Samsung and U.S. Cellular have announced the availability of the Samsung SCH-u440 Gloss, a new compact flip phone that features a QWERTY keyboard, 1.3 megapixel camera, and more.

The device features a full-QWERTY keyboard that is revealed when it is opened. Music listeners can skip through tracks in the Gloss’ music player and listen to music using stereo Bluetooth technology. Pictures can be taken with the phone’s 1.3 megapixel camera, and they should look good on a 2.2-inch 262k color TFT display.

The Gloss also has support for U.S. Cellular’s easyedge wireless data application services. Easyedge gives customers access to voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, news and weather applications, games and more.

The Samsung SCH-u440 Gloss is available at U.S. Cellular locations but pricing has not been announced.

As more consumers make the shift to large-screen, flat-panel TVs, Samsung Electronics is betting that the devices can’t get too thin or too green.

The company launched a line of ultra-slim LCD panels for large TVs that use up to 40 percent less power than conventional LCDs, and yet are just a quarter as thick.

Samsung said it started mass-producing the LCD panels that will show up in brand-name ultra-slim TV sets in retail stores in the next few weeks.

The latest LCD panels have edge-lit LED backlighting that offers lighter weight and thinner designs, says Scott Birnbaum, vice president of Samsung’s LCD division. “Consumers want thinner and lightweight TVs all the time, because they want to wall-mount in a way that makes it look discreet rather than bulky and protruding,” says Birnbaum. “And though power consumption is not a factor while buying a TV now, it is an important thing to consider especially as TV sizes get larger.”

At 10.8 millimeters thick, the new Samsung panels are only a fourth as thick as conventional LCD panels. They come in 40-inch, 46-inch and 55-inch diagonal sizes.

The backlit panels are mercury-free and consume less energy, claims Samsung. The LED backlight offers a better alternative to the more common CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) technology used in most LCD TVs currently, says the company.

Separately, the company released the first TVs with the embedded Yahoo Widget Engine, which allows users to access apps such as YouTube and Flickr on their TV sets.

Samsung’s slim-profile LCD TVs use a new technology: They have edge-lit LEDs or a row of LEDs on the top and the bottom of every panel that help illuminate the display. The method gathers the light toward the center of the display and bends it. The light is then reflected forward through a plate that focuses it, offering better picture quality at less power, says Samsung. Older versions of the technology posed problems such as inadequate brightness across the entire screen, and overheating of the outside frames and light-guide plate. The company says it has resolved those issues, paving the way for mass-production.

Clearly, consumers will have to pay a premium for these ultra-thin LCD TVs but Birnbaum won’t estimate how much. That is up to the TV manufacturers and retailers to decide, he says. Samsung makes its own LCD TVs and sells the display panels to other TV makers.

Meanwhile, Samsung LED Series 7 TVs with widgets for popular web apps have already hit the market. These can be controlled with the TV remote, letting users get internet content on their TV sets. However, the lack of a physical keyboard could be a limitation that keeps viewers from using more popular web apps like instant messaging and e-mail through their TV.

Finally Samsung, a leading mobile phone provider, today unveiled the I7500, its first Android-powered mobile phone.

The Samsung I7500 will be available in major European countries from June, 2009.

HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps (900 / 1700/ 2100MHz)
EDGE / GPRS (850/ 900/1800/1900)
OS
Android
Display
3.2″ HVGA(320×480) AMOLED
Camera
5 MP Camera (Auto Focus), Power LED
Video / Audio
Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV
Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA, RA
Value Added
Features
Full Web Browser Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Android Market
Connectivity
Bluetooth® 2.0, USB 2.0, WiFi, MicroUSB, 3.5mm ear jack
Memory
Internal memory: 8GB
External memory: Micro SD (Up to 32GB)
Battery
1500 mAh
Size
115 x 56 x 11.9mm

Source: Engadget

GPS on the I7110 can be used both for navigation and photo geotagging, and the handset comes complete with pedestrian navigation for ten cities in Western Europe. Alternatively it can be used in-car, with a built-in FM transmitter sending spoken directions – and music – through the car speakers with no cabling required.

Please refer to slashgear for more information.

Samsung Korea today introduced a new 5.1 Wireless Speaker (Bluetooth) the YA-SBR510 (150€), which can be use either with a PC, a TV or even a DAP (MP3 player). If you are not lucky enough to own a DAP with bluetooth capabilities, you will be glad to learn that you can still connect your YA-SBR510 to any audio devices thanks to a regular audio cable.

Now if you are looking for something smaller you can still get the YA-SD210, a cradle for Samsung DAPs (P2, T10 or S3) which can also be used as speaker.

The CLP-315K, the record-breaker, is 20-percent smaller than its CLP-300 predecessor and yet has “drastically” improved print quality. In numbers, that works out to 2,400 x 600 dpi maximum resolution, 16ppm black prints and 4ppm color prints, with 32MB of internal memory. All that with just 45dB noise output.

The CLX-3175FNK may be bigger, but you do get a color scanner and fax functionality, and according to Samsung it’s still almost 40-percent reduced from its predecessor. Printing specs are basically the same as the CLP-315K; what’s different is that the all-in-one needn’t be hooked up to a computer for all its functionality. Plug in a USB memory stick and you can print documents directly from it, or even scan pages in and save them directly to it; it’s also PictBridge compatible.

Price? No prices or availability details released yet. Let’s see……