Samsung Unveils Its First Android Phone…is Bound for Europe

Samsung's new I7500 handset runs Google's Android platform and sports a 3.2-inch OLED screen and 7.2 Mbps HSDPA service...and it's going to Europe.

Samsung has become the first major handset manufacturer to roll out a handset based on Google’s Android, officially announcing the I7500 will land in Europe beginning in June, with Germany’s O2 going live as the first carrier with the device. Although the G1 has been on the market for a while, the I7500 marks the first Android handset from a major cell phone manufacturer…and its sure to be just the first of many.

“Samsung is among the earliest members of the Open Handset Alliance and has been actively moving forward to introduce the most innovative Android mobile phone,” said Samsung executive VP and mobile communications head J.K. Shin, in a statement. “With Samsung’s accumulated technology leadership in mobile phone industry and our consistent strategy to support every existing operating system, I believe that Samsung provides the better choices and benefits to our consumers.”

The I7500 features a 3.2-inch 320 by 480-pixel OLED display, a 5 megapixel camera, 8 GB of internal memory and support for up to 32 GB more via microSD. The I7500 also comes with Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, integrated WiFI, and in integrated GPS receiver—and, of course, the plethora of Google applications, including YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Talk, a full Web browser, and access to the Android Market.

No launch date or availability outside of Europe has been announced, but the phone offers quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA 7.2Mbps connectivity, so it would be a good fit with T-Mobile in the United States.