First phone with DivX comes to Japan, still can't do HD

It was reported (via Keitai Watch) that Samsung's smartphone SC-01B will be the first mobile phone in Japan featuring video codec DivX. This opens up the way for the video content from PC and web to be added to mobiles. Although, first end-users will have to do some conversion on PC using free DivX Converter for Mobile. After conversion, videos can be viewed on mobiles in SD quality. Expect more DivX phones to appear in Japan soon.
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Fans rejoice as Armani phone lands in Japan

The release of Samsung's 830SC by Softbank is going to be good news for Armani fans in Japan. It's a well-known fact that Japan is heaven for luxury brands and, no doubt this phone will find love with some followers. The question is how big is this niche market? It's also interesting to see how Samsung is trying to penetrate Japanese market. Apparently, one of Samsung's strategic moves is to lure Japanese consumers by putting large magic Emporio Armani letters on mid-range phone.

Phone Specs
Model:	Samsung Emporio Armani 830SC
Carrier:	Softbank
Display:	2.2inch QVGA AM-OLED
Packet data:	HSDPA 3.6Mbps
Bluetooth:	Yes
Browser:	Full HTML
Camera:	3MP
Bands:	WCDMA/GPS 900/1800/1900
Dimensions:	47.4 x 114.9 x 12mm
Weight:	91g
Memory card slot:	microSDHC (up to 8gb)
Colors:	black, white

Source: Softbank

Samsung Omnia to land in Japan

One of Samsung’s numerous and most promising assaults on Apple’s iPhone the SGH-i900 a.k.a Omnia was noticed during Wireless Japan 2008 trade show at Samsung’s bigger than ever booth. The 3.2 inch touchscreen Windows Mobile machine with Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz UI went through the localization demonstrating Japanese language menu and text input. While Omnia’s 5MP camera and some other specs are superior that of Apple’s 3G iPhone, Samsung realizes that in order to beat iPhone it needs to go that extra mile. In Japan it means adding one-seg TV functionality and contactless FeliCa chipset for mobile payments. Samsung is said to be considering the integration of these options into the device along with the new name for Japan’s Omnia campaing. Softank is most likely to carry this device in Japan.

Source: IT Media