Euopean mobile TV standards (Digital Video Broadcast - Convergence of Broadcast and Mobile Service (DVB-CBMS) and Open Mobile Alliance Mobile Broadcast Service Enabler Suite (OMA-BCAST), in case you were wondering!)
The Samsung P960 is a slider, and you'll be pleased to know that it has a few other tricks up its sleeve, too. An MP3 player with Bang and Olufsen amp, for example, a three megapixel camera, and a plethora of nifty mobile TV features, such as Tivo-esque time shifting and Picture In Picture (although quite how you see a miniaturised view of a TV programme on a screen that's already only 2.6" in size is anyone's guess!)
More details and pictures of the Samsung P960 after the jump.
Samsung P960 Mobile TV phone
The Samsung P960 is clearly a high-end phone with a wide range of features that no doubt will work extremely well, as Samsung seems to have moved on from its phase of producing phones packed to the gills with features regardless of their actual usefulness, and is now producing phones with features that really produce the goods. So the 3 megapixel camera, for example, really will take good photos, while the mobile TV experience will be a genuinely watchable affair.
What's interesting, though, is Samsung's sudden renewed interest in mobile TV, which was meant to be the killer feature for 2007, but which never really took off. The P960 won't be Samsung's only mobile TV phone, you see - it's part of a wider strategy that according to the company will "signify the beginning of the DVB-H [mobile TV] phone era in Europe."
While Nokia are forging ahead with a phone strategy very much based on GPS, Samsung seem to think that it's mobile TV we'll all want. An interesting development, for sure, and it's nice to see a bit of direct rivalry in the marketplace, rather than each manufacturer rushing out a phone that simply clones the interesting features of the competitors. My money's on Nokia, as GPS seems to me at least to be a much more useful feature on a phone than TV, but at least now we have the choice. Let battle commence!
Details of the Samsung P960 mobile TV phone
From the press release:
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a leading mobile phone and No. 1 TV maker, announced today P960, the world’s first slider type Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld (DVB-H) mobile TV phone P960. As a pioneer of slider mobile phones and TV, it was only a matter of course for Samsung to develop a device that contains both of its strongest strengths in one.
P960 is also the world’s first DVB-H mobile TV phone that supports both of European mobile TV standards, Digital Video Broadcast - Convergence of Broadcast and Mobile Service (DVB-CBMS) and Open Mobile Alliance Mobile Broadcast Service Enabler Suite (OMA-BCAST). DVB-CBMS is DVB Forum initiated DVB-H standard based on DVB-T standard, currently available in Italy through H3G, TI and Voda. It will soon become available in France, Belgium, Poland and Russia. OMA-BCAST is OMA initiated DVB-H standard known as the next generation DVB-H solution. It will first become available in Netherland and will continue to be adopted in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
P960 offers an optimized television-on-the-go experience with a large 2.6” QVGA TFT screen with vivid 262K color image-enhancing DNIe. TV watching experience is enriched by numerous innovative DVB-H features such as Electronic Service Guide (ESG) that provides an on-screen TV guide and Picture in Picture (PIP) that allows users to view two channels at once, and Time-Shifting feature that shifts TV program schedule when a show is interrupted by incoming calls. P960 also proudly features Bang & Olufsen ICEPower® technology for a professional quality audio experience. The battery life of 1200mAh ensures up to 5 hours of TV watching time.
In addition to DVB-H technologies, P960 also offers satisfying entertainment features to meet even end-users needs. A 3 megapixel camera with power LED, a music player with Music Library feature and codec support, a FM radio with RDS for around the clock news and music, are all included in P960 to provide the users convenience and enhancement in both audio and visual entertainment life.
As Samsung mobile’s well-known reputation, P960 does not compromise an outstanding design with technologies. The device features all the up-to-date technologies within a slim 16.7mm thin metal body, softly brushed with hairline pattern.
Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecom Business said P960 is a milestone for mobile TV technology, as the launch of the device will signify the beginning of DVB-H phone era in Europe.
